CONSTRUCTIVE IDEAS

[KentC]

My concern with all this, admittedly from afar, is that there are not many constructive ideas being put forward - more criticism of how things are with no solutions. This has always been the trouble with any club at any level. Everyone will tell you what is wrong, it comes naturally. A far smaller number come up with actual well thought out solutions or initiatives. The the absolute minority, come forward and offer to try to do something about it. This is the nub of the whole issue!

My second visit to PP was the third match ever played there. It was against Dover and an 2.20, when I arrived, the queue at the turnstiles went round towards what is now the Champions Bar (was then the Club Shop). I approached a man with a radio (Dave Boswell) and, helpfully, suggested they needed more turnstiles open. Dave said they didn't have anyone - so I volunteered there and then on the spot. Within 5 minutes I was manning a turnstile and continued to do so, as a volunteer, for the next ten years until I moved to Somerset. Following on from that I got involved in other areas, including being match secretary (arranging match officials etc) for the Academy when it was started. Unfortunately there are very few who will offer to give their time and support in such a way. So my point is, as well as going on about what is wrong, suggest to the club ways in which YOU YOURSELF can help the cause!

YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU!!!

While it’s a valuable point to get volunteers and I for one would support where possible but our issues around some parts of the way the club is being run is nothing to do with volunteers or lack of.

[Spike]

Also could under 16s or kids get cheaper rates on the coaches to away games?
It may not be cost effective I understand that.

As much as that would be great, the cost of hiring coaches has gone through the roof and they are outrageously expensive, hence the whopping fares increases this season. Micky Austin will tell you, they are barely managing to run coaches at all, sometimes running at a loss, so the only way that cuts for U16s could be implemented is by charging more from the over 16s and frankly, I think that would lead to so few travelling that we'd end up not running a coach at all. Some of our away trips are already priced around the £50 mark, so it's actually cheaper for a small group to hire a car, fuel it up and drive themselves, rather than the cost of travel by coach.

[Spike]

This thread is a great idea, but I agree with Taunton Dart that what we need to see here is the "constructive ideas" suggested in the title. We've all done our fair share of moaning this season, but what we are looking for here is ways to fix things.

It was quite bold of the club to do the reduced admissions for the last 4 games, but I understand this lost a fair bit of money. I would think this was mainly because of the reduction in adult prices, which I personally don't think was necessary. The free admission for U16s though was in my opinion a great idea. We don't have many youngsters coming and as us oldies gradually shuffle off our mortal coils, the club should be worried about the alarmingly small percentage of younger supporters. We need to attract new blood and even if only 1 in 10 go on to become long term fans, then it will pay dividends in the end. As a lifelong fan myself, I shudder to think about how much money I have ploughed into this club over the years, so you have to think long term as well as looking at the immediate benefits. So I really like the idea of giving U16s free season tickets because it has the dual purpose of encouraging more youngsters to come, whilst at the same time, the threat of having the ticket confiscated also gives the club a tool to control any potential bad behaviour. The existing membership scheme was a PR disaster and always felt like a punishment. It sent out a message that youngsters are not particularly welcome whereas free season tickets does the exact opposite. The youngsters definitely give the games a better atmosphere and once they're in the ground they will still spend money anyway. Hopefully they'll still be coming when they are adults.

[Spike]

I've heard more than a few "sack the board" comments which are inevitable when you have a stinker of a season like the one we've just had, but ironically the directors who get the most flack are the ones who are most well known and who probably do the most work at the club. It's not like there is a queue of rich benefactors lining up to throw money in the kitty, we need to get the best from what we have whilst adding more if we can. In any case, I would be more interested to know what roles the less well known directors play and I think they should be more visible. In my opinion, board members should have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and be known as the "director of ..." whatever.

I totally get why people are frustrated and it does feel like the club has been coasting along and suddenly we've had a real kick in the teeth with this relegation. However, I don't think it's all bad and there are many things still to be proud of. What I would say is that we do surely need some new blood on the board and I would start by adding an elected supporter's representative, someone who could pitch in with the fans' point of view. He or she would press the board on matters that supporters are not happy about and think need addressing. Someone to play devil's advocate and provide a little fresh thinking.

There's a disconnect between the board and certain sections of the fans and I think this could help bridge the gap.

[KingKong]

Also could under 16s or kids get cheaper rates on the coaches to away games?
It may not be cost effective I understand that.

