Stewards.

[bozzer]

Lee, why don't you Volunteer to Steward, you will save the club money and fines :lol:

Fines??? I like to have a beer at a game as it is the only time all week when I can safely do that. I wouldn't volunteer now knowing that others will be paid.

If we get enough volunteers to do a rota we won't need to pay any

[Trek]

.....game in August against the Chutney Ferrets may be a different proposition to a Tuesday night game in February against them as again it will be different to a winner takes all title clash at the beginning of May.

I'd hate for our club to get into a 'pickle' against that lot. ;)

[mike]

I think it's difficult to gauge where we will need the staff until the fixtures are out.

For example a Saturday game in August against the Chutney Ferrets may be a different proposition to a Tuesday night game in February against them as again it will be different to a winner takes all title clash at the beginning of May.

A Saturday game!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Pigman]

Lee, why don't you Volunteer to Steward, you will save the club money and fines :lol:

Fines??? I like to have a beer at a game as it is the only time all week when I can safely do that. I wouldn't volunteer now knowing that others will be paid.

I don't get that thinking lee, if we all adopted that attitude then the club is as good as dead, or certainly it'll be put well back in terms of getting our own ground etc.

Many football clubs operate with some paid staff and volunteers backing them up. It's about getting the balance right and the board are working hard to do that, they should be applauded for planning ahead.

Since day one I (and many of my volunteer colleagues) have paid for entry to games and got to see very little football at home, should we be expected to do that forever? The club have a duty of care to make sure everyone has a safe visit, and they're putting in place plans for that and to lift the burden off volunteers who actually work very hard.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this lee, because if everyone adopted your approach the cost would be unsustainable for us - well, it'd certainly put back the day we can afford our own ground. I'd like to help out next season and will, like many others. If we supplement our volunteering with some paid professionals I for one will be very grateful.

Well done for planning ahead I say - we're a big club with a big support for the level we're at, these plans make sure everyone is safe and we're run professionally, which we have been since day 1 !!

[Pigman]

Incidentally, I fully understand why people may not want to volunteer and I don't have an issue with that (although the more that do the less we all have to do), but the board have to think about the bigger picture, especially Tuesday home games when we are often very pushed for staff - we all have jobs that mean we get over late and it's all a bit of a panic !!

[mike]

I know what Rudolph is saying, I volunteered last season and had a season ticket, didn't really miss any of the game and we had pretty much an incident free season. A few lads went on the pitch who were drunk and stupid but no harm was caused. Some TW*T threw a punch at a referee after an average performance but as stewards we got on with it and again no harm caused (other than my stomach but hey ho!)

When we were at Nene Park and I was car park supervisor, we had a couple of volunteers and it was hard to get them to deal with things when a situation arose and was always left to the paid staff we had! So I can see Rudolphs point, the club are advertising for trained stewards which I find a bit confusing. Do they mean trained stewards like the 3 of us we had last year or trained door staff??
Stewards were trained whilst we were under Max Griggs/Dean Howells era but once Helen got her hands on some power that stopped. I don't think many stewards in the country are trained to the football standards qualifications that we were back then!

[Trek]

Surely 'trained' and 'accredited' are one and the same thing? Although I donned a yellow 'high viz' vest on numerous occasions last season, particularly on car parking duties' for the evening matches, as an OAP :oops: but nevertheless a willing volunteer I was very nervous about being a terracing steward during the duration of the match as I have absolutely no experience in these matters. Therefore, I would whole heartily endorse the approach the board are now taking this season with the possible employment of fully trained and accredited stewards to supplement the work of our volunteers.

[rudolph_hucker]

Jim, you are missing the point as is Bozzer. The point is we managed last season with two ( that I remember) regular stewards and had no issues. We have been promoted and suddenly are advertising for paid staff. I wonder what the volunteer stewards last season would think of that for point one? Third kits, more paid staff where none is really needed. I wonder how far back that has put us in the search for a ground of our own?

The point about volunteering to do a job only to find out that the guy next to you that has probably never been to the D and D and built up a rapport with the fans is getting £30 to do exactly the same job as you is quite unbelievable to be honest. I don't come to work for fiive solid days knowing I'm earning less than the other employees and nobody would expect that to happen.

Nobody is or has ever denied that without volunteers the club wouldn't be here, I for one know how hard you all work, but to alienate the stewards we already have by paying others and not them seems like a backward step.

[Trek]

......but to alienate the stewards we already have by paying others and not them seems like a backward step.

I'm a volunteer and it won't alienate me. ;)

[mike]

Surely 'trained' and 'accredited' are one and the same thing? Although I donned a yellow 'high viz' vest on numerous occasions last season, particularly on car parking duties' for the evening matches, as an OAP :oops: but nevertheless a willing volunteer I was very nervous about being a terracing steward during the duration of the match as I have absolutely no experience in these matters. Therefore, I would whole heartily endorse the approach the board are now taking this season with the possible employment of fully trained and accredited stewards to supplement the work of our volunteers.

HaHa dealing with the terrace is easy! They are 100% at the game to enjoy it and have a laugh, whatever is said about our fans nothing bad has ever happened in the terrace or by the people that stand in it.

1 coffee throwing incident near the tunnel
1 pitch invasion from near dales bar were all that happened

yes maybe gobby and mildly abusive but they love the club as much as the rest of us and won't ruin it..... not at the home games anyway!

The more i read the more i am open to the idea of paid stewards if we are short but i agree with rudoloph, We should have an agency on standby for when we need staff not regular paid stewards, our fans behave themselves and when teams like SL corby come to the Dog and Duck they will bring 1 or 2 fans... that could be managed with 2/3 volunteers.

As for stewards not getting to see the game other than fetching the ball, we watch 95% of it so may be we should introduce a £5 fine to any player that kicks the ball out the ground!