(23 Dec 2014, 7:44 pm)leestransportphotos wrote I turned 16 today, and when he retires I'll be 17. There's your answer! And from this forum I can tell you bus spotters do not seem to be nice people to me!

Oh, you may want to start putting that in your posts then!

Hmm....I wonder why?

(23 Dec 2014, 7:33 pm)MrFozz wrote Wrong about what exactly???

Away fans being quite hard, they are genrally lovely people that you get to make relationships with, for example Gateshead/Tamworth fans have a great realtionship. To the extent that they are aloud in the same stand without segreation whereas every other game is segregated.

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(23 Dec 2014, 7:47 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Oh, you may want to start putting that in your posts then!

Hmm....I wonder why?

Because you's all hate me thats why!

(23 Dec 2014, 7:48 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Because you's all hate me thats why!

That was sarcasm....[facepalm]

In all fairness; you are a bit of a clown.

Thanks it means a lot. Can I leave the forum? People love me, obviously. And I can't be that much of a clown if I've just got A*-B in all of my GCSE's

(23 Dec 2014, 7:44 pm)leestransportphotos wrote I turned 16 today, and when he retires I'll be 17. There's your answer! And from this forum I can tell you bus spotters do not seem to be nice people to me!

Happy Birthday...

So if all goes to plan, this time next year you will have one of the most vital jobs in a professional club...

us bus spotters aren't too bad, believe me, some may be bell ends, but a lot aren't and you will find anywhere in all walks of life, whether it be football or the internet, there will always be someone there to take the piss, it is a fact of life, if any club think they have good relationships with nearly everyone else, that is just silly and need to give there head...

Look, I am a Darlington fan, I have found opposition supporters to be decent, but there is always a minor element taking the piss and talking shite...

The banter at football is much worse than you'll get here whether you believe that is up to you

(23 Dec 2014, 7:53 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Thanks it means a lot. Can I leave the forum? People love me, obviously. And I can't be that much of a clown if I've just got A*-B in all of my GCSE's

Jesus, what part of sarcasm don't you get?!

Your general attitude and pure inability to get along with others is what makes you a clown!

My general attitude and inability! What about 'Tom' and his general rudeness! P.s. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

Here's an idea. People stop taking everything to heart, and attempt to get on. Some of the bickering is quite frankly embarrassing.

If you can't get on with someone personally, at least pretend to get on when it comes to this forum. The alternative is we'll deal with it in whatever way we see fit.

(23 Dec 2014, 7:48 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Away fans being quite hard, they are genrally lovely people that you get to make relationships with, for example Gateshead/Tamworth fans have a great realtionship. To the extent that they are aloud in the same stand without segreation whereas every other game is segregated.

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Because you's all hate me thats why!

So if you have good relations with most opposition, why is virually every game segregated, if your that friendly with clubs, then plonk everyone in the main stand every week...

Been ages since since I was at a game that was segregated...funnily enough Gateshead

It's upto the police Mr Fozz, because the stadium is not owned by the club, the Safety officer is employed by Gateshead Council. And it was his call to say a police presence was needed at some matches (God knows why) So if the police say it needs to be segregated then it does.

Oh aye leestransportphotos

Was meaning to ask this, what is happening with the new ground Gateshead were looking to build, I saw an artistic design of it years ago, is it still gonna go ahead, as the International Stadium is quote possibly the worst ground for football, stuck behind 8 lanes and probably the worst pitch in history...Though it is a canny place for Athletics

Haha. I knew this would come up! We are not having it built on Price Concert Road anymore due to planning permission problems, but the chairman Graham Wood is looking at various other options, such as a return to the old Redheugh park site or somewhere closer to the bus station where it is more accessible; currently Gateshead Stadium is only served by the 93/94 and the metro station is some distance away.

(23 Dec 2014, 8:08 pm)leestransportphotos wrote It's upto the police Mr Fozz, because the stadium is not owned by the club, the Safety officer is employed by Gateshead Council. And it was his call to say a police presence was needed at some matches (God knows why) So if the police say it needs to be segregated then it does.

