Promoting the club

[Poor Student]

Yeah I think you're right, I'm a second-level student and I usually go with a few people but we've tried to get other people along and their response is along the lines of 'eL is crap', 'I support Rovers' etc.

How many of you are there el tk? Why don't you join the rest of us at the end near the programme shack/turnstiles end of the stand? I also think that you get a feeling when you come to the game that we have no support. Years ago when I went a few times and sat more to the middle I used to think I was the only person there to see UCD. The more of us that can congregate, sing and show colour in the one spot, the more likely people are to feel part of a group of supporters and not buy into the myth that we have 10 supporters.

[Poor Student]

The best way to approach 2nd level students I believe is something along the lines of 'get a taste of what life is like in UCD' cos apart from the open days, 2nd level students have little way of finding out what its really like. I know football matches offer little in showing what lectures etc are like but to any 4th/5th year who is keen to go to UCD, they want to get associated with the place when they are still in school so they can feel more at home when they arrive in 1st year. Football is an ideal way to do that. Get what I mean?


Also as an aside, I think a promotion of say 3 for the price of 2 is better than money off because if you get a group of friends going to a match, they are more likely to return than a person by themselves

I see where you're coming from. It's certainly something we as people can't do though. It would have to be the club or college. The 3 for 2 sounds good in theory but would be abused by regulars or away fans more than availed of by new supporters.

[pineapple stu]

Do you have any suggestions as to how to attract 2nd level students?

One way would be to put up posters in the schools about upcoming matches; maybe put them on the e-mailing list so they can print off a few copies of the monthly newsletter and stick it in the libraries. Posters can be e-mailed and printed off by the schools, saving on postage.

UCD are in a good position to get some sort of favourable deal going with schools because of the link with the third level institution - the idea being that in promoting the football club, you're getting people into the habit of going to UCD from an early age, so they'll be a small bit more motivated to study harder and get into UCD, etc. I think we could get a good response from that alone.

Couple of problems (as always - sorry!)

1) School is September to June, which leaves out two or three months of the season. Though I suppose you can't have everything.
2) Ideally, you'd want someone to go around to schools and talk to them about this personally. This brings up the issue of people having time, etc.
3) There is a scheme in Hollypark school, I think, where free tickets are available for some games. I know of some kids in the school who would be mortified at the thought of going to a UCD game - one said that "there's no money" in the eL, so they were happy supporting Manchester United. Unfortunately, that's the sort of thing we're up against at times...

Also as an aside, I think a promotion of say 3 for the price of 2

I suggested to the committee that for the Kilkenny game last season, we announce on all the local media that we were doing free entry for the game. They weren't too keen on this - though I think it has huge potential - saying that it wasn't budgeted for. Oldham Athletic did this in 2003/04 and got twice their average crowd (13,000) - about 4,000 more than they'd had for he past few years.

[pineapple stu]

Another thing the Supporters' Club do is to give away four free tickets - together with two programmes and two fanzines - to every home league game to someone at random from the membership list. The idea, obviously, is to try and catch someone who's lapsed - or who went to the soccer camp but never to a UCD game - and get them back along to Belfield Park. Most - though not all - who get the tickets do head along, in fairness.

[Poor Student]

I suggested to the committee that for the Kilkenny game last season, we announce on all the local media that we were doing free entry for the game. They weren't too keen on this - though I think it has huge potential - saying that it wasn't budgeted for. Oldham Athletic did this in 2003/04 and got twice their average crowd (13,000) - about 4,000 more than they'd had for he past few years.

Last night may have been perfect to experiment this actually. No one was attending anyway plus it was a cup quarter final and being a latter stage cup game it was hardly budgeted for.

By the way would the college/club actually help out if we were to print posters and the likes to attempt to advertise?

[pineapple stu]

By the way would the college/club actually help out if we were to print posters and the likes to attempt to advertise?

College, no.

Club - would certainly encourage it. We ususally draw up a fairly tight budget, I'd say, so the chances of getting a few bob wuold be small. 'Twas another thing we were looking at doing this season, but it required having the programme money behind us, unfortunately.

[Poor Student]

Where does the STIG money go btw?

I was thinking to be honest if we wanted to attract pure casual first timers from the student body that the student ticket price should actually be €4 maximum. I know you say McNally says low prices and free tickets don't work but surely once we crossed the fiver note barrier that creates a psychological feeling of too high an expense for someone wavering on going?

[pineapple stu]

Where does the STIG money go btw?

Don't get a huge amount (maybe E30 a game). Much of it goes on subsidising buses to away games. The last couple of years, we've bought in the scarves and keyrings as well, obviously.

[Poor Student]

Don't get a huge amount (maybe E30 a game). Much of it goes on subsidising buses to away games. The last couple of years, we've bought in the scarves and keyrings as well, obviously.

Wait you lads actually buy in the stock for the shack and not the club?

[pineapple stu]

Scarves and keyrings yes, not the jerseys. We get the money on what we buy in, obviously. That was the great thing with having the bit of money - we could look at the club and if we saw something missing, we could go out and buy it in.

[Poor Student]

Right I see, didn't realise how much voluntary work is put into the club until recently.

Another thing to do, though which may actually serve to be useless but I do often see it would be to go before a lecture in somewhere like Th. L with a free jersey and say "First one down here gets this" along with an announcement. Of course that would require the club donating free stuff and the embarrassing act of doing it. I once saw this happen for free tickets to a night out or ball or something and no one went for it.

[Poor Student]

Schumi will you make this a seperate thread please?

[Schumi]

Ta da!

This has the extra good effect of making the Cork scoreline less prominant

[Poor Student]

Ta da!

This has the extra good effect of making the Cork scoreline less prominant

Cheers Schumi. Good point. Now may it plummet to the depths of the board!

[Schumi]

Off topic InterToto stuff moved to the Velbazhd Kyustendil thread.