Memo to Citizen Smith

It is probably fair to say that the appointment, in early April, of new Commercial Manager Christian Smith came as something of a surprise to most people. Reading between the lines it was apparent that something was afoot when new director Geoff Farrell was interviewed by the Daily Post a couple of weeks before and made a number of bold statements regarding improving the commercial side of matters and increasing revenue from corporate sponsorship next season. While I'm unaware of the terms of Cindy Toth's contract, it looks as though she was appointed as a caretaker - to keep the seat warm until the right person became available, following Allan Thomas' resignation. For once it does look as though WFC have made a good choice and Smith's credentials for the job do appear to be excellent.

I don't want to tell Mr Smith how to do his job but, given the appalling nature of matchday crowds and the fact that he is obviously new to the Wrexham area, I have decided to revisit a number of suggestions put forward by supporters in the past which he may like to peruse in the context of revenue-generation.

Match tickets and promotions:

This is an area that has been a bone of contention for longer than I care to remember and in which the club has admittedly made some half- hearted attempts to rectify things. 'Kid-a-quid' events have been mildly successful but they are not regular enough, nor do they apply to all parts of the ground - just the PGS. In this respect the club is unfairly dictating where one can watch the match from. In addition, the club provides a good package of one adult ticket and one child ticket for £15 or one adult/two children for £19 in the Sainsburys Stand only. Why not make offers such as this available to the Kop. By offering flexibility you will attract people who may not want to sit down especially, but who may be attracted by a better deal on the Kop. I feel that good as the above offer is, it is not publicised enough. Admittedly it is tucked away in the matchday programme with the admission price list, but I think it should be promoted better. Secondly, the old chestnut of student discounts. This has been tried once or twice this season, although the first match the club chose coincided with the weekend prior to the start of the spring term, when most students are travelling around the country - so was of little use to anyone. Why not offer students junior prices to get into any part of the ground on production of their NUS card. Oh, and one other thing! Publicise it properly. There is absolutely no point in instituting a scheme and only telling people via the local evening paper the day before. This is something that needs properly publicising via college posters and websites, student magazines, press releases to colleges etc. Wrexham, as I have mentioned before, is a growing student town and hopes for full university status in the not too distant future. If experiences from my own university days are anything to go by, students will attend football matches and will be more inclined to do so if they perceive they are able to afford it. Some of them might even come back!

Parking facilities:

The club has at its disposal a large car park that is currently an under-used asset. It is less than a ten-minute walk from the town centre and also on the route of the Town Link circular bus service. With parking currently a big issue in Wrexham town centre, and with problems regarding non-residents parking in surrounding residential areas - there may be scope for offering the club's car park on a pay-and-display or attended basis during the week for a nominal charge of maybe 50p per day. The temporary car park on Regent Street only five minutes down the road (next to the PO sorting office) which currently charges £1 per day is well used Monday to Saturday and the club may find that by offering the Racecourse as a cheaper alternative, it's able to generate extra income.

Still on the subject of the car park, the Supporters Club and its previous incarnation, Wrexham Revival, have held car boot sales in the past on the car park on Sundays. While there are other established car boot sales taking place around Wrexham, would it not be possible to investigate the feasibility of reviving these? They could be held on a weekly basis, possibly in conjunction with a Sunday market? I understand that this is an avenue that Walsall have pursued and which generates a great deal of income for the club.

Paul Lindsay