WILL YOU BE THERE?

Picture courtesy of 'jedstar'

Our next fixture is massive (adjective used with the permission of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club). 

Here are the reasons: 

It's our '125th Anniversary' celebration fixture. 

The opposition are also celebrating their 125th year as a club. 

Blackpool are currently top of the league. 

We have a 100% home record so far this season, and are yet to concede a goal at 'Fortress Oakwell'. 

Ticket prices for the game have been reduced, for both home and away supporters. 


OPPORTUNITY 


The whole '125' thing has been done to death, so I won't bore you with that. 
Yes, it's a chance to come down to Oakwell and join in with the celebrations. But in my mind, there is a bigger opportunity for us as supporters. 

The issue of overpriced tickets never seems to go away. In fact, if you logged in to our forum this past week you'd have done well to find a thread that wasn't discussing it. It wasn't, and isn't just us though. As I found when visiting Bristol City's own forum after our victory against them last weekend. 

Yes, there are a number of ways to get a ticket slightly cheaper. But let's be fair, just short of £30 for an adult ticket at this level is obscene. Even more so is the £18 price of a juvenile ticket. It's crazy, and if for whatever reason you are unable to commit to a season ticket (which are great value), then attending a fixture at Barnsley this season is a costly day out. 

Around 7,500 Reds fans were in attendance last weekend, of which I assume the majority were indeed season ticket holders. 

The question is though, would reducing the entry fee for those paying on the day make much of a difference? And, would the club make as much money? 
Well, as I intimated, I see this fixture as the opportunity for us to find out...

A rarity - Oakwell packed

The ticket prices for the Blackpool game are: 

ADULTS - £12.50 

CONCESSIONS - £9 

KIDS (5-11 years) - £5 

There is also a 'Family' ticket at £30, which consists of two adult, and two kids tickets. Another saving of £5. 


I think it's fair to assume, that any non-season ticket holders who can attend the game, should be able to afford it. I mean, there will have been a two week gap before the day arrives, so enough time to cobble together some pennies. 

I know there are plenty of lapsed supporters out there, some of which choose to stay away for reasons other than cost. 

That's their lookout, but one can only hope that they are also enticed back down to Oakwell on the 15th of this month. 
We need to send a message, as supporters, that cheaper tickets equals bigger crowds. 

The club receives a lot of criticism for it's perceived poor marketing. And whilst they are using the club, and social media websites to advertise the fixture, for many of us we don't see that as enough. 

How difficult would it be for them to print out flyers, and get the youth team out on the streets of Barnsley handing them out? 

There are plenty of empty shops in the town centre, so why not fill the windows with flyers/posters, advertising the game? 

Or perhaps a stall in the centre of town? Get club mascot Toby Tyke there. In fact, why not send Toby into schools with a currently injured player, encouraging future supporters to the match? 

I find it hard to believe that those in charge of marketing at BFC haven't also thought up such ideas. Which leads me to wonder why these schemes aren't in place already? 

We as supporters, are constantly told by all at the club that we're skint, and that every ticket helps. So surely it's in their interest to also make sure that Oakwell is packed out for such a fixture? 
A cynic would suggest that the club are hoping for nothing more than an extra couple of thousand supporters against Blackpool. Which would again confirm (in their mind) that cheaper tickets don't affect the attendance enough to warrant a full time drop in price. 
 
I'm of the belief that our matchday pricing is obscene. But I wouldn't advocate a permanent reduction similar to this 'Anniversary' fixture. 
But in my opinion, 'twenty is plenty' for a game of football. Especially at this level. 


POSITIVES 


The more supporters we pull in for this fixture, the better for Barnsley as a club. It's that simple. There are no negatives.  

If a couple who haven't attended for a while, decide to bring along their kids a week on Saturday, who's to say those kids won't be pestering their parents to attend the next game? 

The younger generation are so important. They are the future of this club, and the club should be doing everything in it's power to get their support at an early age. 

I was brought up in Elsecar (in Barnsley). I was surrounded by Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday 'fans'. I know it's hard to believe now, but those two clubs were quite big back then, and relatively successful. 
Meanwhile, Barnsley were struggling in the second tier (sound familiar?). 

