[url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/open-letter-from-salford-reds-ownder-1298309Read it here[/url

It goes without saying that the club needs to attract those extra people who attended the last match at the Willows in 2011. Half of the extra 6000-6500 people that wanted to attend that day and be part of something historic could make all the difference. I'd be interested to know where they are now?

I put it down to a combination of Salford being an historically struggling team and ticket prices in the current climate. I also believe if Salford were really challenging it would also help attract more away fans from the big clubs.

I'm delighted that happier times seem to be on the horizon for the Reds. It's very important that we have a successful Super League team within Salford - but it's equally important for the amateur game in the area. The amateur game will prosper along with the professional game -and that can only be good for the future.

The young players of today will become, hopefully, the future players of the Reds!

At the last match a the willows,I spoke to people who supported other teams,also there was people representing family members who were supporters, but were no longer with us,then I think there were free tickets that is why in my opinion there was a good attendance.I like the vast majority am over the moon and very relieved that Dr Koukash took over,but I am afraid the crowds will not come until we have a winning team.

I fear you speak the truth, Lance.

Not something I thought I'd ever be saying...

The crowds will come with lower ticket prices and a winning team! I took along two mates to the Wigan game and they paid £20 each on the night I think it was. Getting beat 26-0 with 24 mins to go they wanted to leave because it was rubbish and very cold! their response was ' not paying to watch that s##t again!' and who can blame them???

I try always to speak the truth,but sometimes the truth hurts.So now you and I think the same.And just like
you I am a fan,and wan't the best for the club.What I say on this forum I have said because that's what I
believe it is my opinion,If you don't agree that's fine,that's how it should be nobody should be ridiculed for
having a different view that's the trouble on here

Even a stopped clock...

I agree and thats why I made a reference to half and not all of the extra people in attendance that day.

You are right about the winning team, we aren't going to attract a few thousand more simply because there is talk of a potential bright future. I do believe though that if people can see the club progressing and investing in some very good signings it will create more interest and hopefully the bandwagon will start gaining some momentum.

They should let Koukash do Barker's column, reads much better.

Its a chicken and egg scenario.For this to work the City of Salford has to come out and support the club...but that might only happen if we get a winning team. This season may be the most difficult in our history on the pich but off it the challange is mighty. The ray of hope that Dr Koukash has brought is that we may now be a more attractive proposition for established players to come to Salford and for our good young players to stay and maybe win things. If we can get that combination of players winning games maybe we can dream of better days and bigger crowds.

A big issue throughout RL is that there are tons of kids who play rugby at school and in amateur clubs who don't attend matches. Parents do not take their kids to games. I coach a youth team at Woolston (a question of geography only!) and there are literally hundreds of kids each week who turn up for training in their Warrington shirts but only a handful who actually go to the games every now and then. I think my son who runs around in his Salford shirt to train in, is the only one who has a season ticket for his club and goes every week.
This is a massive issue for the game as a whole and maybe it is down to teachers (I am one of those too) and coaches to start getting these kids to matches by running trips and then hopefully the power of the "kid mither" might just get a few more parents to go too.

Do you think it's a transport/supervision problem or admission prices? or both?

Bit of an indictment of Parents to be honest. If your kid plays any sport regularly, and especially at an amateur Club, it goes without saying that they enjoy their chosen sport. It doesn't take a massive jump on a parents part to see that their kids would love the prospect of seeing their chosen Sport once a fortnight.

I've got two kids and it would be the obvious thing to do for your kids as an extension of their given interests.

being quite involved with a local amatuer club (Langworthy), it's a tough one to put your finger on. as red13pjb has said there are a lot of kids who turn up to train and play but do not attend the games at all clubs i suspect. I think some of it is the parents having an interest in the game as well. If they are not willing to attend then the kids wont. i know this is something i have tried to encourage a lot with the team i coach in getting parents involved more and getting them to come along to games. It has got a couple of extra's along but out of my team, i would say still 40% do not attend.

The game is heavily up against it in the area given that the last 20 years we have had Utd doing what they have done and now city also. we are a city where football is number one sadly and this has not been helped with Salford being as un-succsessful as they have been in that period and realistically we are now down to the hardcore fans returning each week.

Dr. Koukash and Salford need to start at the grass roots. As has been mentioned, they need to get in to schools more and get showing them what a great sport we have. Tig rugby could me massive in the primary and junior schools in the area with links then in to local teams. the young kids i have ushered in to the club, a lot of the parents have been a little apprehensive that their son or daughter are going to get hurt. Once they see though that it's not that bad, they really get in to it.

Salford could do right though by offering insentive deals for the local teams to attend. Discounted tickets for parents perhaps if they bring their son or daughter along who are signed on with a local club. I know this will wrankle with some of cheaper tickets being offered but surely something like this has to be looked at to get that next generation coming through.

Maybe they should register all the kids at local clubs to junior reds and they automatically are entitled to attend home games free with a paying adult.

I know in the past this has not been possible really given the situation we have found ourselves in and i know the lads at the foundation work hard with trying to get the local teams involved but if we are to increase our fan base, then this needs looking at and really pushed. These kids are the next generation of supporters and in the 24 years of me following Salford, we have had relatively little success but this has not stopped me turning up to follow and my interest grew from starting to play the game and on to watching Salford play.

I can understand that taking the kids to watch Salford isn’t every parent’s priority and weekends for many working parents is a time for doing the weekly chores, resting and doing other leisure activities.

