CCFC- what do we want on Match-days? (1 Viewer)

Another positive move from the club. Well done for your constructive response.

Just 3 points

For people who actually want to respond properly

http://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/article/matchday-experience-coventry-city-ricoh-arena-2490545.aspx

matchday@ccfc.co.uk


Maybe we can use this thread to brainstorm ideas.

Entertainment and effort from the players and more gents toilets but I don't think the club can sort that one, don't care about somebody kicking for money at half time as I go in the back of the stand for a chat

I think the kids 5-a-side thing is a positive. Stuff to keep the fans entertained.

Think they have tried bands before, but it is such a wide ranging age difference amongst fans, I just don't think they can please everybody and may turn a few off.

What about every home game showing a classic City game on the scoreboard, either before the game or at half-time. That would be really good to see and keep everyone entertained.

There are videos going back 50 years, so there should be a wealth of really good highlights to delve into.

It's great to see old City players at games, waving to crowds, but what people would really love to see is players in action in their heyday.

Be great to see the likes of Ernie Hunt and Willie Carr and Dion and Cyrille and Stevie Hunt and Colin Stein and Mark Hateley and so many others, doing what they did best.

A return of the sky blue crew

FRY-CCFC said:

A return of the sky blue crew

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Not it the same ones though might need some new recruits

A marching brass band at half time.

Kick for cash again. Raffle number in program so it's £3 to enter for a program = more revenue

I applaud the club in asking for this sort of information though feel this is a very poor way of doing so.

Noggin said:

I applaud the club in asking for this sort of information though feel this is a very poor way of doing so.

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Yeah, me too.

The least they could have done is come round my house and knocked my door to ascertain my feelings.

My response:

Hi,
I was very pleased to see that the club are asking fans for their opinions on this as it is something I feel strongly about and that the club does not currently do well.
I feel that going to watch the sky blues should be more than just watching a game, it should be an event with many facets and attractions, especially for children. Kids have pester power and if they want to go then the rest of the family will get dragged along.
I would like to see entertainment outside the ground and inside the ground; jugglers, balloon artists, magicians, dance troops, etc. Colorful, vibrant, exciting and fun! I would like to see fair ground style attractions inside the ground, not large ones obviously but side stall type football related games and challenges. These could be run as independent businesses or even by volunteers.
I would like to see the Ricoh sporting our colors on match-days, with giant club badges and pictures of club legends. There is a lot of unused space inside and outside the stadium which could be used creatively
I would like to see face painters for the kids offering sky blue 'war paint' I would like to see the club giving out free sky blue balloons, flags and hats.
Football is tribal and the club needs to reinforce this tribal identity by making fans feel special and part of something exciting and fun, again; especially the kids. Create an atmosphere that kids want to a part of, will talk to their friends about and want to repeat, win, lose or draw.
I would like to see players who are not in the match day squad in and around the stadium on match-days, ready to talk to fans, answer questions, sign autographs and offer footy tips to youngsters. They are employees that are not properly employed on match-days.
I very much hope the match-day experience improves and I am sure that if it does, this will help to inspire the people of Coventry to get behind the club and the team.
Thanks,

Premiership Football

Otis said:

Yeah, me too.

The least they could have done is come round my house and knocked my door to ascertain my feelings.

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Its nothing to do with the ease of giving your opinion its that they wont know the validity of the suggestions, we saw last season how a very small vocal minority got the north stand reopened and this way of gathering suggestions is even more vulnerable to that, it would be very easy for the most requested suggestions to be ones the majority would disagree with. Then there is the cost of suggestions, would you like cheerleaders, a competition and a childrens 5 a side game at half time is a very different question to would you like these things if it adds 50p to the ticket price. It would be very easy to gather this information properly.

A new Entertainment & Promotions Manager, because if they've got to go to this extreme, they bloody well need one!