As much as that would be great, the cost of hiring coaches has gone through the roof and they are outrageously expensive, hence the whopping fares increases this season. Micky Austin will tell you, they are barely managing to run coaches at all, sometimes running at a loss, so the only way that cuts for U16s could be implemented is by charging more from the over 16s and frankly, I think that would lead to so few travelling that we'd end up not running a coach at all. Some of our away trips are already priced around the £50 mark, so it's actually cheaper for a small group to hire a car, fuel it up and drive themselves, rather than the cost of travel by coach.

Costs should be considerably less next season im guessing with the furthest game probably Bognor.

[ozymandias]

I understand what some are saying re sacking the board and feel that it is a knee jerk call for someone to take the blame.
It has been a culminating catalogue of errors this season that has resulted at finger pointing from some who have had for the last 18 years, relatively successful football at PP.
Okay, apart from two seasons of punching above our weight in the National League Premier we have been entertained royally by a club with a budget and a loyal board.
I agree with PL's proposals in that they need a bit of freshening up but they are loyal to the club.
Poor decisions were made, admittedly. On one that had me staying away , on others that were taken far too late.
I'm hoping that Ade will be given the time to prove himself as I fully disagree with calls to sack him. He has to be given a chance.

[Taunton Dart]

The people saying sack the Board are fully entitled to their opinions and in some way justifiably so. I was very critical of the tweet from a Board Member calling people to come and watch Olly Box before he moves on - not the message for an officer of the club to put out there.

However all the calls for sacking the Board are just that - just criticism but no suggestion of the way forward. That is not constructive comment

[Bagdhad Billy]

The people saying sack the Board are fully entitled to their opinions and in some way justifiably so. I was very critical of the tweet from a Board Member calling people to come and watch Olly Box before he moves on - not the message for an officer of the club to put out there.

However all the calls for sacking the Board are just that - just criticism but no suggestion of the way forward. That is not constructive comment

I’ve not seen many if any saying “sack the board” however it needs as much of a drastic overhaul as the playing staff.

If the only thing you deem to deserve criticism is the tweet from a board member I feel your missing the point TD, there have been many critical mistakes which we now can’t change and find ourselves being almost back at the level we were playing at when we had no stadium which is shocking.

Many ideas have been posted throughout this and last season around the sacking of Dowse early, banning the youth being wrong, not recruiting a new manager quick enough which all fell on death ears until it was too late with a few games to go and the damage had been done.

Everyone could see the empty stadium at the beginning of the season and had concerns about why is the club not doing anything about it and the board went and announced all was fine attendances were not and issue and they had faith in Dowes when did they listen then?

All said straight away what a bad decision it was to ban the youth and how bad the atmosphere was in the stadium from minute one and it took them over a year to change that decision?

It is our job to support the club in what ever way we can and it’s the boards job to make the best decisions for the town of Dartford and it’s football club and LISTEN to the fans which it’s done very little of if any for some time…

[Sleightly Deceptive]

I’m here to help out in any capacity I can - for a 63yr old duffer who can’t stand for extended periods. Club or DFCSA. Just holler.

[Harry]

Ideas - a reserve/U23's team playing in a competitive league, (not a reserve league) it may bridge the gap for the talented current U18 team who have just won their league.

Players/manager to acknowledge fans at the end of the game, whatever the result.

Free season ticket for U16's.

Free entry for target groups on key days, eg International women's day = free entry for all women/girls as one example.

Decent (improved) communication via social media outlets. Twitter etc.

Reasonable pricing of club merchandise, or significant discount for members/season ticket holders in the club shop.

Improve the quality of the match day experience, have a DFC "legend" in one of the bars for a Q/A or an interview pre game once per month, or an interview with of tbe backroom staff/injured player etc.

Invite a local band/act to play before/after the match in one of the bars.

Promotion offers linked to the Sky lunchtime, early evening kick off games.

Invite a successful local person in the community to do a Q/A or a famous face to attend, maybe one of these "YouTubers".

Half time entertainment - cross bar challenge type activity - with a small DFC prize, keep up challenge, penalty shots etc.

An improvement in the quality and variety of food available from the pods/bars.

Offer a local restaurant an opportunity to attend and set up a pop up food offer, eg a local Indian/Chinese restaurant could offer something different whilst promoting thier restaurant.

Potentially the same for a local brewery (micro pub).

