I'm not keen on offers encouraging SL Ticket Holders to come to The Shay on the cheap, I don't buy a season ticket as I don't know how many games I can make in a season, (though usually make more than I realise) so always pay cash on the turnstile. And will everyweek, but it then annoys me when there is an offer for someone who pays there money to another club to come down and get in cheap, we're not going to gain any more fans that way! and its unlikely many of them will come back when its full price, they just come along for a cheap afternoon out.

The idea of SL season ticket holders geting a FAX season ticket for £30 or something is the daftest idea i have heard yet to date. Yes in principle it would be good to get spectators through the gates and increasing the attendances would also increase the atmosphere, However the club would lose money hand over fist as anyone who wanted to save money and had any brain would get a bradford of huddersfield cheap season ticket for £50-£70 and then get a fax one using their cheap SL season ticket as a way of getting the cheap fax season ticket, No doubt these fans would then go and watch said other SL club as well and potentially lose a Halifax fan in the process.

I haven't posted on here for a while as there appeared to be quite enough going on and as I am no longer a member of the Board I don't have any "secrets" to pass on! But I wanted to say a few words about finances and plans for 2012 season from a personal perspective as I don't think these type of "Offers" help a club like Fax.

We all know that any club only has a limited number of income generation methods

Funding from an individual or group of individuals (there are pros and cons about having a sugar daddy) but we should not underestimate how important "donations" have been at many stages of the Clubs history and I suspect still are in keeping the club alive - the Supporters Trust have done a marvellous job in this area.
Disquised sponsorship - this is where an individual/Group "hide" their donations behind sponsorship
Pure sponsorship - when the club sell something to someone who believe the price they are paying is commercial
Shared sponsorship - where clubs work together to sell their combined value (league or cup naming rights etc.)
Controlling sponsorship - where the governing body sell "rights" and funds are shared.
Prize money - usually generated as a sub-set of controlling or shared sponsorship
Club direct ancillary sales - everything from shirts, lotteries to match day parking and hospitality
Club indirect ancillary sales - funds generated from use of clubs facilities (hire of ground by third parties etc.)
gate receipts


Given the continued economic environment, the lack of the ability of any championship club to substantively grow it's fan base in the last 10 years ( despite valiant and varied efforts), the increased professionalism of the marketing teams producing limited results we need to accept that whilst we can move forward, and the club can benefit from efforts and donations - and at Fax we have had some extraordinary efforts from people over recent years- the only way to guarantee the security of the club AND deliver year on year a competitive team is for the club to be run by an individual (or small like-minded group) who are prepared to consistently inject funds.

This opens up huge potential risks, but is the model in ALL professional sport. Fiddling around the edges with season ticket offers simply moves the funding gap to somewhere else, or means th club will have less funds to spend on it's biggest cost- players.

Sack em all and have the under 23's, Only costs £25k and we could all get a season ticket for £20.00

I am with you on all that you say Howard, and to that extent Starbug, You pay for what you get with Halifax, Ups and downs and you certainly get your monies worth. Subsidising Season tickets can only devalue the product and once the Money men leave and inevitably it will happen to each club one day, then no-one will pay the full price again and the numbers drop off.

Someone else who dos'nt listen. It costs about 40 K to run the 23's. The ST was giveing the Club a helping hand, not fully funding them.

I'd argue differently on that one Howard , while the core product might always be considered inferior to SL , by careful ' packaging ' and targeting of your potential customers , I think you could grow a larger fan base , and a loyal one at that

Plus of course you know my opinion on other revenue streams not currently being properly exploited

Dont get your knickers in a twist, Obvously you dont get a joke when it smacks you in the face, if you thought the first line in my reply was for real then a reality check is in order my dear. By the way, i hear what your saying but wasn't really listening

So becuase i made a joke and you dont like it you end up with Knickers in a Knot.

I cant be a real fan or anything becuase i didn't know the under 23's cost £40k, WOW !!! I must send a email to the club telling them that when i renew my ST i want a full run down of the costs for the under 23s and what exactly it costs us to field our first team this year....

Unbelievable Geoff !!!!

The cost is actually about £35k if you want to be pedantic!! And I have seen the breakdown of the costs!!

I agree with you on this Howard, most people like me will pay the going rate for a season ticket as long as it is not excessive, yer we like a good offer but prefer something like get a Diners package like last year that was a good one.
The clubs hardcore support will pay anyway on the whole, the feel good factor with a winning team brings in more and enthuses more to renew true.
Success will come from a money man, look at FC Halifax Town they are being bankrolled and look what it is doing for them!
Some refuse to accept this but it is a fact in sport, in RL probably only Leeds would be sustainable without a sugar Daddy.

But how do Fax get new season ticket holders???

In Previous Years London Skolars have offered a "Six Pack" Ticket, pay upfront for 6 games, and make a small saving, then use at any 6 games, still cheaper to buy a season ticket if you make every game, but generates some funds up front.

Would make a good Xmas present to someone who has an interest and makes the odd game now and then, and these people may then the year later buy a season ticket,

So how do you attract a ' money man ' ? , get more fans , sponsors and ' investors ' want to see commitment from the locality , it tends to work that way

I have suggested something similar today on the Leigh board , but our problem is having an all ticket stadium , you don't , so not as much of an attraction or neccessesity

Maybe but not always take Fev or locally here FC Halifax Town for example or look at teams like QPR or Reading in football, hardly well supported yet they got money men onboard somehow, usually local people who have a passion for their hometown club.