Yes it was a mistake.

It'll be interesting to see how Super League clubs react to Toronto's demands for the scheduling of fixtures to fit in with Toronto's needs.

Imagine our first three league fixtures were: Whitehaven (A), Workington (H), and London (A). If Workington approached us to reverse the match as their pitch wasn't free in June, when we were due to play at their place, we'd start our season with three long distance away games if we agreed to swap. That clearly wouldn't be fair on the Dons' fans.

I'm sure all clubs approach the RFL prior to each season's fixtures being released so that 'periods of ground unavailability' can be factored into the original fixtures' schedule, causing minimum inconvenience. But 'innocent teams'' shouldn't end up with a ball-ache of a fixture list just to meet the needs of the teams who need to do pitch work.

Had the Athletics Stadium been built to slightly high spec in the first place, with a 1,000 seater stand, and the Dons having access to it when required, this problem could have been avoided.

As a car driver, trips to Featherstone are not a huge inconvenience for me, although the petrol and parking costs do add up. I have huge sympathy for fans who rely on public transport. Were I running the club, to minimise inconvenience for fans, I would make sure buses were laid on to Featherstone regardless of whether one person or fifty needed them.

Having to wait 3 wks for the season to start at home is a hell of a lot better than having to travel away for HOME games
for fans and also for the players alike. that would suit me.
We shouldn't be losing home advantage no matter what, this point doesn't seem to be sinking in with some.
the travel for us fans is not the main issue here its the players and the clubs lost advantage.
Not Playing our HOME games at HOME is the not fair point

Totally agree. I'd argue we've lost 4 league points as a result. Before anyone piles in i said I'd argue. Not that it was a given. Could have still lost both. We'll never know tho

Thank goodness it's not just me ...other clubs would have ONE change of fixture in connection with the Dons... we had THREE.
Clubs don't normally give away their home games if they think they are winnable, they normally just swap over home and away games.
I have known minnows give away home advantage, but only for gain or convenience.
We got NEITHER!
And we should not continue this nonsense.
Only nomadic clubs in transit do this sort of thing.
We have a ground!

And to Rob, we lost one game by ONE point another by FOUR points and the other by TEN.
I think very probably we would have won two and probably all three of those stupid games.
Losses that have for me defined our season and lost my interest.

As a result of playing games at Featherstone it looks like I have finished with season tickets.

You've missed my point, onedon. I was giving a reason why clubs might not be willing to help others out with fixture moves. Each club has to look after their own interests, not expect other clubs to do it for them. Newcastle were well within their right to insist on the 'date change' for our match at Featherstone as it benefitted them - Rangi couldn't play.

I get your point that we are almost certainly losing out to some degree by not playing our home games at home. Ultimately we could have dropped four points that we may well have won had we played at the Keepmoat.

However, I don't see how things are going to change in the future. Sadly it seem inevitable that we will be playing home games away from the main stadium. I wish we were only moving to the Athletics Pitch as that is by far the least worst option but I imagine that is unlikely to happen either.

No argument here. I genuinely believe that all three would have been wins at the Keepmoat.

The bookmakers work on the principle of home advantage being worth roughly 6 points so simply using that principle, two would have been wins.

Is it just the playing surface that is the problem, because if it is the ground itself I believe that a fair few fans would help rectify things like we used to do at Tattersfield and Belle Vue. I would make myself available if it was a plausible challenge.

Yes it is the playing surface...it gets completely dug up

Just a note about season tickets...even taking into account the 2 games people may not have been able to get to for whatever reason, we're still the cheapest season ticket by some way. Playing disadvantages I think we can all agree on and that should be priority, but I don;t think it makes the dirt cheap season tickets bad value, just not as good value as they cold be. I am actually beginning to thin the few years of cheap season tickets has now devalued the product, no one pays anywhere near as little as us but we all think we're being ripped off now.

The obvious solution to me would seem, and has been suggested for years, to get no home games arranged for the period in question. If we happen to get drawn in a cup round in that time then that's just bad luck and we'll have no choice. But league games could be arranged.

(It should also be noted that of the 3 games only 1 was supposed to be at Post office road, the cup (as I said at the time) was a curse)

I agree the cost of a season ticket is extremely cheap. It offers excellent value for money, even if fans don't attend the 'out of town' games.

I'm sure the club do as much as they can, through working with the RFL on the fixtures front, to make sure the inconvenience is kept to a minimum.

It concerns me that not being able to play at the Keepmoat is going to have an impact on our already small fan base as I know quite a number of people who won't be buying a season ticket next year.

Their concern isn't based on cost, it's based on inconvenience, and in their view, the lack of empathy shown to fans in the way the moving of fixtures has been handled by the club.

I suspect these fans may be lost forever as I suspect they won't be inclined to 'pay on the gate' either.

We chose this season not to go down the season ticket route, we did not want to feel committed to every home game. Two things persuaded this decision, there were certain fixtures that we thought we would miss due to being virtual walkovers. We have seen the Dons on the end of these and take no pleasure from them. Family commitments, I have two cracking Grandsons and time with them is the essence (not old enough yet for the Dons IMO). We therefore take advantage of the early bird ticket offer by simply phoning the booking office in advance of the Sunday and picking them up on match day.

I have the same thought process with the Rovers, I will not commit to a season ticket but will purchase the DNA card and save three pounds on the matchday price for entry. Its suits me, it will not suit others but there are ways to save a bob or two on fixtures if folk want to.

Looking at picture of the home crowd in the stand at Tattersfield on the Remember These Thread its obvious cheap season tickets have not enticed many of the fans from that era to the Keepmoat Stadium.

Because it is not the season ticket that is the issue, that is a bargain, it is the lack of success.
Alright we have had the odd promotion but followed by rapid relegation, but even though the Dons serve up some good stuff as a side, they are going nowhere fast and people want more than that.
And because we flatter to deceive and have done so for a good few seasons apart from odd success fans can't be d to give us a chance.
It is now pretty much ingrained and accepted that the Rovers, Dons and Belles are second raters, which is fine if you are happy to just watch a game and many are, but it won't attract the fairweather fans.

And when you analyse our potential and fanbase and our wealth ... it is just not possible for Doncaster to be a force in any of those codes.
And that my friends is that ..no reason not to dream though.