6/08/22 - L1: OUFC v Cambridge United

[Manorlounger]

I don't often criticise the club, and certainly don't like doing it, but I'm far from alone in feeling the summer has been poor from a ticketing, commercial, and marketing perspective.

In no particular order we have had the following:

Season tickets went on sale later than many other clubs, and missed the optimism that could have come from selling while last season was ongoing and we were winning games.
The ludicrous decision to prevent potential new season ticket holders from buying a ticket until July, by which time we'd had two months of no transfer activity and a malaise among the fanbase setting in.
The poor marketing of prices staying the same when in fact they went up in most cases.
The amateurish £10 charge for a physical card when anyone with an ounce of sales/marketing nouse would have promoted it as a £10 reduction if you go digital.
The Britannia Lounge debacle, which then had to be scrapped.
The inability of the marketing team to get a shirt sponsor.

I could go on, and there's one other element of incompetence that I'll keep to myself for reasons of confidentiality, where some very low hanging fruit was jeopardised (and nearly lost) by incompetence and a lack of communication from those responsible for it, so I can't see how the club's summer (in)actions can be described as anything other than poor. I watched on as other clubs were publishing strong season ticket sales all summer and we weren't even making them available to prospective new customers.

Sorry PRB, I'm as positive as the next man, but the club has been poor in so many areas that aren't even that difficult to get right!

Here, here. It is high time that the club upped it's game. With a new stadium on the horizon, it's imperative that the club look to hire real professionals to run the marketing and business side of the club. There will be enormous potential with a new stadium and the right personnel need to be in place long before the club moves.
It should be an embarrassment to have all these failures pointed out by people not even employed by the club.

It may interest some to learn that the head of marketing for the club, Tom Law, left his role yesterday.

 

[Marked Ox]

Here, here. It is high time that the club upped it's game. With a new stadium on the horizon, it's imperative that the club look to hire real professionals to run the marketing and business side of the club. There will be enormous potential with a new stadium and the right personnel need to be in place long before the club moves.
It should be an embarrassment to have all these failures pointed out by people not even employed by the club.

It may interest some to learn that the head of marketing for the club, Tom Law, left his role yesterday.

Maybe this is on the agenda for the new director.

 

[Manorlounger]

Maybe this is on the agenda for the new director.

Good point. I wonder if this is as a result of his influence already?

 

[Scotchegg]

Good point. I wonder if this is as a result of his influence already?

He has been due to move on for some time, but maybe an indication of someone not fully committed.

 

[Manorlounger]

He has been due to move on for some time, but maybe an indication of someone not fully committed.

Judging by his history, no. Seems to move on after a relatively short time in a job, perhaps marketing is not really his thing?

 

[OxfordYankee]

Judging by his history, no. Seems to move on after a relatively short time in a job, perhaps marketing is not really his thing?

View attachment 9709

Welcome to the modern workplace.

 

[Scotchegg]

Judging by his history, no. Seems to move on after a relatively short time in a job, perhaps marketing is not really his thing?

View attachment 9709

In fairness, that's the way of the modern world with very few people staying in a job for life these days. However on that point, it's my 27th anniversary in the Prison Service today!!! Not all heroes wear capes!!!!

 

[battman]

Judging by his history, no. Seems to move on after a relatively short time in a job, perhaps marketing is not really his thing?

View attachment 9709

That seems perfectly reasonable to me, almost no one has one job for life anymore.

 

[Pooleox]

I know I’m going to get a load of stick. But what a load of moaners on this forum! For goodness sake enjoy the good times with OUFC. They are doing what they think are the best for the club. Yes I am a season ticket holder as are my children and my grand children. Since KR became the manager it’s the most positive I’ve felt about the club for a long time.

 

[Polox]

Here, here. It is high time that the club upped it's game. With a new stadium on the horizon, it's imperative that the club look to hire real professionals to run the marketing and business side of the club. There will be enormous potential with a new stadium and the right personnel need to be in place long before the club moves.
It should be an embarrassment to have all these failures pointed out by people not even employed by the club.

It may interest some to learn that the head of marketing for the club, Tom Law, left his role yesterday.

Agree with this. Chris Williams does a really good job as comms where he is an authentic voice of the fans as well as a excellent professional. But the rest of the marketing/commercial side seems to be a revolving door of second raters with no connection to the club.

They could do a lot worse than advertise vacancies to the fan base among whom, I suspect, there is considerable expertise.

 

[Foley]

With, hopefully the new ground on the horizon and the need to get as big crowds as possible ( and the claim. That the owners want a 'top 30 club'), the marketing needs to go up a notch or two.
I would think that the owners will be looking to really improve on this side of the club

 

[Northstandboy]

Agree with this. Chris Williams does a really good job as comms where he is an authentic voice of the fans as well as a excellent professional. But the rest of the marketing/commercial side seems to be a revolving door of second raters with no connection to the club.

They could do a lot worse than advertise vacancies to the fan base among whom, I suspect, there is considerable expertise.

CW is fantastic, his interviews are great.

But investment in a new mic is needed.

 

[MarkG]

One of the things I liked from Goodrham's interview was that when he and Jones came on, he said if he had a chance to shoot he would do.

Modern football will probably train out that excitement of running through the defence and in on goal, in favour of passing the ball around outside the box trying to find someone in a better position, before we lose the ball and it's back in our own half again.

 

[BDJ]

I don't often criticise the club, and certainly don't like doing it, but I'm far from alone in feeling the summer has been poor from a ticketing, commercial, and marketing perspective.

