Sons' sorrow

[Frank Quitely]

39 minutes ago, pleslie99 said:

If we keep the same strip, where does the income from shirt sales come from? No one is going to buy a 2nd strip just for a new season. That’s why clubs do it, to maximise income. He’s not as many will sell, but more will sell than the current seasons being kept for another season. I would be amazed if we didn’t change it.

Yep, I buy a new suit every time I attend a wedding or a funeral, and a new novelty jumper every Xmas.  Aye, right.

We've got a pair of the best strips in UK football so why couldn't they run for a second season instead of continually ripping off the supporters ?

[microdave]

Early bird season tickets at this year's prices are on sale until 12th May when they'll be increased. 

https://dumbartonfootballclub.com/early-bird-season-tickets-now-available/

[pleslie99]

16 minutes ago, Frank Quitely said:

Yep, I buy a new suit every time I attend a wedding or a funeral, and a new novelty jumper every Xmas.  Aye, right.

We've got a pair of the best strips in UK football so why couldn't they run for a second season instead of continually ripping off the supporters ?

Maybe you don’t (I also don’t) but a large majority of football fans do. I agree our strips are outstanding however the club needs the money, releasing a new strip will bring in some. I wouldn’t class it as ripping supporters off, nearly every club up and down Britain do the exact same thing. If supporters want to buy it they can, if not they won’t. They aren’t exactly holding us to ransom over it 

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

1 hour ago, pleslie99 said:

If we keep the same strip, where does the income from shirt sales come from? No one is going to buy a 2nd strip just for a new season. That’s why clubs do it, to maximise income. He’s not as many will sell, but more will sell than the current seasons being kept for another season. I would be amazed if we didn’t change it.

We’ve kept the same kit for 2 seasons twice over the last decade so it isn’t outwith the realms of possibilty that it will happen again, especially with a popular strip like our current one. 

The suggestion of a 3rd kit would go some way to plugging the gap of releasing a new home and away top and should be under serious consideration IMO. We’d also earn extra money from the addition of sponsors which we don’t have this season.

[BallochSonsFan]

Club announced early prices for season tickets at the same £200 as this year.

Going to be unpopular with this one, but I think they've got the decision wrong.

We're in a cost of living crisis. Fans are still being squeezed by poor pay offers and high living costs. Any increase in prices would be a burden on fans, but given that the club is still in a promotion chase, is a £200 season ticket the right price for next season?

Inflation is still sitting at over 10%. The club has to meet the increased costs it incurs the same way that fans do. I think we should have increased the adult season ticket cost, but not by a huge amount. I'd have gone to £15. That would have been a decent balance for me between club finances and fam wallets. £15 for every adult season ticket. That could have raised £5k or there about. That's money that could help with signings. Or that could make a big difference in our budget for maintaining the pitch.

I know that nobody likes a price rise and that the idea of increasing season ticket prices won't be popular, but I'd have increased them and done it on the basis that we could do some good with the money. Even if we don't go up, £5k at a club like ours could help with our horror show pitch. Would anyone grudge £15 a season if it meant not playing on a rotten tattie field of a park?

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by BallochSonsFan

[The Moonster]

1 hour ago, pleslie99 said:

Maybe you don’t (I also don’t) but a large majority of football fans do. I agree our strips are outstanding however the club needs the money, releasing a new strip will bring in some. I wouldn’t class it as ripping supporters off, nearly every club up and down Britain do the exact same thing. If supporters want to buy it they can, if not they won’t. They aren’t exactly holding us to ransom over it 

"A large majority" of Sons fans do not buy a new top every year. When it's your off the shelf designs (as I imagine any new top would be) it's only really the die-hards and try-hards who buy our strips. Anyone who forked out for both beautifully bespoke tops this year will be unlikely to help themselves to a standard design strip in the summer, IMO. 

[George Parr]

21 minutes ago, BallochSonsFan said:

Club announced early prices for season tickets at the same £200 as this year.

