I have read a lot about how we can support our club. Last night there was a comedy night, it was very good, however less than 15 people turned up. Can it have made money, I think not.
N M

These 'side shows' to running a rugby club are all well and good but if the club has cut costs to the minimum it should instead focus all efforts on matchdays. Publicise matchdays, market matchdays and focus all efforts on improving the matchday experience - get the crowd fired up, wanting more and wanting to bring family and friends to the next match. If the club got 10 extra adults to attend a match then @£15 each that's an extra £150 for no extra costs. Get 100 extra people and that's £1,500 extra. Cougars should be looking for at least 3,000 people a match in this division if things are done properly and well.

The club for these type of evenings is not situated within easy reach, the competition is so strong now and you have similar evenings at the music centre. I agree with Mr Churchill that focus should be put on match days and get that right. Would it be worth renting the hospitality out to a restaurant, go in partnership etc e.g. curry place? Then on match days etc use it for cougars.

There's another thread on improving the match day experience....

Freddie Cougar has done a good job (liked his dance acts when Brogan Hird was singing last year) but he's looking a bit tired and lonely nowadays...

The board could put their hands in their pockets to finance new costumes and expenses for the right extrovert people with knowlege of the game to do the cheerleader job. I could envisage a new (female) friend for Freddie - "Candy Cougar". Then give them their own theme tunes; Candy, Robbie Williams for Candy Cougar and Karma Chamelion, Culture Club for Freddie.

I'm the last person to suggest copying Bfd B....s - but their dynamic duo of Bullman and Bullboy did well when the B....s were at their peak.

I think the club is right to put these evenings on, the bars should be used every weekend, by the club and fans need to support these events. We just need to hold events that will be popular and we will only know this by trial and error. I think the price structure needs looking at though. Maybe £5 for season ticket holders and instead of food such as curry buffets maybe things such as bacon butties. The revenue from the bars is what keeps the club going so we should not loose this. The blues night which happens around every 4 weeks is very popular, but it has taken time to build this fan base up.

There is only a finite amount of money around and with the dreadful state the local economy is in, people have less and less to spend. If you have the money and want to go then I respect that choice. Those that do go should respect that not everyone wants to go to a comedy night and there are those who just cant afford to or just perhaps have better or more important things in life to do.

It may well be frustrating for the club and those who go but ask the right questions first before rounding on people who are easy targets. Has the event had the right or enough marketing? For example, there's some Pro Wrestling on at Vic Hall. How did I know about this? The answer, because I saw somebody putting a poster up advertising it outside HMV in Br*dford, yes Br*dford, the city with a hole in it 10 miles away. Then I saw that there's posters all around Keighley advertising it. Are ticket prices right? Are the dates and times of it suitable?

I think someone once said the average age of the current Cougars supporter was about 50+. If so this is not the age group who may go out to these comedy evenings.

I'm with you Goosy on this one - comedy night doesn't work with the number of people turning up, plus people haven't got the funds either- match days has got to be concentrated on getting more people through the gates creates the atmosphere we need
Don't know bout the idea renting the place out to a restaurant during the week - most of the restaurants round town have very few people in them as it is.

I agree that the comedy nights, whilst a good idea, are never going to convert into a profitable, well attended event. Simple maths has to come into it for me. There is the cost of the paying bar staff/comedians on the night and associated overheads with putting the night on. Overlay that with the turnout and spend behind the bar. I just can't see it being a money spinner.

I just can't see a benefit to these nights when the matchday experience is so lacking. If the club are insistent on running these types of events then why not run them on a match day or put the effort into marketing the game. The overheads in the main will already be accounted for so the club have more chance and turning a profit.

As a priority I would say invest in the match day experience and shelve these other events for now. Grow the interest in the Keighley Cougars and then down the line maybe these events will become popular.