Samo said:

My response:

Hi,
I was very pleased to see that the club are asking fans for their opinions on this as it is something I feel strongly about and that the club does not currently do well.
I feel that going to watch the sky blues should be more than just watching a game, it should be an event with many facets and attractions, especially for children. Kids have pester power and if they want to go then the rest of the family will get dragged along.
I would like to see entertainment outside the ground and inside the ground; jugglers, balloon artists, magicians, dance troops, etc. Colorful, vibrant, exciting and fun! I would like to see fair ground style attractions inside the ground, not large ones obviously but side stall type football related games and challenges. These could be run as independent businesses or even by volunteers.
I would like to see the Ricoh sporting our colors on match-days, with giant club badges and pictures of club legends. There is a lot of unused space inside and outside the stadium which could be used creatively
I would like to see face painters for the kids offering sky blue 'war paint' I would like to see the club giving out free sky blue balloons, flags and hats.
Football is tribal and the club needs to reinforce this tribal identity by making fans feel special and part of something exciting and fun, again; especially the kids. Create an atmosphere that kids want to a part of, will talk to their friends about and want to repeat, win, lose or draw.
I would like to see players who are not in the match day squad in and around the stadium on match-days, ready to talk to fans, answer questions, sign autographs and offer footy tips to youngsters. They are employees that are not properly employed on match-days.
I very much hope the match-day experience improves and I am sure that if it does, this will help to inspire the people of Coventry to get behind the club and the team.
Thanks,

Click to expand...

I like the idea of the player not the match day squad working, they could sit in the Jsb area and watch the game from there and pass on their wisdom to the kids

family days in the jag lounge.

real ales, rides for the kids, sky blues sam, meet and greet ex players

Otis said:

I think the kids 5-a-side thing is a positive. Stuff to keep the fans entertained.

Think they have tried bands before, but it is such a wide ranging age difference amongst fans, I just don't think they can please everybody and may turn a few off.

What about every home game showing a classic City game on the scoreboard, either before the game or at half-time. That would be really good to see and keep everyone entertained.

There are videos going back 50 years, so there should be a wealth of really good highlights to delve into.

It's great to see old City players at games, waving to crowds, but what people would really love to see is players in action in their heyday.

Be great to see the likes of Ernie Hunt and Willie Carr and Dion and Cyrille and Stevie Hunt and Colin Stein and Mark Hateley and so many others, doing what they did best.

Click to expand...

I really like that idea Otis, hope they put some old classics on. For example Ndluvu hatrick at Anfield ,still the last player to do it, and when we beat Liverpool when they were at their best 4-1 at home I think it was

Beer tent outside the tesco stand selling cheap ale.

Samo said:

My response:

Hi,
I was very pleased to see that the club are asking fans for their opinions on this as it is something I feel strongly about and that the club does not currently do well.
I feel that going to watch the sky blues should be more than just watching a game, it should be an event with many facets and attractions, especially for children. Kids have pester power and if they want to go then the rest of the family will get dragged along.
I would like to see entertainment outside the ground and inside the ground; jugglers, balloon artists, magicians, dance troops, etc. Colorful, vibrant, exciting and fun! I would like to see fair ground style attractions inside the ground, not large ones obviously but side stall type football related games and challenges. These could be run as independent businesses or even by volunteers.
I would like to see the Ricoh sporting our colors on match-days, with giant club badges and pictures of club legends. There is a lot of unused space inside and outside the stadium which could be used creatively
I would like to see face painters for the kids offering sky blue 'war paint' I would like to see the club giving out free sky blue balloons, flags and hats.
Football is tribal and the club needs to reinforce this tribal identity by making fans feel special and part of something exciting and fun, again; especially the kids. Create an atmosphere that kids want to a part of, will talk to their friends about and want to repeat, win, lose or draw.
I would like to see players who are not in the match day squad in and around the stadium on match-days, ready to talk to fans, answer questions, sign autographs and offer footy tips to youngsters. They are employees that are not properly employed on match-days.
I very much hope the match-day experience improves and I am sure that if it does, this will help to inspire the people of Coventry to get behind the club and the team.
Thanks,

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pat raybould has already set in place the foundations for most of that with her fan run family zone.

