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First time fan experience 17:40 - Dec 26 with 13300 views

So I'm a dale fan of 20+ years and decided to take my girlfriend to Spotland for the first time.

I decided to book a decent view mid Wilbutts lane so she could at least see.

Here is her feedback.

Firstly, Baum is the best pub she's been to.

Not the club's fault but I'd bigged up Wilbutts Lane chippy that was unfortunately closed.

Huge queue for pies before game meant we decided to get one at half time.

Zero tannoy match build up and she didn't even know players had entered.

She thought the players looked tired in first half and atmosphere was poor (it was).

Hendo scored, fantastic. Zero sound on tannoy to celebrate the goal.

Half time we decided to get a pie. There was no pies left and apparently they sold out around 20mins into the game. She was very disappointed as I bigged up the pies beforehand. This was after a 20 min queue so missed first bit of second half. Not that we would know as there was no tannoy announcement.

Was it just me or was there no substitute board as I tried to explain to her who went off and on. As there was no tannoy sound I was struggling myself.

She enjoyed the goal and the win second half but thought the atmosphere would have been better.

I asked her if she wanted to go again and if she would think others would go and she said no.

Purely because there was no food and no tannoy announcements that may have helped the build up and understand what was happening in the game. There was no leaflets or incentives for a half season ticket or info on season tickets next year that may have persuaded new fans to take up.

Overall I thought the players didn't necessarily put on a show to keep new fans coming back and the club did not prepare the logistics to satisfy all new fans, especially in the Wilbutts where you would see majority new fans..

A great win but for me, huge opportunities missed to keep new fans hooked in.

Great scheme. Must do better

[Post edited 26 Dec 2023 17:42]

First time fan experience on 14:01 - Dec 28 with 3033 views

EllDale

Unfortunately the away fans used to be housed in the Sandy Lane end of the Willbutts stand but were moved after a game last season (Doncaster?) when there was a lot of trouble between the two sections.

First time fan experience on 14:43 - Dec 28 with 2885 views

Sheffield_dale

First time fan experience on 11:28 - Dec 28 by CharCromHGT

Hi how are you? I’m Charlotte the clubs HerGameToo ambassador, I have just been made aware of this through a fellow Dale fan as I don’t use the message boards but wanted to make an account and reach out. I have contacted the club this morning and they have asked if you can contact the club directly on office@rochdaleafc.co.uk so they can log the incident and investigate further.

Thank you so much and sorry about the bad experience.

Hi Charlotte, huge fan of the work you do with the club. I will contact the email you popped on here. I've worked at a football club before and understand the stewards would have been brought in last minute on minimum wage. In some ways I'm not blaming them. The Wilbutts was full of new, young, female fans and there was just zero info about what to do. With no sound from the speakers we all may as well rocked up on norden field and sat in the hill to watch St Clements. It really needed someone from the club with a big sign saying "I'm here to help" or something like that. This extends to policing the female toilets. There were a group of lads that were harassing my partner inside the cubicle area with phones out on Snapchat. She said they were 13-15 years of age and with the bar next to the toilets, they then harassed her to buy them beer.

Again, the club cannot we responsible for the idiot kids but the area could have been managed better in terms of safety, catering, guidance, communication and enjoyment.

Was a shame we didn't get a pie but we put the money towards a Pavilion Curry on our walk back. Just a shame that hundreds of others in the half time queue also failed to part with their money at the club due to no food.

First time fan experience on 14:44 - Dec 28 with 2876 views

Shun

First time fan experience on 11:28 - Dec 28 by CharCromHGT

Thank you Charlotte! Good to hear.

First time fan experience on 16:52 - Dec 28 with 2643 views

TVOS1907

First time fan experience on 13:37 - Dec 28 by dale_upon_tyne

Dale fan for 25 yrs… I’ve got two young boys and our 3rd home game this year. First win they’ve seen.

Managed to twist the wife’s arm as a first time visitor - sat in Pearl St. Block U - lots of new faces and kids sat around us. Without any input from me after the game I asked for the wife’s feedback on how she found the experience - which I thought I would share:

- She was confused as to why the Pearl St family stand is so close to the away fans in Wilbutts. The away fans naturally direct their banter to that stand “Rochdale’s a sh*t hole”. “Your support is f***ing sh*t”… flicking the V’s after the game etc. I assured her it’s all normal football ground banter but for that reason alone my wife said (if for example she was a single parent) there is no way she would bring the boys again by herself. She felt the atmosphere being so close to away fans is intimidating. Honestly the Fylde fans were just a small pathetic bunch - but that is her view on it, as a mother/non-football fan. My view is the away fans should be housed at the Sandy Lane end of the stand.

- Lack of singing in the home ends. As a regular over the years in the Sandy, Pearl St and Main stand, for me the noise made in the Sandy does not carry out into the rest of the ground. Seems to be an acoustic problem that only affects the Sandy. On Boxing Day you couldn’t hear the Sandy at all in Pearl St. My wife thought for a new visitor with kids, to want to come back, the kids need to feel part of something. she made the point that they might like City or United - without our singing fans being housed in a stand where the rest of the ground (and in particular the kids new to the club) can hear them - there is no sense of belonging. You just listen to the away fans for 90 mins.

