Fan Experience

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Get rid of Tom Hark and that chuffing Star Wars theme.

Utilise the big screen more by showing Blades content and half time scores from around the country. Watford have Sky Sports News on the big screen at half time. Why can't we?

Whilst I'm at it, and catering keeps on cropping up, how about investigating the possibilty of some local restaurants taking over designated kiosks? Who woudnt fancy a tray of bhajis with some mint sauce over them, or a tray of fresh pasta or a slice of fresh pizza? A local butcher to knock up some hot roast beef or pork butties?

They've already got that sorted in the US. Plenty of stadiums in America have well known food outlets within them.
 

Focussing on the catering, is there anything that Compass (who currently run the catering at BDTBL) could

a) Do better currently

and

b) Look to change to make things better?

I think United are tied into a contract with Compass so can't see them making way for Man Frydays and Mangla to be taking over the kiosks... as lovely as that sounds.

I have to say that I don't usually use the kiosks but needed summat to warm my hands through on Saturday. Ended up with a Meat and Tatty pie that I could've caved someone's head in with.

It was tempting to lob the pie lid at the excuse for a linesman, but Odd Job's hat had nothing on it's decapitation potential!
 
The food is just nasty overpriced shit, that you get at football grounds the length and breadth of the country.

I know they also do Chelsea's food, i suspect they probably do Charlton's given the similarity.

It just contributes to the soulless experience of Modern day football. Each football club should celebrate and promote local businesses, football used to be about the communities, let's get some of that back. I don't want to have the same crappy hot dog or pie at middlesbrough or reading, or charlton, or umpteen other grounds that i get at bramall lane.
 
Focussing on the catering, is there anything that Compass (who currently run the catering at BDTBL) could

a) Do better currently

and

b) Look to change to make things better?

I think United are tied into a contract with Compass so can't see them making way for Man Frydays and Mangla to be taking over the kiosks... as lovely as that sounds.

I have to say that I don't usually use the kiosks but needed summat to warm my hands through on Saturday. Ended up with a Meat and Tatty pie that I could've caved someone's head in with.

It was tempting to lob the pie lid at the excuse for a linesman, but Odd Job's hat had nothing on it's decapitation potential!

a) Resign and b) Resign:D

But realisitically, get stocked up and stacked up BEFORE the half-time interval. You have a 15 minute window to sell (in John St yesterday) trays of chips. Faced with this prior knowledge, how special do you have to be to run out? Twice?
Beer, same deal, so get some pulled in advance of the rush. Given you need to wait ten minutes before daring to take a sip of tea, repeat as above.
 
Focussing on the catering, is there anything that Compass (who currently run the catering at BDTBL) could

a) Do better currently

and

b) Look to change to make things better?

I think United are tied into a contract with Compass so can't see them making way for Man Frydays and Mangla to be taking over the kiosks... as lovely as that sounds.

I have to say that I don't usually use the kiosks but needed summat to warm my hands through on Saturday. Ended up with a Meat and Tatty pie that I could've caved someone's head in with.

It was tempting to lob the pie lid at the excuse for a linesman, but Odd Job's hat had nothing on it's decapitation potential!

In the Westfield they could have staff that are able to serve a cup of tea and a coffee in slightly less than a couple of minutes. They are so slow it's unbelievable. As others have said use local suppliers, plenty of pie makers round South Yorkshire I would think. And definitely bring back Hendo's (I'm sure we had before)
 
Get rid of all the category A, B and C ticket price bollocks and have 1 set price. Just try it for 1 season, 15 quid on the sides and 10 quid behind the net. I'm sure they'd be surprised how many came through the gates and spent more money once inside ( on shite pies and flat lager lol )

plus, you'd get the away filled most weeks and that would bring more money into the club.
 
Get rid of all the category A, B and C ticket price bollocks and have 1 set price. Just try it for 1 season, 15 quid on the sides and 10 quid behind the net. I'm sure they'd be surprised how many came through the gates and spent more money once inside ( on shite pies and flat lager lol )

plus, you'd get the away filled most weeks and that would bring more money into the club.

Add £10 to both prices and it's still a bargain and value to ST holders ;)

Not a bad idea tho
 
Firstly they need good ticket options. Season tickets, mini-season tickets and ticket packages are all a good start, but they'll only encourage one person to go. Incentives such as the 'bring a friend for a tenner' need to be be automatic with any season ticket purchase, likewise the kid for a quid. Getting a good deal will encourage the the core supporters to buy season tickets and with the other options you're building on that core support and hopefully converting them to the core support of the future.

