Post by Macmoish on Jun 25, 2011 0:02:43 GMT
Hello there,
I am a volunteer at Tavistock AFC, a Devon club playing in a local league known as the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League. This pre-season, as with a year ago, we are fortunate enough to be hosting the QPR first team as their first game on a three-match visit to the area. Effectively, it would seem that this is QPR's second game as a Premier League outfit, something which, for a relatively small club and small town, fills us with a great deal of pride. Given Neil Warnock's ties to the area (largely due to his stint managing Plymouth Argyle), he has frequently brought his teams down for a bit of pre-season training in our beautiful part of the country. Indeed, we have hosted Sheffield United on two occasions, Crystal Palace once and now The Super Hoops for the second time.
Each year this has had a very positive effect on our balance sheet, as it delivers a gate in the order of ten times its usual size (and we get to charge more than two quid for entry!). I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that a typical weekly salary for a Premier League player would cover the cost of running our Club for a full season! Of course, I don't like to focus on money, but it has become a necessary evil to be more commercially focused at this level, or risk ruin.
However, this year, more than ever, the outcome of this match (not in turns of scoreline, of course - we were drubbed 8-0 last time!) will either make or break our season (we were the victims of an arson attack in February which completely destroyed 2/3 of our clubhouse and the loss of bar earnings since has pushed our 123 year old club to the brink of its existence). As such, having been fortunate enough to entertain a couple of hundred away fans last year we really want to be able to bring as many, or even more, to our little ground to enjoy our hospitality for what should prove to be a great game, even if it is a little one-sided! I have been watching some footage that one of your fans posted from the game last year (on our web site's home page) and it bears out the comment from our clubfolk that your fans were a joy to host and that the game was a very enjoyable showcase for some of your star players.
I have spent the last couple of weeks preparing an advertising campaign locally, including the creation of a new web site and the signing up of over 50 local businesses to advertise in our match programme and hope that by being able to promote this fixture and that of of our friends at Plymouth Argyle (20/07) and Bodmin Town (22/07), we should be able to make a massive success of the tour and ensure that your fans are made to feel very welcome in the region, have plenty of time to prepare their itineraries and come in even greater numbers than last year. This is where I need your help
If at all possible, please could you add something in your blog about the games and include a link through to our web site www.tavistockfc.com (which gives your fans a considerably easier time to secure tickets at the Tavistock game than they had last year, as they can reserve them online and pick them up up to 3 hours before kick-off, avoiding massive queues at the Club's gates!). I have also added a link on the ticket order page www.tavistockfc.com/matchday/qpr-ticket-request-form to a popular bunkhouse www.tavistockbunkhouse.co.uk/ which could provide comfortable, inexpensive and a central location in which to spend the preceding weekend enjoying the sites and sounds of our pretty town and the Dartmoor National Park.
If you have any further questions then please let me know. Whatever you can do to help, Tavistock AFC will be very grateful for.
Thanks and all the best,
Chris Fenner
TAFC Volunteer
07737 872733
Tavistock Website - www.tavistockfc.com/
Tavistock Order Tickets - www.tavistockfc.com/matchday/qpr-ticket-request-form
Tavistock Bunkhouse www.tavistockbunkhouse.co.uk/
I am a volunteer at Tavistock AFC, a Devon club playing in a local league known as the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League. This pre-season, as with a year ago, we are fortunate enough to be hosting the QPR first team as their first game on a three-match visit to the area. Effectively, it would seem that this is QPR's second game as a Premier League outfit, something which, for a relatively small club and small town, fills us with a great deal of pride. Given Neil Warnock's ties to the area (largely due to his stint managing Plymouth Argyle), he has frequently brought his teams down for a bit of pre-season training in our beautiful part of the country. Indeed, we have hosted Sheffield United on two occasions, Crystal Palace once and now The Super Hoops for the second time.
Each year this has had a very positive effect on our balance sheet, as it delivers a gate in the order of ten times its usual size (and we get to charge more than two quid for entry!). I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that a typical weekly salary for a Premier League player would cover the cost of running our Club for a full season! Of course, I don't like to focus on money, but it has become a necessary evil to be more commercially focused at this level, or risk ruin.
However, this year, more than ever, the outcome of this match (not in turns of scoreline, of course - we were drubbed 8-0 last time!) will either make or break our season (we were the victims of an arson attack in February which completely destroyed 2/3 of our clubhouse and the loss of bar earnings since has pushed our 123 year old club to the brink of its existence). As such, having been fortunate enough to entertain a couple of hundred away fans last year we really want to be able to bring as many, or even more, to our little ground to enjoy our hospitality for what should prove to be a great game, even if it is a little one-sided! I have been watching some footage that one of your fans posted from the game last year (on our web site's home page) and it bears out the comment from our clubfolk that your fans were a joy to host and that the game was a very enjoyable showcase for some of your star players.
I have spent the last couple of weeks preparing an advertising campaign locally, including the creation of a new web site and the signing up of over 50 local businesses to advertise in our match programme and hope that by being able to promote this fixture and that of of our friends at Plymouth Argyle (20/07) and Bodmin Town (22/07), we should be able to make a massive success of the tour and ensure that your fans are made to feel very welcome in the region, have plenty of time to prepare their itineraries and come in even greater numbers than last year. This is where I need your help
If at all possible, please could you add something in your blog about the games and include a link through to our web site www.tavistockfc.com (which gives your fans a considerably easier time to secure tickets at the Tavistock game than they had last year, as they can reserve them online and pick them up up to 3 hours before kick-off, avoiding massive queues at the Club's gates!). I have also added a link on the ticket order page www.tavistockfc.com/matchday/qpr-ticket-request-form to a popular bunkhouse www.tavistockbunkhouse.co.uk/ which could provide comfortable, inexpensive and a central location in which to spend the preceding weekend enjoying the sites and sounds of our pretty town and the Dartmoor National Park.
If you have any further questions then please let me know. Whatever you can do to help, Tavistock AFC will be very grateful for.
Thanks and all the best,
Chris Fenner
TAFC Volunteer
07737 872733
Tavistock Website - www.tavistockfc.com/
Tavistock Order Tickets - www.tavistockfc.com/matchday/qpr-ticket-request-form
Tavistock Bunkhouse www.tavistockbunkhouse.co.uk/
