Chris cooks programme notes

[Shauneyg]

I read with great interest the article in today's programme by cookie, we as fans really need to step up to the plate and support the club especially newton in his efforts to make us a sustainable business and secure our long term future at a level of football we all think the club deserves to be at, I believe newton and co have the new stadium plans in hand and that will be a massive plus but what can we as fans do to help?? Help improve the budget and other income streams?? We can not take newton for granted and we must all work together for a bright future for our beloved club.

[Carl Newell]

Agreed, the biggest thing we can do as fans is turn up and pay our money through the turnstiles. Below 1000 gate today is simply not good enough from the people of Boston. Before the Telford game I suggested that we should all "bring a friend" personally I convinced four work colleges to go and gave a lift to a fellow regular whom otherwise would have been otherwise unable to attend.

In my opinion the club themselves have done a lot of good work in trying to get numbers through the gate by offering free tickets to schools and making child prices a reasonable price. I guess at the end of the day people will only turn up if the team are towards the top of the league...

[Shauneyg]

Agreed however for the club to be able to compete at the top of league and pushing for a return to the non league elite we need fans to fundraise and also attend matches to help boost the budget etc. come on pilgrims fans lets have your views??

[Winging It]

Some good points made. One thing i always have going round my head is this question.  " How many in the town centre actually know there is a game going on on that given day" ?  I ask this as i have while waiting for a bus home had people asking things like " oh, was Boston at home today" etc, etc.  So my thought is, why not on matchdays have half a dozen people or more handing out flyers in the town centre around lunchtime. Trial it for a few weeks and see if it makes any difference.

[Pilgrims007]

Some good points made. One thing i always have going round my head is this question.  " How many in the town centre actually know there is a game going on on that given day" ?  I ask this as i have while waiting for a bus home had people asking things like " oh, was Boston at home today" etc, etc.  So my thought is, why not on matchdays have half a dozen people or more handing out flyers in the town centre around lunchtime. Trial it for a few weeks and see if it makes any difference.

I have thought the exact same thing

[Crazy Neil]

What happened to the fixture posters that used to be around town,in the pubs and chippies?? They used to have about 4 upcoming fixtures on them,think at one time there were  cards that fitted into your pocket with all the seasons games on.... We need to find a print shop

[Carl Newell]

Hopefully Mr Chris Cook print is reading this! Also this season no one is selling 50/50 tickets near the townend entrance this season. First couple of home game I haven't had the time before kick off to walk down to spayne lane to pick some up but did today. No idea what the profit margin on a pint of beer is but maybe a discount coupon off a pint could be handed out on the turnstiles in order to gain extra revenue?

[father Ted]

I remember big amber and black posters even at Sluice Bridge when I revisited Boston in the late 60 's..

[oxo]

Wonderful how everyone comes up with ideas for increasing the income but nobody is willing to get involved. That is not to criticise the few that every game do their very best.

[Old yellow]

The world is full of people who tell us what we should do,but only a few who actually do anything about it.
After two years of dire football unless we provide a quality product on the field those floating fans will not return, hoofing the ball to three of the smallest forwards in the league and the quality shown on Saturday and against Ferriby & Gainsborough will not get people back through the door.

In my local we use to have 6 of us go on a regular basis to matches up until 18 months ago, now one of us is a season ticket holder out of 4 and only one of us attends on a casual basis, so that is four people who i ask are you going to the match this week and the reply is always the same we are away,or i dont have time or some other excuse yet prior to this they would always attend, so until we deliver on the pitch with attractive wining football, forget about an increase in numbers.

The fact is we got three points on Saturday and that is all the statistics will show, but Mr Greene should see what the rest of can see that we must play football on the deck and not in the air.

[Shauneyg]

It's okay us all wanting to see this fast flowing football but we don't live in the perfect world and we are at skrill north level and teams will come to York street to frustrate us and stop us playing football. We all need to support the club no matter what and work hard together along with the directors to make our long term future sustainable. We need to stop the talking and arrange meetings with cookie etc to see what we can do to help whether it be volunteering or fundraising. Come on pilgrims fans lets see actions.

[noughtyforties]

People have long memories and the tales of people being messed about by previous regimes (not just the last grubby mob) linger long in the memory. Fact is there's a cosy clique down there and its been there for as long as I know..........if your face fits, your in, if not......... ask some long service fans about United 2000 and see what I mean..........

But good luck trying to help, maybe things have changed.

[Winging It]

Wonderful how everyone comes up with ideas for increasing the income but nobody is willing to get involved. That is not to criticise the few that every game do their very best.

That is some judgement of people that in all honesty , you don't know !!  I would happily hand out flyers on a Saturday Morning in the town centre , and i know others would too.  Would you ?

[oxo]

Shaughnyg

I am sure Chris will be only to willing to meet with you and others who want to help raise funds for the club and I would certainly attend however, attempting to raise funds for the club is not for the faint hearted, those with a nervous disposition or those who are easily offended as there will be times when your motives are questioned, your ideas ridiculed and indeed your good efforts thwarted by those who N40 refers to in his post on this subject. Of course you will be dealing with a completely different regime at the very top and I have no doubt those on the board will welcome your ideas and involvement in any kind of additional fundraising that does not impinge on the clubs commercial activities.
Your suggestions appear to be based upon raising funds to enable the manager to strengthen the squad which is admirable, the last time this was tried was as Andy says during the days of the Malkinsons when a group of us got together to form united 200  with the specific aim of raising funds for the then manager ( Mel Sterland )to get in a couple of players that could make the difference and get us promoted. We set up a stall and sold memorabilia we sourced ourselves ( there was no club shop or club memorabilia in those days if you wanted a club scarf you told Maurine and a lady would knit one for you) The chairman and vice chairman of the day would not allow us to sell in the ground and generally put every obstacle in our way in everything we attempted to do.   
I only mention these things not in any way to put you off and as I say I will give you my full backing but so you realise not everyone around Boston United have the enthusiasm and good will towards the club that you and the present owners at the very top have. Give it a go and as Andy says it may now work.

[oxo]

Wonderful how everyone comes up with ideas for increasing the income but nobody is willing to get involved. That is not to criticise the few that every game do their very best.

That is some judgement of people that in all honesty , you don't know !!  I would happily hand out flyers on a Saturday Morning in the town centre , and i know others would too.  Would you ?

I am sorry if I offended you that was not my intention, the point I was trying to get over was that nobody attempts to get together with the club to organise a group of volunteers, perhaps Shaunyg will now be the person to do that and I along with the likes of yourself will join and back him.