According to letter to season ticket holders received today, all STs will be in the East stand again next season, some with reserved seats but also some open seating. Prices much the same as this year I think, but simplified categories it says. (I'm not clear what the present categories are so can't comment on that).

No point reopening the East/West debate but at least we now know what's going to be on offer.

You can also pay an optional £5 player development tax.

I'm going to ring up and ask if I can pay an extra first team squad tax so I can watch players of better calibre than the ones we are currently being linked with.

Mistake number 1 for the 2010 season


Why in gods name don't they go back to Home west, away east, open 2 beer trucks at the ends of the stands, West bar for home fans pre match and half time, Everyone in the Kings post match.

Has anyone been asked by the club on their opnion of the East v West Stand? Customer Service Management my @rse!
800 fans down since 2005......20% and still leaking.

Agreed.

The official reasons given were:
1. Money
2. Atmosphere (???)
3. Facilities
4. Sky



Interesting you mention 2005. In 2005 we didn't exactly have a competitive team every week… they got some right hammerings, but when they turned it on it was fast and exciting to watch. Far from the turgid nonsense we've been served up this year.

Hooray, inept bar staff and no decent bitter/ale for half time.

The reasons given are pretty much the same ones that we got from Boss Hogg last season.

I should have added that there's no mention of the proposed match day. Anybody heard any whispers?

Sounds good to me.

Prices have fell actually. In my block (AG), I will be paying £49 (Student). IIRC it was £99 last year - this is now the Adult price in AG.

Sensible from the club opening 1 stand IMO. No need for 2 half empty stands miles away from each other.

Poor decision.......but given the standard of play at the moment we might as well put the home and away supporters in the North end (should be plenty of room in the future), close all the bars (added bonus here, no bars = no need for toilets) , sack the aftermatch entertainment, play all our games at noon so that we never run the risk of turning the flood lights on.......and then SKY will only have to have one camera pointing South to North.

With all that money saved for player development we should be world-beaters in no time and the punters will come flocking in.

Seriously.....I am in the process of penning a letter (been at it for weeks

)....and there is a paragraph on this very subject which says:
Seating:
"The Clubs decision to move us all to the East Stand has proved unpopular with the fans I have spoken to. The reasoning behind this move, whether to enhance TV viewing perception or on financial grounds has caused much confusion, which to be fair, can be attributed to bad stewarding on match day. When we became Harlequins RL, the home fans sat in the West Stand and away fans in the East. This situation was popular with both sets of fans, but the response to everyone in the East has been far from positive.
If, as has been said, the Television Companies and the RFL requested we are all in the East for TV, then why not do it only for TV games?
The Kings bar is far better suited to dealing with larger numbers of fans, but surely, to open the West Stand and its bar for home fans, with beer concession stands at each corner of the ground, place the Away fans in the East, North or South stand and only open the Kings bar post match wouldn't prove a logistical nightmare.

Again, as with match days it is impossible to please everyone and there will be some who prefer the East Stand, but it is my belief that the West is the better stand for view, atmosphere and easier to steward in that it would be only for Home Fans. There have been instances this year where ST holders have found away fans in their seats and that can't be a good thing. I myself have been sold a Season Ticket holders seat on match day, another worrying aspect of the seating and ticketing in TW2."

In a later paragraph it says:

"In my opinion, the £10 ticket that was available in 2008 for away fans in the East and for home fans that didn't mind sitting in the away section was very popular. With unallocated seating, there was less need for stewarding and the atmosphere with fans facing each other across the pitch made for a quite noisy game experience in some instances. As such, I would suggest that the club look at reinstating this offer for the 2010 season. I would also look at the system employed by the Huddersfield Giants over the last few years that has seen them grow their crowds successfully."


Basically, the opus I am penning will probably get little or no response, but I am just trying to point out that as a customer I am maybe better placed to see where the club are going wrong. As I said to Listy.....I would stand in the South Stand building site to watch the team, but I am of the opinion that the set up we had in year 1 was the best. Sitting rival fans beside each other is plain stupid and I miss the cross pitch chanting that we had in 2006.

