A Corporate County?
By Grockle October 11 2008
It's the winter of our first year without the Stragglers. My own thoughts have started to move to the activites of the 2008 season and what it might mean in the new world of money and marginalisation. Are we losing bits of the old County ground at the same time that we are losing sight of what cricket is supposed to be? Is Somerset going corporate? Has it already happened?
It's the winter of our first year without the Stragglers. My own thoughts have started to move to the activites of the 2008 season and what it might mean in the new world of money and marginalisation. Are we losing bits of the old County ground at the same time that we are losing sight of what cricket is supposed to be? Is Somerset going corporate? Has it already happened?
Here is a funny thing. I was thinking about what to provide for my first off season missive - it needs to be done this weekend, when two things happened that made me think along the lines of this piece. While shopping in Sainsbury's I met someone closely linked to the club until the start of this season who I have seen about the ground for most of my decade and a bit and have not seen at all since last April. Secondly I watched 'Football Focus' this lunchtime and heard an ex-England manager talking about the antiseptic nature of the England crowds in the New Wembley Stadium. "it's just too corporate" said Graham and he thinks the performances of the team suffer because of it.
It made me ponder on what I've seen at Taunton over the past six months and what it indicates to me about the future of the place. The Stragglers and Ridley Stand went during the winter of 2007 and I wondered how it might affect the people who made up it's residents. This group were quite a few of the faithful, Platinum members to a man, woman or child, watchers of the old forms and not really supporters of the new. I don't remember seeing many of them at the 20/20 extravaganzas but I knew they would be in their spaces during any other game. They maybe recalcitrants but they knew their cricket and they knew their county and they had a relationship with each other and the players that few county grounds can say they had but would all have wished to be party to.
During the first few days of Springtime cricket in 2008 I watched the same supporters wandering aimlessly about the place looking for someone and somewhere they felt familiar with. It didn't seem to concern the county that they paid the same membership fees (the largest sum) but had no bar, no seating and no area to maintain their unique "Somerset" credentials in. Are they also seen as an anachronism by the club they fund and support i wonder?
The new stand looks good and I personally think that it gives the ground a more "professional" feel but it doesn't welcome you in the way those edifices that were removed did and I can't understand why we couldn't have done what we have done and kept that aspect of the ground in some way. The "Gimlett" whatever it is going to be was a glimmer of hope but now seems to have been re-designed as a bit of concrete terracing rather than a 'Mound" that supporters might have learned to call their new home. I worry about the club's treatment of it's most long serving supporters - including the EBC members who have been shoved in one of the poorest hopitality areas of the ground while being asked to fork out a whole bunch of money for the lower quality facilities. I wouldn't expect that to remain the case but I don't expect to see the VP Platinum members ever getting their facilities back in any meaningfully physical way.
Would the club marginalise it's corporate interests in such a way? Will the facilities of the CA Paviion be used to replace lost member areas when they squad etc move into the 'Club Hub'? Personally I doubt it if there is corporate money to be had.
The missives from the changing room are all about pride in playing for the county. The first day of the 20/20 season showed the level of concern about the impression given to the supporting public. We fielded, the team was announced to great ppomp etc but half the side had wandered onto the pitch and the rest filtered on over the next minute in a ragged sort of "oh is the game starting" sort of way. We seem to be the least of their problems and that seems to be the same when things take place off the field. The official website is not a voice of balance (then again should we expect it to be) and is certainly not a source of information if you have a question. I don't know what happens in the Q&A sessions but as the site has control over what questions it publishes I doubt I will ever know. I know of a number of supproters who havve written to the club but I know of none that have received an answer to their questions. There is disquiet within the club and we all know it. The club however doesn't seem intersted in that disquiet unless it affects membership sales.
The ex-club official I talked to said that they were glad to leave because the place was not the place they had worked in for a considerable time. They mentioned that they had been to a game or two in the summer but would not be going back because of the lack of the 'happy atmosphere' that they remembered. It might have been through the rosey tinted glasses but it has to be a warning side to a club that values it watching public and sees them as more than walking cash purses to be opened and emptied.