Secondly the methods of buying. The club needs to look at the best of the electronic methods of buying tickets elsewhere and adopt it. I want to be able to buy tickets via the internet and my smart-phone as easily as I can buy theatre, train, cinema or concert tickets. And don't rip me off with an 'Admin' or 'Convenience' fee either. Likewise the telephone systems. They MUST get rid of the 0871 number. It shouldn't be more expensive for me to phone than to drive to the box office in person.

So once I've got my ticket what happens if one of my friends wants to join me? It needs to be possible for me to easily swap my tickets so he can sit with me and it needs to be just as easy to do that as it was to buy the tickets in the first place, especially given that it's all on my season card rather than a physical ticket.

I'd like text updates or as a minimum the team news on match days. I know you can pay for these things, but I want it included in my season ticket package. Stick it in with the cost and i'll be none the wiser and won;t feel like i'm being ripped off at every opportunity.

When I get to the ground I want decent catering at a reasonable price. It's ok to make a profit but the prices are just eye-watering. This will encourage me to get to the ground early and mean that the money goes in the club's coffers instead of some of the street vans or catering outlets in town. Someone's mentioned having franchises such as Pizza Hut and I think that this might be worth exploring (although they have to serve quicker than those in Meadowhall). And on that subject, I have to be able to buy my food before kick-off, so put lots of staff on when there is a queue, like at half time and not so many when there's not many people. And teach them how to serve quickly.

So when i'm in the ground I want to feel like a valued customer not like scum. Stop the stewards from behaving like playground bullies, especially in the away end when they celebrate a goal (although we could do that by never letting them score). It is difficult to control thousands of drunken nutters, but the way they're treated in football just wouldn't be tolerated in any other situation (okay maybe on West St on a Friday night).

Music - Get some Uni student to whip up some inspiring electro-rock track and scrap Star Wars. It's 2011, not 1977. And no Tom Hark. Let's just go mental when we score instead.

Scoreboard - I understand we need the adverts to generate income, but let's make better use of it in between the ads. Classic goals, especially against that day's opposition. It'll wind them up nicely.
 
Firstly they need good ticket options. Season tickets, mini-season tickets and ticket packages are all a good start, but they'll only encourage one person to go. Incentives such as the 'bring a friend for a tenner' need to be be automatic with any season ticket purchase, likewise the kid for a quid. Getting a good deal will encourage the the core supporters to buy season tickets and with the other options you're building on that core support and hopefully converting them to the core support of the future.

Secondly the methods of buying. The club needs to look at the best of the electronic methods of buying tickets elsewhere and adopt it. I want to be able to buy tickets via the internet and my smart-phone as easily as I can buy theatre, train, cinema or concert tickets. And don't rip me off with an 'Admin' or 'Convenience' fee either. Likewise the telephone systems. They MUST get rid of the 0871 number. It shouldn't be more expensive for me to phone than to drive to the box office in person.

So once I've got my ticket what happens if one of my friends wants to join me? It needs to be possible for me to easily swap my tickets so he can sit with me and it needs to be just as easy to do that as it was to buy the tickets in the first place, especially given that it's all on my season card rather than a physical ticket.

I'd like text updates or as a minimum the team news on match days. I know you can pay for these things, but I want it included in my season ticket package. Stick it in with the cost and i'll be none the wiser and won;t feel like i'm being ripped off at every opportunity.

When I get to the ground I want decent catering at a reasonable price. It's ok to make a profit but the prices are just eye-watering. This will encourage me to get to the ground early and mean that the money goes in the club's coffers instead of some of the street vans or catering outlets in town. Someone's mentioned having franchises such as Pizza Hut and I think that this might be worth exploring (although they have to serve quicker than those in Meadowhall). And on that subject, I have to be able to buy my food before kick-off, so put lots of staff on when there is a queue, like at half time and not so many when there's not many people. And teach them how to serve quickly.

So when i'm in the ground I want to feel like a valued customer not like scum. Stop the stewards from behaving like playground bullies, especially in the away end when they celebrate a goal (although we could do that by never letting them score). It is difficult to control thousands of drunken nutters, but the way they're treated in football just wouldn't be tolerated in any other situation (okay maybe on West St on a Friday night).

