Quote: NickyKiss "I think that’s what we all need to acknowledge, it’s a work in progress and as long as the feedback is taken on board and changes made, it’s happy days. We have the debate about a new stadium time and again on here but that’s a pipe dream. What I would like to think isn’t a pipe dream is some investment in to the facilities around the fan village. That is something that can pay for itself. Having it mainly based in the players training facilities isn’t ideal IMO and they need to try and utilise the outdoor space more but at the same time shield people from the elements when needed. If they grow the food and drink options over time then they can bring some good income in.'"
For me I want the the club to maximise it's revenue streams whilst giving fans something different. Having a burger isn't different and I'm unsure how much the club will earn from this type of sale if the burger vans are 3rd party traders.
IL/SF need to be talking to and if required paying hospitality experts. No disrespect but most fans, myself included, have little or no knowledge on hospitality particularly where it will need to cover dispersed internal and external areas. I had one drink there last Friday outside near to the running track. I got there late and it was quite quiet but I still had to wait for my pint as there was one area with one tap serving lager. Ideally I'd like to get to the ground at least an hour before kick off but if I have to queue for long periods to get served I'm more inclined to go/stay in the pub.
My grandson loves it primarily due to meeting and have photos with players. This is great but I'm sure after a while the appeal will decline.
As I've said previously the concept is first class but if this is to be a long term success the club may have to invest and take a few risks accepting that some new ideas will fail but when the club do get it right the financial benefits could be significant.
We need activities to keep the kids happy whilst serving up drinks/food/music that will ensure that adults keep wanting to go back for every home game.
Kingfisher appear to be the beer sponsor so I'm not sure how feasible it would be to get say Real Crafty or the owners of The Central involved on match days even if its for a limited number of games.
It's early days and I'd like to think that the club can build on what seems to be a very popular concept with a lot of regular fans.
A great pity we couldn't have bought Sharpies(?) as this would have been perfect.