Peter Anderson had the same opinion of the majority of supporters in the pre-internet days of the County Ground. The difference was that he would stand toe to toe with anyone who questioned him and discuss the matters at hand. During his IT education he also discovered that supporters knew a little more about things to do with the game and the situations he believed they were in the dark about.
He came to realise that in the good times and the bad times, the people of Somerset sat in the stands and watched the game. The corporate bodies turned up when the side was doing well and took part in their own events with their backs to play in order to bask in the general success. The moment the sides suffered, so did corporate takings.
You forget or marginalise your core support at your peril and while you don't expect them to be involved in all aspects of the management of a sporting team, assuming they know nothing if you keep your mouths shut is also a grave mistake. In a County Town a long way from London, good cricket with a local feel and a close relationship with local support is the key. Trying to turn the Conty Ground into the Emirates stadium with a lack of respect for the 'old fogies' who come to the weekly games is a recipe for disaster. Cricket might survive but it will be soul-less and marginal within the local community. No-one will care and that care is vital for Somerset's survival.
Are we going 'corporate'? Is it because we can't stand against the tide or is it because the people in control have lost sight of "Somerset" cricket in their chase to remain with their hand in the big money trough and keep the EWCB happy in ther chase? Will they listen in the regional AGM's? Will we say anything to make our worries obvious? Or is this all just in my mind I wonder?
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StumbleuponRe: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Mike BOS (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:11:16:57:00
I was thinking on those lines myself Grockle, will those members who sat in the Ridley and Stragglers areas drift back to that side of the ground, on the park benches located on the Gimlett (so called) Hill or an area in the new seats.
It will not be quite the same again.
Incidentally the Gimlett thing is still a mystery there is another wall going up which n makes it look even stranger “see below” it was taken last Monday.
I have marked where the continuation of the fence will be that is already in place in front of the new seating and the new scoreboard.
If extending the boundary is ever completed that will be the new line.
It will not be quite the same again.
Incidentally the Gimlett thing is still a mystery there is another wall going up which n makes it look even stranger “see below” it was taken last Monday.
I have marked where the continuation of the fence will be that is already in place in front of the new seating and the new scoreboard.
If extending the boundary is ever completed that will be the new line.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Big Jim (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:11:17:55:59
That is an excellent article Grockle and covers a lot of areas of concern that have been troubling me for a while.
You all know by now that for a few years the club has put corporate sponsors before the needs of members,this just seems to be a continuation of that theme.
My wife,who has been watching Somerset since the mid 60's was basically told that her disability issues were not their problem and there was nothing they would do to make it any easier for her to attend games.
This attitude is obviously the same for every supporter.
Like it or lump it.
What we need and what we need quickly is a supporters group who actually sit in with the decision makers and voice the concerns of the fans.
If we let them continue in this manner we are going to find ourselves pushed out and seen as nothing more than a means to pay wages.
We all care deeply about our club and what it means.
Let's stand up and be counted before the money men destroy what we love.
You all know by now that for a few years the club has put corporate sponsors before the needs of members,this just seems to be a continuation of that theme.
My wife,who has been watching Somerset since the mid 60's was basically told that her disability issues were not their problem and there was nothing they would do to make it any easier for her to attend games.
This attitude is obviously the same for every supporter.
Like it or lump it.
What we need and what we need quickly is a supporters group who actually sit in with the decision makers and voice the concerns of the fans.
If we let them continue in this manner we are going to find ourselves pushed out and seen as nothing more than a means to pay wages.
We all care deeply about our club and what it means.
Let's stand up and be counted before the money men destroy what we love.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Loyal of Lhasa. (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:11:19:28:22
An excellent piece, Grockle, and cause for much reflection. I note your comment You forget or marginalise your core support at your peril. Sadly I fear that the marketing men may feel there is no peril in such alienation, for they are seeking instant money from instant cricket (just add razzamatazz) and are less concerned with continuity of support from the old fogeys, particularly the life members among us, than ensuring there are abundant (I was going to write "ample" but thought better of it) bums on seats in the matches likely to draw the biggest crowds. Such matches may often be of only ephemeral interest and the men in suits may not care if the audience too is ephemeral: as long as lots of people turn up for such events, it doesn't really matter whether they are the same people season after season. Sadly, in crude economic terms, they may be right not to worry about those of us with a genuine long-term interest in the club.