Music - Get some Uni student to whip up some inspiring electro-rock track and scrap Star Wars. It's 2011, not 1977. And no Tom Hark. Let's just go mental when we score instead.

Scoreboard - I understand we need the adverts to generate income, but let's make better use of it in between the ads. Classic goals, especially against that day's opposition. It'll wind them up nicely.

couldn't agree more about the stewards. we have some right bellends working for us in the away end.
 
Firstly they need good ticket options. Season tickets, mini-season tickets and ticket packages are all a good start, but they'll only encourage one person to go. Incentives such as the 'bring a friend for a tenner' need to be be automatic with any season ticket purchase, likewise the kid for a quid. Getting a good deal will encourage the the core supporters to buy season tickets and with the other options you're building on that core support and hopefully converting them to the core support of the future.

Secondly the methods of buying. The club needs to look at the best of the electronic methods of buying tickets elsewhere and adopt it. I want to be able to buy tickets via the internet and my smart-phone as easily as I can buy theatre, train, cinema or concert tickets. And don't rip me off with an 'Admin' or 'Convenience' fee either. Likewise the telephone systems. They MUST get rid of the 0871 number. It shouldn't be more expensive for me to phone than to drive to the box office in person.

So once I've got my ticket what happens if one of my friends wants to join me? It needs to be possible for me to easily swap my tickets so he can sit with me and it needs to be just as easy to do that as it was to buy the tickets in the first place, especially given that it's all on my season card rather than a physical ticket.

I'd like text updates or as a minimum the team news on match days. I know you can pay for these things, but I want it included in my season ticket package. Stick it in with the cost and i'll be none the wiser and won;t feel like i'm being ripped off at every opportunity.

When I get to the ground I want decent catering at a reasonable price. It's ok to make a profit but the prices are just eye-watering. This will encourage me to get to the ground early and mean that the money goes in the club's coffers instead of some of the street vans or catering outlets in town. Someone's mentioned having franchises such as Pizza Hut and I think that this might be worth exploring (although they have to serve quicker than those in Meadowhall). And on that subject, I have to be able to buy my food before kick-off, so put lots of staff on when there is a queue, like at half time and not so many when there's not many people. And teach them how to serve quickly.

So when i'm in the ground I want to feel like a valued customer not like scum. Stop the stewards from behaving like playground bullies, especially in the away end when they celebrate a goal (although we could do that by never letting them score). It is difficult to control thousands of drunken nutters, but the way they're treated in football just wouldn't be tolerated in any other situation (okay maybe on West St on a Friday night).

Music - Get some Uni student to whip up some inspiring electro-rock track and scrap Star Wars. It's 2011, not 1977. And no Tom Hark. Let's just go mental when we score instead.

Scoreboard - I understand we need the adverts to generate income, but let's make better use of it in between the ads. Classic goals, especially against that day's opposition. It'll wind them up nicely.

Really couldn't agree more with that. Such as Paypal, It's not difficult! Even small business's like Takeaway company's allow you to pay via internet much easier than the OS.

Speaking of which, The OS. This has been brought up before.

There is still no Search option on the OS. You literally have to scroll through hundreds of pages of pointless news before finding the story your looking for.
 
Focussing on the catering, is there anything that Compass (who currently run the catering at BDTBL) could

a) Do better currently

and

b) Look to change to make things better?

I think United are tied into a contract with Compass so can't see them making way for Man Frydays and Mangla to be taking over the kiosks... as lovely as that sounds.

I have to say that I don't usually use the kiosks but needed summat to warm my hands through on Saturday. Ended up with a Meat and Tatty pie that I could've caved someone's head in with.

It was tempting to lob the pie lid at the excuse for a linesman, but Odd Job's hat had nothing on it's decapitation potential!

Two examples of recent experiences with Kop catering.

Late for pub so decided to get a pint in the ground. There is a card on the counter advertising that Guinness is available and what appears to be a dispenser. I ask for a Guinness, the server goes to a fridge gets a can pours it into a cup that sits on the stand (what I thought was the dispenser). I then get charged £3.50. I am sorry but that is taking the piss.

Swansea game, the coldest match I have ever been at. Half Time I go for a hot drink. There is an option of coffee or soup - out of bovril. How? It's powder and water. People ask - What's the soup? Servers - It's pea soup not sure, doesn't look great.

