Colesman Ballz
Very well known Exeweb poster
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2014
- Messages
- 14,846
Ok now that we've finally got a proper away end (after 117 years) surely we need to be proactive in promoting it to away fans ?
The Club Website does have a page for visiting fans, but this urgently needs updating now the Redevelopment has been completed. Also it is definitely more "Baedecker" than "Rough Guide" or "Lonely Planet" as travel guides go. Extolling the virtues of cultural institutions such as the splendid museum, and the Cathedral are all very well, but don't actually address the priorities for the majority of fans. They would be far more interested to learn of plethora of restaurants, places to drink and variety of nightlife available. I can understand the Club wanting to plug Flybe, the Mercure hotel and even Apple taxis as their "partners", but surely we can do a bit better ?
One or two on these boards should be applauded for making a start by getting the ball rolling with news of redevelopment to general football sites, but there are plenty of other things that could be done. A few clubs in League 2 have volunteer Away Fan Liaison Officers, could the Trust or Supporters Club consider picking up the baton in this respect ?
Ideally it would be great to not only contact the visiting clubs but also post a guide on their fans forums a few weeks in advance of fixtures. There is plenty to be stressed, Fan owned Club, geared to fans, friendly welcome, the Centre Spot (definitely NOT forgetting Fecrace with it's range of real ale and ciders), Red Square, with great local food from Kenniford Farm, Club Shop, and outdoor bar etc and I am sure you can think of others. Avoid making it "starchy", light and humorous should be the order of the day, with click on links to accommodation providers etc to avoid it being too long.
Increased away followings would further boost the match day "experience" for all, but it's a long old way to come. We know Exeter is a great place, but lets get the message out there. The ultimate aim should be to make an away game at Exeter, a fixture that other fans look out for, and start planning for, when the fixtures come out. After all we have those ourselves (even if they do prove fruitless in terms of league points !).
The Club Website does have a page for visiting fans, but this urgently needs updating now the Redevelopment has been completed. Also it is definitely more "Baedecker" than "Rough Guide" or "Lonely Planet" as travel guides go. Extolling the virtues of cultural institutions such as the splendid museum, and the Cathedral are all very well, but don't actually address the priorities for the majority of fans. They would be far more interested to learn of plethora of restaurants, places to drink and variety of nightlife available. I can understand the Club wanting to plug Flybe, the Mercure hotel and even Apple taxis as their "partners", but surely we can do a bit better ?
One or two on these boards should be applauded for making a start by getting the ball rolling with news of redevelopment to general football sites, but there are plenty of other things that could be done. A few clubs in League 2 have volunteer Away Fan Liaison Officers, could the Trust or Supporters Club consider picking up the baton in this respect ?
Ideally it would be great to not only contact the visiting clubs but also post a guide on their fans forums a few weeks in advance of fixtures. There is plenty to be stressed, Fan owned Club, geared to fans, friendly welcome, the Centre Spot (definitely NOT forgetting Fecrace with it's range of real ale and ciders), Red Square, with great local food from Kenniford Farm, Club Shop, and outdoor bar etc and I am sure you can think of others. Avoid making it "starchy", light and humorous should be the order of the day, with click on links to accommodation providers etc to avoid it being too long.
Increased away followings would further boost the match day "experience" for all, but it's a long old way to come. We know Exeter is a great place, but lets get the message out there. The ultimate aim should be to make an away game at Exeter, a fixture that other fans look out for, and start planning for, when the fixtures come out. After all we have those ourselves (even if they do prove fruitless in terms of league points !).