Going to be unpopular with this one, but I think they've got the decision wrong.

We're in a cost of living crisis. Fans are still being squeezed by poor pay offers and high living costs. Any increase in prices would be a burden on fans, but given that the club is still in a promotion chase, is a £200 season ticket the right price for next season?

Inflation is still sitting at over 10%. The club has to meet the increased costs it incurs the same way that fans do. I think we should have increased the adult season ticket cost, but not by a huge amount. I'd have gone to £15. That would have been a decent balance for me between club finances and fam wallets. £15 for every adult season ticket. That could have raised £5k or there about. That's money that could help with signings. Or that could make a big difference in our budget for maintaining the pitch.

I know that nobody likes a price rise and that the idea of increasing season ticket prices won't be popular, but I'd have increased them and done it on the basis that we could do some good with the money. Even if we don't go up, £5k at a club like ours could help with our horror show pitch. Would anyone grudge £15 a season if it meant not playing on a rotten tattie field of a park?

 

The early bird window is fairly tight - just 2.5 weeks and I expect the raise thereafter will be a fair bit more than £15 so it'll probably even out. An early bid rise would have been a very difficult sell given the catastrophic bottle job that's occurred over the last couple months. 

My sense is the club have got this right and I hope that's reflected in renewals/new customer uptake.

Edited April 26, 2023 by George Parr

[Sweet Pete]

Just had an email from the club that a group of teenage Stirling fans chased and assaulted the Young Sons who were 10 years old after the Stirling game. Fucking c***s.

[WattersIsGod]

3 minutes ago, Sweet Pete said:

Just had an email from the club that a group of teenage Stirling fans chased and assaulted the Young Sons who were 10 years old after the Stirling game. Fucking c***s.

That's totally unacceptable.

I think all decent fans would condemn stuff like that. 

[super-son]

12 minutes ago, Sweet Pete said:

Just had an email from the club that a group of teenage Stirling fans chased and assaulted the Young Sons who were 10 years old after the Stirling game. Fucking c***s.

Obviously this is out of order and nobody wants to see anyone hurt but to provide a bit of balance to this...

As I was leaving the ground after the final whistle on Saturday there was a group of young sons sprinting through the carpark towards the away fans end. If it was the same lot they probably invited it on a bit by doing that. Still unacceptable to he fighting 10 year olds though and they should really know better.

[Sweet Pete]

23 minutes ago, super-son said:

Obviously this is out of order and nobody wants to see anyone hurt but to provide a bit of balance to this...

As I was leaving the ground after the final whistle on Saturday there was a group of young sons sprinting through the carpark towards the away fans end. If it was the same lot they probably invited it on a bit by doing that. Still unacceptable to he fighting 10 year olds though and they should really know better.

I didn't witness any of this, but I'm not sure you can give adequate context to slapping primary school children.

[BallochSonsFan]

43 minutes ago, super-son said:

Obviously this is out of order and nobody wants to see anyone hurt but to provide a bit of balance to this...

As I was leaving the ground after the final whistle on Saturday there was a group of young sons sprinting through the carpark towards the away fans end. If it was the same lot they probably invited it on a bit by doing that. Still unacceptable to he fighting 10 year olds though and they should really know better.

The young fans are, mostly, a credit to themselves and the club. Unfortunately a few in their mid teens have reached an age where alcohol and poorer behaviour can be an issue. Sadly some of the much younger fans can become caught up in things and can suffer as a consequence.

For the small minority of dafties who head up to the away end at the final whistle to confront a minority of visiting dafties, that kind of nonsense is best cut out. You're not European style ultras. Its Dumbarton for f**k sake. Its not Lazio v Roma or Ajax v Feyenoord. Stop watching ultras videos on YouTube and fantasising about aggro with visiting fans. Its just nonsense.