I still can't get to Taunton as often as I'd like but when I'm there I do indeed seek the company of like-minded supporters, those of us there for the long haul, who enjoy the subtleties of the four-day game along with plenty of banter, fortified by the proximity of a good bar - and with adequate space for the less mobile. The Stragglers area did that for us. The Old Pavilion could perhaps do the same, though getting to the seats, whether upstairs or even at ground level, is not particularly easy and the objections of the health and safety brigade to the iniquity of standing in a passage that is actually a cul de sac are manifestly absurd. The obstruction caused is minimal and anyone with an ounce of common sense would obviously move instantly to a safer place (and help others to do so) were, for example, a fire to break out. Personally, with my failing eye sight, I feel in far more danger of being hit on the head by a six from Blackwell wherever I sit in the ground. It's time they reverted to playing with a tennis ball.
I don't see any easy solutions to the issues raised by Grockle, but I feel it incumbent on us who broadly sympathise with what he has to say to foregather at the spot that suits us best and if anybody says "You can't stand there" to reply "Clearly I can, because that is what I am already doing".
LoL
Sixty Seasons a Somerset Supporter
I still can't get to Taunton as often as I'd like but when I'm there I do indeed seek the company of like-minded supporters, those of us there for the long haul, who enjoy the subtleties of the four-day game along with plenty of banter, fortified by the proximity of a good bar - and with adequate space for the less mobile. The Stragglers area did that for us. The Old Pavilion could perhaps do the same, though getting to the seats, whether upstairs or even at ground level, is not particularly easy and the objections of the health and safety brigade to the iniquity of standing in a passage that is actually a cul de sac are manifestly absurd. The obstruction caused is minimal and anyone with an ounce of common sense would obviously move instantly to a safer place (and help others to do so) were, for example, a fire to break out. Personally, with my failing eye sight, I feel in far more danger of being hit on the head by a six from Blackwell wherever I sit in the ground. It's time they reverted to playing with a tennis ball.
I don't see any easy solutions to the issues raised by Grockle, but I feel it incumbent on us who broadly sympathise with what he has to say to foregather at the spot that suits us best and if anybody says "You can't stand there" to reply "Clearly I can, because that is what I am already doing".
LoL
Sixty Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Mike BOS (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:11:19:59:58
A bit of light on the no standing in the gangway.
One of the stewards (who will be nameless) told me that somebody rung the fire brigade anomalously saying about a fire risk in the old pavilion.
The fire inspector said ever thing was OK, it could explain way the stewards was being so fussy about blocking the gangways.
One of the stewards (who will be nameless) told me that somebody rung the fire brigade anomalously saying about a fire risk in the old pavilion.
The fire inspector said ever thing was OK, it could explain way the stewards was being so fussy about blocking the gangways.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Grockle (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:11:23:49:15
I post to comment or add stuff to reflect on people - glad it's generated comment.
I see the need for 20/20 as a revenue stream and an inticement into the ground and the game but I think the people who are in control have lost sight of that aim and see it as the evolution of cricket as a sport.
Well it ain't boys and girls and you'll kill the golden goose unless you get your heads out of its anus and come to terms with that fact.
BJ - surely the county are infringing their DDA compliance if they are making no allowance for spectators with needs?
Anyway I'll be interested to see how others see it.
I see the need for 20/20 as a revenue stream and an inticement into the ground and the game but I think the people who are in control have lost sight of that aim and see it as the evolution of cricket as a sport.
Well it ain't boys and girls and you'll kill the golden goose unless you get your heads out of its anus and come to terms with that fact.
BJ - surely the county are infringing their DDA compliance if they are making no allowance for spectators with needs?
Anyway I'll be interested to see how others see it.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: BristolRob (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:06:06:03
One thing that puzzles me is why is a CC scorecard now a pound.Not long ago they were 50p but seem to rise each season.All we need is a list of players and space to put details. Most places scorecards are 50p so why is it double that at Taunton?