Apart from that all makes good sense. However, it seems that the decision has been made, for the reasons given and we (but not you of course

) have the choice of leave it or lump it.

*First season as Quins RL we were in the East stand. I think the West stand was then still under construction.

Weren't season ticket holders put in the East in 2006, then moved to West for 2007 and 2008, then moved back to the East this year?

At least that is how I remember it.

GF

The idea of moving season ticket holders to another stand for Sky games is ludicrous and would be impossible to implement.

You then suggest opening the Kings Bar for a few hours after the game? So what, we get some staff in and open a bar the size of the Kings Bar for a couple of hours? Ridiculous. When I ever went into the West Stand I would always go into the Kings Bar anyway.

People are going on and on about the atmosphere being better in the West. Please explain WHY this is the case, and cannot be possible in the East Stand.

The East stand just feels further away from the pitch (it is) and therefore, less a part of the game experience. Also, why should we be the only club that doesn't have sets of supporters facing each other. There were plenty of games at GP when it would have been easier to just close the terrace and stick the away fans in the west corner of the ground beside us, but we didn't, because that's the way sport is. Singing "top of the league, you're having a laugh" to St Helens fans sat 4 rows across, is not as much fun as singing it across the pitch at them.
It is utter bollox that the cost involved is the reason. The temp staff work the hours they are told to. The stewards would have no extra work load. 2 beer wagons and the west bar for home fans with the Kings open for all post game.
It just stinks of laziness on the part of the club. Nobody appears to be doing anything.
The idea of working for Quins RL should be the most important thing on the staffs mind, not how to do SFA and get paid for it. 1 ex-member of staff lasted 2 years and sold 1 box........a perfect example of the work ethos at TW2......in my humble opinion that is!

I actually found the request for this donation quite offensive. Maybe I'm just a tight git.

I also found it quite amusing, they should absorb it in the price of the season ticket. If that means they can't hit the magic £99 mark then so be it.

If you consider how few season ticket holders we have currently and take away those who won't renew (which I imagine will be significant after another dismal season) then take away those who won't pay the £5 and I don't see how they will get enough money to make any significant difference.

I, in all honesty, would charge £99 across the board unallocated. Then, £40 to get an allocated seat on a first come first served basis.
I would then offer an optional £65 charge for "club membership", giving you access to the players bar and a 10% store discount.
An additional £65 would get you pre-match meals in the "jesters club".

if you want to go the whole hog, you pay £20 a game, if you want just Rugby, £7.61 a game.

As for the development tax.........they really are taking the p155.

Less than 1,000 ST's in 2010......There's progress for you. In 2 years time we will probably have 12 London Born England internationals but no fans and no licence...t'riffic

So an extra 5 yards or so kills the atmosphere and you can justify opening another stand because of this small piece of concrete? You make it sound like you are miles away from the pitch like at Hull KR. The players can hear you.

I don't understand your point about GP. The situation there is the same as what it will be next season. For the teams with decent away followings, i.e the vast majority, the North Stand will be open so you can sing at them all you like.

You honestly think it is just because the club are lazy? I have often criticized them before but I do not see how this is lazy. This is logical and makes the most sense. Two stands is enough. Fill one or even think about getting near filling one before thinking about opening another of the same size.

You idea about singing across at other fans falls on its @rse somewhat. You think its better singing across the whole pitch than from one side to the other? Ever been to Leeds? Do those on the Western Terrace and those in the South Stand struggle to communicate?

Sorry, but I enjoyed the "cross field" banter in 2007.........and as I said, we are the only club to do this.

OK.....Let's try this one then.
A crowd of 4,250 will fill the east stand.