I think the whole police presence thing is due to the Level you play at, I am sure that point is where the Football Supporters Act 1989 kick with stricter ground regulations, if, you get promoted to League 2 then you will probably be required to have a minimal police presence...Am just guessing there though

Yeah I think that's correct, due to the fact that we have had the ground assesed and we don't actually have CCTV cameras in the arena is another fact that was brought up in a meeting, to meet with the regulations for the Football League you have to have CCTV or a police presence

(23 Dec 2014, 8:14 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Haha. I knew this would come up! We are not having it built on Price Concert Road anymore due to planning permission problems, but the chairman Graham Wood is looking at various other options, such as a return to the old Redheugh park site or somewhere closer to the bus station where it is more accessible; currently Gateshead Stadium is only served by the 93/94 and the metro station is some distance away.

See we can have a civilised conversation sometimes when it comes down to it

Has the Redheugh site not been developed, I am sure the Pitz 5-a-Side centre is on Redheugh or certainly part of it, with that mind would the pitz become a part of GFC's plan to rebuild there.

Shame about Prince Consort Road, the plans for that looked smart, and what a location it would have been, 2 mins from the interchange

(23 Dec 2014, 7:44 pm)leestransportphotos wrote I turned 16 today, and when he retires I'll be 17. There's your answer! And from this forum I can tell you bus spotters do not seem to be nice people to me!

By the way, I doubt Gateshead would have a 17 year old general manager.

(23 Dec 2014, 8:23 pm)MrFozz wrote See we can have a civilised conversation sometimes when it comes down to it

Has the Redheugh site not been developed, I am sure the Pitz 5-a-Side centre is on Redheugh or certainly part of it, with that mind would the pitz become a part of GFC's plan to rebuild there.

Shame about Prince Consort Road, the plans for that looked smart, and what a location it would have been, 2 mins from the interchange

Yeah your right, it has been developed but there is a big patch of land to the right of the Pitz which would be big enough to accommodate the stadium. It is a massive shame that the PCR plans didn't go ahead because Mr Wood has put millions into the club in recent years and that was a great place for the club to develop the fan base due to peoples reluctance to watch games at the Int.

(23 Dec 2014, 8:23 pm)Tom wrote By the way, I doubt Gateshead would have a 17 year old general manager.

If that's the case why are they monitoring me and setting me different tasks to see what skills I have? It's to see if I'm ideal for the job. And they said I am a very very likley candidate

(23 Dec 2014, 8:23 pm)Tom wrote By the way, I doubt Gateshead would have a 17 year old general manager.

It really isnt unheard of Tom...Young people all over country are involved in positions of all kinds, apart from the board, he could not sit on a board till he is

(23 Dec 2014, 8:29 pm)leestransportphotos wrote If that's the case why are they monitoring me and setting me different tasks to see what skills I have? It's to see if I'm ideal for the job. And they said I am a very very likley candidate

So it is not nailed on just yet, seriously, if you do become General Manager, good luck, I am interested in how you would approach it, saying what you would like to do and actually doing it is 2 different things...

Not being nasty, but I think a 17 yr old general manager is crackers and I would hope you have good people looking over, because it will be tough

Thanks, there is no doubt it will be tough, but all of the backroom staff are remaining at the club which all know me. The main priority would be increasing attendances obviously, but that costs a lot of money. We would need to be getting attendances of around 1,700 regularly to break even due to the rent costs of the stadium, but producing things like posters in my eyes is a waste of time. I would rather go though the route of getting local school involved before the premier league gets to them. Also social networking is another alternative, due to the amount of people you can reach out to. The main focus is getting younger people to the games, because once the older generation of fans has passed away, who will there be! And one of the things about targeting schools is that they may bring the parents/guardians which adds to the gate, or a bunch of mates.

