how to get the fans going

[ferrarilover]

What about the local radio stations?

Are the club promoted on them at all?

I'd imagine they would jump at the chance to run competitions to win match tickets etc.

I don't listen to them myself, but do we get any coverage?

Nope. Palm are much more interested in Man Utd. Oftentimes we have Palm on on the way to a home game and they cream themselves over the Premier League fixtures (QPR v Stoke, anyone?), but neglect to mention that any other dicvision even exists. Radio Devon covers us, but only as an afterthought to the "mighty" PAFC on Saturdays.

Matt.

[SBP]

Palm do the TUFC show one evening with Jenny Park for an hour. However when I ve listened to it, its 5 min of talking and 30 min of adverts and 25min of music. I never hear any build up during the week.

I don't know about anybody else but i imagine a board meeting comprising of 12 directors(only 6-8 probably turn up) sat around a table talking about the weather or planting their tomatoes. Someone needs to go in there, stand on the table and address all these issues.
I really don't think they actually have any experience or the know how.

We can all see what situation we are in and there have been some excellent ideas, especially surrounding social media.

The mentality around the board has to change before anything happens.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I just thought i'd add that although the service and experience of communications with TUFC leaves a lot to be desired, there is one bloke, MR ANDREW CANDY who is very helpful, polite, prompt and always seems interested in what you've got to say and will try and do something about it. I don't actually know in what capacity he works at the club but on the few occasions i have had cause to contact him he has been great so more like Mr Candy please.

[SBP]

Andy, I am glad you ve had a good experience with Mr Candy, I however have been waiting for an email from him since before Xmas regarding stadium and stewarding issues. He also watched me tighten up screws in about 20 seats in the family stand when they replaced them and FORGOTTEN TO TIGHTEN THE SCREWS UP. He was flapping around not knowing what to do. Not even a thank you.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Oh dear

Well i can only go on my personal experiences SBP but obviously you have had a different experience.

Interesting.

[nickbrod]

Send for the Candy man - cue song.
In my post yesterday I am expecting some announcement today about how the club proposes to generate support ( and noise )for Saturday's match. If Baker has stepped down maybe there was a Board meeting last night as I had hoped. We need some leadership and we need it now.

[Alpine Joe]

Some mentions on local radio and sending out a few extra emails are better than nothing, but what sort of response was generated by media coverage that dwarfed any of that ? if we look back to a little over 5 years ago, we effectively had a 2 hour 25 minute advertisement for the exciting football on offer at Plainmoor broadcast on BBC1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0088x0h

Now how much would that sort of positive publicity to a mass audience cost you if you actually had to pay for it?

One nil down to a higher division side and then strike back with exciting attacking football which sees us score four goals to win the game (with Rice in goal incidentally). I imagine we had to lock the gates early at the next home game at Plainmoor with 10,000 left disappointed outside!

Not a bit of it of course, the Torbay public stayed as disinterested as ever. You can charge £17 entrance fee or let people come in for nothing and the numbers of locals with any desire to come and watch Torquay play won't alter much at all.

Well done to all who try to come up with new initiatives, but the scale of the problem they face shouldn't be underestimated.

[Louis]

Press release today

http://www.torquayfans.com/season-ticket-tweak/

[camberwick green]

It does seem both remarkable and sad that a big crowd isn't expected for Saturday. I'll be making my third trip of the season to Plainmoor from Plymouth. Yes, an Argyle fan. If it's an attractive fixture for me - 35 miles away - then how come the same can't be said for the folk of Torbay?
It seems reasonable to imagine that most who have the fortunes of their local club at heart would get along to cheer the team on at such a crucial point in the season even if they haven't been for a while and regardless of the opposition. Add in to the mix the fact it's a true six-pointer and the lack of enthusiasm is baffling to me.
And how many times do you get a chance to see a genuine superstar on your doorstep? It was a treat to watch Edgar Davids at Home Park a few weeks back and I was delighted to see, when I checked the fixture list, that Barnet had yet to visit Torquay.
I enjoy my occasional trips to see the Gulls and I'll be hoping they stay up.

[vinny]

We are now a couple more days closer to what is one of our most important games in the clubs history.......But yet STILL no rallying cry from the club, of which beggars belief really. Nothing on their o/s and certainly nothing anywhere else what so ever. It actually in a way comes across as, we cant be bothered !!!........of which im dumbfounded by.

[ferrarilover]

We are now a couple more days closer to what is one of our most important games in the clubs history.......But yet STILL no rallying cry from the club, of which beggars belief really. Nothing on their o/s and certainly nothing anywhere else what so ever. It actually in a way comes across as, we cant be bothered !!!........of which im dumbfounded by.