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Mike BOS (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:08:18:53
One word Rob "Money" the same reason the car park charges goes up each year.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: wsm fan (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:08:41:49
Its now twice the size too, un-necessarily for the majority of us as its purely advertising on the rest of it.
So we are paying extra for extra stuff we dont want.
As you say 50p for just 2 lists for the team lists and a space for each innings as before was ample.
So we are paying extra for extra stuff we dont want.
As you say 50p for just 2 lists for the team lists and a space for each innings as before was ample.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Loyal of Lhasa. (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:08:48:00
It's self-defeating: instead of paying 50p for a small scorecard I now pay nothing for a large one.
LoL
Sixty Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Sixty Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: wsm fan (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:09:04:04
Snap, i used to buy one every time without fail.
Now, especially if i can only make say 1 or 2 days of thE four i tend to take a team list with me or copy of scorecard from internet and not bother at the ground.
Now, especially if i can only make say 1 or 2 days of thE four i tend to take a team list with me or copy of scorecard from internet and not bother at the ground.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Grockle (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:10:44:21
And (says the A level Economics teacher) if the size has been increased to provide advertising revenue then the face price should be falling, not rising.
A business has to make money but a sporting business is more than just a 'fleece the punters' type of enterprise and I'm afraid if you want to operate that kind of firm and maintain repeat business you have to be VERY good at it.
Somerset aren't, they never really have been. I personally think that they tend to treat their supporters with a dangerous "London type" stereotypical belief about the nature of people from "Zummerset". We're not all "Wurzels" called Adge and we haven't just fallen out of the apple trees.
If you want a loyal core following then treat it fairly and with respect or it will bite you when you least expect it and when you need it the most.
A business has to make money but a sporting business is more than just a 'fleece the punters' type of enterprise and I'm afraid if you want to operate that kind of firm and maintain repeat business you have to be VERY good at it.
Somerset aren't, they never really have been. I personally think that they tend to treat their supporters with a dangerous "London type" stereotypical belief about the nature of people from "Zummerset". We're not all "Wurzels" called Adge and we haven't just fallen out of the apple trees.
If you want a loyal core following then treat it fairly and with respect or it will bite you when you least expect it and when you need it the most.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Mike BOS (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:11:07:51
At one time I paid about one pound for the one day brochure just to know who was playing, because they have gone up so much and because I never kept them (I always made a mess of filling them in) I don't bother to buy it now.
I asked why they don't print a separate team sheet, I was told that they are not supposed to do it.
.
I asked why they don't print a separate team sheet, I was told that they are not supposed to do it.
.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: wsm fan (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:11:15:55
Why would they print a sperate team list when they can charge £2.50 for a brochure which i'd argue 90% buy purely for the scorecard, yet another money making tool.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: The Diamond ruled ok (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:11:18:09
A very good piece Grockle.
It is not just Somerset fans who feel they are being hard done to by the Corporates it is endemic across the whole set up.
Membership prices keep rising and what we get for them in terms of value and quality keeps falling. If you attend every day of every game you are still getting the best out of your membership if on the otherhand you only get to about half a dozen days cricket a year the feeling that you are being fleeced whilst supporting your county grows yearly.
Somerset are at the moment in a bit of a spot with the ground redevelopment as to where to put their "loyal support". I hope they can find somewhere within the ground when it is finished to accomodate the likes of Tractor and yourself(near a bar and toilets would be good), if not I see the prospect of an orgnised invasion of part of the County Ground taking place and UDI being declared.
On scorecards , yes they are glorified ad sheets and should be given away , the one inovation of late I do like in this respect is the "twin programme" when two P40 fixtures are close together , a bit of thought for the home spectator has gone into that which is nice plus a large saving on costs of printing etc , if only clubs would carry this sort of thought into other areas of peoples enjoyment life would seem a whole lot better.
It is not just Somerset fans who feel they are being hard done to by the Corporates it is endemic across the whole set up.
Membership prices keep rising and what we get for them in terms of value and quality keeps falling. If you attend every day of every game you are still getting the best out of your membership if on the otherhand you only get to about half a dozen days cricket a year the feeling that you are being fleeced whilst supporting your county grows yearly.
