TOPIC: A family club.

"A family club" something I've heard mentioned a bit recently as an aspiration for Carlisle United. After many remarks from our traveling fans yesterday I wondered if Plymouth are a role model and show just how far we have to go.

Our fans enjoyed mixing with the Plymouth fans before the game and were made to feel welcome. When this was commented on staff said that it was a long way for any sets of fans to travel and so they liked to make visiting fans feel welcome at the ground. (something very relevant to our geographical position).

The stewards got on with their job quietly without antagonising fans. They allowed the players to come and thank the fans at the end, were watchful for any incursion onto the pitch by fans but treated visited fans with respect and weren't heavy handed.

None of the above impinged on the home fans right to be utterly partizan, to shout at the ref and to make sure they outsung us even though they were losing.

It's a bit of a balancing act, making your ground a fortress on the one hand, but not making it a thoroughly unpleasant experience for visiting (or indeed home) fans. From the comments I heard at the game, Plymouth seem to have got the balance right?

Decent food and drink
Short queues
No having to queue twice in the space of 10 minutes just to get in
Cheap tickets
Tickets that don't increase in price on the day
Not paying extra to print your own ticket out
Board members not swearing live on local radio at 5pm
Board members apologising for doing so
Have a decent programme
Have a PA you can hear
Clean the ground
Cheap away travel for the closer games

Some things to help make us a family club. Welcomers etc are pretty useless in my view. It's not hard to find where to go! Away fans should be made to feel welcome, but stick them in the waterworks.

When you have an owner who thinks that it is the fans who spoil the day then you have no hope in massive improvement, wants our money but that is it.

I didn't make the bar in the ground, after being on that coach for 7 hours I near on ran to the wetherspoons pub round the corner haha! Heard the stadium welcomed in with open arms though, and the stewarding was superb to say the least.

I wish that the club could help out more in reducing travel costs for those on the supporters coaches though, Plymouth followed by Bristol followed by Luton away isn't exactly cheap if you do all 3, but if it helps the regulars (of which I'm not a regular) then I'm all for it


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chopper wrote:
Its a old argument on here but i dont see why someone who either cant spare the time or doesnt have the money to do the longer trips but can make shorter ones should subsidise people who maybe can spare the time and money to make the longer trips.

The stewards got on with their job quietly without antagonising fans

mojo wrote:
Reminds me about a Chris Rock joke about certain women who say "i bring my kids up right" "well thats what your supposed to do you dumb bitch"

Re the stewards, wasn't having a go at those at BP, but know when we go to away games, in some cases the stewards are so quick to say " sit down,, sit in your designated seat, don't do that, etc etc etc that it put folk on edge even before they have got to their seat. Plymouth was a much more relaxed atmosphere.

Very true that you would hope stewards always did their job in a professional and friendly way but anyone who goes to most away games can quote instances where the stewards fall well below the line, so nice to give praise when they stand above it.

Good point Bumble.

I always found the Walsall stewards to be the best for looking after the fans.

Great supporters bar on site too 'The Saddlers Club' where fans freely mingle.

We could learn a lot from Walsall but it doesn't fit into what our current Board want for the club.

This is one of the main reasons why we needed to get Lapping into the club, would have been a less hostile atmosphere between fans and owner, more fan interaction that fans would trust.

Just as well we are doing well on the pitch really because the stand off between fans and owner has got hostile to the point of the owner swearing on the radio at his discontent to the media who are only asking reasonable questions that he is so arrogant he doesn't feel he has to answer them.

Regarding their stewarding. I doubt that 176 Cumbrians would put them under much pressure!

Dancingbear wrote:

I know what you mean, I agree with you on that. But for the club to help out would be great. Plymouth was 40, Bristol is 35 and Luton will be about the same. We'd end up with no fans travelling if the cost was much higher than what it is. I don't think it'd be right to charge prices on a per mile basis mind


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To be honest I have always had the feeling that the club really have no interest in traveling fans.

The playing side, particularly this regime do acknowledge and show appreciation to the traveling fans but the club itself doesn't see any monetary advantage in traveling fans (unless we happen to have drawn Liverpool or Sunderland in the cup), so aren't interested . In fact in the past individuals have bemoaned the fact that the away travel has not been giving money to the club so no chance of subsidised travel.

Regarding the stewarding, quite true 176 fans would not put great pressure on the stewards. I don't think anyone thought it would. I was told several times what a nice friendly bunch they were, which isn't always the case however few fans turn up on the day. I thought it nice to mention when things were done well after a very long day, the football was good as well ! . . . sighs. . . feels a bit like being in the paddock trying to be positive!

The club doesn't give much of a toss about the home fans either.

For what its worth, the price doesnt go up on the day of the game, its a discount for buying early.

And no quite a lot of the time i dont make to the ground to benefit, so pay the full price on a Saturday, but when i do that i go get my ticket before i go to the pub, meaning i dont get stuck in the wait at 2.45. I understand every situation is different but walking past the beehive to get my ticket to walk back to the beehive doesnt bother that much at all.

Atmosphere at away games can be interesting in terms of contrast, Fulham compared to Millwall for example. I think it's great to welcome fans up here. They spend cash and create atmosphere, they're fellow football fans.

Football is so awash money it would be nice if the league or fa subdidised travel for clubs. After all, it is a national competition of theirs and some clubs gain an advantage having fewer miles to travel. It could be based on milage at the start of the season and any money the club's receive could/should be spent on fans away travel. Either that or let the travelling club have a % of the money from their fans away support.
We would do well in both situations as we have a better away support for our size than most clubs in the league.

An Exeter fan very complimentary of Carlisle United.

www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/engl...exeter-city-17-10-15]

re travelling. If you check other clubs websites as I do you will find they are always cheaper for the corresponding games, in some cases a lot cheaper. for example Newport to Carlisle £25 reverse it carlisle to newport £35

You're not allowed to query their pricing structure...

Waltero wrote:
Yeah but that can be made up by eating 350 rice crispy cakes at very reasonable prices.

I don't begrudge paying the CUSAT prices, especially as it is cheaper than a train. But (especially this weekend) I was thinking about it en route to Plymouth. £40 a seat, coach was a 43 seater full. That's £1720 taken there. I'd imagine the coach hire would have been around £1400 for Saturday (as a regular contract CUSAT will get discount) add on all the cake/pies/drink/spot the ball stuff they offer CUSAT must be making a good profit. Or maybe I'm just being cynical, but at end of day £20 each way to Plymouth isn't bad


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£1720 if they all pay...

I don't think anyone has objected to you querying prices , I'm just a little surprised at your continued obsession when you openly admit you would never travel with them.

I have nothing to do with the running of the buses but I would imagine when you guarantee a bus to every game then the price will always be a bit more. On Saturday the bus was full, I didn't expect it to be and, in the past, I have traveled to games with less than 30 on the bus but it still ran.

Another way of doing it would be that everyone had to pay up front the week before, then the cost could be divided between the travelers and the bus cancelled if there wasn't enough people traveling. Personally I would rather pay a little more to guarantee the bus will run.