Wow, nothing like saying it how it is.

Think we need some new fans like a team needs new players . I go to all home games but donot travel to away much these days !

COYD

Family commitments have curtailed my chances of getting to many of the longer away trips these days, I'm afraid.

The first steps to getting more away fans is to probably get more home fans. Let's hope the good result will encourage a decent turnout on Sunday. It'd be great to see 1,000+ there.

If home attendances increase, the demand for a bus to away games will grow too.

Agree lets get the numbers up at home & hopefully more will travel.

Come on you Dons fans !

I thought at first glance that i could not remember writing a post, then spotted it was RUGBLYMAN and not my good self RUGBYMAN.

There is only one RUGBYMAN lol

Think you would have been more diplomatic Baz.

What does everyone think to the comment of Rugblyman does the topic want a separate thread ?

I assumed it was you too and you'd lost your log in...thought "Rugbly" was a reference to that famous typo!

I was at workington and support what Rugbly is saying about being embarrassing and would say his estimate of 20 about right. Some diehard away regulars were not there and I dont doubt for genuine reasons.
I am not sure how to encourage new, workington people to travel and as mentioned it might come with an increased home fan base. To be honest the team have exceeded expectation over the last two seasons and crowds havent increased so not sure that its going to happen.
The best experiences have been on away grounds - Fev, batley, halifax and sheffield so have some of the worst swinton, york, hunslet but as they say you have got to experience the lows to appreciate the highs.
I know that a bus is put on for some games, do people think an official supporters travel club would be a way forward to encourage and take more supporters, just a thought.

'workington people' oops! dont what happened there, but they would be welcome

My earlier comments weren't directed at any individuals, as a group of supporters we appear to be less interested in our team than other clubs, I can remember a time when we would travel in good numbers as a percentage of our overall fan base, and be very vocal, I appreciate we can't all make every single game , I will probably miss 5-6 games this season in total.

It may just be me but I believe we have the lowest away support of any club in the league, admittedly there were a few due hard fans missing for good reasons last week.

As a club we have had a successful spell in the last 2 seasons yet we still won't turn up and support the team.

I may be very lucky and have an understanding wife who as always been happy for me to attend home and away even when the kids were young, and I've been happy to spend any spare money on most live sport.

Let's hope this Sunday we will turn up in numbers to cheers the boys on for another win.

I agree the home support is more important as a club to move forward and become financially viable, unlike football rugby league clubs rely heavily upon gate receipts and not TV money, even though Super league clubs receive in excess of £1m per year from the broadcasting deals the RFL have agreed, I believe championship clubs receive circa £130k, not sure if this figure is correct this season, which doesn't cover the wage bill of any of the clubs in our league with maybe one exception.

My issue with away support is the lift it can give the players especially in close games, in the past we have achieved this, and I remember only a few years ago we would moan about the lack of away support coming to our home games, it's now other clubs saying the same of us.

I just can't understand supporters not making more effort and at least attending a few away games, other clubs with a comparable home support surely don't have more time and money than we do, or have less family commitments than we do. What's happened to the away support we had?

It's gone away.
lol
Sorry, I couldn't resist!

I'm sure more people would go to away games if buses were laid on but as I'm sure the real Rugbyman will confirm, it's not easy organising and running buses with the small fan base we've got.

Maybe a positive step forward would be to have an email list of supporters who would be interested in going by bus to away games, making it somewhat easier to fix up any travel arrangements? Interest could be canvassed through mailshots to supporters a couple of weeks before games and buses laid on where there is sufficient demand?

I agree that would be a good idea, I know Tracy works hard with support from a few others to try and get a bus to most away games, again I'm not having a go at anyone , just trying to understand why a few years ago we took a higher percentage of our fan base to away games than we do now, and I'm sure it made a difference to the players, as it's past and present players that have said as much.

Its money for me, rising cost of living, petrol, road tax and insurance going up coupled with a rise in the price of admission, parking, programs.

It also the reason I am selective about home games to.

Steve get a season ticket , plenty of free parking around the lake & donot buy a programme .

Solved ! so you will be attending the game on Sunday then . Could even share a car with your Dad.

I appreciate that times are difficult and making decisions as to how we spend our cash isn't easy. We all have the same dilemmas, but for the club it comes back to the old double edged sword: if we can't get people to come to watch, we'll never have a chance of improving the team to get to the next level.

