Where's the curry van gone?

I'm boycotting Odsal until the curry van returns! It's disgraceful that it was removed - I visited it every home game and it become my second home!

B@stards.

Right then,

Today I called in to see Mr Duffy at the Bulls in follow up to the club-fan interaction discussion last week. He was extremely positive and would be more than happy to engage in some dialogue.
The club DO feel somewhat aggrieved that it is perceived they are “letting the fans down” or not giving us enough information.

As suggested last week I suggested a quarterly “briefing” between us and the club. I suggest we use three sections; Questions, Suggestions, Offers.
I think the first two are pretty self explanatory and Stuart will do his best to answer all sensible questions with the information he has, as honestly as possible. (Obviously some information isn’t for the public domain). He will also respond to each suggestion, i.e. we’ve tried that and it didn’t work, that’s a really good idea, we’ll look into it further, etc.
The offers part was something that came up as we were talking today and I’ll use the example we talked through. Someone on here is part of a classic cars club or Harley Davidson club and could/would offer their club to provide a pre match parade, free of charge – a genuine offer that adds to the game day buzz, which has no time or cost impact on the club.
Another example was downloadable pdf’s for children for colouring in or for posters. Does anyone possess the skills to offer here? (To be fair I don’t know the time and effort that would be involved here).
Anyway, you get the idea.

Stuart also asked what we want from the club as fans. What sort of things do we want to hear about? What can the club do to improve communication?

Further down the line he is keen to meet face to face as a group, pre / post game perhaps.

This is by no means my baby and I would welcome input / suggestion into refining the format into something people are happy to input into.

Mods, in the meantime would it be possible to have a sticky (with a submission date to the club – i.e.Sept 09 – as a reminder really)? I don’t think it really sits under the FAO any club officials reading – I see that more as a “Could you make sure there are enough paper towels in the toilets”, “could you clean the flag” type area.

Lastly if you are going to post in there, please make it constructive and sensible.

Suggestions (one is Andrea's that I've never seen a comment on)... [list[*Pre-match entertainment that's cheap and people might like - get an old player back each week. Post who it's going to be on here the week before, collect suggested questions, and have Stuart interview him on the pitch at half time or before the game. [/*:m [*Youtube virals to promote games - spamming people will put them off but if it's half funny people won't mind and will forward it on to current and lapsed fans alike. Get the players involved, two minutes with a handycam in the week and you're sorted. More on this here viewtopic.php?t=397340 [/*:m [*Given that the Bulls logo is pretty well known these days, maybe merchandising (t shirts, baseball caps) that just used its outline would look good in a minimalist sort of way. [/*:m [*On putting stuff on Ebay - I've been saying for a long time that the club should set up an ebay shop. It's pretty easy to do, requires little work and can be used to sell one-off items such as used bits of kit. If a player rips a shirt in training, get it washed, get him to sign it and bung it on the shop. It might only fetch a tenner but it'd all go into the community development pot. [/*:m [*How about a printable poster before each home game to be displayed in schools and workplaces? Same job done as a billboard on the M62, and done virtually for free. [/*:m [*A pdf for kids to print off that when stuck together and stuck to card makes a full size Sam Burgess cut-out. Add a 'be healthy, don't eat chips all the time slogan' and get the kids to take them into school to be put on display. Even if only a couple get made, it's better than nothing surely and wouldn't take much time. Take the pic in high resolution, email it to someone with some nouse on here and I'm sure it could be knocked up in half an hour. Maybe put a spot on it for a replaceable 'next home game' square. [/*:m [*Youtube highlights of Academy games for the website- don't know if they are/can be videoed or whether Sky has the rights, but if not it could help get the message out that we have some reason to hope for the future.[/*:m[/list:u