I go for a coffee, get charged £1.80, or whatever extortionate amount it was, and then ask for milk. Server - it's over there.

I go over to the direction tehy pointed and all uht cartons are empty, with none left behind counter. I then go to another counter and find the same again. I give up and resign myself to black coffee which I don't like but at least it's hot. I get back to my seat and it was, at best, lukewarm.

Doesn't encourage me to spend anymore money inside the ground again.
 
re: Tom Hark. As long as there are enough fans joining in with it after a goal, they will keep playing it. If all fans ignored Tom Hark after a goal, maybe it would get dropped.
re: Catering. Does the long queue outside Man Fryday up until kick off say anything to the powers that be at SUFC about quality and value for money?

One change I'd love to suggest, but the Taylor report prevents it, is rip out the seats on the Kop.
 
Pains me to say it but they've got it right at Swillsboro having a few Beres pork sarnie outlets in the ground.

I agree with most of what's been said, i.e. ditch goal celebration music. On the celebration music, we don't actually play Tom Hark by The Piranhas, it's Gary Sinclair's own version - which I reckon he won't give up without a fight.

I like the idea of the crossbar challenge. I'd text in to get a chance.
 
Focussing on the catering, is there anything that Compass (who currently run the catering at BDTBL) could

a) Do better currently

and

b) Look to change to make things better?

I think United are tied into a contract with Compass so can't see them making way for Man Frydays and Mangla to be taking over the kiosks... as lovely as that sounds.

I have to say that I don't usually use the kiosks but needed summat to warm my hands through on Saturday. Ended up with a Meat and Tatty pie that I could've caved someone's head in with.

It was tempting to lob the pie lid at the excuse for a linesman, but Odd Job's hat had nothing on it's decapitation potential!

The main problem is the service - it is unbelievably slow. I've been to grounds where they spend the last part of the 1st half pulling pints, ready for the half time rush. At The Lane, they pull pints to order, and they aren't very good at it.
 

The main problem is the service - it is unbelievably slow. I've been to grounds where they spend the last part of the 1st half pulling pints, ready for the half time rush. At The Lane, they pull pints to order, and they aren't very good at it.

I used to work in a theatre. Shortly before the interval we'd line up pints of lager and bitter ready for the immediate rush. Enabled us to quickly clear the queue and get everyone a drink well before the second half, even with a full house. Obviously the numbers would be less than at the Lane, but equally their outlets are bigger and there's more of them, so the same system just needs scaling up.

Needs the management to provide them with a proper system of stockpiling the popular items shortly before half time and to train them how to serve quickly. The current lot look as though they've just been left to get on with it. No wonder they're struggling.
 
Didn't get a pint last time i was there, but do they have people taking orders and other people pouring drinks/getting hot dogs/stocking up etc, or does the server have to pour the drinks and take the order?
 
I get to my seat as whistle blows to start the game. This means missing the predictable pre match musical repertoire as well as the unnecessary 'international' style player greeting (can we refuse to take part?). Having supped a few decent and reasonably priced pints without being drowned out by the soundsystem, and watched the end of the televised match in the pub, I'm usually in a good mood when I get through the turnstile.

With the recent cold weather I've made the mistake, unfortunately more than once, of queuing for most of half time to buy a hot drink described as coffee, and a curry pie containing 2 bits of "chicken" and lukewarm gloop. A least the wait in the queue avoided having to watch the repeated niche adverts on the big screen (respect to the company for placing the advert but has anyone actually bought an aluminium narrow boat?).

Enough has been said already about the words to GCB on the screen, the tedious Tom Hark, and the embarrassment over the overzealous goons in green at the away end. At least the dire parrot mascot has hopefully disappeared!

If everything was hunky dory on the pitch, I probably wouldn't really care too much about any of the above. You can't fabricate excitement but United appear not to be even aware of what they are doing wrong or how far they are pushing fans away with their incessant drive into unimaginative low rent corporate dullness.
 
another point, brought up before but not acted on.

Captain Blade is supposed to be Kids entertainment, but they can't reach him. Maybe he should walk round the bottom of the stands and not ON the pitch so Kids can have their photo's taken with him.

If the guy in the suit doesn't agree, get somebody who will do what the club ask him to do and not what he wants to do. It's a family club and my boys always ask if they can go to the Pirate for their photo taken but can't get to him.
 