(23 Dec 2014, 8:46 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Thanks, there is no doubt it will be tough, but all of the backroom staff are remaining at the club which all know me. The main priority would be increasing attendances obviously, but that costs a lot of money. We would need to be getting attendances of around 1,700 regularly to break even due to the rent costs of the stadium, but producing things like posters in my eyes is a waste of time. I would rather go though the route of getting local school involved before the premier league gets to them. Also social networking is another alternative, due to the amount of people you can reach out to. The main focus is getting younger people to the games, because once the older generation of fans has passed away, who will there be! And one of the things about targeting schools is that they may bring the parents/guardians which adds to the gate, or a bunch of mates.

The Premier League already has the young fans, whether you like it or not, you need young people to come when SAFC/NUFC are playing away, Gateshead FC must have quite a catchment area, take Newcastle and Sunderland out of the equation, Blyth are nowhere near in terms of league places, The Northern League are no competition, Gateshead are the only team at that level in the area, so should really have of anywhere within a 10 mile radius...I do not know what you base your projections on, but 1,700 is a big ask right now, that is about 20%-30% up on what you get now...In the football league maybe, bottom line, the main thing Gateshead needs is the new ground

For the first time in ages Gateshead are lower league top dogs in the North East averaging over 1300, more than my teams average of 1008...Though I predict that will change when we move to Blackwell Meadows or if the chimps join you next year

Haha, we do actually already have a scheme in place where NUFC/SAFC season ticket holders can gain admission for £10, but with NUFC and SAFC offering cheap tickets to youngsters (Normally £5), they probably aren't going to come and watch Gateshead. Also one of the things we need to look at is the fact a programme costs more than the admission for an Under 16!

(23 Dec 2014, 9:06 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Haha, we do actually already have a scheme in place where NUFC/SAFC season ticket holders can gain admission for £10, but with NUFC and SAFC offering cheap tickets to youngsters (Normally £5), they probably aren't going to come and watch Gateshead. Also one of the things we need to look at is the fact a programme costs more than the admission for an Under 16!

Get into schools and advertise then.
Also look at the best price, and prices that will appeal to youngsters. For example, something like a free drink/chocolate bar when you enter?
That, in my opinion, would be a good way to attract attention.

(23 Dec 2014, 9:06 pm)leestransportphotos wrote Haha, we do actually already have a scheme in place where NUFC/SAFC season ticket holders can gain admission for £10, but with NUFC and SAFC offering cheap tickets to youngsters (Normally £5), they probably aren't going to come and watch Gateshead. Also one of the things we need to look at is the fact a programme costs more than the admission for an Under 16!

Is your programme a novel or somethimg

(23 Dec 2014, 9:08 pm)Tom wrote Get into schools and advertise then.
Also look at the best price, and prices that will appeal to youngsters. For example, something like a free drink/chocolate bar when you enter?
That, in my opinion, would be a good way to attract attention.

It is all about getting out into the Community in general, not just schools, organise community fun days, put on coaching schools during school holidays, where the players go along and train the kids...

Work on Youth Development, do Gateshead have youth teams, link up with The Youth Service, because of area where the club is, forge links with Youth Groups not only in Gateshead but also Northern end of Co. Durham, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Newcastle...

How you go about that, I dont know, it is something you need to figure out

(23 Dec 2014, 9:08 pm)Tom wrote Get into schools and advertise then.
Also look at the best price, and prices that will appeal to youngsters. For example, something like a free drink/chocolate bar when you enter?
That, in my opinion, would be a good way to attract attention.

That's a good idea, we currently only charge £3 for Under 16's, but we have a lot of benefits throughout the season such as mascot opportunities etc. Thanks.

(23 Dec 2014, 9:18 pm)MrFozz wrote

Is your programme a novel or something

It is haha, it is generally about 60 pages, with barely no adverts. It has been voted programme of the year 2 years running. It's now called 'The Tynesider - Matchday Magazine'

It is all about getting out into the Community in general, not just schools, organise community fun days, put on coaching schools during school holidays, where the players go along and train the kids...

Work on Youth Development, do Gateshead have youth teams, link up with The Youth Service, because of area where the club is, forge links with Youth Groups not only in Gateshead but also Northern end of Co. Durham, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Newcastle...

