Knights threatening to storm out of the castle

[macavity]

and macavity I don't want to move seats ..I like where i am

well then dont bitch about how much they cost!

 

[strewth_mate]

It just annoyed me the ceo coming out and making the 'hard core' 120000 fans who turn up every game every year pay more cause he knows they will

I didn't want to be the one to do it, but I'll make the obvious crap joke:

"Jeez, with 120,000 fans turning up every game... (etc etc)"

I'll get my coat.


Anyways - surely it wouldn't hurt now to start advertising the Knights in a fashion that plays heavily on the 'underdog' theme. Pushing a bunch of ads talking up the idea that we've got a young, fresh team that is fighting above its weight (irrespective of how true it might be; realistically we're much better than we're showing) might get people interested.

The ads used to be Johns and co. telling us to get to the games - we can't do that anymore. Chuck in a bunch of the young ones that the city might not be familiar with, show some footage of them smacking up a Melbourne prop and embrace the new-look team rather than try to hide the lack of our old one. And if the team competes but still loses, hopefully the crowd will walk away feeling rightfully optimistic and eager for the next game rather than thinking "well if Johns was still playing..."

 

[macavity]

It just annoyed me the ceo coming out and making the 'hard core' 120000 fans who turn up every game every year pay more cause he knows they will

a hell of a lot of those 12k are sitting in the cheap seats, btw....

 

[Timmah]

Timbo, the argument put forward by Burro is more about revenue than numbers. 19000 fans produce the same $$ whether their in a 20 000 seater or a 40 000 seater. Appearances have little to do with it.

A full stadium is going to attract more sponsorship dollars than an empty one tbh.

CC people wont change their allegiances anyway. and that is the main reason the gypsys dont deserve a team.

look at timbo. think he would support the Knights because they played 6 games there?

Don't get me wrong, Newcastle are my most hated team 1-2 times a year but outside that, most of my friends already support them - so in a way they'd probably rate as my third favourite side behind Canterbury and St George Illawarra. To be perfectly honest I'll be cheering Newie and Bluetongue on Saturday.

 

[macavity]

yeah, 3rd favourite.

not exactly what we need from CC people and exactly my point. the gypsys dont deserve a team - especially not ours.

 

[Medievalknight]

a hell of a lot of those 12k are sitting in the cheap seats, btw....

bullsh*t

 

[macavity]

bullsh*t

dont you have a pipe and slippers to be attending to old man?

the hills are full of people sitting in the same spot as they have since 1988. dont believe me, try sitting in their spots....

 

[~knights~]

if I hadn't got season tickets I probably wouldn't be going to games either

and it's got nothing to do with

*joeys retiring
*knights aren't winning
*team isn't full of locals
*0r brian smith

Ill lways support the knights no matter what

it's simply i couldn't afford it
try managing a budget with interest rates always increasing on your mortage plus paying a car off and petrol and food prices these days..thers not much left over

i'm sure he's on a good wage being ceo...but

SOME PEOPLE JUST CANT AFFORD IT !!!! Mr burraston

 

[NthKnight]

if I hadn't got season tickets I probably wouldn't be going to games either

and it's got nothing to do with

*joeys retiring
*knights aren't winning
*team isn't full of locals
*0r brian smith

Ill lways support the knights no matter what

it's simply i couldn't afford it
try managing a budget with interest rates always increasing on your mortage plus paying a car off and petrol and food prices these days..thers not much left over

i'm sure he's on a good wage being ceo...but

SOME PEOPLE JUST CANT AFFORD IT !!!! Mr burraston

Too right mate. It makes far more economical sense for fans to fork out the $60 bucks a month for Foxtel than to pay the rediculous gate prices to get to games. It is a sad state of affairs but nonetheless it is the reality.

 

[macavity]

I am in exactly the same position re finances

the wife and i make a pact every year to get season tickets as xmas presents. works for us.

the only way we are going to get out of this seems to be private capital.