[super-son]

34 minutes ago, Sweet Pete said:

I didn't witness any of this, but I'm not sure you can give adequate context to slapping primary school children.

Which is why I have said that it is unacceptable and they should know better.

[Sweet Pete]

31 minutes ago, BallochSonsFan said:

The young fans are, mostly, a credit to themselves and the club. Unfortunately a few in their mid teens have reached an age where alcohol and poorer behaviour can be an issue. Sadly some of the much younger fans can become caught up in things and can suffer as a consequence.

For the small minority of dafties who head up to the away end at the final whistle to confront a minority of visiting dafties, that kind of nonsense is best cut out. You're not European style ultras. Its Dumbarton for f**k sake. Its not Lazio v Roma or Ajax v Feyenoord. Stop watching ultras videos on YouTube and fantasising about aggro with visiting fans. Its just nonsense.

They're just young kids trying to have fun. I was doing far worse at their age. Going to the game should be fun. The sit down n shurrup, tartan blanket and werthers originals brigade have long since forgotten that and go along purely out of habit. They won't be around forever and younger fans from the local area are very much needed to keep the gates going into the future. Having them play a drum, megaphone, smoke cannister, chant and clap and bounce may not be to everyone's taste, but they're children enjoying themselves. As it should be.

[Sweet Pete]

2 hours ago, BallochSonsFan said:

Club announced early prices for season tickets at the same £200 as this year.

Going to be unpopular with this one, but I think they've got the decision wrong.

We're in a cost of living crisis. Fans are still being squeezed by poor pay offers and high living costs. Any increase in prices would be a burden on fans, but given that the club is still in a promotion chase, is a £200 season ticket the right price for next season?

Inflation is still sitting at over 10%. The club has to meet the increased costs it incurs the same way that fans do. I think we should have increased the adult season ticket cost, but not by a huge amount. I'd have gone to £15. That would have been a decent balance for me between club finances and fam wallets. £15 for every adult season ticket. That could have raised £5k or there about. That's money that could help with signings. Or that could make a big difference in our budget for maintaining the pitch.

I know that nobody likes a price rise and that the idea of increasing season ticket prices won't be popular, but I'd have increased them and done it on the basis that we could do some good with the money. Even if we don't go up, £5k at a club like ours could help with our horror show pitch. Would anyone grudge £15 a season if it meant not playing on a rotten tattie field of a park?

 

The club post says explicitly that the £200 price is only until 12th May and will rise after that date.

[BallochSonsFan]

4 hours ago, Sweet Pete said:

They're just young kids trying to have fun. I was doing far worse at their age. Going to the game should be fun. The sit down n shurrup, tartan blanket and werthers originals brigade have long since forgotten that and go along purely out of habit. They won't be around forever and younger fans from the local area are very much needed to keep the gates going into the future. Having them play a drum, megaphone, smoke cannister, chant and clap and bounce may not be to everyone's taste, but they're children enjoying themselves. As it should be.

There's fun.

Then there's going to confront the away fans after the game. That's not great.

[Sweet Pete]

26 minutes ago, BallochSonsFan said:

There's fun.

Then there's going to confront the away fans after the game. That's not great.

I highly doubt 10 year olds were "confronting" anyone.

[BallochSonsFan]

3 hours ago, Sweet Pete said:

I highly doubt 10 year olds were "confronting" anyone.

They weren't.

Older teenagers were. The 10 year olds just happened to be in the wrong place when visiting young dafties decided they were going to chase some young Sons fans.

[TullyBascombe]

As a committed coward who has always departed the first sign of football-related conflict like a sprinter on the 'b' of 'bang', there was something faintly enjoyable about watching the Sons kids running up Castle Road alongside the East Fife supporters' bus employing some hand gestures I don't think I even knew at that age. 

[WC Boggs]

You can't not know that it's a 10 year old that you are hitting.  There's no excuse for it and no condemnation too strong for that degree of cowardice and thuggery.