Suggestions (one is Andrea's that I've never seen a comment on)... [list[*Pre-match entertainment that's cheap and people might like - get an old player back each week. Post who it's going to be on here the week before, collect suggested questions, and have Stuart interview him on the pitch at half time or before the game. [/*:m [*Youtube virals to promote games - spamming people will put them off but if it's half funny people won't mind and will forward it on to current and lapsed fans alike. Get the players involved, two minutes with a handycam in the week and you're sorted. More on this here viewtopic.php?t=397340 [/*:m [*Given that the Bulls logo is pretty well known these days, maybe merchandising (t shirts, baseball caps) that just used its outline would look good in a minimalist sort of way. [/*:m [*On putting stuff on Ebay - I've been saying for a long time that the club should set up an ebay shop. It's pretty easy to do, requires little work and can be used to sell one-off items such as used bits of kit. If a player rips a shirt in training, get it washed, get him to sign it and bung it on the shop. It might only fetch a tenner but it'd all go into the community development pot. [/*:m [*How about a printable poster before each home game to be displayed in schools and workplaces? Same job done as a billboard on the M62, and done virtually for free. [/*:m [*A pdf for kids to print off that when stuck together and stuck to card makes a full size Sam Burgess cut-out. Add a 'be healthy, don't eat chips all the time slogan' and get the kids to take them into school to be put on display. Even if only a couple get made, it's better than nothing surely and wouldn't take much time. Take the pic in high resolution, email it to someone with some nouse on here and I'm sure it could be knocked up in half an hour. Maybe put a spot on it for a replaceable 'next home game' square. [/*:m [*Youtube highlights of Academy games for the website- don't know if they are/can be videoed or whether Sky has the rights, but if not it could help get the message out that we have some reason to hope for the future.[/*:m[/list:u

All academy and reserve home games are recorded by the club.

Wigan Bull has arranged with the Bulls to co-ordinate (sensible!) responses from his merged "Club – Fan Interaction" and this "FAO of any club officials reading!". These will be fed back to the club on a regular basis.

He is therefore a stallion of the first order

and certainly gets my thanks . . . as is the Duffmeister for working with WB from the Bulls perspective.



[size=150=red[uPLEASE[/u keep the posts sensible. It's going to be a hard enough job for WB.

[uPLEASE[/u refrain from posting "funnies" here.

[uPLEASE[/u use it as it's meant to be used and not for offering advise on topics such as, say, coaching - there are already numerous threads on that already.

This is real opportunity to get your ideas, input and suggestions to the clubs direct attention.
[/size
Good luck WB!

Aye, gonna be ruthless (as ever...). Use [url=http://viewtopic.php?t=412071&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0the gubbins thread[/url for comments on other people's posts that aren't further suggestions in themselves.

Good work Wigsy. Will get the grey matter into overdrive and put some ideas down.

what has happened to junior bulls club every month? they have organised 3 big events this year but my kids used to love going once a month.

cant be because people didnt go because it used to be packed every month.

How about some of the player's songs (as created by af) being pitched to the crowd at half time? Fans could perform their song, words on screen or in program, crowd can vote for their favourite by text (could this make some money for the club?) and then the winning song sang the next game for the player?

Something along those lines anyway!

Away kits that mean something - RAB hoops, amber with thin RB hoops, 93-94 style green, yellow and purple hoops, 91-92-style red with a RAB vee.

Price promotions on tickets - buy one, get one child's ticket half price, buy 2 get one free, etc.

Also on season tickets - free entry for a second person to Celtic, Harlequins and Cats.

Yes, I know that some of these will just be taken up by people who would be going anyway and know a season ticket holder, but this amounts to sampling. Retail manufacturers invest a lot of money in sampling products for free and when the biggest barrier to entry for people to he RL market is price it seem essential to get people through the doors for that first time / first time back. Every other in stadium game day initiative stalls if the people aren't there to see it, as it otherwise relies exclusively on word of mouth to bring people back.

Even go the whole hog and go BOGOF on the Saints Sunday home game for all home and away supporters, market the hell out of it and aim for a crowd of 16k+ thereby improving the gameday experience and increasing the chance of people coming back.


Personally I'd do a permanent buy 5 get one free all season. This might sound like a lot to buy but it's amazing how far some people will go to access an offer. The sums boil down to 6 people buying a ticket at £15 rather than £18 and could be the sort of thing that gets groups of mates who already go to games pestering oher mates to make up the numbers.

