Sons' sorrow

[Jan Vojáček]

Why would any self respecting local business man or woman accept a minimal percentage?  We're approaching them and looking to use their premises to raise funds for our club (or business as they'll see it), they'd need to be batshit crazy to do it for a small percentage.  

 

The club sells tops at £35.  That figure isn't just made up, there are manufacturing costs with our profit added on top of that.  If a shop outside of the club was to sell these tops, we'd need to sell them to them:

 

A)  For less than our retail price, eating into our already small profit.

B)  For our retail price, meaning the shop would sell the tops for more than what the club was.

 

In the first instance we lose money.  In the second instance nobody buys a top from the shop because it's cheaper to buy at the club.  I'm all for fundraising ideas, I just really don't see the benefit of having some tops for sale in the high street.  Anyone who has ran a youth football team will know that football kits are not cheap to make, ours especially as it isn't an "off the shelf" design.  I'd be surprised if we made much out of our shirt sales.

I can only speak for my team, but we ordered our Joma kits from the same place as DFC get theirs (TTL) and the current DFC away kit is £14 with sponsor and badge - well that's what we paid for a very similar design. I'd imagine the home top will be a bit more on top of that - say £20 for a custom design - so aye, it doesn't give the club a great deal of profit from that. Certainly not enough to justify another % going to a middle man.

 

If the online shop was better stocked, or even we sold them through the TTL website we'd likely sell more. It's a cracking top, and (as a sad collector of obscure English football tops) it's one I'd fancy buying if I could and I wasn't a Sons fan and lived elsewhere.

 

The reason we don't sell a great deal of other stuff is that Sons fans don't generally buy a great deal of merchandise. I've had the same scarf since 2008 for example, and I suspect that's the same for a lot of our fans. I agree we maybe should try and bring some more stuff in - but as a group of fans we're unlikely to purchase a great deal. Probably not enough to justify the risk.

[Howlin' Wilf]

Strongly agree with the points being raised here. I was taken to my first game by my Dad as a five year old and the rest is history. The club was far friendlier then. Prices were very low for kids to get in, you could wander into Boghead on training nights to watch your heroes and chat to them whilst collecting autographs. I didn't dream of supporting anyone else.

Today's club appears to have different priorities. I'm consistently made to feel like an inconvenience when I ring the club for info. When told that I have to attend the ground, I reply that I live a 2 hour flight away, and can I arrange for pick up on match day, the impatience is palpable.

Christ, look at the online shop. I can't even buy a top or a scarf as a present.

The club appears to see itself as a business that doesn't need to open it's doors to the community to encourage future custom. A strange business model. The club in the Boghead days was far more welcoming.

Aye there are elements of truth in what you say and I have witnessed the shoddy way that some supporters have been treated. We're really in trouble though, if the public interface of the club under John Hosie and then Alex Wright is seen as preferable to now. Both guys were committed to DFC but, in neither case were people skills their forte. Both excelled at making people feel like an inconvenience. Having said that, I knew Alex very well and he was a great guy once you got to know him.

I think it's probably a case of things at DFC haven't kept pace with people's (reasonable) expectations and that the ways of old just won't do any more. Merchandise shouldn't be too difficult to organise and should have decent margins if buying is done well.

[Howlin' Wilf]

Bring back the halcyon days of Tyrrell Sports and his stock of Dumbarton strips !

Aye and the pipe band for big matches, guys selling macaroon bars and spearmint and Sellick fans peeing into Beer cans and throwing them at the ref.

[Jumbo Muir]

I had few dealings with Mr Wright but found him friendly enough. I had more dealings with Mr Hosie and found him an affable gent. I was was only a lad and he treated my Dad and I well.

[The Moonster]

I can only speak for my team, but we ordered our Joma kits from the same place as DFC get theirs (TTL) and the current DFC away kit is £14 with sponsor and badge - well that's what we paid for a very similar design. I'd imagine the home top will be a bit more on top of that - say £20 for a custom design - so aye, it doesn't give the club a great deal of profit from that. Certainly not enough to justify another % going to a middle man.

