Torquay United Fans Forum

Fonda wrote:What i would ask is why do you think these things haven't been tried? Is it realistic to think the club just isn't interested in promoting itself? Or is it worth considering that actually the club have looked into such things, and worked out they wouldn't prove cost effective? This isn't the first regime at the club to fail to address this issue. Perhaps it just isn't as easy as some here think it should be?

Hammer Nail and Head come to mind. Exactly!
I think if you look over the last 20 odd years at least there have been many comments to this end. The plain fact is that there is not the interest in Torquay That there was in our football club. We do all need to work hard to change that.
It has taken a while to degenerate and now it will take an even longer while to re generate the interest. And we need to be nice to people to encourage them.
I am no lover of the prawn sandwich brigade but I will gladly interect with them to get them to pour money into our club. In MB's Time we did have at least some publicity from Mikes contacts and getting certain celebs down to matches which would then get reported in Newspapers. It doenst matter one jot if they aint really interested. but it does matter if they get treated well and respected. Because it does get reported. and if they like the treatment then they will tell others and they may tell others again and those others may well then end up putting serious money into the Gulls.
But I am afraid it all takes really hard work.it won't come instantly and that's what most poeple want today. instant success

Dave_Pougher wrote:Excellent response Gloster. As I was reading through the thread I was thinking the whole time if anything could be done it would have to be voluntary as there is no spare cash anywhere at the moment. It would take individuals to take the initiative.

Eh Blimey Flippin eckythump Dave. Thats the second time we have agreed on something.

What i would ask is why do you think these things haven't been tried? Is it realistic to think the club just isn't interested in promoting itself? Or is it worth considering that actually the club have looked into such things, and worked out they wouldn't prove cost effective? This isn't the first regime at the club to fail to address this issue. Perhaps it just isn't as easy as some here think it should be?

Excellent response Gloster. As I was reading through the thread I was thinking the whole time if anything could be done it would have to be voluntary as there is no spare cash anywhere at the moment. It would take individuals to take the initiative.

If your all so sure that the things your pushing will work why don't you do it yourselves. I cannot see why our supporters trust cannot be trained to help promote the club. Yes it does need training. You can easily cock things up unless we are all doing the same thing in the correct manner. But if we pull together and help the club it takes an enourmous strain off the few staff who this week have probably been stretched to the limit, I know you think all things can be done easily with ver little effort but when you try it yourselves you wll realise how much work goes into what does happen.
Why can't supporters go round the town and enourage traders to put up bunting and posters. why can supporters go round the town to enourage more to come to matches.
It's no good sitting on our own butts expecting others to do this or that. we need to do something.
Regarding PDQ machines. No you cannot get one that easily. traders are expected to sign agreements to get hese machines and if yo want very short term agreements they are not cost effective. so don't keep bashing the club. help them. they need it.
Forget about renting shops. Unless we have a benevolant landlord willing to let us have one near enough for free it will fold,. The rent is one thing but the rate are not too far off what the rent is in some cases and that is what finishes some shops off.,. come on look around, there are far bigger companies with shops closing down right now. TUFC wouldnt be able to cope with another shop in the center of town. rent would be more than likely 50 to 70k. rates will be another 25k. Heat and light would add another 2 or 3k. wages would add another 30 to 40k . dont forget that you would need 2 to 2 1/2 people ie full and part time to cover holidays and sickness. plus 12% on top for national insurance.
Thats not all the costs. I know I run my own business. It costs 45k to run my shop before I consider my own wages (hmmm, fat chance at the moment)
I could easily add another 10k in advertising. Thats an awfull lot of dosh to consider and if your profit margin is only 25% then you have to turn over an extra £180.000 to make it pay if costs are a little more then your getting uncomfotably close to 1/4 million. that equats to another 625 supporters for 25 matches each season and don't forget you can't rent a shop fot a year. most landlords won't consider less than 7 years. with if your really lucky and 3 year break clause if you can't make it. and that alone will push up the rent.
Uncomfortable aint it. MAybe one day if we could be an established top end league one club we could consider it but I have my doubts

I have my own radio show at college on Vibe FM. http://www.southdevon.ac.uk/vibefm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; every wednesday 12-1pm. I had Dean Edwards and Bill Phillips on there once. I talk alot about TUFC on there. You can listen to it online as well. I wont be on there next week due to half-term though.

Fair enough mate, not my area of expertise. But i don't recall ever hearing/seeing something and suddenly feeling the need to do it/see it/buy it. Maybe subliminally it's worked...

Don't underestimate the power of advertising, Shane. It's a proven concept.

In fairness to Palm, and all the other media outlets - talking about TUFC to the vast majority of people in the Bay is a waste of broadcasting time and effort. They simply aren't interested. People shouldn't need a radio station to tell them there's a game on at Planimoor on a Saturday afternoon. I remain very cynical of the idea that people can be 'persuaded' to go to the football - is it something people do on a whim? Those that want to come to a game, will make the effort to find out when there's a game on. Unfortunately for us, most residents of the Torbay area just don't care.

Palm? Listen to Judi etc on Radio Devon. Seemed like every 20 minutes there was something about the game, has been all week TBH

That has always been my complaint, the TOWN does NOTHING to promote TUFC. You see other, lower division, teams, on TV, and everyone in the town pulls together. The bakers bake special cakes and pies, which they put on display, the butchers seem to get involved and all of the local shops will decorate their windows in club colours. Torquay town does zilch. They can't even manage to put up a season fixture list . Very, very poor show.

As for Palm radio. On Tuesday 1st March we played Rotherham, at Plainmoor. At the time Rotherham were going well and so were we. We left home, in Brixham, just before 7pm. We had Palm on the car radio. We had the 7 o'clock news followed by sport. We expected to hear them mention the game at Plainmoor. What did we get "Big match tonight, in the premiership. Chelsea play Manchester United in a rearranged top of the table fixture" Not ONCE did they mention TUFC. Bloody disgraceful if you ask me.

I know it is easy in hindsight but i think it is crazy you have to go to the club to buy tickets - only one phone line and that was used for card payments...

Set up market stallls in Torquay Town Centre, Paignton, Newton Abbot, Brixham, etc and before you mention it - the handheld pdq machines take card payments

Also I keep hearing people saying - "it was in the herald express about so and so" - well we don't get it - so we don't see that.

Also when my Mrs went on the club website on Tuesday to find opening times for tickets - there was nothing (it did say about Monday which wasn't very useful)

I know there are people at the club who are frustrated about this as much as we are.

Ah well we are in the final and we're all going - COME ON YOU GULLS!

I was sat in a laundry store on Monday night here in Traverse City and while I was waiting I found numerous fixtures and free (basic) magazines of the local semi professional baseball team. I had a read as I was bored. Just an example of what cheap low cost promoting the baseball team does.

Heard an advert for tickets for tomorrows game on HEART FM this morning on the way to work - so there is some promotion going on. Palm Fm is the radio that the gulls are linked with, so it's good to see Heart involved as well.

I've seen that shop before Mid, I think it was the shop of some business run by idiots. Especially considering the position of the shop was rubbish!