There was a coo

[Cowdenleith]

1 hour ago, VodkaTap said:

My view as to what is people regard as an acceptable entry cost all depends on what they have paid in the past.

The fans of the former SPFL clubs have been used to paying a higher rate when in League 2 and consequently feel that a double digit entry cost is acceptable.

Whereas I believe the fans of either existing LL clubs or former EOS clubs, whose experience is that of generally lower single digit entry cost as the norm and they feel that it should be the appropriate rate.

I reckon it really is all about each fan's perception of what is appropriate based on their previous experience.

Nobody is right or wrong in their views on this matter.

Think you make a very good point there, peoples perception of a fair price may well be based on what they have been used to. 

Cowdenbeath was £14 for adults last year from memory, with the extra quid for paying at the gate, so where we are now price wise seems reasonable to me, but I can see how maybe a fan of a club going up the tiers may see it another way.

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Cowdenleith

[Marten]

Non-league football in Scotland is quite cheap generally, £ 10ish seems reasonable to me at this level. I've lived in England before and on a number of occasions back then (or when I visited again earlier this year) I paid around £ 10 for tier 10 football. 

[MrIrvinePollock]

I budget £10 for entry when I watch a game at this level.  If it's less that that I'll buy tickets for the half time draw to make up the £10.  The cost is one of the reasons I don't go to SPFL games - £15 to watch utter dross on many occasions is a step too far for me.

[FairWeatherFan]

Not everyone is as fortunate to have unknown revenue streams that allow them to go 'feck it,  we'll let everyone in for free'. Like Caley Braves.

[NELLY 1]

I believe the club has priced it right. We have to maximise best we can as well as having kids under 12 for free for full season which hasnt been done before.

I believe doing a game for £5 is something the club would consider however i would say how much more people would that bring through 20-30.. all great i agree but ideally when doing something like £5 for game we need it to be 100 more fans.

Friday night games are an interesting thing and im sure 1 or 2 games a season would be great on a Friday as im positive we would see an upturn in attendances however we have to consider our players e.g working part time can they make Friday games? also both clubs have to agree im sure not just oh we want a game on a Friday.League and other team must agree.

For sure if a  game on a Friday night can be done it would be worth trying if all parties agree.

I do worry about our crowds as 2 home games this season have been under 150 people. For me this means a more difficult budget lies ahead and more challenging for sure to be where the club needs to be or desires to be.

 

[monthecoo]

I hear all the Livingston United players are wanting to walk out as Goodwillie played as a trialist at the weekend for them. I wondered if Chris will be coming back?

[cowdenbeath]

1 hour ago, monthecoo said:

I hear all the Livingston United players are wanting to walk out as Goodwillie played as a trialist at the weekend for them. I wondered if Chris will be coming back?

Aye he scored two goals.

Would Chris get much game time with the squad we have, didn’t get much when we were a lot poorer.

[The_Pit_Owns]

2 hours ago, monthecoo said:

I hear all the Livingston United players are wanting to walk out as Goodwillie played as a trialist at the weekend for them. I wondered if Chris will be coming back?

Chris is injured as he always is. His hamstring is good for about 20 minutes.

[PELE]

Think tonight's attendance might be the worst this season.

[PELE]

6 hours ago, NELLY 1 said:

I believe the club has priced it right. We have to maximise best we can as well as having kids under 12 for free for full season which hasnt been done before.

I believe doing a game for £5 is something the club would consider however i would say how much more people would that bring through 20-30.. all great i agree but ideally when doing something like £5 for game we need it to be 100 more fans.

Friday night games are an interesting thing and im sure 1 or 2 games a season would be great on a Friday as im positive we would see an upturn in attendances however we have to consider our players e.g working part time can they make Friday games? also both clubs have to agree im sure not just oh we want a game on a Friday.League and other team must agree.

For sure if a  game on a Friday night can be done it would be worth trying if all parties agree.

I do worry about our crowds as 2 home games this season have been under 150 people. For me this means a more difficult budget lies ahead and more challenging for sure to be where the club needs to be or desires to be.

 

Yeah. Reduced admission is a big gamble, as more than likely we would only get a handful more attending and end up with less gate money. It would really need to be on a Saturday when there are fewer games on elsewhere and be well promoted.

 

Saturday the 10th December when we play Celtic B could be an opportunity to reduce admission and see if it boosts the crowd. Maybe entice neutrals and Celtic fans as they will be without first team action for a month during the World Cup. The players not at the World Cup are playing friendlies overseas during that time. The only downside is that both Raith and Kelty are at home in Challenge Cup 1/4 finals that day and Kelty are playing Linfield, so will attract some neutrals.

 

Friday 18th November is another possible date, but very short notice and, as said, that's if we can even realistically play on a Friday night. 3 of the 4 SFL teams away from home the following day (unfortunately not Raith, as I think we usually get more of their fans coming over when they are not playing) and no Scottish Premier matches because of the WC. The South Challenge Cup is on that weekend, but some of our league are out of this one as well.

[Cowden316]

3 hours ago, PELE said:

Think tonight's attendance might be the worst this season.

Tonight's attendance was one of the better ones sure it was about 229. Boness brought a few through.

Not bad for a midweek winter lowland league game.

[monthecoo]

I broke my two game break rule tonight after the Caley Braves disappointment and my baws are frozen as a result - cold one there tonight. 