How you go about that, I dont know, it is something you need to figure out

We do currently have youth teams, which can link with the first team, this means nearly every youth team player could possibly have the chance for one day playing for GFC.

One thing I have never got, is the apparent reluctance to give free tickets to local schools or youth groups.
Sunderland have been doing it for years. It doesn't cost anything, as the seats would be empty anyway - what it does do, is put bums on seats, stimulates interest and if even a portion of the freebies buy something at half time, then there would be a few quid profit alone.
If a smaller portion return the following home game as a paying customer (with a mate, parent etc), then there is another few quid profit.

I am Gateshead born and bred. My eldest goes to a comprehensive in Gateshead, yet despite going to the IS on and off for a few years, it was only because of the apathy I now have for Newcastle, that we started going regularly.
Been to Wembley, been to Lincoln away and off to WBA. Opportunities we would never get following Newcastle.
They are opportunities many supporters of any football club would love to get, yet the numbers of people buying tickets haven't increased massively.
You have to ask why and all I can come up with, is marketing.

(23 Dec 2014, 10:14 pm)Andreos1 wrote One thing I have never got, is the apparent reluctance to give free tickets to local schools or youth groups.
Sunderland have been doing it for years. It doesn't cost anything, as the seats would be empty anyway - what it does do, is put bums on seats, stimulates interest and if even a portion of the freebies buy something at half time, then there would be a few quid profit alone.
If a smaller portion return the following home game as a paying customer (with a mate, parent etc), then there is another few quid profit.

I am Gateshead born and bred. My eldest goes to a comprehensive in Gateshead, yet despite going to the IS on and off for a few years, it was only because of the apathy I now have for Newcastle, that we started going regularly.
Been to Wembley, been to Lincoln away and off to WBA. Opportunities we would never get following Newcastle.
They are opportunities many supporters of any football club would love to get, yet the numbers of people buying tickets haven't increased massively.
You have to ask why and all I can come up with, is marketing.

Dont some clubs even recruits kids from there local schools as ballboys/girls...

As Whitney Houston once sang 'I believe the children are our future' never a truer word spoken...

I have said 1,453 times now, a new ground is needed, The Int'l Stadium is not suitable for football and most fans traditionally tend to dislike Athletics venues for football...

Out of interest, how many tickets did Gateshead get for the Baggies game?

Not sure where Gateshead get their ball boys from. Always seem to be the same kids though.

No idea about the allocation for WBA. I imagine some tickets were returned. A voucher scheme was set up initially, with supporters attending the last few home games getting a voucher on entry and first dabs on tickets.
It was a similar story for Wembley, with Cambridge taking up their full lot and outnumbering Gateshead by a few thousand.

There will always be the core die-hards who go home and away. Hopefully those numbers increase.

I agree, a new stadium is needed. Foundations need to be established first, with supporter numbers increasing.
Suppose it is like the chicken and the egg.

One thing is for sure, they don't want to 'do a Darlo' .

(23 Dec 2014, 10:35 pm)Andreos1 wrote Not sure where Gateshead get their ball boys from. Always seem to be the same kids though.

No idea about the allocation for WBA. I imagine some tickets were returned. A voucher scheme was set up initially, with supporters attending the last few home games getting a voucher on entry and first dabs on tickets.
It was a similar story for Wembley, with Cambridge taking up their full lot and outnumbering Gateshead by a few thousand.

There will always be the core die-hards who go home and away. Hopefully those numbers increase.

I agree, a new stadium is needed. Foundations need to be established first, with supporter numbers increasing.
Suppose it is like the chicken and the egg.

One thing is for sure, they don't want to 'do a Darlo' .

Would not wish that on anybody, but lets say Mr Wood pulled out now, what happens, the club as far as I am aware is being subsidised by Wood and until recently getting 3 figure crowds.

Your right about laying the foundations, increasing support and so on, but I believe that a new ground would see the gate go up almost overnight, so a commitment to build would not necessarily be a risky move