Could the club put artists impressions of the plans for the Sporting Village on display somewhere in the ground. Possibly the touchdown bar?

I think this would help create a bit of a buzz about the place and I'm interested to see what the development may look like.

Can I just suggest with regards to future fan forums, when it goes to questions from the floor, hand over a mic to the question asker so everyone can hear what's being said.

Here's a thought . . . though it's been pinched from other/earlier posts on RAB.

Given that from time to time the Bulls replace their ground flags / ground "Bulls Logo" displays and the like, couldn't the club auction these off on e-bay.

Memorabilia collectors and Bulls fans alike (especially one's in Cornwall) would love the opportunity of buying such things that adorned the Temple at Odsal.

The cost (inc. time and effort) would be minimal and it would be a cool thing for the club to do.

A photo of the item (the buyer covering postage) and a few lines of text would be all that it would take.

. . . now about one of those flags that sdorn the stnd . . .

Serious suggestion for next season. For the umpteenth time, how about a Neromania day?

Save it for the Summer mind - wearing togas, masters and slaves, Roman soldier outfits, gladiators (not that fellow from the film though, keep your hands off our Sammy!), chariot racing, a bit of vino



As they say in his home country - he's a fasta than the pasta!

Quote ="Bradford Badger"For a start we (BEING POSTERS ON RAB) could sponsor a player for next season. Anyone got an idea on how much it costs - we could try and sponsor one of the "younger" lads - eg Donaldson, Whitehead etc. That would be a positive step - only work would be raising the initial funds - if we get anything from it, such as a game in one of the boxes, we hold a draw to see who gets it. The more you paid towards sponsorship, the greater the chance of winning? Substander do something similar I believe and it does seem to go down very well.'" Taken from here -> viewtopic.php?t=432523

Quote ="Bradford Badger"For a start we (BEING POSTERS ON RAB) could sponsor a player for next season. Anyone got an idea on how much it costs - we could try and sponsor one of the "younger" lads - eg Donaldson, Whitehead etc. That would be a positive step - only work would be raising the initial funds - if we get anything from it, such as a game in one of the boxes, we hold a draw to see who gets it. The more you paid towards sponsorship, the greater the chance of winning? Substander do something similar I believe and it does seem to go down very well.'" Taken from here -> viewtopic.php?t=432523

Just pulling together questions on the pages since we started and we have:

[i•Pre-match entertainment that's cheap and people might like - get an old player back each week. Post who it's going to be on here the week before, collect suggested questions, and have Stuart interview him on the pitch at half time or before the game.

•YouTube virals to promote games - spamming people will put them off but if it's half funny people won't mind and will forward it on to current and lapsed fans alike. Get the players involved, two minutes with a handy cam in the week and you're sorted.

•Given that the Bulls logo is pretty well known these days, maybe merchandising (t shirts, baseball caps) that just used its outline would look good in a minimalist sort of way.

•On putting stuff on Ebay - I've been saying for a long time that the club should set up an ebay shop. It's pretty easy to do, requires little work and can be used to sell one-off items such as used bits of kit. If a player rips a shirt in training, get it washed, get him to sign it and bung it on the shop. It might only fetch a tenner but it'd all go into the community development pot.

•How about a printable poster before each home game to be displayed in schools and workplaces? Same job done as a billboard on the M62, and done virtually for free.

•A pdf for kids to print off that when stuck together and stuck to card makes a full size <af>=redBullman, he'll never leave us...</af> cut-out. Add a 'be healthy, don't eat chips all the time' slogan and get the kids to take them into school to be put on display. Even if only a couple get made, it's better than nothing surely and wouldn't take much time. Take the pic in high resolution, email it to someone with some nous on here and I'm sure it could be knocked up in half an hour. Maybe put a spot on it for a replaceable 'next home game' square.

•YouTube highlights of Academy games for the website- don't know if they are/can be videoed or whether Sky has the rights, but if not it could help get the message out that we have some reason to hope for the future.

•All academy and reserve home games are recorded by the club.