Invite whole community groups to attend eg local churches, schools, whole youth Football clubs. Scout/cubs groups.

Openly create a Target 2,000 club, aim to grow attendance to 2,000 - have bring a mate and double the gate offers/incentives for regular supporters - who can invite a new supporters for half price.

Postcode entry, give special offers for different postcodes on rotation.

Loyalty cards for attendance, stamped on entry. A free match for anyone who attends a certain number of games per season.

"Awards" for supporters who have been regular and attending supporters for 10, 15, 20 years.

[Park Life]

Ideas - a reserve/U23's team playing in a competitive league, (not a reserve league) it may bridge the gap for the talented current U18 team who have just won their league.

Players/manager to acknowledge fans at the end of the game, whatever the result.

Free season ticket for U16's.

Free entry for target groups on key days, eg International women's day = free entry for all women/girls as one example.

Decent (improved) communication via social media outlets. Twitter etc.

Reasonable pricing of club merchandise, or significant discount for members/season ticket holders in the club shop.

Improve the quality of the match day experience, have a DFC "legend" in one of the bars for a Q/A or an interview pre game once per month, or an interview with of tbe backroom staff/injured player etc.

Invite a local band/act to play before/after the match in one of the bars.

Promotion offers linked to the Sky lunchtime, early evening kick off games.

Invite a successful local person in the community to do a Q/A or a famous face to attend, maybe one of these "YouTubers".

Half time entertainment - cross bar challenge type activity - with a small DFC prize, keep up challenge, penalty shots etc.

An improvement in the quality and variety of food available from the pods/bars.

Offer a local restaurant an opportunity to attend and set up a pop up food offer, eg a local Indian/Chinese restaurant could offer something different whilst promoting thier restaurant.

Potentially the same for a local brewery (micro pub).

Invite whole community groups to attend eg local churches, schools, whole youth Football clubs. Scout/cubs groups.

Openly create a Target 2,000 club, aim to grow attendance to 2,000 - have bring a mate and double the gate offers/incentives for regular supporters - who can invite a new supporters for half price.

Postcode entry, give special offers for different postcodes on rotation.

Loyalty cards for attendance, stamped on entry. A free match for anyone who attends a certain number of games per season.

"Awards" for supporters who have been regular and attending supporters for 10, 15, 20 years.

[Skip]

Ideas - a reserve/U23's team playing in a competitive league, (not a reserve league) it may bridge the gap for the talented current U18 team who have just won their league.

Players/manager to acknowledge fans at the end of the game, whatever the result.

Free season ticket for U16's.

Free entry for target groups on key days, eg International women's day = free entry for all women/girls as one example.

Decent (improved) communication via social media outlets. Twitter etc.

Reasonable pricing of club merchandise, or significant discount for members/season ticket holders in the club shop.

Improve the quality of the match day experience, have a DFC "legend" in one of the bars for a Q/A or an interview pre game once per month, or an interview with of tbe backroom staff/injured player etc.

Invite a local band/act to play before/after the match in one of the bars.

Promotion offers linked to the Sky lunchtime, early evening kick off games.

Invite a successful local person in the community to do a Q/A or a famous face to attend, maybe one of these "YouTubers".

Half time entertainment - cross bar challenge type activity - with a small DFC prize, keep up challenge, penalty shots etc.

An improvement in the quality and variety of food available from the pods/bars.

Offer a local restaurant an opportunity to attend and set up a pop up food offer, eg a local Indian/Chinese restaurant could offer something different whilst promoting thier restaurant.

Potentially the same for a local brewery (micro pub).

Invite whole community groups to attend eg local churches, schools, whole youth Football clubs. Scout/cubs groups.

Openly create a Target 2,000 club, aim to grow attendance to 2,000 - have bring a mate and double the gate offers/incentives for regular supporters - who can invite a new supporters for half price.

Postcode entry, give special offers for different postcodes on rotation.

Loyalty cards for attendance, stamped on entry. A free match for anyone who attends a certain number of games per season.

"Awards" for supporters who have been regular and attending supporters for 10, 15, 20 years.

The thread is titled Constructive Ideas but you’ve just added Comprehensive to that, too.