But, luckily for me, my father was a huge Tarn fan, as was his dad before him, and his dad, and so on and so forth... 

So I was taken to Oakwell as a child, stood in the old Brewery Stand, and I was hooked. 
My mates used to talk about David Hirst and Ian Rush. Most of them had never actually 'seen' these players play, except on the TV. Wheras I saw David Currie week in week out. I'd brag about that, but was usually laughed at. 

Fair play to some of my mates though, who did attend Wednesday games now and again. In fact, I once went along with them when we were away from home. 
And to be fair, Wednesday won and I enjoyed the game and the day out with my pals. But I was a Tarn lad. I was a Tarn fan. 

But I've always known that if my father hadn't took me with him to Oakwell, the chances are I'd have ended up a Wednesdayite. 
Perish the thought! 

There is a moral to that story, somewhere. Probably. 

I also remember fondly, in 1994, the day I went to Meadow Lane with my dad. It was Danny Wilson's first season in charge as player/manager, and we beat Notts County 3-1. Danny even scored, bless him. 

Well, on that same day, Wednesday were hammered 7-0 or something, by Nottingham Forest. 
The Monday morning at school was a laugh. As I listened to my Wednesday supporting mates telling me we were irrelevant, and Wilson was a reject... 

From the official website of Barnsley FC

TWELVE MONTHS AGO 


Pretty much a year ago to the day of this next fixture, we entertained Watford in an early league fixture. And last season you'll remember the club still 'categorised' our games. 

The Hornets visit was deemed a 'Category C' fixture, and priced at £16 for adults. 

Like now, many of our supporters talked of the opportunity to swell the gate, and prove to the club that cheaper tickets work. 

Lots of us swamped Twitter, Facebook etc in advertising the fixture. 
I myself, called in to BBC Radio Sheffield on more than one occasion during their nightly football phone-in, also advertising the reduced prices, and urging the stayaway supporters to come and make a point. 

A handful of us on our forum, got together and went out of our own way to pound the streets handing out flyers and such. 
I was working nights back then, and got out of bed a few hours early to do so. 

Our work was in vain though. 

Prior to the Watford game, we welcomed Leicester City to Oakwell, for a 'Category A' fixture. Priced at £30 for adults. 

Out of a gate of 10,862 just over 8,000 were Reds supporters. 

For the Watford game, we drew an attendance of 9,733. Of which, just over 9,000 were Reds supporters. 

So, despite the near enough 50% price difference, and we supporters doing our upmost to get the message out there, we saw just an extra 1,000 or so Tarn fans on the gate. 

Disappointing to say the least. 

So why bother to do anything similar this time around? 
Well, we're Barnsley FC supporters aren't we? We all want the best for our club. 

So my message is simple - do your best to attend this fixture. 

Over the next week or so, tell your friends. 

Use Twitter and Facebook (if you're that way out) to get the message out there. 

Download, print copies of the poster that's on the official website, and perhaps put some up at your workplace, or in your local public house etc. 

We may think the club should be doing more, but remember, WE are the club. 

I'm pretty sure Blackpool will fetch a sizeable away following, and in the whole of last season, I can't remember a better side to visit us. They were great to watch on Boxing Day, and it was no shame to lose on that occasion. So we're in for a cracking game, and maybe we'll have a couple of players back from injury...? Perhaps a new face on loan...? 

Plenty of reasons to attend this significant match in Barnsley FC's 125 year history. Don't let your missus drag you round the shops. Drag her to the game (not literally.. nobody wants to see that). 

"Thaz got enough shoes, woman"

Thanks for reading the blog, and remember you can follow me 'HERE' on Twitter, where I'll keep you updated on any further articles to come etc. 

I'd very much appreciate it, if you enjoyed this blog, to share with your friends via social networks and the like, in an attempt to get the message out there. 

Support your club. 

Up The Tarn! 


*you can find out more about the Blackpool fixture on the official BFC website www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/

*a link to 'The BBS' Forum here