•What has happened to junior bulls club every month? They have organised 3 big events this year but my kids used to love going once a month.

•Away kits that mean something - RAB hoops, amber with thin RB hoops, 93-94 style green, yellow and purple hoops, 91-92-style red with a RAB vee.

•Price promotions on tickets - buy one, get one child's ticket half price, buy 2 get one free, etc.

•Also on season tickets - free entry for a second person to Celtic, Harlequins and Cats.

•Personally I'd do a permanent buy 5 get one free all season. This might sound like a lot to buy but it's amazing how far some people will go to access an offer. The sums boil down to 6 people buying a ticket at £15 rather than £18 and could be the sort of thing that gets groups of mates who already go to games pestering other mates to make up the numbers.

•Can I just suggest with regards to future fan forums, when it goes to questions from the floor, hand over a mic to the question asker so everyone can hear what's being said.[/i

All are pretty much marketing ideas / suggestions.
Is there anything else to add?

Perhaps now is an apt time to sit down with Stuart and try to gain some answers to our questions in a post season review?

Thoughts?

My thoughts are that that is excellent when you see it all together. My apologies for describing it earlier as "tinkering round the edges": in a way, it is, but when you add everything up it does amount to something. If you're going to speak to the club anyway, I think it would be great to raise these points as well.

I've just been reading your posts regarding the fortunes of the Bulls and wondered if you had considered the possibility of setting up a Supporters Trust at all? My name is Laura Harrison and I am the Rugby League Development Officer for Supporters Direct, an organisation set up to develop and assist supporters trusts across football and now rugby league. There seems to be quite a few good ideas already from this thread in terms of player sponsorship etc and whilst these are great ideas for putting money into the club, a trust could allow you to actually manage where that money goes and how it is spent and also ensure you, as supporters, get something in return. Whilst it can be hard work, it can also give you a real opportunity to have a say in how your club is run. Whilst the example of Rochdale Hornets is an extreme one, with the trust now in ownership of the club, there are several other examples of supporters trusts in rugby league working hand in hand with the professional club to develop the profile of both organisations and ultimately strengthening the game in the area. For example, Warrington Wolves Squadbuilder is solely focussed on youth development and works hand in hand with the development team at the club to find new ways of working. They currently sponsor the academy and reserve grade sides and have also provided kit for the scolarship players as well as other equipment. The forming of a trust may also help to galvanise supporters who may have fallen away from the club in recent times. I actually met with representatives of the club back in July/August and they were wholly supportive of the trust concept and I'm sure would be happy to look at working with a trust were it to be formed. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, please feel free to give me a call on 07985 628 215 or via email at laura.harrison@supporters-direct.org and I will be happy to provide more information. You can also visit our website at www.supporters-direct.org Kind regards Laura Harrison

I've just been reading your posts regarding the fortunes of the Bulls and wondered if you had considered the possibility of setting up a Supporters Trust at all? My name is Laura Harrison and I am the Rugby League Development Officer for Supporters Direct, an organisation set up to develop and assist supporters trusts across football and now rugby league. There seems to be quite a few good ideas already from this thread in terms of player sponsorship etc and whilst these are great ideas for putting money into the club, a trust could allow you to actually manage where that money goes and how it is spent and also ensure you, as supporters, get something in return. Whilst it can be hard work, it can also give you a real opportunity to have a say in how your club is run. Whilst the example of Rochdale Hornets is an extreme one, with the trust now in ownership of the club, there are several other examples of supporters trusts in rugby league working hand in hand with the professional club to develop the profile of both organisations and ultimately strengthening the game in the area. For example, Warrington Wolves Squadbuilder is solely focussed on youth development and works hand in hand with the development team at the club to find new ways of working. They currently sponsor the academy and reserve grade sides and have also provided kit for the scolarship players as well as other equipment. The forming of a trust may also help to galvanise supporters who may have fallen away from the club in recent times. I actually met with representatives of the club back in July/August and they were wholly supportive of the trust concept and I'm sure would be happy to look at working with a trust were it to be formed. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, please feel free to give me a call on 07985 628 215 or via email at laura.harrison@supporters-direct.org and I will be happy to provide more information. You can also visit our website at www.supporters-direct.org Kind regards Laura Harrison

Laura, can't speak for others but on my own account thanks for the very informative post.