I think we were fortunate to get some out of that. They are a competent team, no fools, they probably should won it at the end but we held on. Their fans helped boost the attendance number. The home attendances are very concerning.

We got a helping hand tonight thanks to their goalkeeper who did look very suspect in the Scottish Cup game too. He should have got to our goal in reality. 

They have recruited well for a club you would think have a relatively small budget compared to other teams in the league. Something to take on board.

I predict us to be 13-14th at the end of the season. I still think we lack the grit and commandry of the teams in the middle of the pack like Bo'ness, Caley Braves, Berwick and Gala Fairydean. 

Scott was a decent find this season. I hope we can keep a hold of him and build a team around him and some of good players like Struthers, Thomson and Ruddy. I do reiterate though some in this team are just not good to play at this level. It's nothing personal, they are not bad players, just not good enough for the hussle and bussle that is the Lowland League.

[PELE]

7 minutes ago, Cowden316 said:

Tonight's attendance was one of the better ones sure it was about 229. Boness brought a few through.

Not bad for a midweek winter lowland league game.

Yeah. Really surprising for a dreary Tuesday night.

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

Thought Scott Sinclair was outstanding tonight, goal, free kick, composed, happy to take a touch under pressure and made some excellent passes.

[cowdenbeath]

28 minutes ago, Cowden316 said:

Tonight's attendance was one of the better ones sure it was about 229. Boness brought a few through.

Not bad for a midweek winter lowland league game.

It was always going to be better playing a side who actually bring fans

[Cowdenleith]

Hope Davidson going off at half time is nothing too serious.

[CowdenMiners1204]

I would have taken a draw before the game started.

Now I'm a bit gutted we didn't take the 3 points. The chances were certainly there to do so. 

They certainly passed the ball around well, however, they were equally sloppy/bumpy as us. If only Borrowstounness fc could play on astro every week they might eventually get into the leagues.

Things changed when davo and garrad came off. Great from Alfie, ruddy and the lads up front.

Was a lot better performance than Saturdays win.

Mon the coo!!!!

[Cowdenleith]

Wow, there’s a couple of fans of that footballing giant Bo’ness that have not taken a draw with the minnows from Cowdenbeath at all well. Lovely.

[perthmo]

The lengthy article on the club's finances in the programme last night makes depressing reading.

Any business in Cowdenbeath's position needs to aim to reduce costs and increase income.

Yet the article indicates that energy costs are rising and ground rental may also rise considerably.  The club are also tied into an agreement where they pay ALL the utility costs for Central Park, not just those associated with the football club.

Meanwhile income from the SPFL (parachute payment and League Cup money) will drop significantly next season and disappear completely the following year.

These costs and income are basically outwith the control of the club.   To compensate they presumably have to reduce their costs in terms of wages while trying to increase their income in a league where matches are unattractive both to spectators and potential sponsors.   

And all that in a stadium where fingers, toes and everything else are crossed in the hope that no major repairs are needed.

And at a time when people are struggling for money to pay their own bills let alone help out others.  As a season ticket holder I got an e-mail this week asking me to contribute £10 to enter a World Cup sweep.  I thought about it but decided to spend a tenner extra in Tesco on food to donate to a foodbank.  That's the sort of choice people are having to make in 2020s Scotland..

it's a worrying situation.  The club cannot keep going to the same hard-core of people again and again asking them to contribute more and more.  The reality is that prize money from the SPFL was essential for the club's finances.  Yet with the current team and future financial projections there is no realistic prospect of ever returning to that level

Yes, results have improved, but that cannot conceal that an existential crisis is looming.

Or am I being overly pessimistic?

 

[BojanK]

6 minutes ago, perthmo said:

The lengthy article on the club's finances in the programme last night makes depressing reading.

Any business in Cowdenbeath's position needs to aim to reduce costs and increase income.

Yet the article indicates that energy costs are rising and ground rental may also rise considerably.  The club are also tied into an agreement where they pay ALL the utility costs for Central Park, not just those associated with the football club.

Meanwhile income from the SPFL (parachute payment and League Cup money) will drop significantly next season and disappear completely the following year.

These costs and income are basically outwith the control of the club.   To compensate they presumably have to reduce their costs in terms of wages while trying to increase their income in a league where matches are unattractive both to spectators and potential sponsors.   

And all that in a stadium where fingers, toes and everything else are crossed in the hope that no major repairs are needed.

And at a time when people are struggling for money to pay their own bills let alone help out others.  As a season ticket holder I got an e-mail this week asking me to contribute £10 to enter a World Cup sweep.  I thought about it but decided to spend a tenner extra in Tesco on food to donate to a foodbank.  That's the sort of choice people are having to make in 2020s Scotland..

it's a worrying situation.  The club cannot keep going to the same hard-core of people again and again asking them to contribute more and more.  The reality is that prize money from the SPFL was essential for the club's finances.  Yet with the current team and future financial projections there is no realistic prospect of ever returning to that level

Yes, results have improved, but that cannot conceal that an existential crisis is looming.

Or am I being overly pessimistic?

 

No. 
 

Football is quickly becoming an impossible task without someone aimlessly pumping money into clubs. 
 

At all levels clubs now really have two options. 
 

1. spend beyond means with dodgy backers hoping to get a paycheck from promotion and level out somewhere. 
 

2. Become a community club with youth teams and Astros to balance books, utilise the selling on of players to fund the level and maybe, just maybe, get a promotion run with a good batch of young’uns and hope to maintain that level a while.