 

If the online shop was better stocked, or even we sold them through the TTL website we'd likely sell more. It's a cracking top, and (as a sad collector of obscure English football tops) it's one I'd fancy buying if I could and I wasn't a Sons fan and lived elsewhere.

 

The reason we don't sell a great deal of other stuff is that Sons fans don't generally buy a great deal of merchandise. I've had the same scarf since 2008 for example, and I suspect that's the same for a lot of our fans. I agree we maybe should try and bring some more stuff in - but as a group of fans we're unlikely to purchase a great deal. Probably not enough to justify the risk.

 

Indeed and your last point is a good one.  Fair enough there are a few folk who are still looking to buy some stuff but I'd say the majority of people who are going to buy anything of the merch we have will already have done so, which I imagine is the reason for the limited stock (or non-existent stock) i.e. the club don't want to buy in a bunch of stock that will be written off at the end of the season.  Understandably frustrating for the people who want to buy stuff now though.

[Howlin' Wilf]

I had few dealings with Mr Wright but found him friendly enough. I had more dealings with Mr Hosie and found him an affable gent. I was was only a lad and he treated my Dad and I well.

John was great if you had your dad with you!

[Howlin' Wilf]

I had few dealings with Mr Wright but found him friendly enough. I had more dealings with Mr Hosie and found him an affable gent. I was was only a lad and he treated my Dad and I well.

Alex was great really but I heard him say things to folk working at the club and to members of the public enquiring-which made me cringe.

[cedrick1]

Right guys cmon .

Couple of decent results and a passionate performance at the week end and were laying off the team and back to havin a go at the board for the crowd being low ,not doing enough to get school kids in and not selling strips down the high street.

I'm as disappointed as us all at the crowds and feel they could do more to get kids in as said earlier but I'm not sure the selling strips in the HS has much mileage in it.

Cmon back to football

[The Moonster]

Right guys cmon .

Couple of decent results and a passionate performance at the week end and were laying off the team and back to havin a go at the board for the crowd being low ,not doing enough to get school kids in and not selling strips down the high street.

 

That's the way of it for Sons fans.  Can't slate the team?  Get stuck into the board, or the groundsman, or the floodlights, anything at all that will allow a good moan.

 

It's a good sign really, it means we're all quite happy with what we see on the pitch.

[BallochSonsFan]

Aye and the pipe band for big matches, guys selling macaroon bars and spearmint and Sellick fans peeing into Beer cans and throwing them at the ref.

 

Surely the standard of refereeing has improved and the modern day official wouldn't be deemed worthy of a can of pish lobbed from the stand?

[Scottylintonstowel]

Dumbarton is a small town with a shrinking population, low paid employment and a mass of people who would rather support the old firm. The support that it does have is ageing with fewer kids coming. In the old days all children were lifted over the turnstyle for nothing and before that all females were let in for free. Despite being in the championship for four seasons the support is dropping off with barely 600 Dumbarton fans turning up for home games. The gates have been boosted this season simply because that Rangers hibs and st Mirren are in the league. The board whilst not unfriendly do not go out of their way to attract customers. If we eventually get relegated we could be in danger of becoming like Cowdenbeath and struggling to attract 300 home supporters. Children are the life blood of the club and they and their mothers must be allowed in for free or the club could eventually die. No harm to those in charge but the club needs visionaries and not a lot of good old boys in suits who are friendly to their mates and don't really give a toss about the average or potential supporter.

[BallochSonsFan]

^{I wouldn't accuse the board of not giving a toss.}

 

^{Being out of touch with the modern era? Absolutely.}

 

^{But its not that they don't give a toss. They simply aren't ready for the modern era. They don't get that small gestures would go a long way to improving the way that fans perceive them. Even simple stuff like opening the club late one evening before an all ticket match to accommodate fans who can't get to the ground during office hours would be a start. Or having an open night during season ticket renewal time where fans could go to the stadium, renew tickets and maybe chat with directors (or the trust and maybe the manager). I know that Antonia would send tickets out if fans can't make it to pick them up before an all ticket game but its often the little things - opening at a time that suits fans - that can make folk feel valued.}

[Howlin' Wilf]

Right guys cmon .