There are some of us on here who, several years ago, tried to do something not that totally different with an independent supporters' association. OK, the objects were a little different, but the objectives not THAT dissimilar, as you will see from the extract of the constitution I posted above. And yes, the club said they were very keen to engage with us (and indeed they did, despite some big disagreements usually with Caisley over his provocative public pronouncements). And it was clear they also had hopes that the ISA could take on some supporter-orientated activities activities from the club (not really what we were set up to do though).

In the end, despite some notable achievements it did not endure. Two reasons really, it seemed to me (others may have different views). Pretty well all the work (and there was a LOT more of it than many appreciated) was left to a (dwindling) handful of committee members, who received little encouragement let alone thanks from most (thankfully not all) of the fans - just brickbats when they were not happy with something ("...BISA should do something about it...", ...what are BISA doing...?"icon_wink.gif. And what came across as pretty general disinterest amongst most (again, thankfully not all) of the fans. OK, other people could likely have done a better job, but where were they?

I say this because, whilst in principle I think a Supporters' Trust would be an excellent idea (and indeed, we considered the idea on the BISA committee), you would need to avoid - and convince people that - a similar situation would not arise again.

You point out (rightly) that it would be hard work. I don't think the volunteers would mind so much if there were enough hands to share it around, and they were there when it mattered. Not just at inception, when its all novel and interesting, but later on when the routine grind has to be done. We set BISA up as a properly constituted ISA, with constitution and bank account and so on, and you'd need at least the same again (Trust Deed, officers, formal meetings, membership database...) with a Supporters' Trust, would you not?

I'm not trying to be negative - hell, if I was, I would not have put the hours I did into BISA - just realistic. And despite all that I have said, if enough people WERE keen to set up a ST, if they felt I could give some useful input then I'd doubtless end up volunteering (a bit) again - although heaven knows why. But I'm not sure just how much appetite there would be for making the hard yards. You'll see from earlier that there is little appetite too go beyond the simplest-possible route even for just this (excellent) sponsorship proposal - and I can only sympathise with that view.

If enough people DID decide to look further at this route, I might be prepared to help with the financial bits IF they found this helpful. Alternatively, give some assistance to whoever did, e.g at inception. After last time, I would have to restrict it to that though.

Be interested to see what others' views might be?

If would again be willing to help out in whatever capacity if there was to be a (3rd?) reincarmation of a BISA type group. As you said though, its hard, when despite all the complaints, comments, etc, there is very few people who are inclined to put any time into trying to do something about things.

But I'll help if needed.

I'd consider giving it another go round, too - which is one of the reasons I raised it earlier. I could see why the old organisation had run its course, but I haven't spent as much time and effort on it as Sam, Adey and a few others, so I reckon I might still have some more to give. I also wondered if the widely-held sense of frustration and even desperation might give a fresh impetus.

However, I'd have to be convinced that any such undertaking knew what it was trying to achieve and was realistic about achieving it.

Couldn't put it better if I tried.

I wasn't there for the initial efforts of BISA (except as a member), but all of that perfectly sums up how it was when I was on the committee. I put a lot of my spare time into it and when personal circumstances changed so I had very little spare time and had to give up BISA, the only guilt I felt about that was that the people who would end up doing extra work would be those other committee members who already had plenty on their plate. At no point did I think I was letting the membership down, as 95% of them didn't appreciate the sheer amount of work and effort put in anyway (saying that, I think someone did step into my place, which I was thankful of).

Like Adey, I might be tempted to put a little of my time in to help out with such a thing, but certainly not to the extent I did last time. You don't mind volunteering your time for no pay out if it's helping and it's appreciated, but it was rare that I felt it was in BISA (again, except for that minority of members who did bother). When I think back to those days, I kind of appreciate Peter Hood a little more if I'm honest, as I suspect he often feels like that, but on a grander scale.