[grewer9]

I urge the club to rethink charging additional costs for families wishing to sit in the Cemetery End as opposed to re-locating to the main stand.
For the last two seasons I have been taking my now 6 year old son to all home games, then last season also taking my wife along too, £22.00 two adults, one child. My son absolutely loves the atmosphere of the cemetery end, the singing, the shouting, the drum banging…Albeit, nowadays, nothing like it was when I was a kid, but he loves it all the same, as do a lot of his other friends , in and around the same age bracket. If we now have to re-locate to the main stand (to keep within the family budget), I know my son will not enjoy his visits to Gigg as much as he would sitting with the “noisy” crowd. It’s a case of “You can look, but you can’t join in” (unless we pay more money !). This move would probably put him off wanting to go to anymore matches, as I know for a boy of his age, joining in the singing and general “in the crowd” fun, is what going to the match is all about…If he just has to sit in the main stand and watch the crowd, without being able to join in, ‘cos his mum & dad are too tight to cough up the extra cash, it really isn’t helping the cause of trying to secure the support of future fans.
I am fully aware that there can be bad language, smoking, over zealous shouting…..but to be honest, unless you choose to sit directly next to a smoker / swearer / over-zealous shouter, there is no reason at all that any parent should feel that they need to re-locate to the main stand to avoid this, there are always plenty of other seats to sit on !
I personally think that family tickets should be available for the Cemy end aswell as the main stand at NO extra charge……Keep the children interested, we want them to keep wanting to come to the game (even if it is only to join in the singing & shouting).

[mick]

Totaly agree, come on bury FC please listen to the fans,

[Joy Hart]

Correct.

[craig]

I agree. It's time that the people at the top end listened to the ones that know best about what the fans want...ie. the fans!!

According to Mr Doweck, the fans are the shining jewel in the crown, so wouldn't this be the perfect start on the road to proving that?

[Chriso]

I couldn't agree more. I rasied the same point back at renewal time in April/May. I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to pay for my son to go in the Cemmy end but I think there will be a lot who can't/won't go in the the family stand and the atmosphere (what little there is) is likely to be none-existent next season.

Gordon could you pass these comments on to the powers that be for an official response?

[Eaves_wig]

Quite right.

We should allow kids in for peanuts in all areas of the ground including the away end. Get ourselves a REPUTATION in the town and the wider football world as a club that really encourages families and the next generation of fans to come and watch football in what is, compared to other grounds, a generally healthy, safe environment.

We've always come up against short term economics, but if the new chairman is really committed to new ideas and restructring the way the club operates he could not find a better place to start.

I always harp on about it but when I was a kid and we had those £10 junior season tickets I watched matches with about 10 mates from school (united and city fans amongst them) when that ended it when down to me and two others again.

The lifetime value of a fan recruited as a kid is immense, tickets, merchandise, half time refreshments. We can't afford to lose any.

[Stevo]

Speaking as someone who was dragged along from an early age (don't ask me how much it cost in those days, I have no idea!!), I would imagine that very cheap prices would encourage far more parents to bring kids along - especially if it was in the form of season tickets - it has to be much easier to have everything paid for at the start of the season.

Once you get it in the blood there's no getting rid of it!

[grewer9]

Thanks for the support chaps...............

Todays child is tomorrows loyal supporter (and possible future investor) !

[Joy Hart]

So many say that they cannot afford to go,especially if the team are not performing.........and for youngsters who might have a spare hour or so on a Saturday they would not dream of going to Gigg because either
a)they think that they cannot afford it or
b)the match hasn't been publisised well enough for them to even realise that they are playing at home or,
c)the parents think that they cannot afford it.

[Efng]

My lad's not got a season ticket this year because they put the price up for me and him to sit in the South stand and then had the cheek to say that they didn't want kids running around in that part of the ground.
I wont bore you all again with my Brentford away on a Tuesday night story, but my lad and indeed his mate DON'T run around and for the first time don't have a season ticket either.

[Maria]

I totally agree with Joy's comments.
Come On BURY FC, listen to what the fans have to say.
They are talking about the FUTURE FANS so
"GRAB 'EM NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE"


PS.
Will it still be a quid a kid this season too.??????

[frogtop]

couldn't agree more, Mr. Grewer. Why do we need a dedicated family stand, anyway? Or why not have a family section in both the cemy end and the main stand? If you take kids (as I do), and you are bothered about the language etc. in the Cemy End, go in the main stand. If, like me, you think that the language in the Cemy End is no worse than they would hear at school, or out on the street, go in the Cemy End.

