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Plymouth gull - what should the board be doing specifically?

I do not really know,there again I 'm not a trained professional in marketing -perhaps you should direct your question to someone who is....
PS I am not arrogant enough to offer some adhoc advice as a concerned amateur on a matter that is so important to our future!

Fair enough - from my mind a trained professional in marketing would cost around £40k per year and so would have to increase attendance by roughly 100 people a home game just to break even on their salary. If the money was available I'd sooner have a player.
I'm not sure how many other league 2 clubs employ a marketing professional ? (genuine question)

It might turn out to be the best investment we have ever made. My fustration lies in the fact that the Board has been proactive in so many fields - why not in the one that will really lift us and allow both you and me to part of a growing club? (that I suspect we both dearly love or we would not be having this conversation). So sick of the unmentionalbes up the road taking the p*** at our attendances - if they can do so can we!!!

Fonda wrote:I don't think the board 'lacks ambition' at all. It's pretty ungrateful to suggest they do. They've made mistakes - but it's easy to say in hindsight. They wanted Colin Lee for his expertise, and because he was exactly the man the majority of the fan-base wanted on board. Unfortunately he didn't come cheap, and as it's turned out, that decision and the financial constraints it now provides represent probably their biggest mistake.

New training facilities, a wide-reaching youth programme and the re-introduction of a reserve team are not the actions of a board that 'lack ambition'. With those initiatives they are playing the long game, safe-guarding the long-term future of the club. Unfortunately, something has to give. With the money coming through the turnstiles currently (despite being briefly top of the League), they can't continue to finance the growth of the first team squad. For those of us that go most regularly it's frustrating. But it's not reason to stop going. Because you can be sure that lower attendances will make the problems greater.
Those that can't afford to go have a completely valid reason for not doing so. And i imagine that is the reason that most have for not attending. Those that aren't going because 'the club lack ambition' don't deserve a successful club. Because by making a conscious decision to remove your funds at the turnstile, you are adding to the problems the club faces.

Unfortunately society is full of people convinced that the world owes them a living. The board 'owe' them a team filled with excellent players that win every week, playing great football. Well i'm sorry, but that doesn't come for free. If we can't make the effort to get to the games in greater numbers, the board's 'ambition' can only stretch so far. Their 'ambition' was evident during our stay in the BSP. Without it, we'd still be there, you can be sure of that.

Rather than continually asking them what they're going to do next, it's time for us as supporters to take some responsibility - to show them their efforts weren't wasted. Because they'd by justified in thinking they were with our current attendances.

Our club was all but dead when we lost our place in the League. This group of people revived it, and got it back to where they thought it belongs. Were they wrong to think that? Because a team that averages 2,500 every week hardly deserves to call itself a League club. How are they supposed to attract more fans, when many that consider themselves 'true fans' are turning their backs?

Stop moaning about 'why aren't they doing this', and 'why haven't they done that'. Appreciate what they have done and keep turning up to support the team. Those that can go but choose not to, are in no position to criticise anyone.

Firstly shane as said above brilliant post,one for the most part i agree with.

As a long time season ticket holder,as a fan i also have money into the club via the shop/sunday carvery,also i now give up my time free helping our youth development centre's and to add i can gain free entry to matchs,however it was my choice to pass that up and buy a season ticket,i do believe i can pass my opinons.

I have had more than enough to say on the subject and wish i could put into words my feelings as well as you do,for me i agree and would never critise the fan who simply can afford to go to matchs,one particular friend of mind has 2 kids fell on hard times,and just when things could not get much worse he then suffered a work place accident,this lad would love to come to matchs but just can not,my critism is aimed at certain fans,i have now had the miss fortune to meet two idiots outside boots/laces after the last two saturday home games,slagging off the board accusing them of ripping fans off by charging £16 to go in,yet spent the entire afternoon in the pub drinking and both were going out at almost 10 minute intervals to smoke,these two so called fans could get to boots/laces..why not the match,they proberly shelled out about £40-50 each ..so could afford to go in.

I would like to go on record now as saying i think the board have done a fantastic job of re-building our club.

The one critism i do have of our board is comunication,fans forums are all very well however only hard core fan are likely to turn up to them,the reason why i underlined that part of post is ,that is excactly the message they need to get across to the fans who are not turning up,who can go ,who can afford to go,exeter iam led to believe have produced a public document detailing there plans to move there club forward,including a commitment to have there club in the champoinship by 2015,wether they achieve that is niether hear or there,secure league 1 football is achievable by TUFC ,if our club could come out with satments like that backing it with plans,and what was required to achieve including an average gate number it may change nothing,on the flip side it might just help convince a few stay away fans to come back.

For our board,clubs fans ,just except its torbay,large % of young people are moving out the cities for high pay career's are being replaced in the bay by people retiring out of cities into the bay,its allways been this way it will never change is just wrong to me.

m y grandad told me 30 years ago ,Tufc can not afford to go up,they will never be any thing more than a struggerling div 4 club,sadly that attitude is still out there today,its that attitude that needs to be changed,there is more than enough young peole around the bay newton abbot etc,with disposable income that like football,who think Tufc is a joke club,convince them that is pushing towards league 1 ,and in time further ,and they will come.

Fonda wrote:I don't think the board 'lacks ambition' at all. It's pretty ungrateful to suggest they do. They've made mistakes - but it's easy to say in hindsight. They wanted Colin Lee for his expertise, and because he was exactly the man the majority of the fan-base wanted on board. Unfortunately he didn't come cheap, and as it's turned out, that decision and the financial constraints it now provides represent probably their biggest mistake.

New training facilities, a wide-reaching youth programme and the re-introduction of a reserve team are not the actions of a board that 'lack ambition'. With those initiatives they are playing the long game, safe-guarding the long-term future of the club. Unfortunately, something has to give. With the money coming through the turnstiles currently (despite being briefly top of the League), they can't continue to finance the growth of the first team squad. For those of us that go most regularly it's frustrating. But it's not reason to stop going. Because you can be sure that lower attendances will make the problems greater.

Those that can't afford to go have a completely valid reason for not doing so. And i imagine that is the reason that most have for not attending. Those that aren't going because 'the club lack ambition' don't deserve a successful club. Because by making a conscious decision to remove your funds at the turnstile, you are adding to the problems the club faces.

Unfortunately society is full of people convinced that the world owes them a living. The board 'owe' them a team filled with excellent players that win every week, playing great football. Well i'm sorry, but that doesn't come for free. If we can't make the effort to get to the games in greater numbers, the board's 'ambition' can only stretch so far. Their 'ambition' was evident during our stay in the BSP. Without it, we'd still be there, you can be sure of that.

Rather than continually asking them what they're going to do next, it's time for us as supporters to take some responsibility - to show them their efforts weren't wasted. Because they'd by justified in thinking they were with our current attendances.

Our club was all but dead when we lost our place in the League. This group of people revived it, and got it back to where they thought it belongs. Were they wrong to think that? Because a team that averages 2,500 every week hardly deserves to call itself a League club. How are they supposed to attract more fans, when many that consider themselves 'true fans' are turning their backs?

Stop moaning about 'why aren't they doing this', and 'why haven't they done that'. Appreciate what they have done and keep turning up to support the team. Those that can go but choose not to, are in no position to criticise anyone.

Fonda has put it all in a nutshell. The Board can be criticised for making mistakes but not for lacking ambition. I agree that without their ambition (and, as it turns out, an investment of £1.3M to keep the Club solvent and, presumably a similar sum to rebuild the grandstand) we would still be scrapping against the likes of Altrincham and Crawley in the BSP or possibly worse (ie in administration).

I think the board have done a fantastic job and its reasonable after two heavy losses in previous years to tighten the belt this year, that cannot continue to go on, particularly as we seem to have a reasonable team this year to hold mid table. 3 years ago if someone had said we'll give you league status back, new grandstand, youth development and reserve team i think all would have said 'yes please.'

As for the grandstand, i think you'll find its costing the club next to nothing, grants being applied from local council and the FA fund.

So well done the board, I for one will continue with the membership scheme for my 6 home games a year and No10 visits. Each game therefore costs me £40 - £50 but I want to show my support for the board in doing that. Wouldn't have done that in the Bateson years.