What Would You Like To See STFC Do Next Season?

[GarySTFC]

For me, I'd have the following:

 

- Publicise fixtures in local area

- Get better links with communities through raffle prize donations (signed shirts type thing)

- More school kids coming along through kids for a quid schemes

- More incentives for kids to come along

- Get a settled reserve side with local players with the interest of bringing the better ones into the first team

- Not be so shot shy

- Not be so information shy

- More voices behind the goal (Please please please please please)

- Better, more supportive atmosphere around the ground

 

And of course, a much quicker and easier way of doing highlights!

[Rob_Butler]

Stuff Margate, twice preferablly

[Ian]

How about communicate with its supporters?

[Chris]

call my number out on the raffle!

[A Rebel and a Saint]

Quote:

Ian said:
How about communicate with its supporters?

i think thats what gary meant by 'not be so information shy'?

[Roger Rebel]

A shirt sponser and a new shirt.

[Roger Rebel]

A shirt sponsor and a new shirt.

[Reading Rebel]

Gary,

 

are you saying that:

 

1) the reserves didn't have a settled side this year, were not made up of local players and the better ones were not brought into the 1st team?

 

2) Apart from behind the goal the support from other parts of the ground was not there?

[GarySTFC]

I think there was not a pool of reserve players available as there were a lot of postponements due to us not being able to raise a side. I'd like to see us follow Windsor's lead in that and have a squad of about 20 players who would be willing to play, and if possible local lads with a bit of potential to groom into the first team squad.

 

As for the support, it's more to do with the collective songs/chants that come out from behind the goal. First and foremost, the club need to get people through the gate and there will be people who come along just to watch the match that don't want to sing, and fair enough. I also appreciate there is a lot of support round the ground as not everyone likes to stand behind the goal, and I've been down the side a few times around you RR and you guys do give a lot of support to the side, as I'm sure many others do.

 

From my personal opinion though, I'd love for everyone to group together behind the goal, particularly at away matches, and get at least 90% of the people joining in with the songs for the side. I think it makes a massive difference for the side when there is a large supportive vocal group all joining in together.

[Don Juan DeMarcus]

Agree with Gary, no offence- but if you take away 6-7 key fans we have no noise at all! I think:---

 

1) Agree more info (and accurate)

2) Shirts

3) Alex Haddow

4) A ground deal where we can MAKE MONEY

5) More football in community stuff

6) Local papers actually giving us some time.

[Matt]

I'd like to see STFC:

 

- Sort out a suitable groundshare (obviously!)

- Keep important members of this season's squad and add to it over the summer

- Provide more info to the fans

- Organise publicity in the local area (e.g. fixture lists, though I suspect this will be largely up to the fans)

- Keep the reserve team, though I understand it is expensive

- Link up with more local youth teams, particularly ones involving the ages of around 15/16/17, to bring more local talent through into the reserves

- Make it cheaper for kids and/or more 'Kids for a Quid'.

[Martin]

Agree with all of the above.

 

Not a club issue but I would like to see more fans becoming actively involved in the Trust.

[Ian]

"Actively" being the key word in Martin's comment.

[Martin]

Indeed. And given the comments during the season I would anticipate that a lot of people will be looking to stand for election to the board and that the AGM will be well attended and relevant to Trust issues involving a healthy discussion of what the future holds for the trust. I think the first person to ask who the shirt sponsor will be or where we will be playing 2007/8 should be ejected as well.

[Ian]

Are we running spread betting on how many people will ask "why can't we go back to Wexham Park?"!

[Burnham Lad]

Quote:

Martin said:
Indeed. And given the comments during the season I would anticipate that a lot of people will be looking to stand for election to the board and that the AGM will be well attended and relevant to Trust issues involving a healthy discussion of what the future holds for the trust. I think the first person to ask who the shirt sponsor will be or where we will be playing 2007/8 should be ejected as well.

The question was about STFC, but Martin has an important point about what the future holds for the Trust.