If you were a first time fan, would you think that:

a/ it slightly odd that there are 3 empty stands....do these guys pay rent on the stands if they open them?
b/ think....wow, that was great. I got to sit beside an 18 stone northerner who tried to set fire to his jersey because his team were losing.
c/ I wonder why the stewards didn't step in when that older couple pointed out that there were away fans sat in their £300+ seats
or...my personal favourite.....
d/ why is that 15 year old from Hull drunk, smoking and telling me his dad says London bring nothing to Rugby League.

All of these I have witnessed this year at the Stoop..........and none enhanced my enjoyment of the game (though the jersey one was funny after the game)

I am not talking about seggregation here, just saying that the west stand "seems" more comfy (for no tangible reason) and the club have taken the easier (but not cheaper) option with no consultation between them and the people who pay their wages.
I predict less ST sales in 2010....that's less revenue from life-long fans who have had enough.
As they say, it takes years to find a needle in a haystack, but a second to lose it......and that is the same for CUSTOMERS.

Fact is, the East Stand is 5yrds further from the pitch and for some strange reason, doesn't feel as comfy as the west. There is no logical reason for it, it just doesn't.
The cost of policing the west stand and east stand, would be no more than the East and the north.
The cost of opening the west bar for home fans only, having 2 trucks at the sides of the stand and then ....closing the west bar after the second half starts, moving the staff across and suplementing them with a few more at 4.44pm is negligable and therefore, I say it is logistically viable, but maybe just a tad too much work for some.

It doesn't feel as comfy? What a pathetic argument - I could understand some others on here coming out with that one but not you GF. This isn't down to your comment about you watching the game from the building site either, more down to the fact that is a very weak argument with no evidence whatsoever apart from a few people who enjoy moaning for what ever reason. The main problems people list with the east stand are:

The sun
The walkway in front of it

And

Erm

???

Its not comfy?! WTF? Its a plastic seat, sit on it!

To be honest I trust the people who run the Twickenham Stoop with regards to the costings and logistics as I am sure they have a fair idea what they are doing. What information do you have with regards to costs?

Plus, you keep mentioning 3 empty stands - there will be 2 empty stands and this is justified given our current levels of supports and I cannot see us getting to the point where we will need to open the 2 largest stands or even 3 stands.

All very subjective, I think we just have to accept that fans are divided in their East/West stand preference.......some may like the East, but I think the majority prefer the West (LV stand).........but I can`t prove it, as I have done about as much in depth analysis as the club have done in arriving at this decision.

Putting the £5 player tax aside

.......The main drivers seem to be that by economising in our use of facilities and limiting our expenditure we will have more funds available for player development/better players.......but we have had much the same set up this season, nothing has changed and what did that bring......Mick Nanyn, Jonny G etc etc.

Plus of course the `Early Bird` ticket prices are cheaper than last year which provides less revenue = no improvement in player standard. Do the management team really think that the number of new supporters will grow just because seats are a little cheaper, when it is clear to see that the funds will not be available to improve the team. If we can`t compete on the pitch then it`s game over for Quins RL.

And if they rise people start complaining about the higher prices for a poor product. The club can't win.

I'd sooner have 3000 people paying £10 than 1500 people paying £20 and think the former solution is more attainable.

Thanks...I liked it too


Seriously, 5 yards away is 5 yards too far.

Are you sure about that. We apparently are running at the top end of Cellery Cap with a threadbare squad. We have the lowest crowds in SL and have done since the start (apart from halifax 2003). The same man is at the helm that steered us, in a titanicesque way into the HMCustoms and excise rocks in 2005.......

Sorry, but the club have graded games............Leeds, Wigan, St's etc....they open the North. All others, sit with us in the East. If you don't believe me, phone the club and ask the operations manager.

I am not here to bitch with you listy, but the majority of people I have spoken to about this have said that they preferred the west stands. When quins fans had the choice last year, I believe that the west stand had more quins fans in it than the East. As the club listened to the fans over match day, why not ask the fans about the stand?
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT is missing at the club and they will lose ST holders as a result of this and other things that have been handled terribly this year.....I know of 6 season tickets not being renewed in 2010.....