In no particular order we have had the following:

Season tickets went on sale later than many other clubs, and missed the optimism that could have come from selling while last season was ongoing and we were winning games.
The ludicrous decision to prevent potential new season ticket holders from buying a ticket until July, by which time we'd had two months of no transfer activity and a malaise among the fanbase setting in.
The poor marketing of prices staying the same when in fact they went up in most cases.
The amateurish £10 charge for a physical card when anyone with an ounce of sales/marketing nouse would have promoted it as a £10 reduction if you go digital.
The Britannia Lounge debacle, which then had to be scrapped.
The inability of the marketing team to get a shirt sponsor.

I could go on, and there's one other element of incompetence that I'll keep to myself for reasons of confidentiality, where some very low hanging fruit was jeopardised (and nearly lost) by incompetence and a lack of communication from those responsible for it, so I can't see how the club's summer (in)actions can be described as anything other than poor. I watched on as other clubs were publishing strong season ticket sales all summer and we weren't even making them available to prospective new customers.

Sorry PRB, I'm as positive as the next man, but the club has been poor in so many areas that aren't even that difficult to get right!

Completely agree and I'll add shirt availability to the list. Many well-run clubs launch their new kit on the final day of the preceding season, thus creating a buzz and getting a load of sales in before people go on their holidays etc. Us? Not even available for the start of the new season. Commercial joke!

IMO there's far too many people working in the club with no accountability. Too many 'jobs for the boys' and not enough commercial, marketing and communications acumen. Surely McWilliams needs to shoulder some responsibility for this, rather than flouncing around in his peaky blinders hat. What does a school headmaster know about running a football club anyway? Weird appointment if you ask me.

On the pitch, we've seen steady progress over the last few years, but If the aim is to be a top 30 club, our 'off the pitch' operations need a complete overhaul. Too many hangers-on doing average jobs.

 

[Witney Yellow]

Maybe this is on the agenda for the new director.

Karl Robinson????

 

[BDJ]

Agree with this. Chris Williams does a really good job as comms where he is an authentic voice of the fans as well as a excellent professional. But the rest of the marketing/commercial side seems to be a revolving door of second raters with no connection to the club.

They could do a lot worse than advertise vacancies to the fan base among whom, I suspect, there is considerable expertise.

Nice chap and has the club at heart, but is he the modern-day communications manager we need to be a top 30 club? IMO it's amateur hour compared to what other clubs do. Even our non-league neighbours, Oxford City and North Leigh put us in the shade for innovation, comms, Twitter etc.

 

[Colin B]

Completely agree and I'll add shirt availability to the list. Many well-run clubs launch their new kit on the final day of the preceding season, thus creating a buzz and getting a load of sales in before people go on their holidays etc. Us? Not even available for the start of the new season. Commercial joke!

IMO there's far too many people working in the club with no accountability. Too many 'jobs for the boys' and not enough commercial, marketing and communications acumen. Surely McWilliams needs to shoulder some responsibility for this, rather than flouncing around in his peaky blinders hat. What does a school headmaster know about running a football club anyway? Weird appointment if you ask me.

On the pitch, we've seen steady progress over the last few years, but If the aim is to be a top 30 club, our 'off the pitch' operations need a complete overhaul. Too many hangers-on doing average jobs.

I think that's very unfair on Niall McWilliams.

Many of the off field problems this season were created by others, who were not under his management, and some of those people are no longer at the club. He has had to step in and try to sort out a multitude of issues, very much after the horse has bolted. As MD of a company you would usually be in control of, and have full visibility of, all functions of the company. I can assure you that has not been the case at OUFC.

One thing I would add is that through his contacts at local government and councils he is, and has been, absolutely the right person to help steer the stadium project through the many complex steps along the way toward construction beginning.

 

[Foley]

Completely agree and I'll add shirt availability to the list. Many well-run clubs launch their new kit on the final day of the preceding season, thus creating a buzz and getting a load of sales in before people go on their holidays etc. Us? Not even available for the start of the new season. Commercial joke!

IMO there's far too many people working in the club with no accountability. Too many 'jobs for the boys' and not enough commercial, marketing and communications acumen. Surely McWilliams needs to shoulder some responsibility for this, rather than flouncing around in his peaky blinders hat. What does a school headmaster know about running a football club anyway? Weird appointment if you ask me.

On the pitch, we've seen steady progress over the last few years, but If the aim is to be a top 30 club, our 'off the pitch' operations need a complete overhaul. Too many hangers-on doing average jobs.

You realise that McWilliams is one of the key people behind the new ground?
You realise that many many clubs have had problems with their shirts due to an international supply issue?

 

[Big Ron]

Agree with this. Chris Williams does a really good job as comms where he is an authentic voice of the fans as well as a excellent professional. But the rest of the marketing/commercial side seems to be a revolving door of second raters with no connection to the club.

They could do a lot worse than advertise vacancies to the fan base among whom, I suspect, there is considerable expertise.

Well there's certainly a lot of people who claim they could do the job better! Essex Yellow is always telling us how easy it is and seems to have a lot of time on his hands.

 

[BDJ]

I think that's very unfair on Niall McWilliams.

Many of the off field problems this season were created by others, who were not under his management, and some of those people are no longer at the club. He has had to step in and try to sort out a multitude of issues, very much after the horse has bolted. As MD of a company you would usually be in control of, and have full visibility of, all functions of the company. I can assure you that has not been the case at OUFC.

One thing I would add is that through his contacts at local government and councils he is, and has been, absolutely the right person to help steer the stadium project through the many complex steps along the way toward construction beginning.

He's been MD for over four years and you're saying he's not in control of / doesn't have full visibility of all functions of the company for which he is responsible?! He's the top man with the big pay packet. The buck stops with him. In what other business would this be acceptable?