To add to my previous posts I've thought of another. I like the electronic turnstiles and wouldn't want to go back to paying on the gate, but there needs to be a box-office on different sides of the ground. Walking round to the current one, especially if you're a bit late can be a nightmare. If I want tickets for an away game I often don't bother as a result. Obviously if they fixed the online systems then this wouldn;t be such of an issue. I could do it from the comfort of my seat (well if I could get a 3G signal I could. Impossible on match days, but I know that's not the club's fault).
 
To add to my previous posts I've thought of another. I like the electronic turnstiles and wouldn't want to go back to paying on the gate, but there needs to be a box-office on different sides of the ground. Walking round to the current one, especially if you're a bit late can be a nightmare. If I want tickets for an away game I often don't bother as a result. Obviously if they fixed the online systems then this wouldn;t be such of an issue. I could do it from the comfort of my seat (well if I could get a 3G signal I could. Impossible on match days, but I know that's not the club's fault).

Regarding data access, I posted asking whether there is wifi at the lane due to a lack of 3G reception for O2. But then, as if by magic, I started getting perfect 3G signal.
 
Didn't get a pint last time i was there, but do they have people taking orders and other people pouring drinks/getting hot dogs/stocking up etc, or does the server have to pour the drinks and take the order?

I work in the Kop. We have one person operating the till while a 'runner' gets the items.
 
Regarding data access, I posted asking whether there is wifi at the lane due to a lack of 3G reception for O2. But then, as if by magic, I started getting perfect 3G signal.


Lucky you, My signal was totally fubar on Boxing day.

---------- Post added at 11:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 PM ----------

I work in the Kop. We have one person operating the till while a 'runner' gets the items.

Cheers, is that the same at all areas of the ground?

Given that you're at the coal-face as it were, do you have any suggestions on how the catering experience could be improved?
 
Just seen another Idea on BM (tbh) It's something they do on the Wolves board.

A Map of the country on an individual site or on the OS and people advertise car sharing at the place where they live to transport Blades Home and Away. That will help bring down the price of football in a view to travelling etc.

Is this possible?

http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=463&fid=221&sty=2&act=1&mid=2118874536
 
I can't stand the Star Wars intro, goal celebration music (cheesy and uncool), and the intro to Annies song. It's all a bit raa raa and treats fans as dullards.
 
Most things have been covered, but my list would be:

1. A proper, workable, on-line ticketing system fit for purpose and free to use. It isn't remotely difficult.

2. Affordable, decent standard, well served catering in ALL parts of the ground.

3. Get back to the teams to come out separately. Always caused better "banter" between fans. Now it's just polite applause all around.

4. Fuck the "presentation of the teams" right off. It's bollocks.

5. Goal celebration music. It's pointless. Only time I ever notice it is when it's a "consolation" goal and then it's just annoying.
 
i know you hate this linz but there should be an unregulated section so you can sit where you like

Not at all. I'm all for it and have suggested that it would be nice if the upper tier could have season tickets sold for it on an unreserved basis, like it used to.

But from the flare incident to chucking coins and piss on Wednesday fans to the extent a net across the bottom of the stand had to be erected, you can see why the club and Safety Advisory Group wouldn't be too keen.
 
Whilst I'm at it, and catering keeps on cropping up, how about investigating the possibilty of some local restaurants taking over designated kiosks? Who woudnt fancy a tray of bhajis with some mint sauce over them, or a tray of fresh pasta or a slice of fresh pizza? A local butcher to knock up some hot roast beef or pork butties?

I suggested this to Reg Brearly all those years ago - MacD's, KFC etc. It simply wasn't done at the time, but now I think all the big clubs are doing it.

Anything else? Yeah, re-site/remove the TVs from under the South Stand as it becomes impossible to move under there with throngs of blank-faced people looking at them as if electricity had just been invented. Show it on the big screen instead (such as the latter stages of live games).

Definitely sort out catering prices and options. If people are buying burgers etc. outside the ground, we're doing something wrong inside.

And find out who is responsible for the 'It's not too late to book your Christmas party!' ad. facing the South Stand on Saturday. And sack him.
 

While Compass wouldn't want to give up all of their presence in the stands, how about a "guest" kiosk on each stand on a rotating basis?

Who would be there when would be publicised in advance via the website and the programmes.
 

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom