: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:29 pm  

mr. chairman wrote:

the lsv do read this board fact. our meeting with them confirmed this as they said they had people up at leigh east to see how many fans used the bar and they did not like what they saw on the forum regarding east promoting themselves as a pre and post match venue . we collapsed with laughter on hearing this , so if your reading this simon toone , come on down to leigh east for some good cheap food and cheap beer

What did they expect the average speccie to do?

Seriously these people are blind to the facts and the sooner they come into the real world and start interacting with the fans and the club then the sooner they'll see more profit start rolling in.

: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:34 pm  

davo1979 wrote:

Well, I like the new ground.

I don't have to huddle under the TS stand when it rains.

I can pee without getting my feet wet.

I get a great view of the game.

I can hear the tannoy (most of the time)

There is a great club shop, with some very good merchandise and quite reasonably priced.

I bought a season ticket so it doesn't cost me a great deal more than it did last year. Probably even a bit less with the extra game and free challenge cup ticket.

East and miners look to have benefitted from there being no supporters bar, which is good IMO.

IIRC the only games at HP over the last few years with real atmosphere, have been against the big guns.

The club did it's bit in trying to get people into the stadium with the season ticket offer. Nobody bothered with it.

My opinion is at the moment that I'm gonna get behind the club, no matter what. Only one way the club is gonna get bigger and better is by getting more fans in. Instead of justifying reasons why I can't go to games. I just go, enjoy it for what it is, and I can go home feeling like I have in some way contributed to the club I love.

Trouble is for everyone like me there are three people who will stay at home because they heard a pie costs £2.70.

Which is why we will never be a superleague club!

I'm not slagging the ground as a facility because it's miles better than HP but you can't ask fans to pay to get into their own bar and then charge them £3.50 a pint or whatever it is.

The ground doesn't have anything in it that says "Leigh Centurions" about it either. At the moment it lacks a bit of character and our stamp (and Genesis) on it. Until that happens the average fan will always feel we were better off at HP.

: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:36 pm  

mr. chairman wrote:

they are commercially driven , when they should be community driven

Correct. You've got to strike a balance somewhere and they're way off the mark at the minute.

: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:22 pm  

A vicious circle

You need fans to create atmosphere to bring in fans to make money to run the club to improve the quality of the players to improve the performance of the team to provide entertainment to help create atmosphere

You cannot create atmosphere without fans

Getting fans in costs money if you dont have enough paying fans to create the atmosphere needed

You cannot control the results of the matches within reason but you can attempt to control the entertainment that the team provide and also the atmosphere you create

It is not easy but it can be done

: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:37 pm  

a very interesting thread, and it seems the vast majority of us hanker back to the old hp days, me too. i missed the last lisa meeting, but am i right in thinking this simon toone geezer was present, if so were these problems/concerns raised, and do we know if he or somebody from lsv will be coming to the next one. Because surely as a business it is beneficial for lsv have more peole use its facility. One of the real bug bears it seems and i agree is the lack of a supporters bar, until this is solved then it won't feel like ours, people are not going topay 2 quid for the privledge of walking into a bar, yes many problems but we and they will have to to solve them, because much as we look back to the good old days of hp its gone.

: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:12 am  

no he wasn't at the last meeting (the one before) and a LSV rep isn't on the list for the next one (see thread above)

: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:55 am  

FredParky wrote:

no he wasn't at the last meeting (the one before) and a LSV rep isn't on the list for the next one (see thread above)

He did agree to be in attendance at any meeting requested though Fred


So the MAY meeting

: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:54 am  

One thing LSV/caterers could easily do is let LISA members in the Legends bar before the match & at half time without charge.A simple act that rewards that section of supporters & may even encourage others to join LISA.That in turn would help the club to get better players & a better team would increase the attendance and so on and so on.

: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:18 am  

Totally agree with East promoting themselves and if LSV/Caterers have a problem maybe they could:

Let people in the bar for free
Lower the prices on food
Lower the prices on drinks

But we all know they are money grabbing at the min so good luck to East taking advantage

: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:15 pm  

I like the new ground.

Great to have a club shop which is on site and offering reasonably priced, good value merchandise to buy.

Normally prefer to stand.

This season West Stand season ticket holders.

Fantastic sheltered and unhindered viewing along the sidelines.

However, has the rugby on display made me less animated/excited/vocal and supportive? Is it because I am sat down? Is it because of those spectators around me? Or am I just maturing a little?

I am unsure as to which it is but one thing for sure is certain, as many have said, it does not feel like home and at times is like moon base alpha -somewhat lacking atmoshere!

Also, even though I have never been a big 'pint before the game man' I like the option and prefer to be amongst fellow supporters in comfortable surroundings within the grounds. There desperately needs to be a free supporters bar which is accessible before and after the match. It is fine to get your refreshments 'under the stand' during the game (if you can afford to) but it is just not the same. I am a Leigh Miners man but the Easts is by far the best option at the moment.

Also, it is important that there is a little bit of something for kids entertainment pre match as this definately helps with THEIR match day experience.

I know there are a million and one other improvements that could be made, but until the free supporters bar and kids entertainment issues are addressed the place will remain souless and non-atmospheric.