TOPIC: A Long Way To Go

After visiting Both Blackburn and Preston for the home(away) games it shows me that as a club Carlisle United have a long way to go to catch up with these clubs for ammenities and service .Everyone was helpful from stewards to those serving food and drinks .Not being asked to show your ticket was a small thing maybee they at Brunton Park dont trust the people who scan your ticket and thats why they ask .I know the turnstyles at both clubs were a lot more modern than ours but thats just one thing .Around the concourse below the stand at blackburn there were people who were complimenting the food does that ever happen at Brunton Park .I know we are stuck with Brunton Park and its out of date but all these small things lead to a much more plesurable experience .

Lad that served us yesterday was absolutely effin' useless. Pleasant enough that said, but just slow and asked the same question over and over.

Would agree that the have much better set ups, but that would be expected given their status compared to ours in recent years.

I was impressed with St James' food outlets in Boxing Day, took card which made it a damn site easier for me, I don't really like carrying cash.

The quality of food yesterday was good too - makes ours look embarassing.

The electronic turnstiles always impress me when I come across them, it just makes sense and to be honest we're half way there with the scanners so jumping to the next level would be slightly easier than say for Accrington.

I like visiting other grounds and comparing both staff and facilities - you see some brilliant ones and some terrible ones across the country. BP is just tired, the east stand is relatively modern and even that is pretty old hat.

Perhaps 'blue blunder' will rescue is...

I got asked to show my ticket yesterday. Didn't have any food there, I tend to eat away from stadiums due to the cost inside. I did go and ask for a bottle of full fat coke before kickoff though, to which the dumbarse the other side of the counter gave me a bottle of lucozade


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you actually refer to Coke as 'full fat Coke'?

Couldn't agree more. There is a lot than only a new stadium could change but regardless of facilities, there is still a place for good customer experience which has been lacking at cufc forever.

Having to stand in a line twice to get a ticket and get in....
Freezing cold concourse in the east stand
Standing outside when paying for tickets during the week.
Poor communication to its customers that boarders on contempt.
The customer experience ranks with non league football and no dis respect to non league football at all.

Why not turn these poor customer experience examples into revenue generating solutions?

Put the ticket office inside the clubshop. Not out in the freezing cold and as per supermarkets, once you are in you spend more on other things, particularly if the ticket office was positioned at the back of the club shop.

Make a bar out of an area similar t o the kids zone in the east stand with heating, even a TVs that work and a carpet wow!

Move the flood damaged offices and board room from the main stand to the first floor of the east stand with the insurance paying for a lot of it. Better facilities that won't get flooded as will be on the first floor and not the ground floor.

Use all of our data that they have regards postcodes etc and use it to find a way of communicating properly with us as a matter of course but also to promote deals, entertainment etc that is going on.

Revenue from non budgeted Success on the pitch, cup runs etc should be used to deliver in expensive improvements like these which in turn will improve customer experience and increase revenue. I know the club has a debt problem that we need to chip away at with in budgeted revenue but we also need to think about how we can get the money to work for us as well as Lts face it, the non existent billionaire is not going to build a new stadium and whilst I would support I financed stadium delivered through a robust, sustainable business plan, we all know it's not gong to happen with our current BoD.

In the longer term and I am dreaming but I would like to see the rugby club, cufc, the council, Tesco's, soccer world and the holiday Inn group put a plan together that delivers a purpose built stadium similar to the New York Stadium with built in Hotel (like reading have done) with supermarket, all weather football pitches to rent out all week and for use by cufc and the rugby team. It's not beyond man to have a double sided stand where the back of it forms a behind glass viewing area looking into an adjacent Rugby pitch. The bars and function rooms could double up to serve the rugby club as well as doubling up on th car park facility etc. The hotel and function rooms would be available for private use but would also be used by travelling clubs and fans who could even rent the all weather pitches as well given most teams have an over night stay when playing us. Perhaps some of the office areas curd be used for the council and with a bit of thought, the hotel could have a leisure club and pool the locals would pay for on a subscription basis. All a pipe dream, if only we had the required people who could put this type of stuff together as undoubtably it would take a lot of doing or is it something that could be outsorced to a developer who would then take a cut of the profit as their ROI or even sell on.

I recently visited Stamford Bridge to see a band at Under The Bridge, it's night club music venue. Abramovich was in the audience buying drinks for people. I first visited in 1968 to see Carlisle play in an FA Cup game. It's like a different World today. Has to be seen to be believed.

I am not a contributor but am a fifty year supporter of the Blues.

I have not been at all this season because of the way the club has treated the fans in so far as the "billionaire" I am totally opposed to putting money into a concern that is willing to treat its supporters in such an offhand manner.

My wife and I were season ticket holders in the Knighton era but his antics stopped that and since then I only go now and then.

Sorry to go on but my point is that the only reason I was there yesterday was my grandaughter was our mascot after my son had won the offer in the Facebook draw. There were seven of us and to be honest what a great day we all had, as mentioned previously the facilities were brilliant the staff very helpful and all in all I thought the whole day was superb, there is nothing like the atmosphere at a a live game even if the result was dodgy.

I would really love to experience more Saturday's like I had yesterday unfortunately that will not happen unless we have a new Board who are willing to put Supporters first instead of their own petty agendas.

It's a pity but thanks to Blackburn for a really good experience and please let us hope that the present regime see some sense and make worthwhile decisions that will push Carlisle forward and encourage people like me to return

Mouldy wrote:

Not at first, but I got offered Diet Coke or the full fat Coke, so I said full fat to make it clear I didn't want Diet Coke and the silly lass still gave me a lucozade


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That makes sense. I mean, full fat Coke has a ring to it I guess.

Was it lucozade sport?

I think people are forgetting that the horsemans vision when taking over the reigns was to drive away as many fans as possible not make amenities better to attract more supporters.

It was the fizzy stuff mouldy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For [censored] sake, chopper.

It's that sort of behaviour that promotes IS in Western Europe.

Deepest sympathies mate, I really feel for you

I'm glad people are waking up to realise how bad of an experience Brunton park is, it wouldn't take much to put things right.

As a regular away traveller, its so much better at other grounds in league 2. Even Accrington that's mainly ran by volunteers.