ArdlerSaint

Sorry this is so long, but I think the time is ripe for Saints to reap real long term benefits from the result and the spirit of this weekend and the weeks leading up to the final.  In the last 48 hours three different people who are very irregular visitors to McDiarmid Park have asked me how they can go about buying a season ticket for next season.
 
It prompted to think about how the club could use the events to their advantage.  In about 10 minutes I came up with a few ideas that might work.  No doubt everyone has their own ideas, but we know the club monitor the forum and they might just see some of our ideas as worthwhile.
 
The club has to have season tickets on sale as soon as possible – maybe even with a £10 discount for those that can produce a cup final ticket (and just accept that virtually everyone will do so!)
 
Season tickets should be promoted like the final was – big notices at the ground, posters round the town showing the team with the cup etc.
 
The Twitter and Facebook profile that has been so obvious in recent weeks should continue (although it’s accepted that there will be some drop off to account for the reduction of available news)  But there is no question that the club should be looking to produce at least something of real interest every day.
 
Since the club could give away match day tickets at little real cost to them then perhaps they should offer prizes on a weekly basis for competitions operated via Twitter or Facebook.
 
How about a well-publicised competition to win a pair of season tickets for the best story in less than 500 words about Saints or being a Saints fan, the various entries could be edited and could feature on the website / Facebook or even the programme.  They could feature on podcast or in numerous other ways.
 
What about contacting authors / publishers and making efforts to update and republish the various books that have been written about Saints over the years – most are out of print and hard to obtain.   Perhaps even reprint several in similar style covers so that people buy the whole set.
 
The anticipated 2013/14 season DVD should be as glossy and professional as possible and should be out in time for those who send Christmas presents abroad.  Wee tasters via Saints TV would help build anticipation.
 
Today I met several of the players in the town.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have regular events in the town centre where people could meet the team and the management.  I realise they often do that at McDiarmid – but they are preaching to the converted there – new fans will come from going to the public, not expecting them to come to you.  And we should accept that particularly to the younger supporters Stevie May is the star of the team and Saints should be hammering the various marketing possibilities while he remains with us.
 
Lastly and rather incredibly we seem to be the current darlings of the media – now is the time to use them to publicise dynamic initiatives to boost the attendance.  The club need to give them interesting stuff to report or they will revert to their weekly conversation on how few attend the games.
 
Celebrations are great (Boy were they great!) but the time is right to push on and reap the benefits of the team’s success.  Legacy!  It’s the word of the week!

10 of us in 141 Row F. I've been showing them the video so they know what to do, so we'll be right there with you norwich! Bring it on.

Sets us up perfectly for a "Wheres your ****ing bus parade??" when Stevie May completes his hattrick.

Some people coming further than me all saintees


Living the dream!

Loved the one, "a city full of guys with second names as first names" Not bad but difficult to take from people from the only city where the card shops do a roaring trade in cards saying "Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad" & "Happy 21st Grandma"

The call to arms was so very strong,
Some journeys short and others long
Plans were hatched and tickets bought
Trains were booked and flights were caught.
Joyous feelings, smiling faces
Saintees fans from far flung places
China , Canada, Australia, Rome
Everyones thoughts now turned to home
Meeting friends not seen for years
With happiness expressed in tears.
Hugs and drinks and reminiscing
And memories of those now missing
So come on you Saints the shout went up
Lets have a ball, lets win the cup.
Whatever happens though, lets enjoy the day.
And forever celebrate the seventeenth of May.

The trek to history has started, 30 minutes on a DeHavilland Twin Otter Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik,sitting in hotel catch southbound jet tomorrow

I'm going but haven't been a regular for a couple of years now having attended most games in the previous 30 years of my life, kind of gone off of football a bit in that time if I'm honest but Saints are still the closest thing to my heart after my family. I' m going on a bus with a few other guys who are going to their first game in a number of years who don't attend on a regular basis for various reasons and one or two who go all the time but not one of us will question who is the better fan.

My wife will be going along too, having been introduced to the delights of following Saints on her 18th birthday because I wanted to go to the saints game and she wanted taken out for her birthday!

My son will be attending having taken up the mantle of going every week from his parents. I just asked him how he would have felt had we not gone, after looking at me like I had three heads he told me he couldn't imagine not being there with us and wants us to be there to see OUR club go up to lift the cup.

What would you rather we had done, stay at home and watch on the telly just so you could feel all smug about being part of a wee team who were the real fans and slag off the people of Perth for not supporting the local team. You can still have that wee thought in your mind and cast your eye around all these glory hunters joining the throng supporting your club if that's what turns you on or you can have a look round and hope that this reawakens a love for football or the club in people and we get another few hundred or a thousand following us next season. In answer to your question about what do Saints fans think of them, I think other posts have already made that clear, care to say what you think of us?

Don't want to be negative about you but you've come across as a bit of a t*** with this thread, but no hard feelings, enjoy the game, enjoy being part of a historic occasion for the club, enjoy being part of being the biggest saints crowd at a game outside of Perth ever but most of all enjoy being amongst a group of people who are there to see your team and even if it's only for 90 minutes, it's their team too. Here's hoping we all wake up two weeks today proud to have been part of all of this and wondering where to catch a view of the open top bus amongst all of those people who didn't go but wished they had!