Kids and away travel

Credit where credit is due. Cindy, our new Commercial Manager is now settled into her post, and is already making her presence felt. The promotional 'kids for a quid' scheme was revived against Wycombe recently. Now, generally speaking, I can't help feeling this scheme would have more impact on a Saturday afternoon under normal circumstances as opposed to week nights (when things are more rushed and children have more pressures of homework etc). However, to be fair, on this occasion it did coincide with the October half-term holidays so I shouldn't complain, although this issue is probably worth bearing in mind in for the future. For what its worth, my opinion is that the best games to attract the kids to are those against the more attractive sides in the division, where a half-decent crowd might be expected anyway, thus providing a hopefully better atmosphere - one which the young supporters might hopefully want to experience again. In addition, a crowd- pulling game is more likely to attract the floating adult supporter, who would possibly then come along with his/her offspring to see the game as well. The second excellent and recently-introduced initiative relates to the new away travel scheme, where members who travel to three away games get to visit the fourth for free. This is potentially a big money-saver for supporters and would certainly encourage me to utilise the Away Travel club on a more frequent basis.

On a less positive note, two matters of concern: the ongoing replica shirt saga last batch of inscribed bricks. With regard to the former, obviously everyone knows by now that the company originally subcontracted to produce the shirts went into liquidation and that, following the initial delivery, the priority was obviously to get the team kitted out. I understand that Cindy has even been up to Scotland herself to collect a batch of shirts, so it would appear that the club has done everything it reasonably can. Frustrating as it has been for those fans who have not been able to get hold of a shirt, it has obviously been so for the club as well, as they have been denied a source of income from replica shirt purchases. It does appear to be, unfortunately, just one of those things, but one that, hopefully, the club will take into account, next time Super League come looking for a shirt contract. The final point concerns the brick saga and the apparent lack of progress regarding the last missing batch of bricks. I do not propose to dwell on this subject as the editor of this publication, himself one of the unfortunate victims of this mess, has discussed the matter at length in the Wrexham Mail. What is unfortunate is the lack of feedback from the club to those supporters who bought their bricks the best part of two years ago. If anyone from the club would care to respond, a number of people would be very grateful.

Paul Lindsay

It is now Red Passion’s policy to forward copies of this regular PR column to the club in the hope that it may feel able to respond to matters raised. So, the club has just received photocopies of the PR columns published in RP Issues 13-19. Watch this space!