I know the subject has been debated on many occasions before but are Friday night matches ideal when the club is looking to increase their fan base? I fully understand that corporate sponsors prefer an evening match but for many working people the appeal of sitting in 20 mins of slow moving traffic after already battling through rush hour is not very appealing after a long hard week.

I just wonder if there could be some compromise by staging games at 6pm on Sundays? I just think Sundays would be better because it allows for most people to get all their jobs out of the way and chill out over the weekend first. Also a 6pm kick-off wouldn’t be too late for the kids and the corporate guests could then dine after the match at about 8pm.

Furthermore I think the club should consider hiring some half decent live Bands/groups/acts for pre match and half time because this may help attract those parents who aren’t as fanatical about RL as we are?

again from a personal perspective and looking at this from a look amatuer setup, sunday's are when all kids who are involved play there games. Times of kick-off's range from 10:30am to 1:30pm so those who kick off at the later times may be some distance away would then need to get back from the game, changed and then back out, it's just not really that possible. Those parents who may not be as interested in Salford are not really going to be keen on not only spending a full sunday morning at their kids rugby game followed by rushing about to get to watch Salford also.

As an amatuer club we get much more interest in going from our parents on the friday evening. This is a night usually parents will allow their kids to stay up that bit later knowing that usually on a saturday morning they can lie in a bit longer. The parents generally let there hair down so to speak and have a drink or 2 which on a sunday's won't happen as much if at a later kick off time because people are preparing for work the next day. And dare i be sterotypical here, but parents will be getting there children, 'bathed', homework done and settling them down earlier ready to go again the following week.

the 'gameday' is something that can be debated over and over i guess. Personally i perfer the friday nights and works well for me as a parent (8 & 6 year olds) and i know others are the same who i attend games with along with their children. However that is not to say Sunday's cant be done. I know as a kid i use to manage to play on a Sunday morning around the area and still be back in time, showered and at the Willows in plenty of time, however i had a mother who was keen to attend the matches also. I do also remember crowds were always poor though when Utd and City played on a sunday which is another thing that has to be factored in.

In the past the friday night gameday reason was given for corporate so perhaps with Dr. K now running things and this monies generated by this not being AS nessersary, perhaps Sunday's can be looked at again and a proper trial given to compare crowd sizes taken. Its certain though not all will be pleased with either.

not wanting to reopen the game-day argument but ...
I cannot work out why Friday night as the stadium seemed to get most of the corporate income not the club

(according to statements made in our dark days a few months back)

Considering he wants us to be self-sufficient eventually and have increased revenue from corporate hospitality I'd say the money generated from it will be even more necessary.

I don't think the stadium company take most of the corporate income. I think it's more a case of the prices the stadium caterers charge the club for meals compared to what the Willows charged. For instance lets assume the Willows charged £10 a head per meal to cover costs and at Barton the club are now having to pay say £25-£30. The club will still make a profit from corporate diners (just not as much per person) and also have income for match sponsorship, ball sponsors and match programme advertising etc.

The key though is to sell more packages because Barton has capacity for 700 diners (inc boxes) where the Willows I think could only cater for about 250-300.

fair point.

Sorry for spoiling the natural order of the thread but I've just spotted this and couldn't agree more, my lad is exactly the same at his club, lots of kids 'supporting' Saints, Wigan, Leeds, Wire etc. but only my lad has a season ticket and goes every week. Perhaps, the foundation could help out with making sure that local amateur clubs with kids holding Reds season tickets get an invitation to bring their mates, perhaps even play at the stadium?

Elephant in the room - Change Your name to Manchester Red Devils

My son played for a local amateur team for a number of years and out of the whole team I would say 3 regularly attended Salford home games.
The only time you would see parents and players down at the Willows was when the team were on the pitch at half time and they got in on a freebie.
The apathy of the Salford public towards their only fully fledged professional sports team is appalling.
Plenty say they support the club but none go.

Regarding Friday nights.
Mr Koukash is in the Corporate entertainment industry and would want to make as much revenue from this as possible.
I can see Fridays staying with the odd big game on a Saturday.

Firstly "Manchester Red Devils", No, No and No again!!!! We are Salford....always will be. We have just been saved, why would we disappear straight away? I will not watch a team called Manchester.

Secondly, Prestwich Red, I know where you are coming from when you talk about apathy, but the point is that it is not just Salford who suffer from this. 2 other posters have commented on the fact that hundreds of kids turn up to training for amateur clubs around the country and only a handful actually watch the game regularly. The apathy is not so much towards Salford RL but is an apathy of SOME parents towards taking their kids out to do anything. I stress the word some because I don't want to tar all with the same brush but as a teacher first and a rugby coach second I see this all too often.

The kids I teach get a nose bleed if they leave the confines of their own immediate surroundings. For example; I took a group of kids to the Sale game on Friday (cos we got free tickets!!!!) on the way back to school in the mini-bus one of the kids asked "How long are we going to be?"
I replied "Do you not know where you are yet?"
"No" she replied.
We were at this point approximately 1 mile away from school and only 2 corners were turned before you could see the school building. Just to proove that kids don't go anywhere apart from their own little bubble.

I have my own ideas about the Junior Devils and school/ amateur team involvement on match days that I have presented to the club before the take over. Now that there is a new regime in place it will be interesting to see what happens.