Re: The Future

By JohnnyRice26/12/2022 23:45Mon Dec 26 23:45:40 2022In response to Re: The Future

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As a former member of the Trust board, former member of the Supporters Association and a lifelong Hendon fan I have had some involvement.

Ideas
Mickey is correct. We have loads of ideas. Some are better than others but each idea could develop. Hendon FC desperately needs new ideas. It also needs to utilise these ideas. That said, the club needs to let those who know how to do things to get on with them. Part of the problem has been certain influences and interference. You don't tell an expert how to do their job.

Volunteers / Expertise
There are a small bunch of volunteers who keep the club going. I was one. We have supporters at the club with backgrounds in marketing, advertising, promotion, running businesses, finance and much more. I know because I have spoken to them. The club does not engage with them. The sole focus of the club for years has been getting money in. There is far more to running a club than money. The people I spoke to would have been willing to get involved to help.

Sustainability
I disagree with investment into the club. Whilst there are various ownership models, one that diminishes the share of fans, who have owned the club for a decade would be unacceptable, imho. The sole focus of the club should be getting people through the gate. That is how you sustain a football club. A fan buys a ticket, a scarf, golden goal tickets, pints, burger, etc. It is not just about the entry fee. It is not difficult to get people to games in all honesty. A little vision and some commitment. The Facebook group that Chris Hutton and I set up brought at least 7 former fans regularly back to games, within 2 months. I suspect the overall impact was greater than that.

Criticism
It is easy to criticise the board or one of the various entities at the club. They have had to make difficult decisions. It is easy to sit at distance sniping. Get involved. Make change. Steer it the way it should be steered. I have spoken to people who slated the board but offered no alternative Some decisions have been 50/50 on what way they could have gone. Some have been quite obviously not the best option. Hopefully the club learns and uses the experience to be better.

One example: On Saturday 24th March 2018 we were scheduled to play Billericay at home in the league. They were running away with the league and we were having a great season. It was an opportunity to have a massive crowd. The club did not promote the match because 'The game will sell itself'. That was the wrong decision.

Lost Fans
For a number of reasons we have lost fans. Some of whom were foot soldiers. The club cannot afford to lose those who give up their time. There was sometimes an attitude of people being taken for granted. Some long term supporters are now actively involved in other clubs or have just stepped away. That help could have been used at Hendon. If the club cannot keep volunteers then it is harder to recruit more. The politics has also been a big factor. Too many egos in one little club.

Unity
There are a lot of opinions at the club. Sadly that has divided into a number of factions. Opinions are great but can also be polarising. It would have been nice if we all wanted the same thing. There is too much division. A club as small as Hendon should been unified in securing a future.

The Future

The club needs to engage with it's supporters. Find those with the skills we so desperately need. Simply talking to people is how to achieve it. Questionnaires are limited as the responses are limited. Talking allows one to change direction or tact. I know. I have done it.

Some willing souls to form a separate unofficial entity (so it is free of any constitutional rules and regulations) (perhaps call it Street Team) and allow the experts free rein to get on with what they do. No club or group intereference. Incentivize those who help with discounts, free ticket, etc.

Promote the club in a positive light. The doom and gloom approach has cost the club significant money. People will not invest in a dying entity. I know. I have spoken to various people about this.

Focus on getting people through the gate. It is simple and free to do. Increased crowds are the only way to sustain the club.

Set up a travel club. Get fans travelling to away games together by car or train. Travelling together should get more fans to away games. Increased crowds home and away will attract people.

Methods of communication. Newsletters are great. An app for the club would be great. One Hendon fan runs a marketing company. He can create an app and may be able to do something on price. He has already approached someone at the club but it did not go anywhere. The quality of their work is excellent. They have a number of banks as clients. He also creates some incredibly good marketing material.

A new range of merchandise. These can be themed. I have so many theme ideas. People will only buy one green polo shirt but they may also buy a red, dark blue, white, etc. Different t shirts for each season.

Host events at SJP. Rob is very accommodating and they can be mutually beneficial. There are sidelines that can be run at each one. Comedy nights, gigs, race nights, meet the celeb, magic nights. Tony and I have a friend who is a full time professional magician. There are so many options. The club could make £1k++ from one night. Ten events in a year = £10k++.

Just my thoughts. We can get 100 posts and 100 opinions. Change is what matters.

Edited by JohnnyRice at 23:47:58 on 26th December 2022
Edited by JohnnyRice at 23:48:13 on 26th December 2022
Edited by JohnnyRice at 23:59:38 on 26th December 2022
Edited by JohnnyRice at 00:15:34 on 27th December 2022
Edited by JohnnyRice at 09:20:34 on 27th December 2022

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