Silence_Is_The_Enemy said:

pat raybould has already set in place the foundations for most of that with her fan run family zone.

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They need to promote it better, because I've never heard of this zone!

I do love the idea of players having to 'work' if they are injured or not in the squad!

Seriously, whoever has taken over/given someone a kick up the arse in marketing needs a medal. Great to see the club actively reaching out.

For me:

Pre-game: Start earlier. Matchday for many fans starts the minute they wake up, the club need to be there enhancing the experience (not when they wake up) and making fans (especially kids) want to come back next week regardless of the football. We can't control what happens on the pitch to some extent, so the product has to extend beyond that both in time and space. Get Sky Blue Sam and a couple of the players who aren't involved outside the ground before the match. Get them over to Arena park hassling people to come to the game, get them in town, wherever people are on a Saturday morning. No-one in Cov should be in any doubt that there's a City game on.

Start broadcasting on YouTube or Internet radio early on with all kinds of Sky Blue related bollocks, phone ins, quizzes, interviews, whatever. I know they can't do the game coverage, but surely there's nothing stopping them doing a match day "show"?

Get the club's identity out into the City. Whether that's through things for fans to put in windows, billboard advertising, a stall in town, whatever. I'd like to see the matchday buses, trains and the canal barge thing reached out to and become great big sky blue advertising boards going through the town on match day. I want people to see the SBA coming to the game and want to be part of that. Club reps/academy players/whoever on the buses leading songs and handing out crisps and pop or whatever.

Reach out to the places where City fans are likely to be drinking pre-game (harder with the opening of the station granted) and see how they can help each other. Ex-players, quiz night prizes, ticket sales behind the bar, whatever.

I understand there's an incentive to drive people into the ground to buy overpriced refreshments, but there's no reason the club couldn't be making 100% of the profit from items sold outside the ground/on buses/in pubs.

During the game/inside the ground: I think the biggest thing will be helped this season by having the crowds closer together to improve atmostphere. I'd love to see the ground draped with fan made banners and flags, but it's not going to happen, similarly I'd love to see temporary signage and branding put around and inside the ground, maybe if time is a problem a group of fans can be organised to help speed things up. I understand the club doesn't have the ground much past the end of the game. Surely though banners and the like could be placed outside, like a temporary version of what Arsenal have with player images and bios up as you walk into the ground.

Half time needs to be improved. It's a tough crowd but a fair one. Something that always works well when I've been away is having a kids game on the pitch. After all, they are football fans. Nothing wrong with half time games either. I'd like to see more local bands given a chance to perform in front of the crowd, but they can't be awful or they will get torn apart. Use the captive audience to promote things in the City, whether it's charities or sports clubs or just events, become more connected to the community around and they will in turn become more connected to you. Use the two things that bind everyone in the crowd: Coventry and football.

Post game: Hold a fans conference, maybe with some kind of filter on the questions. Doesn't have to be long, but you could get Mowbray and a player or two to pop into the casino afterwards. It'd be a brave move, but again it's about breaking down the perceived barriers between the fans and the club. Or maybe live stream the conference if that's too risky. Direct people where they can go after the match through the PA. Ideally there'd be more stuff at the Ricoh site to make it worth sticking around. Direct people to the shop when it's in Arena Park.

Basically, make the day memorable and enjoyable for all despite the result on the pitch. The sense of community and belonging is what most people of all ages are after. But you can split that down further into target users. I, for example, like to go with my Dad, neither of us drink that much so at most we get a coffee and a sandwich afterwards, we drive up so most of these ideas aren't aimed at us. Instead I'd like improved internet access (especially at half time) so i can check here and the other games, or player stats as that's how I enjoy the game. Kids will love the pagentry and the players and everything. Some will want group discounts and beer vouchers and to make an all dayer of it as it's their time with their mates.

