So if we of the loyal five hundred or so can't be bothered what chance is there for attracting new blood?

We, the loyal five hundred, can be bothered to pay our money and attend matches.
However most of us can't be bothered to attend meetings.
The two are separate.

Perhaps the explanation is that we expect the management to have all the bases covered themselves through their experience in the game and running a business.
We are mainly spectators, we just want to watch and be entertained with no strings attached. We don't want to be running a club.

Attracting new blood is possible and depends on marketing and having a good product and having a demand.
There is not much demand for Championship rugby and the sport is dying ... even though the quality of play is excellent.

I admire the people who manage rugby league clubs.
Perhaps the RFL can breathe fresh life into the sport via a new format, otherwise our demise is inevitable.

New spectators and interest will only come with success and that is a Catch 22 situation ... we can't afford it.

We need to be more competitive next season, even that will only add 200/300 to the gate.

But we have done OK this season and we had a fair side to watch.

PS
The lack of interest in the Whitehaven game on here and lack of forecasts and expectations and any buzz speaks volumes.
And we are a subset of the loyal 500.

We could start by being positive about the future and talking up the club to friends, nieghbours, work mates etc. You are right in saying we need good marketing etc but everyone can do their little bit. If only a quarter of us could encourage one more person to attend that would be a great start.

Just about everyone I know is made aware I am a Dons fan, I don't keep it a secret.
I do tell them rugby is great...
....they sympathise in the main.

My brothers used to be Dons fans, I however kept going to watch.
I know lots of people who used to be Dons fans ... they might have a look very occasionally ... but essentially they are lost.

Will be trying to get to the game this week if I can get a lift from Thorne as the wife is working and needs the car. Have not been to many games this season has we still go to our caravan on the coast and its still a bolt hole for the wife to escape to after slogging it on the wards. She finnishes next June so will def try to get to a few more games. Havent been on here for ages but could not get logged on for ages but now have a super dooper new computer and still getting the hang of it. Hope the Dons have a good match and touch wood they always seem to play well when I go, just ask Weighman.

Thet will ceratinly be some Free Press coverage of the Dons this week. Carl, Tony and Ray came out to open for a new gym for the charity I work for. This was a fantastic gesture. Carl was great. He phoned back as soon as he got the email.

So I do have to stand up for the guys on this one and say what a great piece of PR.

Does anybody know who is now sports editor at the free press. At the last Rovers game there we're a group of Rovers fans campaigning for Pete Catt, as he had lost his job as sports editor.

So I was surprised to see Pete at the Dons game the following day. He said he was still doing a little work for them.

With Pete, who attended all dons home games, no longer sports editor, it makes you wonder what the coverage will be next season. Its discusting that there is no preview when we are in the playoffs. If Pete is there today, i shall ask him why there was no coverage, but he possibly wont be able to answer if he is no longer the editor

There are two problems over coverage in the Free Press. One is that Peter Catt who covered Dons matches has been sacked by Johnston Press who own the Free Press. The other is that the small number of people running the club have enough to do without adding the job of providing copy to appear in the paper. The Free Press will generally publish material about local clubs if it is sent to them. Is there anybody among our small group of dedicated fans who could spare up to an hour a week to put together an article and email it to the Free Press? I am sure that Carl Hall and the others would gladly provide the information for the article. I would volunteer but I already do more than enough jobs to occupy my spare time.

I would quite happily have a go, if information was passed forward to me.

Back page article in todays Free Press, contribution from Tony Miller on this weekends game .