Kids, quids and toilets

First up this issue, the good news. Credit where credit is due, WFC have once again decided to have another ‘Kids for a Quid’ day. This is due to take place on February 19th when we play Oldham and juniors will be admitted to the PGS for £1. Also on a positive note female supporters will be admitted into the same stand for £5 (a saving of £8 on the usual adult admission price). As a further incentive, women will receive a free half time draw ticket, the prize being two £35 vouchers to spend at Carden Park Health & Beauty Centre. On the down side, while the above information was printed in the programme for the Wycombe home game, and will hopefully have appeared prominently in the press, it is a pity that it was not advertised on the electronic scoreboard. I feel the club is really missing out on maximising the use of what is a highly visible publicity machine. (Remember that not everyone reads the Leader or buys the programme). The type and quality of information that could be posted on the scoreboard is almost infinite: detailed ticket info, Away Travel details, and new lines on sale in the club shop. This is vital information that the club should be aware that fans need…yet so often we only get basic details (if any) with a message to contact the shop for more info.

Further to the comments regarding signage in the new Pryce Griffiths toilets, I would like to draw readers’ attention to the positive steps that have been taken in the Sainsbury’s Stand. Last season I conducted an analysis of the general condition of these facilities and found them to be frankly embarrassing. Poor lighting, lack of hot water, no soap or drying provision, pools on the floor and soggy toilet rolls in the cubicles, and that was just the Gents. Since then, improvements have been made and these facilities have been dragged into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st. No longer do you have to urinate into a channel against the wall hoping your feet stay dry; there are now nice shiny stainless steel urinals lining the walls. Also I can report that hand-dryers have appeared, although there was still no soap and hot water last time I looked and unfortunately the soggy loo roll is still in existence. Come on WFC - you’ve obviously put some effort into improving these facilities. Pay a bit more attention to detail (ie. clean and service them regularly) and you might just have facilities that fans won’t be unhappy to use.

Finally, returning to the subject of concessionary tickets for children, comments in the Wycombe programme acknowledged that tickets are provided to schools both by the club and the Football in the Community Scheme. Again though, why not publicise this? When the club gets so much bad press regarding its public relations (some of it justified, some not) then a little bit of ‘blowing one’s own trumpet’ is more than acceptable where something positive is being done. Again why not use the scoreboard to ‘welcome the children from x or y school’ to the Racecourse etc, and make them actually feel at home.

Paul Lindsay

If you have any WFC PR ‘highs’ or ‘lows’ you’d like us to publicise please get in touch.