Currently if the game is shit, the day is shit, but I don't think it has to be that way. Obviously if we're top of the league then most of this stuff is moot, but we need to achieve what some other clubs can and get people coming back week after week regardless of the result.

Edit: And free flags!!

Shakeitup said:

They need to promote it better, because I've never heard of this zone!

I do love the idea of players having to 'work' if they are injured or not in the squad!

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This is the problem with a lot of the club's offerings, people don't know they exist. Shop staff need training on highlighting these things and they need to be more visible outside their "area" so people who aren't already involved can see what's going on. They could mention things through the PA as well.

A "Dress A W**p As Jimmy Hill" contest at half time!

Fisher on the pitch at half time doing tricks with his dog ...

Why not get a used car supermarket to have a few cars scattered around outside the ground for sale, with barriers around etc plus advertising around the inside of the ground and every month a season ticket holder or ticket buyer (for those who cant go to all games etc) wins one of the cars or a voucher to a certain value to choose a car from their stock. The advertising and potential new customers would out weigh the cost of the prize and you never know the club would get a few more bums on seats too. Like people have mentioned with lots going on the longer people are at the ground spending their dollar the better.

A decent home record is all I want to experience from home games.

I always liked the kick for cash at half time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors

Some good ideas here. The point is that it doesn't need to cost anything, just a little effort to make the day special - especially for the kids but also for the adults. I like the ideas for kids and also playing old games at half time: the atmosphere needs to be unashamedly proud of the club.

We miss a trick by keeping the crowd the for only 90 minutes. If the Police allowed it, we should try and get people wanting to turn up for interviews and games on the big screen for an hour or more before the game; events on the pitch (training sessions for kids; technique videos on the screen...). We should do the same after the game for an hour. By keeping people in the ground longer we'd sell more pies and drinks and I believe more people would go.

I think it would also be good to force more links with Wasps. That has happened and it isn't going to change, so let's embrace it. Agree that Wasps can be there selling and advertising during our games (clips from games, players meeting the crowd...) and we do the same at theirs. A deal on going to both the footy and the rugger on the tickets.

mrtrench said:

Some good ideas here. The point is that it doesn't need to cost anything, just a little effort to make the day special - especially for the kids but also for the adults. I like the ideas for kids and also playing old games at half time: the atmosphere needs to be unashamedly proud of the club.

We miss a trick by keeping the crowd the for only 90 minutes. If the Police allowed it, we should try and get people wanting to turn up for interviews and games on the big screen for an hour or more before the game; events on the pitch (training sessions for kids; technique videos on the screen...). We should do the same after the game for an hour. By keeping people in the ground longer we'd sell more pies and drinks and I believe more people would go.

I think it would also be good to force more links with Wasps. That has happened and it isn't going to change, so let's embrace it. Agree that Wasps can be there selling and advertising during our games (clips from games, players meeting the crowd...) and we do the same at theirs. A deal on going to both the footy and the rugger on the tickets.

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This is actually quite an open minded idea! Without getting to business buzz wordy...I'm sure all kinds of synergies would be developed if people were willing to 'embrace' it.

Clips of classic matches would be great too.

If any one has ever been to the football museum in Manchester then they will tell you there are some great features. I'm sure club historian Jim Brown could help plan or devise video segments. So maybe a feature on players who were involved in WW1, players from Wales around St David's day etc.

Kick for cash!!

Best half time entertainment I've seen was at derby

Put a prize somewhere on the pitch, put contestant in centre circle blindfold them spin them round then give then a minute to find the prize. Then the crowd all cheer as if he's close when he's actually miles away!!!

yeah kick for cash!! as a former winner of £50 doing it,(bottled it from 36yards) I am all for bringing it back