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