Yet if they spent a penny or more than 6 seconds putting out radio ads and posters and what not, people like you would be on here saying things like "They should be concentrating on keeping us up, not messing about with ClipArt and silly radio ads"

The club can't win. Turn up or don't. How many more times are we going to have to explain to you and others that THE TORBAY PUBLIC DON'T CARE! They won't turn up on the strength of a few posters or a pitch on Radio Devon because they don't care. I don't care about the Exeter Chiefs, so they can be in any sort of mire they like, they can post as many posters and viral campaigns and radio ads as they jolly well like, I'm still not going to go down there because I feel the same about Exeter Chiefs as 99.9% of the Torbay public do about TUFC.

As for whoever it is, if you're waiting for an E-Mail back from AC, perhaps he's not prioritised you above everything else he does for free at the club during his 50 hour working week. Despite what your mummy told you, you are not the most special little guy on Earth. Have you never received an E-Mail, meant to reply and forgotten? If not, perhaps you'd like to volunteer to work for the club for free as the dedicated E-Mail query answerer, since you are clearly the world's only perfect human being.

Matt.

[Gullscorer]

Matt/Vinny, Plainmoor doesn't get bigger crowds not because the local population doesn't care, but because South Devon is an unemployment and poverty black spot.

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Torba ... story.html

The country is still enduring a recession and things are not likely to improve for the poorest among us anytime soon. These are the people who helped boost Plainmoor attendances in the fifties, sixties and seventies when times were good and holidaymakers crowded the local resorts. The country has been going downhill since then, the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer, and Plainmoor gates have declined in consequence.

Of course, other factors are involved, so you may think this is an over-simplistic or even an erroneous assessment, but basically it's the truth. Many people who used to watch matches at Plainmoor have not, for a long time, been able to afford it.

[gullintwoplaces]

Matt/Vinny, Plainmoor doesn't get bigger crowds not because the local population doesn't care, but because South Devon is an unemployment and poverty black spot.

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Torba ... story.html

The country is still enduring a recession and things are not likely to improve for the poorest among us anytime soon. These are the people who helped boost Plainmoor attendances in the fifties, sixties and seventies when times were good and holidaymakers crowded the local resorts. The country has been going downhill since then, the rich have got richer, the poorer have got poorer, and Plainmoor gates have declined in consequence.

Of course, other factors are involved, so you may think this is an over-simplistic or even an erroneous assessment, but basically it's the truth. Many people who used to watch matches at Plainmoor have not, for a long time, been able to afford it.

Completely agree. Many folk who have not lived in Torbay for a long time (or at all) really have no grasp of how poor it is. The average income in Torbay is pitifully low, as it is in parts of Plymouth, North Devon and Cornwall. Sadly we have had a useless Council for many years now, not a clue about how to tackle Torbay's problems (just look at some of the Leaders of the Council, jeez). Successive National Governments of all colours have not given a monkeys for the poorer areas of the South West. It is not cheap to go to Plainmoor (not a moan, this is a fact for many local residents of Torbay).

[ferrarilover]

Matt/Vinny, Plainmoor doesn't get bigger crowds not because the local population doesn't care, but because South Devon is an unemployment and poverty black spot.

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Torba ... story.html

The country is still enduring a recession and things are not likely to improve for the poorest among us anytime soon. These are the people who helped boost Plainmoor attendances in the fifties, sixties and seventies when times were good and holidaymakers crowded the local resorts. The country has been going downhill since then, the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer, and Plainmoor gates have declined in consequence.

Of course, other factors are involved, so you may think this is an over-simplistic or even an erroneous assessment, but basically it's the truth. Many people who used to watch matches at Plainmoor have not, for a long time, been able to afford it.

I don't wanna step on your point, but Plymouth is hardly Dubai and they seem to manage to get plenty of people to turn up. Similar with Bradford, who get 10,000/week.

Matt.

[gullintwoplaces]

It is not as simple as comparing attendances. Bradford's population is 300,000, Plymouth's 250,000 and Torbay's 130,000. Let's not forget also that Argyle attract fans from Cornwall (as there is no other League football there). Attendance per head of population is still a little lower than it should be in Torbay, but we have had a poor season and the population is relatively very poor.

I went shopping in Exeter last week, and I saw a stark example of where part of the problem is. Two lads were in front of me in the queue at Smiths. One of them bought the Liverpool magazine, the other the Chelsea magazine. I bet neither of them saw much change out of a fiver (and what a waste of money, reading stories about overpaid foreign players). What the hell are Exeter boys doing buying magazines for what are effectively foreign teams?