I went to the sports shop near Next yesterday and was appalled to see a full rack of RL shirts on offer!

The reason I was appalled is because the choice was Leeds, Castleford and BullS$$$. What a joke - how difficult is it to speak to these shops and give them a dozen shirts to sell?

I am not a marketing expert but come on people. How hard can it be?

I`m not really for giving away too many adult tickets either but I do believe that for certain matches we should give free childrens tickets away .Most people I know were introduced by a parent /grandparent or by meeting a player who spoke to them. I think they should get a couple of players plus volunteers out in the precinct a few Saturdays giving out free tickets to kids and saying they have to bring an adult .They could do a special package too as with all the will in the world £18 for an adult who is coming to watch rugby for the first time is quite expensive make them a one off just for a game where there will be not many away fans.
If a player talks to the child and tells them he`ll look out for them at a match the child thinks they are something special.That`s why I started to go to Thrum Hall and so did all my friends because we lived where all the players lived and saw them every day.My dad was from the North East and was a football player he`d never took me to the rugby we all just used to go together with someone elses parents.
Children want to be part of something sucsessful and I can`t help but think they missed out on a bit of an oportunity when we won the cup a couple of years back.They were invited on a visit to the Town Hall and came out on the balcony as it was going dark to show off the trophy to a sizeable crowd of Fax fans it was a wonderful spectacle.But would it not have created some interest in the town for our team if they had done this on a Saturday afternoon in an open top bus (available in Halifax)instead of an ordinary coach ?Toured the town and maybe stopped off at a Supermarket or two.Not sure wether it would be possible to close the road for the "balcony apearance " but the whole town would have seen them during the day not just the rugby supporters.
There is no easy answer to selling our team but we have to grab the oportunity when we can and we don`t seem to do this well at our club.I again looked around town just before the final last week and saw no mention that we were in a final no blue and white anywhere.If the Club can`t persuade shopkeepers to let them put something up how about asking the council if we can get into some of the umpteen empty shops they have and make a window display up.
There would be quite a few volunteers to help out with this and I hope no-one says "we tried it once it didn`t work" because it has to be done time and time again to make any kind of headway.

Just giving out free kids tickets doesnt work, you need to give much more, and to give more you need to have money to spend, so does Fax have a marketing budget set aside every year to spend on ' Marketing ' ?

That is the 1 st thing you need to sort out

Marketing is what is needed, but silverware to show around should also help.

It would do, but marketing is the key. Look how many finals we have been to in the past 3 years. Havent really noticed much increase in cowds on the back of that. Isnt one of our directors in marketing?

But it doesn't does it, 2010, champions, 2011 Northern Rail finalists, 2012 Northern Rail cup winners, One week later Halifax 2nd v Sheffield 3rd, 1970.
2011, Blackpool, Fax v Leigh 8500.
2012, Blackpool Fax v Fev 7000.
This Sunday, Fax v York?
Crowd?
We have silverware, along with Fev we are the most consistent team in the Championship, however, crowds are diminishing.
So what's the answer?

Yes.

rlhttps://www.reactivmedia.co.uk/rl

The club are poor when it comes to trying to target new fans, have been for a long time they could do a lot better. We win a cup and what do we do with it? A half hearted 'lap of honour' at the match yesterday, what about using it in town on Saturday down the Woolshops and give out some kids tickets?
Its like the U23s games, they sometimes don't even get a mention on the club website so not many know there is a game even on.
Marketing is focused on the usual suspects the existing fanbase, the club rely on that far too much. I know the club don't have many staff and some are volunteers but other clubs seem to do better with even less resources like Sheffield for example, plus when we raise our concerns we get told to shut up!
What about using the link with Calderdale College letting students in for half price or something (I know they are off for the summer) but during term time, why not do like Huddersfield did have a stall at the Lloyds Bank reception on Trinity Road giving out half price tickets?
New fans are your future if 20% get hooked they will be come regulars who will spread the word to other new people.

My biggest criticism is of the online shop. Take a look. It consists of home and away shirts, 2 team pictures and a calendar.

Is this really the best we can do because, if so, we would be better not bothering at all because it is not a good advert for the club at all.

Reactive Media are brilliant at reaching our own fan base but what we need is to make our Club much more an important part of the Town like it used to be.We need more of a prescence in the town especially when we win things like the cup last week there are many things now that people can do to spend their money on these days how do we encourage them to try rugby league?
I think targeting a specific match and going into the Town Centre and supermarkets on an open top bus would be a brilliant idea I know the players are part time but most of them I am sure would be proud to do something like this.

I was pretty peed off on Sunday, youngest son stayed behind to see cup being shown and the only way I can describe what happended was pathetic. Make the most of thses opportunities otherwise the young kids won't want to come and watc. The tension/excitement had been built by a great get out of jail result and then parading the trophy properly would have given the young kids a great memory.

The trophy parade was never a good idea. The players were knackered, last thing they had was energy to make a proper job of it.