The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

PigmanRDFC wrote:...... the current rates are bloody ridiculous and will not help the club to attract new fans. Oh, and I see you say "unseen Conference ruling", surely the new owners have seen it? Can they challenge it?

Now I didn't attend the Cambridge game at the Abbey :oops: but I understand that Diamonds fans were given seating in the South stand, with terracing not offered, and wondered what they were charged bearing in mind the £14 that the U's charge their fans on the Habbin Terrace?

I too would be interested to know how many of the 500 or so members took out their membership purely to get a discount on terrace prices this season. I also agree that the Trust Board needs to urgently review the purpose of the Trust and it's relationship with the Club; at present it appears, to me, to be little more than a fund-raising committee.
I understand that a director from a local football club is also still the secretary of our Trust; I would suggest that there is clear conflict of interest there. Having given many hours of my time over the years to the Trust, I would love to re-join but refuse to do while this person is still on the Board and while there appears to be no clear direction to it. The links with Supporters Direct appear to be non existant which concerns me; if the Trust were ever needed to step up to the plate again, we would need those links and their support.
Speaking yesterday to a Trust member who did attend the meeting, I was made aware of some vicious gossip regarding a former Trust Board member and Club chairman (and also one of closest friends). I won't repeat it on here but for those of you who have also heard it, I can confirm 100% and beyond any doubt whatsoever that it is NOT true. Some people need to get a life :roll:

Trek wrote:

PigmanRDFC wrote:...... the current rates are bloody ridiculous and will not help the club to attract new fans. Oh, and I see you say "unseen Conference ruling", surely the new owners have seen it? Can they challenge it?

Now I didn't attend the Cambridge game at the Abbey :oops: but I understand that Diamonds fans were given seating in the South stand, with terracing not offered, and wondered what they were charged bearing in mind the £14 that the U's charge their fans on the Habbin Terrace?

We were charged the lower rate of £14 (Adult) which equated to the lowest terrace price for home fans.

rushdenman wrote:
We were charged the lower rate of £14 (Adult) which equated to the lowest terrace price for home fans.

Thank you, Martin, for clarifying this.

Trek wrote:

rushdenman wrote:
We were charged the lower rate of £14 (Adult) which equated to the lowest terrace price for home fans.

Thank you, Martin, for clarifying this.

That's also the policy at Forest Green - http://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/tick ... Prices.asp . The point was made at the Trust meeting, that if we'd had to do this for Oxford or Luton (and indeed a few others) last season then we'd have lost a lot of potential revenue - and obviously it would have to apply to away fans at every game given the current configuration of Nene Park.

Diamondsforever wrote: << snip >> The links with Supporters Direct appear to be non existant which concerns me; if the Trust were ever needed to step up to the plate again, we would need those links and their support.
<< snip >>

That was something I tried to clarify at the meeting - indeed I'd like to know whether we are still following the constitution that was agreed and signed at the time of the foundation of the original trust. http://www.thediamondsfc.com/staticFile ... 383,00.pdf

The discussion on this got somewhat sidetracked as there was a disparity about whether the original Trust ever attended club meetings - and then was lost in the "action" that was given to the Trust Board to review where they are going with the Trust. I think they agreed to have a formal meeting with the club, complete with minutes that Trust Members could see, as this hadn't happened to date.

That meeting needs to encompass the way the Trust will work if it loses its significant uplift in membership due to the ticketing discounts (both for season tickets and matchday tickets). Everybody accepts that we are all working for the good of the club, but the question of whether a Trust is needed to achieve the good things the Trust currently does - or would a Supporters Club suffice - is clearly on many people's minds.

Without those ticketing discounts many Trust Members will be questioning what they are getting for their membership fees - however good the work is that the Trust does.

Formic wrote: Without those ticketing discounts many Trust Members will be questioning what they are getting for their membership fees - however good the work is that the Trust does.

I think that you've hit the nail on the head there, Tony.

Trek wrote:

Formic wrote: Without those ticketing discounts many Trust Members will be questioning what they are getting for their membership fees - however good the work is that the Trust does.

I think that you've hit the nail on the head there, Tony.

Of course the flip side is that the club appears to be considering spreading the cost across the whole of the supporter base (perhaps with a slight reduction in prices), rather than have 50% getting discounts whilst the other 50% pay top dollar (ish).
Of course Helen so aptly pointed out the potential LOST revenues for LAST season if we'd have raised the prices then, which exactly proves the point why home supporters have dwindled this season. Of course we wont know the effect it will have on the Luton game attendance until they come to us.
This club has been in a downwards tailspin of negativity for far too long, and when that happens people don't want to be associated with it, getting some of them to come back will take an awful lot of effort and positivity from the club.

I won't be at the Luton game Robin, as luck would have it I have to work that evening anyway, but it wasn't included in the half season ticket as it was a re-arranged match, so I would have had to pay the full whack, and as I've said before, I'll stand by my principles on that one, I'll never pay £17 to stand and watch Conference football - thats a personal choice, but one I know is shared by quite a few people I know.

I await the review of pricing with interest, from a personal point of view if it stays as it is I'll miss the first half of next season again as I work a few Saturdays in August and September, so its not worth me having a full season ticket, and I refuse to pay what they're charging at the moment - like I say, I know I'm not alone in that.