Quote: Slugger McBatt "I get the impression that people are just battle-weary.
We get promotion and enjoy the first few years of battling to stay in. We survive relegation and there is a bit of a new dawn. Better players arrive, there is talk of a new ground in Thornes Park and everything is rosy for the first time in years. We get a franchise and the Thornes Park goes bang. We go into admin and are back where we started. New owner comes in and suddenly we feel cash-rich. The future is bright and talk of a new ground looks promising again. Guess what, it was fools gold and the new ground is looking like empty hopes again.
So we are back where we started, with a season and a half of poor rugby, facing another relegation fight. I think people are just weary of it all. We were corralled into the North Stand last year, are bossed around by stewards this year, receiving snidey remarks about attendance from the chairman on Twitter (when it isn't the fault of those who turn up).
If we could have Glover's marketing and Carter's business pragmatism, I think we'd do well. It seems we have gone from one extreme to the other. We need to encourage people to think that Belle Vue is a welcoming place to spend the afternoon, and marching your long-serving customers out of the ground over a bottle of pop is not the way. The team is doing their bit.
But I do wonder whether for many this one new dawn too many.
The club could help itself though. Marketing, marketing, marketing.'"
Absolutely spot on. After so many disappointments, broken promises and false dawns many have already had enough and many are close to having had enough and it takes nothing for them to hit their limit, hence the blow outs over the stewarding, segregation, kick off times, poor advertising etc etc. Throw in the perceived incompetence, injustices and awful new league structure coming from the rfl and people have just walked away, not only from Wakey but from the game in general. It will take a sustained period of improvement both on and off the field to get them back but without them putting their money in the chances of the club being able to make that happen any time soon is unlikely. It's a catch 22 situation and not one that will be easy to overcome. The pricing policy and benefits of the season tickets this year is crucial given the recent years of cheap offers. The club needs to put up the price but the attendances show that people are reluctant to part with what is deemed the market rate to come to the games and watch lower end superleague rugby in an ancient ground with poor facilities. Getting the balance right is a tough call but absolutely vital if we are to compete next year and not just be marooned in that bottom four play off drop for most of the season. There is no doubt the club need to up it's game regarding marketing but it costs money and that is something we don't have much of. But without it the chances are season ticket sales will be down and nowhere near the 25% increase MC wants.