 

[perverse]

not f**king good at all.

i'm speechless. our club HAS to look at other revenue streams... because relying on fickle fans to fill the place each week to just keep our head above water is simply not on. sponsorship is all well and good.. but there must be other ways for a club to make money? real estate? stock market? privatisation? ANYTHING but relocating the knights.

it just seems too unfeasible anyway... the NRL needs newcastle. i would imagine that we are one of the few clubs that if it really came to relocation, the NRL would surely step in? it makes no sense for the NRL to lose newcastle to gain another market that may or may not succeed.

i'm too spun out after reading that article... maybe i'll have some more quality input later when i've cooled down a bit.

 

[~knights~]

I am in exactly the same position re finances

the wife and i make a pact every year to get season tickets as xmas presents. works for us.

the only way we are going to get out of this seems to be private capital.

yes and i like the idea that 'Danish Moo Cow' came up with

it would help solve problems financially for people

 

[roopy]

Does anyone else think the timing of Burraston spending a week with all the Sydney CEOs and coming home and declaring our backs are against the wall is a bit suss?

I think he has heard from the Sydney CEOs that all the fans have been rallying around since Gallop declared they were all on the verge of folding, and Burraston wants a bit of that.

All he is saying is true, but i think throwing a scare into us comes from chatting to Sydney CEOs.

 

[cram]

The thing is, if you take a game to Homebush you get a gaurenteed $100,000 gate, and you don't have to worry about paying staff etc.

I have one idea for Burro. Buy a decent fricken PA system, and promote it to advertisers in a "now everyone can actually hear your ad" type of way. Couldn't hear a bloody thing last Sunday in the Western stand. Burro is on the wrong track if he thinks crowds are the answer to all our probs. They're too unreliable, fickle and tight. Advertising is where improvements must be made. Line up all the advertisers in the off-season so you've got the costs covered for the season, and the crowds can simply be the execs' wages and profit.

You could not hear anything in the eastern stand either

 

[cram]

I edited this after barring up and reading mac's comments about seat snobs but now I have read his other comments I can see where he is coming from.

The Knights do have a payment plan of sorts. They will take the total cost of the ticket out over a three month period. I use this. The biggest issue with it is that its around $300 each time (family ticket) but the months they take it out are the worst for finances being November, December, January.

I would find it easier if it came out over the whole twelve months but understand that they need the cash.

 

[Hanscholo]

Well i dont like driving 2 hours to newcastle to watch a game steve. i would however consider looking at some home games on the coast. Moving interstate, LMFAO...2008 most laughable threat winner.

 

[Belly07]

You need to remember that the NRL teams playing out of Homebush are being paid $100k from the Stadium trust, and don't have any of the upkeep, marketing or any other problem associated with looking after your own ground.

I would hate to see the Knights leave Newcastle...and am always supporting the Knights in any possible way. If we the supporters do not want the Knights to die, which has been a constant threat over the last 21 years...we have several options -

1) Become a Financial Member of the club. At $35 per year it is a small fee to ensure the club has another income stream
2) Privatisation. This is something that the Knights, I believe, seriously need to look at. We have ex-footballers, who have never been able to look after their own money or run a business, running the club!! does this sound crazy to anyone else??
3) Partial relocation. I would suggest is it comes to this...the Knights should look at either securing half our games at the Central Coast, to ensure that the true Newcastle supporter is not disadvantaged to much...or alternatively look at Perth and get in early.

Perth is screaming out for an NRL team..and I really do not see the NRL developing a team in Perth...so that leaves it to a team to head over and relocate. We could always do what Manly did. Take the $8 million, and then leave after one year!! lol

So 19000 isn't good enough at home.
Move games to Blutongue or Homebush and you will get less!

 

[Misanthrope]

As somebody who doesn't live anywhere near Newcastle, I say relocate the Knights to Gwangju, South Korea...

 

[Jobdog]

We're not going to Perth. End of story.

 

[Serc]

I think he's trying to give us all a big kick up the tail...but at the same time knows the situation is not quite a dire as he is saying publicly. If this was true it means there is the possibility the NRL will be no more in ~5 years time (given the noises coming out of Sydney) with only 10 teams or so, which is of course a load of rot.

Lets hope the crowds increase, and as a few others have said recently, seeing the team win regularly and win well will be a big part of that. Its funny though, any of the Sydney clubs would kill for crowds like we get throughout every year!