[Ozytalksbull]

All the above , what a fantastic level headed reply
This is what most other clubs do already
And some should of been implemented long ago
I hope the right people have read this post

[Sleightly Deceptive]

All the above , what a fantastic level headed reply
This is what most other clubs do already
And some should of been implemented long ago
I hope the right people have read this post

I think the ‘right people’ will have read it. Whether they do more than merely ‘take note’ is anyone’s guess. Massive changes are needed from top to bottom at DFC but they’re not going to be overnight that’s fer sure. It all begins in May constructing a new squad to get us back to NLS. That has to be the priority. IMHO.

[Dave T]

Ideas - a reserve/U23's team playing in a competitive league, (not a reserve league) it may bridge the gap for the talented current U18 team who have just won their league.

Players/manager to acknowledge fans at the end of the game, whatever the result.

Free season ticket for U16's.

Free entry for target groups on key days, eg International women's day = free entry for all women/girls as one example.

Decent (improved) communication via social media outlets. Twitter etc.

Reasonable pricing of club merchandise, or significant discount for members/season ticket holders in the club shop.

Improve the quality of the match day experience, have a DFC "legend" in one of the bars for a Q/A or an interview pre game once per month, or an interview with of tbe backroom staff/injured player etc.

Invite a local band/act to play before/after the match in one of the bars.

Promotion offers linked to the Sky lunchtime, early evening kick off games.

Invite a successful local person in the community to do a Q/A or a famous face to attend, maybe one of these "YouTubers".

Half time entertainment - cross bar challenge type activity - with a small DFC prize, keep up challenge, penalty shots etc.

An improvement in the quality and variety of food available from the pods/bars.

Offer a local restaurant an opportunity to attend and set up a pop up food offer, eg a local Indian/Chinese restaurant could offer something different whilst promoting thier restaurant.

Potentially the same for a local brewery (micro pub).

Invite whole community groups to attend eg local churches, schools, whole youth Football clubs. Scout/cubs groups.

Openly create a Target 2,000 club, aim to grow attendance to 2,000 - have bring a mate and double the gate offers/incentives for regular supporters - who can invite a new supporters for half price.

Postcode entry, give special offers for different postcodes on rotation.

Loyalty cards for attendance, stamped on entry. A free match for anyone who attends a certain number of games per season.

"Awards" for supporters who have been regular and attending supporters for 10, 15, 20 years.

The thread is titled Constructive Ideas but you’ve just added Comprehensive to that, too.

Excellent suggestions Harry. Could l just add one more... invite Harry to join the Board as supporters representative.

[M1 South]

Cry God for Harry, Dartford and St George!!!

[Dave T]

Cry God for Harry, Dartford and St George!!!

[Ozytalksbull]

All the above , what a fantastic level headed reply
This is what most other clubs do already
And some should of been implemented long ago
I hope the right people have read this post

I think the ‘right people’ will have read it. Whether they do more than merely ‘take note’ is anyone’s guess. Massive changes are needed from top to bottom at DFC but they’re not going to be overnight that’s fer sure. It all begins in May constructing a new squad to get us back to NLS. That has to be the priority. IMHO.

100% agreed

[rambo]

Some very good posts on this thread
My take as follows
The under 18s fans have been treated appallingly
I feel they should be welcomed to PP with a free season ticket permanently. Without them there is no future forDFC and already a whole generation has been alienated by the club. Perhaps a Board member should have responsibility to manage young fans.
The only bad language I have heared this season is from aged 50+ men hurling venom at useless officials particularly in a game at home very recently
My second point is that the Board should change the club policy and invite wealthy business people to put money into the club in return for places on the Board
Thirdly I am not sure how the bar and food pods are run. Are they simply tenants paying rent or is the rent based on turnover. If the latter I suspect all the cash payments are not being declared. Maybe a hospitality business can join the Board and run the bar and the food pods for the sole benefit of the club ( obviously the club tsking on the burden of staff in these areas). BTW the food atm is not worth eating so change is required in this area
Lastly and not so important or costly , PP has been like a morgue since Dowse got his size 10s through the door. Liven the place up a bit . I don’t know if I’m not listening and missing the music but I feel the players should enter the arena to loud familiar music and also greet every home goal to 10 seconds of a familiar tune ( even if it is only once a month)
Finally let’s all get behind Ade next season. The season will not be easy there are some very good clubs in that division. The Board must not expect a quick return to NLS a great deal of attention and money will be required to earn a promotion.

[rambo]

One last point.Following relegation the cost of watching a game should reviewed. We must be charging at the same rate as our competitors and should not gamble on selling the most expensive tickets in the Isthmian League