Somerset are at the moment in a bit of a spot with the ground redevelopment as to where to put their "loyal support". I hope they can find somewhere within the ground when it is finished to accomodate the likes of Tractor and yourself(near a bar and toilets would be good), if not I see the prospect of an orgnised invasion of part of the County Ground taking place and UDI being declared.
On scorecards , yes they are glorified ad sheets and should be given away , the one inovation of late I do like in this respect is the "twin programme" when two P40 fixtures are close together , a bit of thought for the home spectator has gone into that which is nice plus a large saving on costs of printing etc , if only clubs would carry this sort of thought into other areas of peoples enjoyment life would seem a whole lot better.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Frome Exile (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:14:08:02
An excellent piece, Grockle, as is evidenced by the similar high quality of the comment it has inspired.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Botham (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:18:32:06
Quote:Grockle
And (says the A level Economics teacher) if the size has been increased to provide advertising revenue then the face price should be falling, not rising.
A business has to make money but a sporting business is more than just a 'fleece the punters' type of enterprise and I'm afraid if you want to operate that kind of firm and maintain repeat business you have to be VERY good at it.
Somerset aren't, they never really have been. I personally think that they tend to treat their supporters with a dangerous "London type" stereotypical belief about the nature of people from "Zummerset". We're not all "Wurzels" called Adge and we haven't just fallen out of the apple trees.
If you want a loyal core following then treat it fairly and with respect or it will bite you when you least expect it and when you need it the most.
We have something in common, Grockle. Luke is studying Economics at A level!
Excellent article, btw, you've earned your press pass.
You're treading on thin ice!
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Grockle (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:19:10:33
Well it's a tenious link at best Mr B.
This stuff will be to 'earn' next year's now. Already served my time for this year's and the ECB decide unfortunately so your assessment of my worth won't help I'm afraid.
Thanks anyway.
This stuff will be to 'earn' next year's now. Already served my time for this year's and the ECB decide unfortunately so your assessment of my worth won't help I'm afraid.
Thanks anyway.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: geordie moonraker (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:12:23:06:12
Although we now live at the other end of the country Mrs GM and i are long standing Somerset members-and 25 years ago ik was on the Wyverns committee. We like to travel down at least once a year but it gets more expensive to drive 700 miles and pay for a week or 10 days accomodation. We used to buy a scorecard each every day. This yearwe bought one between us to last the whole game. We are also members of Durham, mainly because their "senior and spouse" membership at £125 is cheaper than 4 days championship and a 1 day game against Somerset. I do not like the Riverside. It has no soul and no atmosphere and I hope and pray that Taunton never gets like that. When Somerset play at Stockton instead I get quite excited becuase that's a proper Clarence PArk kind of ground
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Grizzzly (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:13:00:31:31
Potent article Grockle.
A lot of very salient questions & an absence of any answers, as yet, from the Club.
As we appear to be going back to the 70's re nationalisation of everything financial, maybe we can hope for a winter outbreak of 80's 'glasnost' !
Grizzzly
A lot of very salient questions & an absence of any answers, as yet, from the Club.
As we appear to be going back to the 70's re nationalisation of everything financial, maybe we can hope for a winter outbreak of 80's 'glasnost' !
Grizzzly
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Big Jim (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:13:09:06:02
We're more likely to get the '60's cold war I'm afraid.
Or probably the '70's cod war.
Imagine that young 'uns,we actually fought a war against another country with fish instead of guns.
Big Haddock were at a premium for long ranged attacks I can tell you.
Or probably the '70's cod war.
Imagine that young 'uns,we actually fought a war against another country with fish instead of guns.
Big Haddock were at a premium for long ranged attacks I can tell you.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Trumpy (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:15:09:00:23
How can we not go more corporate? That's the way the game's going whether we like it or not.
Look at the Stamford money. The question is how you try and still keep some control in the new corporate world.
One way is by not bemoaning change for the sake of it which we are all prone to do.
Personally, I think the new stand looks good and felt good. I watched the Floodlit match there and it had a great atmosphere and a good crowd in.
The Gimblett is a bit of a disappointment, It would have been good lounging around there in the sun.
And that's something else that worries me. As the retirement block goes up so the ground seems to be getting less sun.
