andrew andrew

and i quote you = it's his opinion which he's entitled to it

The club is turning into a joke! I cant believe that the 2 clubs arranged coaches and we pulled out. Do they want the team to win or not because if there was a lot more atmosphere and not so much moaning at the ref then we would maybe have done a lot better.

I went to fax vs widnes and stood with the Widnes fans and not one time di any 1 moan. They had a drum and the fans got 100% behind them. Thats why they won.

Cougars get a grip before you loose your fans.

with Helen in control of these matters I can quite confidently say there must have been good reason why this didn't happen, behind the scenes activity has been on the up for the last two years so instead of coming on here slagging off the club why don't you find some guts and ring the club, ask them why?

you want to read what the fax fans thought of the ref,he got slated,hense all was well with the widnes fans.As for the club "turning into a joke" as you put it,take a look around and see whats happening at other RL clubs before you put down YOUR team

In response to Captain Cougar, I was at the Dewsbury game, stood very near to the drummer and co, and would like to add that not many people were moaning too much about the ref, but lets be honest, it is what everyone does at every game. Rugby league is well known for shouts of getemonside lol and hallalula when they agree with the ref. Most of the fans were trying to support the team and cheering them on, although the drummer and co kept on shouting Silsden and singing songs to Barry Mcdermott neither were playing for cougars that day !!!!!!! Although I would like to see Barry doing so. As for calling the club a joke - well if you dont like it go, life is too short to watch things you dont like. Personally I think the club both on the pitch and behind the scenes is doing a great job trying to push itself into the community, certainly better than it has for the past 5 years. Dont get me wrong I am all for the drums and the dressing up, I remember how successfull it all was the first time round in 2000- 2006, them days it was so popular with the fans, the lads even had t-shirts about them printed and sold in the club shop. The difference was though they always cheered about the Cougars, enjoyed the day and sang a song about George Micheal. the Bulls and how the Cougars where the better team, for those who rememeber altogether now:
George Micheals a wizard he wears a wizards hat...................

So hold on a min u are saying that us "so called drummers and co" sing about other things. George Micheal isnt nothing to do with the cougars. As for life being to short to watch things i dont like then i think you miss understanded me. I love watching the cougars and getting behind them and also bringing a bit of fun into it like cheering for Silsden and trying to get barry macdermot to wave at us.

Its the club side i dont like. Not enough is been done to bring more fans down and get behind the lads. For example 2 kids turned up to the walk from town. What does that say. Also a few months ago one of the cubs sides were suppose to play a curtain raiser but was cancelled when they got there.

To bring money into the club you need to attract kids who will bring their parents who will want club merchandise etc. You just have to look around the terreces to see that this isnt happening.

As for the quote about the fax fans moaning at the ref i stood in the fax end the first half and was that appauled by them fans moaning at the ref that i swopped ends. It reminded me of being at the cougars.

As for the response of "take a look at other clubs". I have been to every home and away match for the last 4 years and i could name more than 10 clubs that have a better match day experience than the cougars. Barrow and Oldham and york beeing at the top.

so come on then captain cougar who's at fault?Caus I've been watching for 27 years and have to say that the club behind the scenes are trying all sorts of things to get more support down, Helen and her crew work tirelessly in the efforts to push us forward, again I say if your so miffed ring em up, ask em why your needs are not being met and I'll keep on cheering on the lads.!

Exactly my point andrew to many people been going down for too long as you say 27 years and yes the club do need fans like you amoung others but there is not enough new people going. Who many new fans come on here or do you see at the game? You hear a lot of rumours or things that maybe happening but the crowed is still exactly the same.

I will try to write the song then, but it may get removed for being offensive I am sorry if it offends anyone:
George Micheal is a wizard, he wears a wizards hat,
He saw a fella in the park and said I fancy that,
he went into the toilet, he faniced a quick pull,
But before he could undo his zip he was up a bradford Bull.
Keighley, Keighley were the barmy cougar army and we come from Keighley.
If you need anymore song suggestions I can ask the originals for the lyrics.

I've just come in from a day in the Classroom where we have 80 plus kids visiting Cougar Park in a week. to this load of drival ...Dean , Tom , Baz and Jeremy deliver rugby league sessions to a similar number ,if not more, in school hours during the week and I'm sure will be equally demoralised when they read negativity like this

The Street Acadamies , Carneiege Championship Finalist teams over the past few years , a thriving scholarship and active U18 National Youth League squad based at Cougar Park , Anti Drugs and Healthy Lifestyles Presentations , The Freddie Gets Fit Campaign, 'Shakespeare in the Stands', Cougar based Maths SATS Booster sessions , Scout and Cubs Activities Days ,
A Primary school history project based on the Clubs history, regular tackle and tag tournaments ,The 'Cougar Apprentice' Marketing Course, Cougar Pride Summer School, Freddie in the Airedale Centre,The link up with both the Albion & Cubs Youngest Teams, The Freddie Gang Volunteer initiative, I could go on ...and on ..... but what would be the point because you wouldn't want to know anyway.

Not every project is going to an immediate hit (the Crawl being a good example)... we know that ... but instead of being negative ,why not some praise for those who have stuck their neck out to try something different , ok it might not have been a major success , but surely better than not trying at all like plenty of other clubs at our level.

As for the old chesnut about the Cubs game being called off , a sudden downpour prior to kick off was the reason for this ,n short of Messers Spencer , Farrar n Fawcett having some sort of private line to the big white man up in the clouds , was unavoidable and no slight on the kids rugby.

I'll probably get my ass kicked for this ,but there are plenty of us working damn hard with the young people of Keighley & its district to get the profile of the Cougars out there. Give us a break....

I may be wrong here so please correct me if i am captain_cougar.

I don't think captain_cougar is knocking the hard work going on at the club. I think he is on about the number of young kids coming to watch the Cougars.

If he is then you would have to say he has a point.
During the Cougar mania years, there was loads of kids about the ground on match day.

Well said Rach!!!!!! You won't be in bother caus your passion for the club is very clear.! Now there you have it captain cougar just a little of what Keighley cougars are trying to achieve in terms of encouraging new support.

I'm sure the club would be very appreciative of any new ideas to get people into the ground, so let's get our thinking caps on...
What about a red white and green car driving around Keighley with a loud hailer, like those old election day jobbies? Maybe handing out a few flyers in the town? Promotional beer mats? Group discounts, i.e buy X amount of tickets, get one free?
...I'll get my coat on the way out...

[iI don't think captain_cougar is knocking the hard work going on at the club. I think he is on about the number of young kids coming to watch the Cougars.

If he is then you would have to say he has a point.
During the Cougar mania years, there was loads of kids about the ground on match day[/i.


Cougar-mania was a great time to be a fan but its part of history and those type of days are unlikely ever to return for several reasons :-

1. Cougar Mania took the Club into financial territory where it had never been before and ultimately nearly saw the demise of Rugby League at Lawkholme because of it.

2.It came at a time (pre 1995) when success as a club on the field ,would see tangible rewards for finishing top ,e.g. promotion, a situation certainly not guaranteed in todays RL.

and finally , Cougarmania was unique because it brought ideas into British Sport that had never been tried before (for example the Cougar Classroom was a first , today there are 190 plus similar venues throughout English & welsh sporting arenas) and are now the norm at most forward looking sporting organizations.

Rachel - I am one of your biggest fans, dont doubt the classrooms will be a success . Just need to see more children down. