Lancaster University students & Barrow AFC

[Seasider9601]

Marketing Students from the University Of Lancaster have been up to watch Barrow AFC play and are assisting them with "shaping the future" of their club.

Did they approach Morecambe? Did we turn them down? Have we missed a trick here??

Will word spread on Campus about the BAFC experience and will we see an influx of students heading to Holker Street when they could be coming to our ground??

http://www.barrowafc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24250

[Christies Child]

Students from the University Of Lancaster have been up to watch Barrow AFC play and are assisting them with "shaping the future" of their club.

Did they approach Morecambe? Did we turn them down? Have we missed a trick here??

Will word spread on Campus about the BAFC experience and will we see an influx of students heading to Holker Street when they could be coming to our ground??

http://www.barrowafc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24250

I seem to recall a group of students did a similar exercise at Christie Park but whatever their findings may have been I'm not sure they have been put into action.

[JPH]

During my whole time at the Uni, whilst some contacts at the Club did try, there was very little enthusiasm for the Uni. I don't even think the Uni Purple Card deal has been renewed with LUSU/Stagecoach this year....

Not to be crude, but LUSU always seemed frustrated dealing with the club whenever I got tickets (lack of communication etc etc) and when I tried to volunteer to help bridge the gap (as an ex employee) the club didn't want to know.

Not surprised the Uni is using Barrow at all. Much easier to deal with. Sounds very similar to us not having the same deal with Radio Lancs as every other club round here too. Lets hope the new owner brings change in this regard...

[SupermarketShrimp]

This would be a great thing for FCOM to pick up.

[Christies Child]

Begs the question 'who' wasn't interested.

It sounds very much like when I offered to work for club doing marketing for no payment following my early retirement. When I tackled PMcG about this he didn't have any knowledge of my offer and was annoyed to say the least.

[RedRedWine]

Tickets:

On paper it looks so simple; there's a shit load of students sat in their crundies doing nothing on a Saturday... a captive market. In reality it's pretty difficult to entice these people to come and watch their local club. If they're into football they might come down once or twice at a push. When I was a student in Nottingham, I was either working, visiting people, hungover or travelling to watch the team I actually support on a Saturday. I went to watch Notts County once because we were given free tickets at a freshers fair... that's it.

To be fair to MFC, they ran a cheap ticket including free drink and return bus to campus all of last season at a cost to the club. The offer didn't have a massive uptake, I remember driving behind the free bus and there wasn't anybody on it! I'd guess that the only people who benefitted from this cheap as chips deal were locals who go to University and probably would've come anyway but had to pay slightly more.

Marketing help:

Absolutely, sounds like a missed opportunity for some free labour. The club should review if there are any other areas where students could benefit from work experience.

[Seasider9601]

Both my son and daughter study at Lancaster University and tell me there's a "Football Society" which gets out and about every week watching various games too. How many members they've got, I don't know. But they have a dedicated Facebook page.

As RRW says, there's a massive market up there to be had.

[SupermarketShrimp]

Tickets:

On paper it looks so simple; there's a shit load of students sat in their crundies doing nothing on a Saturday... a captive market. In reality it's pretty difficult to entice these people to come and watch their local club. If they're into football they might come down once or twice at a push. When I was a student in Nottingham, I was either working, visiting people, hungover or travelling to watch the team I actually support on a Saturday. I went to watch Notts County once because we were given free tickets at a freshers fair... that's it.

To be fair to MFC, they ran a cheap ticket including free drink and return bus to campus all of last season at a cost to the club. The offer didn't have a massive uptake, I remember driving behind the free bus and there wasn't anybody on it! I'd guess that the only people who benefitted from this cheap as chips deal were locals who go to University and probably would've come anyway but had to pay slightly more.

Marketing help:

Absolutely, sounds like a missed opportunity for some free labour. The club should review if there are any other areas where students could benefit from work experience.

Would suggest that the club don't have unlimited resources. It'd be good for the fans group to engage with all this then feed to the club to use the information accordingly.

Regarding students, it always stunned in me when I used to live up there and go to uni that midweek fixtures weren't on a Wednesday and weren't used in conjunction with Carleton night at the Uni. Obviously this has all gone now, but give a couple of carleton bus loads tickets for £5 and £2 a pint and watch them get hammered before the big night out there.

As I say, those days are gone unfortunately.

[shrimperteer]

Waste of time, the students aren't really that interested in coming to see Morecambe.
Can't really see many of them making their way to Barrow every other week either. Maybe for some coursework project they're doing, but not to go and watch the matches.

[Seasider9601]

If you read the thread on the Barrovian forum you'll see they're going back though.

Either way - it should have been US.

[Gone_Shrimping]

Waste of time, the students aren't really that interested in coming to see Morecambe.
Can't really see many of them making their way to Barrow every other week either. Maybe for some coursework project they're doing, but not to go and watch the matches.

They won't travel to Barrow for matches.

They will expect free travel and a free beer and free entry !

[Dave (Barra)]

They were at the Eastleigh game and they'll be at the Solihull Motors game too. Doubt they'll be there every game but I believe they are going to be out and about in the local business community as well as talking to the hoi polloi.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained etc.

[mrpotatohead]

I've spoken to a student who has spent ages trying to start a deal this and last season but found it tricky. Little enthusiasm from the club or uni, but he says there's plenty of enthusiasm from students. Last year at a free game roughly 200 came down, surely 10% would pay a reasonable price? Lack of organisation and communication meant missed opportunity.

[bill ding]

I've spoken to a student who has spent ages trying to start a deal this and last season but found it tricky. Little enthusiasm from the club or uni, but he says there's plenty of enthusiasm from students. Last year at a free game roughly 200 came down, surely 10% would pay a reasonable price? Lack of organisation and communication meant missed opportunity.

Via a medium ?

[Seasider9601]

F*** off bill

Ouch....

Did your bet not come in tonight??

[mrpotatohead]

Yes it did £50 , both teams to score MFC win, I'll be collecting tomorrow at the bookies in torrisholme and treating the young man that works there to a drink.

[bill ding]

F*** off bill

You started it tatty

[outsider]

Yes it did £50 , both teams to score MFC win, I'll be collecting tomorrow at the bookies in torrisholme and treating the young man that works there to a drink.

He's not in tomorrow But will be Friday if your putting one on for Saturday.

It's my lad Scott

[bill ding]

Yes it did £50 , both teams to score MFC win, I'll be collecting tomorrow at the bookies in torrisholme and treating the young man that works there to a drink.

That's how Jimmy Saville started

[mrpotatohead]

kinell!, to be fair he pointed out the odds for me , I was just going to bet on us to win full stop.

[Seasider9601]

And our local University Students are going back to Barrow once again.

Travelling further afield and ignoring the Football League club which lies between Lancaster and Barrow..... and literally on the doorstep almost of Lancaster University.

From the Barrow AFC Facebook page:

Fans' Feedback!
Are you interested in having a chat with the Lancaster University students about Barrow AFC and helping us to shape our future?
There will be a Fans' Feedback group held on Saturday 28th January at 12pm (before the Forest Green game).
Refreshments will be provided. If you want to help and can spare an hour of your time before the game please PM us or send me an email barrowcommercial@gmail.com .
Thanks, Emma

[Seasider9601]

Yep. We've missed a trick here alright.

Quote: We have a couple of research objectives. Firstly, we want to increase ticket sales at Barrow. To do this, we want to find out what is stopping fans attending home matches, what people think of the brand of Barrow and what is the awareness of Barrow in the surrounding areas.

http://www.barrowafc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24540