In this day and age the Old Pavilion is an anachronism and it must constitute a fire risk. I'm sure it will be replaced and used in the same way and still provide a great viewpoint.
It's probably also difficult to give a ground a cohesive feel when there's so much building work going on. Better to judge it once it's done.
To be honest, I don't think we've made the mistake of a Rose Bowl. But yes, the ground will never be the same. It can't be.
We couldn't afford to get left behind though. We all know how many people within the cricketing establishment would love to prune out the likes of us and Worcs and Gloucs.
I think those matches are often the most enjoyable. Call them local derbies if you want. I just hope we all survive.
The irony is that Surrey have all the mod cons, the ground and the corporate sponsors and their season has been a disaster.
Administrators, corporate or otherwise, should never forget that it is the spirit of the game and what it has always stood for that is part of its appeal even to the younger generation.
That's what we ignore at our peril and perhaps that's what we will achieve by reminding them of that........
Look at the Stamford money. The question is how you try and still keep some control in the new corporate world.
One way is by not bemoaning change for the sake of it which we are all prone to do.
Personally, I think the new stand looks good and felt good. I watched the Floodlit match there and it had a great atmosphere and a good crowd in.
The Gimblett is a bit of a disappointment, It would have been good lounging around there in the sun.
And that's something else that worries me. As the retirement block goes up so the ground seems to be getting less sun.
In this day and age the Old Pavilion is an anachronism and it must constitute a fire risk. I'm sure it will be replaced and used in the same way and still provide a great viewpoint.
It's probably also difficult to give a ground a cohesive feel when there's so much building work going on. Better to judge it once it's done.
To be honest, I don't think we've made the mistake of a Rose Bowl. But yes, the ground will never be the same. It can't be.
We couldn't afford to get left behind though. We all know how many people within the cricketing establishment would love to prune out the likes of us and Worcs and Gloucs.
I think those matches are often the most enjoyable. Call them local derbies if you want. I just hope we all survive.
The irony is that Surrey have all the mod cons, the ground and the corporate sponsors and their season has been a disaster.
Administrators, corporate or otherwise, should never forget that it is the spirit of the game and what it has always stood for that is part of its appeal even to the younger generation.
That's what we ignore at our peril and perhaps that's what we will achieve by reminding them of that........
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: fRed (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:15:09:53:36
I believe that the Gimlett mound was given the thumbs down by Health and Saftey, because it would be slippery when wet.
As for the terrace they seem to be building instead, I really can't visualise what it will look like when finished, has anyone seen a plan?
As for a Corporate County, well the new Club Hub will allow more corporate boxes in the existing pavilion.
I just miss the trees.
Cricket's the winner.
As for the terrace they seem to be building instead, I really can't visualise what it will look like when finished, has anyone seen a plan?
As for a Corporate County, well the new Club Hub will allow more corporate boxes in the existing pavilion.
I just miss the trees.
Cricket's the winner.
Re: A Corporate County?
Posted by: Grockle (IP Logged)
Date: 2008:10:15:10:34:51
Your point about the spirit is well made Trumpy and IMHO that's where we may miss an opportunity. "Corporatism" seems to be the way of things but you can do it and bring your fanbase with you.
If you pretend to do that while marginalising your core fans or if you remove the fanbase's reason for being fans without providing an alternative then you take the heart out of a sport and you won't get that back.
The 'Club Hub' will not be what its name implies - it will not be the heart of this club. It will be a place for the players to feel comfortable - away from the fans and the space it creates in the CA will be used by the club to increase the number of faceless business clients.
What will the fans get out of this move other than a less free access to the playing staff? Again I could be pleasantly surprised by plans. I'm only going on what I've had access to.
If you pretend to do that while marginalising your core fans or if you remove the fanbase's reason for being fans without providing an alternative then you take the heart out of a sport and you won't get that back.
The 'Club Hub' will not be what its name implies - it will not be the heart of this club. It will be a place for the players to feel comfortable - away from the fans and the space it creates in the CA will be used by the club to increase the number of faceless business clients.
What will the fans get out of this move other than a less free access to the playing staff? Again I could be pleasantly surprised by plans. I'm only going on what I've had access to.