Questions which might be asked are:

Why do so many fans NOT join the Trust? What can be done about that?
To whom should the Trust be talking to determine what the Board of the Club are planning?
Given that the Trust and individual fans do a great deal to raise funds for the club, why do the Club Board not want to talk to the Trust and how can the Trust get that conversation started?
Can the Chairman of the Club be invited to attend the Trust AGM in future and talk about what the club is planning for the next season? If so the prohibited questions can then be asked of the right person (i.e is there a shirt sponsor being lined up for next season, what are the criteria for the groundshare decision? Will the fact that our four most local clubs now play in another league likely to influence the decision? Can the club give a definitive response to the question "Has anybody ever talked to the owners of Wexham Park about the club returning?", to finalise the subject in both fans, the public and the Council's minds, or this will rumble on for ever...)
What are the Trust's objective for 2006/7?

I'm sure there are many others.

[Nathan]

Quote:

Ian said:
How about communicate with its supporters?

I'd like to see STFC win the FA Cup, but it ain't gonna happen... <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Martin]

Quote:

Andrew S said:
The question was about STFC, but Martin has an important point about what the future holds for the Trust.

Questions which might be asked are:

1)Why do so many fans NOT join the Trust? What can be done about that?
2)To whom should the Trust be talking to determine what the Board of the Club are planning?
Given that the Trust and individual fans do a great deal to raise funds for the club, why do the Club Board not want to talk to the Trust and how can the Trust get that conversation started?
3) Can the Chairman of the Club be invited to attend the Trust AGM in future and talk about what the club is planning for the next season? If so the prohibited questions can then be asked of the right person (i.e is there a shirt sponsor being lined up for next season, what are the criteria for the groundshare decision? Will the fact that our four most local clubs now play in another league likely to influence the decision?
4)Can the club give a definitive response to the question "Has anybody ever talked to the owners of Wexham Park about the club returning?", to finalise the subject in both fans, the public and the Council's minds, or this will rumble on for ever...)
5)What are the Trust's objective for 2006/7?

I'm sure there are many others.

Good questions Andrew. We do need to seriously look at all of these issues. At the moment I would respond to some as follows:

1) The membership is actually quite good. It works out at about 50% of our home gate (excluding away supporters) which is in itself pretty impressive. But for a club of our size we can identify those who have not joined and it would be interesting to find out their reasons and address their concerns.
2) I know that certain members of the Trust board speak regularly with Bernard and Roy. I think the problem is that many of the answers that we want are deemed commercially sensitive and the Club are deliberately cagey about revealing information too soon. That is laudable to a certain extent but can be incredibly frustrating.
3) He certainly could be - whether or not that would be beneficial is debatable. It is a trust meeting so do we really want to muddy the waters with club issues. We also have to remember previous open meetings held by Martyn Deaner and wonder how productive they actually proved to be.
4) I personally think that issue will rumble on until the ground is demolished and built on. Regardless of what the trust, the club or anyone else says whilst a visible stadium is sat on the edge of Slough very few people will understand the problem.
5) Something to be determined at the AGM?

[Guest]

Really like the tread of these postings...we as a trust are gaining strength's in certain area's and need our members to be active, this is the most important thing for me, if like at the last elections all 150 person had voulenteered to deliver leaflet and knock on doors the job would have been much easier for all, however it was great we got about 20 people in all to help...a start..but we need each and every trust member to ensure our case is followed and alway put in the headlines ! If your not happy about comments in the paper write a letter to the paper , don't relyon the same people to do the work...we are all important members of the trust..and we should be strong in numbers...If you stand on the terracing ask your mates if they are trust members and if not tell they should be ! because in times of troubles we will need everyone to stand up and be counted...the board can only do so many things...its our members that need to start to make themselves heard !

 

cheers chris sliski

[Roger Rebel]

Chris you have got to the heart of the problem in your post. If the Thornes came out and said you can have Wexham Park back for 10 years at a peppercorn rent, but would have to do all the work to get it ready. We all know what would happen the same 20 people that did the leaflets would be the ones doing the work. Most members of the Trust think that being a member is enough, but if all the fans that went to a game helped, the work could be in no time. This is one reason why i am not a member, most of the people that would do the work on the ground would still do it whether we had a Trust or not.