Couple of decent results and a passionate performance at the week end and were laying off the team and back to havin a go at the board for the crowd being low ,not doing enough to get school kids in and not selling strips down the high street.

I'm as disappointed as us all at the crowds and feel they could do more to get kids in as said earlier but I'm not sure the selling strips in the HS has much mileage in it.

Cmon back to football

Aye you're right. 7 points from 9 in our last three home games, two of which were against the team occupying second place at the time is good going. It's also probably not the right time to have a go at the board. I can only imagine the effect that the sudden death of Gilbert has had behind the scenes. Well done to everyone for recent performances with only the tricky away day at Livvy falling short. Come on the Sons!

[Jumbo Muir]

Right guys cmon .

Couple of decent results and a passionate performance at the week end and were laying off the team and back to havin a go at the board for the crowd being low ,not doing enough to get school kids in and not selling strips down the high street.

I'm as disappointed as us all at the crowds and feel they could do more to get kids in as said earlier but I'm not sure the selling strips in the HS has much mileage in it.

Cmon back to football

I'm chuffed to bits that we're still punching above our weight, people are right on here when they say we should get right behind the team as there were some dismal times not so long ago.

I loved the passion and fight shown on Saturday, crowding around that wee clown Dallas, and then working so hard to the very end to get the goal. Loved it.

[cameron2000]

Anyone got attendance figures since we came up?

[albundy]

I'm chuffed to bits that we're still punching above our weight, people are right on here when they say we should get right behind the team as there were some dismal times not so long ago.

I loved the passion and fight shown on Saturday, crowding around that wee clown Dallas, and then working so hard to the very end to get the goal. Loved it.

 

On that note, has sonsational gone into hidding?

[Jan Vojáček]

Anyone got attendance figures since we came up?

 

Edit: Rangers obviously skew the stats slightly, but they have gone up a bit since we came up. But that'll mainly be down to Falkirk, QOS etc bringing a lot more fans than Brechin/Stirling Albion.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Sonsteam of 08

[aftershocker]

Selling tickets is an easy one - theres no need.

The majority of games are pay at the gate. Theres no need to sell tickets in advance.

As for selling replica tops etc, Dumbarton doesnt have a sports shop so I'm not sure where would sell Dumbarton merchandise?

It would be costly for the club to take on an outlet itself and I'm not sure there are any businesses in Dumbarton that would make an obvious retail partner. Its arguable that you could do some kind of deal where soft play centres or similar businesses could sell discounted family tickets, or even offer discounted tickets for every child who is registered with a football team in West Dunbartonshire. Then theres the possibility of offering family tickets through West Dunbartonshire Council gym membership. Or going on a major charm offensive with the local council and the whisky bottling plant as the area's major employers.

But ultimately thats a big risk if the only people who would take up such offers would be fans who would go to games anyway. I remember the Clan running a discount ticket offer in the first year or two of playing. Vouchers ended up being taken and used by existing fans rather than new fans so it didnt give the club any increased gates.[/quau

We actually do have a sports shop now....sports division

That said, I don't think trying to sell merchandise in the high Street is really a goer

I would like to see a better shop set up in the stadium....surely we could do a better job maybe cordoning off a small area and maybe having tops, scarf's etc actually out on show.... I'm sure we would sell more if it was properly visible

[Jan Vojáček]

On that note, has sonsational gone into hidding?

I suspect he wasn't at the Alloa or Falkirk games. Darned bad luck that he only turns up when we lose, eh?

[sonsanorak]

I hear there will be a revamped online shop for next season. Christian Nade branded dildos and Frazer Wright Y-fronts are just 2 items I've heard touted.

7 of one and one of the other please.