OR

Why not kids for a quid or two anywhere, with the appropriate price for accompanying adults?

[Keithh]

Could not agree more and only sugested an exter £1 to transfer because I thought bury were more likely to go for it this way.

[hokiedokie]

Totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mick]

"The club belongs to the fans and they are the ones that you have to look after"

The words of our new chairman, so hows about it Mr Chairman the majority of FANS seem to want the family stand remaining in the cemetery end. will the club persist in ignoring the FANS? will they listen to them?
or are your words just just empty rhetoric!

Its over to you

[rezmole]

Well, i'm happy with the family stand moving back to the main stand - the view is far better than that from the old family stand in the Cemmy End - corner or South Stand.

Or course, i would prefer to be able to sit anywhere in the ground. Given the choice, i'd have probably bought myself a season ticket in the South Stand if i could've got one for my son for £25 in there. Unfortunately i couldn't.

Previously, i was in the Exec club, but have had to forgo that due to a child's season ticket costing £350 - with my £500+, that was beyond me.

But, having said all this, £25 for a junior season ticket is pretty good value I reckon.

[Fairplay]

[i]So hows about it Mr Chairman the majority of FANS seem to want the family stand remaining in the cemetery end. will the club persist in ignoring the FANS? will they listen to them?
or are your words just just empty rhetoric!

Its over to you

Jesus.... the blokes only been in the job a week and he's getting pressure and sh1te thrown at him already!

Gobbing off and insinuating that he may ignore the FANS (your caps) and that crass 'empty rhetoric' comment won't do anyone any good.

[mick]

Whatever...........

[frogtop]

I don't think it's "gobbing off", really, is it?

It's a reasonable question to ask. We all know he must have one or two other things to do at the minute, but you can't walk into a job and say "I'm gonna do this, that and the other", then once installed, add "at some point in the future".

Also, think of the positives. If he sorts this out before the season starts, it will show the public of Bury that there is indeed change in the air.

[Waldo]

Freedom of speech is still around and It is obvious that the majority of the fans on this board want to retain the area of the Cemmy End as the family stand. Why upset the applecart before the start of the season? If you take away the families that went in the Cemmy End last season you will end up with a Cemmy End backing on to a cemetry with more sound coming from the cemetry.
Last season I took my 2 children in there for 95% of the games that were played at home (including Friendlies) and they loved it, why change something that works, with the 'new' Bury under 'new management' the support in the Cemmy End 'with families' will get bigger and more vociferous.
As well as all this a club needs its noisiest support from behind one of the goalposts, we will be slated from even more away fans for lack of supporters if the current proposal to move the families goes ahead. Take the families out of the Cemmy End and you will empty it!
I remember in the old days that we used to sing that the Cemmy End was harder than the Kop!!!

[Ed Aches]

Until 5 away fans would 'run it' and the cemmy end would scatter!!.... And for what it's worth, I find that those I take, prefer the Main Stand to the Cemmy End as the Family Stand. Better view and less bad language.

[trishg]

I think they should keep the family stand in the cemmy end,me and my family prefer it there. I didn't like it in the main stand.Please please keep it in the cemmy end

[Ed Aches]

Or of course, since there's always loads of room, the whole ground should be a family stand. Quid a kid or fiver a kid anywhere. Everyone will be happy...............won't they?

[Cocktail_Shaker]

Quite right.

The kids coming to Bury are the future supporters of the club.

Without them Bury f.c. is finished.

I urge the management to listen to the supporters instead of this bury-our-heads-in-the-sand, we know best, attitude. (no pun intended).

[rezmole]

I think you are still missing the point. The Cemmy End IS NOT the family stand. The family stand is ONLY supposed to be the bit in the corner. Therefore, moving the family stand to the Main Stand shouldn't make any difference to the numbers in the area behind the goal - unless there have been lots of people abusing the "family stand tickets".

As for quid a kid - there is no point to this - £25 for a junior family stand ticket works out at just over a quid a game anyway.

23 games for £25 seems like extremely good value to me - and it creates more incentive for kids to turn up more often.

I would, however, prefer it if the £25 tickets could be used anywhere in the ground. I would have preferred to buy a ticket in the South Stand - but for the cost of the junior tickets in there. My friend started to bring his lad with him last season. He had a reserved seat in the South Stand. To take advantage of the £25 junior ticket, he has to move from his mates. Far better for him to have been able to stay where he was and STILL be able to take his lad at the reduced cost - this would held to build on the "social" side of going to a match - which, in the long run, would probably help increase the size of gates.