We need people like Steve and his dad to come down or else the upside potential of the club will always be limited by what we can do on crowds of 600 to 700.

Steve, what else could the club do to help people like you and your dad become regulars? Obviously they can't halve admissions costs but should there be better concession prices? Would free/reduced parking costs help if buying a season ticket?

It'd be nice if we could get more people to away matches as Rugblyman has posted but it's even more critical that we get more people to home games.

Maybe we should have a separate thread: Suggestions to improve attendances? Ideas put forward can then be passed onto the club.

I think Geoff has made his position clear , sure there are others though . Its clearly not just about a winning team .

The "free" parking around the stadium isn't secure last time I used it I had my window put through hence my reluctance to use it.

A season ticket is still a large outlay and one I cannot justify in a single payment.

I still have a bee in my bonnet about not being able to pay at the gate and having to go to the ticket office then round to the gate, yes its a minor thing but its annoying.

Also I just dont really have time to attend games that often these days, due to work patterns I don't get to spend much time with my wife and we try to make the most of the time we get together (Saturday and Sunday).

I do plan to attend a few games this season...in fact I planned on coming this Sunday.

Concession prices are an issue, not for me as I am not entitled to any reduction as I work full time and am not of pensionable age.

Some Suggestions
Cheaper/Free official car parking
Better admission pricing - Discount for the unemployed/low income (proof required)
Better admission pricing - Students and Pensioners
Better publicity - Need to market the club to new people.
Improved Match Day Experience - More to do, see, eat, drink available on the day
Marquee signing - A big name to show we mean business (not a has been either).

I would suspect with the Rovers backing a decent overseas player would cost less in transfer, accommodation, wages than a middle of the road Championship player...Bearing in mind Sam Burgess has just cost bath 270k ish in transfers that's chicken feed in football.

If we want to compete with the likes of Fax, Leigh, Eagles and Fev we need to recruit like them we missed the boat with Liam Kay and Danny Cowling.

Over the last two years the Dons have had some very good results and success and just as they start to build up a head of steam tend to go throw a really poor performance and result into the mix usually when people manage to bring along new support.

i had my window put through aswell and some items stolen, so i tend to park at the stadium now but not because i agree with the pricing.

i have a season ticket and i think parking at the stadium SHOULD be included in that. Without the cost being anymore either.

I will bet there are not alot of people that have a season ticket manage to use every match voucher for one reason or another.

i was lucky last year and i got to all the games but this season may be different.

it was probably on the same day as you Steve. Because i was told quite afew had been done.

More thank likely bud and its an extra expense you can do without. So I prefer the car park, but its just to pricey..Its bad enough having to pay to park my car for work

Because the stadium is out on a limb, free parking should be a given, if not it should be only enough to cover the attendants ..perhaps a nominal £1 tops!
I like to walk down and bus back, I leave my car since I have a sherbet or two.
But then they buggered about with the ten to bus and altered its time to earlier [I think ...why?!
So I just walk both ways, cos I is fit innit.
I am in a tiny minority (as usual lol), most folk seem to come by car and park in the Outlet or wherever for free, ie a load of frigging about to watch a game.
I have always thought a small experiment was needed to see what a working price for the stadium parking would/should be. It's not rocket science, but still they persist with overcharging and put folk off.
I feel embarrassed when away supporters roll up and find they are at Robin Hood car park and would like to turn away but don't know the area.
Fleecing I would call it.

Similarly the concession price is creeping up to a higher percentage of the full adult price than ever before. If they both keep going up at a quid then simple maths show that they are converging.
Our concession price us out of kilter with other clubs and OUT OF ORDER in particular.
It's too high ...end of!
I could go on (I usually do lol) but I won't.

No bugger of any importance ever listens anyway let alone takes any action. This world is run by
accountants who are bellends anyway.
I think I should be an accountant, I have the necessary qualification.

wouldn't have thought of you as a bellend

£1 for parking would fill the carpark and the'd probably take more money

I think some initiative such as car park + programme for £3 would be decent.

I park around Lakeside but would change tactics if the above was in place.

The cost of car parking at the stadium is a joke really. I feel sorry for the away fans having to pay so much too.

This is certainly an issue the club need to give some thought to.

I never got a response on here to my recent suggestion of printing a poster advertising the next match in the programme. I bet the old DonsNews (Mark) would have replied!