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Post by Iron Webbo on Aug 24, 2015 11:18:35 GMT
A good post by Stephen Archer on the Braintree Town FC supporters facebook page is reproduced here for those of you who are not on facebook and may have an input ...
WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE SUPPORTERS' CLUB?
It seems that some of you are not members and some clearly not interested & that is ok. I myself have asked the point of this supporters club over the years and for the most part, did not get a response that made me want to join. I was a member for a year when they had the campaign for funds to extend the main stand. A purpose worth supporting. After that I did not join again until last season. A new purpose had appeared as Richard Jennings had passed the baton of running the away travel & its associated fund raising to the supporters club. As an occasional away fan, my wife & I decided to help with the 50/50 raffle (later the £100 raffle). If the supporters raffle fails, I may well not renew my membership if the sense of purpose is gone for me.
But that is me, what about you, what do you want from a supporters club, especially those not members?
Is it just what you can get out of it or are you wanting a more? If you want more, you also have to put more in than just paying your £2. Either helping out, going to events etc
Most of the people who have been club committee members in the past seem to keep their distance these days. I wonder if the commitment was too much as well as the constant criticism or did they lose the sense of purpose?
Perhaps there is no point.
I am getting peed off with this subject, but it should be important.
I promise this will be my last boring post this week he he
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Post by castIRONgooner on Aug 24, 2015 12:56:24 GMT
First, why is there two separate groups on Facebook? Why is there a need? Both are open groups that anyone can join.
For me, I was a member for a season when Gordon was the chairman, the simply reason was I used to travel to away games by the minibus even drove it a few times. So the discount on travel made it worth while joining it was the only benefit I saw. Work & Family commitments now reduce my chances to go to away games so now I don't see the benefit in being a member.
The only benefits I see available are reduced travel costs, discount in the club shop and a free pin badge, all of which I'm not interested in.
I've been a member of the social club run by Christine for the last 10 years as I enjoy the benefits of the reduced price on drinks.
I'm not going to join a club that doesn't benefit me. I believe that the supporters club should be the voice and work for all the supporters not just the small few who are members. Take the Bromley coach potential fiasco the first 17 seater coach was filled very early by the regular away travellers. No second coach was mentioned just a message on Facebook and the forum 'minibus is now full many thanks' I posted to the forum questioning why a second list was not started thought about, if it was being thought about then it should have been mentioned. My post was deleted and the person who did that sent me a private message on the forum saying that the threads were only for people to add there names to the list and asked me to stop posting causing trouble! That person was the same person openly criticising the clubs finances on Facebook causing a volunteer to nearly walk away from a position that they had only just started, pot kettle black comes to mind. In the end a second minibus was arranged and filled so my purpose in posting even though I never had any intention of travelling to Bromley by minibus (if I had I would have driven) was vindicated.
I don't agree with the current pricing structure for away travel journeys.
And finally as I'm probably boring some by now, if your the person on Facebook and the forum posting away travel prices, collecting names and advising of numbers, then in my eyes your a prominent member of the supporters club and the voice of the club on social media posts comments that criticise the way the football club is run causing someone to nearly walkaway from a volunteer position, then that's a club I want no part of.
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Post by chelmerboy on Aug 26, 2015 14:25:45 GMT
'What is the point of the supporters club'
To my mind, the supporters club should be the vital link between Board and Fans. Having seen first hand the hard work, dedication, and most of all hard cash that the Directors put into making Braintree Town a successful club on the pitch, I feel that the Town itself has done little or nothing towards embracing the team to its heart.
Why is this? Surely the Million Dollar question?
At a time where football is more popular than ever, why aren't the locals that support the Premiership teams also taking an interest in THEIR local team? I myself am guilty at the moment of having a season ticket at Stamford Bridge. But as most of our games are played on a Sunday why have I stopped popping along for a pie, a pint and a game of football? Even those that wear club shirts around town probably never go nearer to a game than their armchair, so why aren't they watching the team? Personally the last game I attended was before we were promoted to the Conference. I attended a friendly versus Charlton where after paying full price I saw a game that had more replacements than the Sunderland managers job.
When I was at school I used to watch Barnet, Enfield, Haringey Borough and Chelsea as I couldn't get enough of live games. When I first moved to this area I followed Braintree home and most away's and had a bountiful few years watching promotion after promotion. I think the fact that most teams were around Essex and the M25 meant we had decent sized support on the road and I along with others got to see some lovely old grounds.
Reading on the forum that there is disharmony between the Supporters Club and the very fans it is meant to represent is something else that started the rot as far as I was concerned. Even teams like Wigan and Wimbledon struggled to get more than a few thousand as they entered the league and their away support was more or less non existent. Reading a post on the forum having a go at the few away supporters Braintree took to a game at Worthing was I think one of the nails in the Supporters Club. I know I and many others wouldn't have joined at any price. Mark has done a fantastic job attracting the sponsors he has, and his job cant have been made easier by fans having a pop at each other and the running of the club. Its hard enough to attract new supporters without the current ones falling out.
I strongly believe that the next generation of Braintree Town fans should be cultivated now. Unless the dynamics have changed, our support was mainly over 40s (and that's being kind) and under 14, with a few teenage/early 20's. With the amount of teams we have playing at all age groups, why aren't they going to games? I feel the club needs to engage with the schools in and around the area and try and get the next generation of fans ready to support what is a great club, and a good team.
The whole point of this post is that my 7 year old football mad Grandson asked who Braintree Town were when he saw me on the website! I'm going to take him to the Aldershot game and see if that can become 'our thing' as it was with my son.
And yes, I'll buy a programme and a raffle ticket and try and do my little bit to start the flood gates (or turnstiles) opening.
C'mon the Iron!
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Post by uptheiron on Aug 26, 2015 23:24:38 GMT
you would think that the players in braintree town youth teams would get free entrance to 1st team games , why not ??
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Post by ozbrit on Aug 27, 2015 5:26:11 GMT
'What is the point of the supporters club' To my mind, the supporters club should be the vital link between Board and Fans. Having seen first hand the hard work, dedication, and most of all hard cash that the Directors put into making Braintree Town a successful club on the pitch, I feel that the Town itself has done little or nothing towards embracing the team to its heart. |
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