Otherwise she enjoyed the goals and was glad we won. Most of the “next generation” or potential Dale fans will be kids with parents in the Pearl St taking advantage of family ticket prices - so it is the experience at that end of the ground that will determine whether any come back.

I’d prepared her for kiosk shortages. but other people (audibly) were disappointed that they left their seats as the HT whistle blew, queued up 10 minutes to find all hot food was long, long gone. I’d like to say I was surprised- but I wasn’t.

Good initiative by the club I thought and I enjoyed seeing the stands a bit fuller than normal.

To be fair, the away fans aren't normally in that section, unless the whole stand is used, a la Oldham.

When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf?

First time fan experience on 19:02 - Dec 28 with 2467 views

dale_upon_tyne

True - I remember that Doncaster game - think that was when the bus window got smashed?

I think it is easily dealt with - just a question of covering the nearest section or two of Wilbutts nearest the Sandy and then sticking the away fans down there. Away fans will just direct the bullsh*t to the nearest stand won’t they.

Getting atmosphere into Pearl St is a tougher one to fix - we obviously all know the issue with being spread too thin behind both goals.

Not a priority either whilst we are skint. Long term (with some money that we don’t currently have) I’d like to see Pearl St turned into safe-standing either in whole or part where the acoustics are decent. I’d move the family stand to last block of the Main Stand nearest Pearl St. New families would be well away from away fans but close to the stand where all the home noise would be. As the kids get older they move into Pearl St and become the next generation of youth making all the noise… love the Sandy but it is just too quiet and too far from our young fans to impact on the atmosphere. Would cost £££ that we don’t have - so all theoretical anyway.

First time fan experience on 19:43 - Dec 28 with 2382 views

442Dale

First time fan experience on 19:02 - Dec 28 by dale_upon_tyne

Thought that although the Pearl St is referred to as the ‘Family Stand’ it’s the block nearest the main stand that is the area for families. It’s certainly confusing as it doesn’t need more than a block.

As for away fans, as TVOS mentions, they’ve addressed that by them usually being housed towards the middle of the Willbutts so there’s little interaction with either end unless there’s a big away following. It’s mystifying why it hasn’t happened for years.

Whilst there’s an age old issue around the noise not really leaving the Sandy, the atmosphere in there this season has been pretty good and the inhabitants are much better behaved this season as well.

Poll:

Greatest Ever Dale Game

First time fan experience on 20:02 - Dec 28 with 2336 views

dale_upon_tyne

Fair enough re position of away fans. Pleased to hear the Sandy sounds good from inside at least!

Putting ourselves in the shoes of a first time visitor with kids, we can’t guarantee the quality of the game, so the only other “product” we can sell to get them to come back again is the match day atmosphere- and that comes down to noise from the stands. I don’t have any other ideas - other than getting some terracing into Pearl St.

It doesn’t help that two men and their dog can make a racket in Wilbutts - which seems to have pretty good acoustics!

First time fan experience on 09:32 - Dec 29 with 1948 views

Newbury_Dale

'Zero tannoy match build up and she didn't even know players had entered'.

'This was after a 20 min queue so missed first bit of second half. Not that we would know as there was no tannoy announcement'.

Sorry, not having these comments at all. Look at your watch or face the pitch.

First time fan experience on 15:47 - Dec 29 with 1602 views

Sheffield_dale

First time fan experience on 09:32 - Dec 29 by Newbury_Dale
'Zero tannoy match build up and she didn't even know players had entered'. 'This was after a 20 min queue so missed first bit of second half. Not that we would know as there was no tannoy announcement'. Sorry, not having these comments at all. Look at your watch or face the pitch.

Missing the point completely. I am fully aware of what goes on. It's the hoards of new fans we are meant to hook in by putting on a show that left unmotivated and uninspired.

First time fan experience on 15:49 - Dec 29 with 1599 views

49thseason

I think the Tannoy comments are fair. We haven't heard anything clearly in the part of the Sandy that I stand in for probably 5 or 6 seasons. Not that I am complaining too much as it at least allows conversations to take place without shouting to each other.
A clearly audible Tannoy system would probably be a good addition if it didn't need to be turned up to 11 to be heard and the content was actually useful.

First time fan experience on 16:27 - Dec 29 with 1555 views

EllDale

I’ve mentioned this in the past about the PA but there are safety reasons why it has to be audible in all parts of the ground in case there’s an emergency.
If it isn’t then the club are in breach of the Safety Certificate and shouldn’t really be opening the ground until it’s compliant.

First time fan experience on 08:36 - Dec 30 with 1285 views

seasidedale

What was the attendance announced v Fylde ?

First time fan experience on 09:04 - Dec 30 with 1256 views

Dalenet

First time fan experience on 08:36 - Dec 30 by seasidedale
What was the attendance announced v Fylde ?

4539, including 214 from Fylde.

First time fan experience on 11:38 - Dec 30 with 1128 views

49thseason

First time fan experience on 16:27 - Dec 29 by EllDale
I’ve mentioned this in the past about the PA but there are safety reasons why it has to be audible in all parts of the ground in case there’s an emergency. If it isn’t then the club are in breach of the Safety Certificate and shouldn’t really be opening the ground until it’s compliant.

Its probably fine if you switch it on and go and stand in the Sandy on a Tuesday morning with no crowd...8pm that night with a crowd is a different kettle of fish altogether.

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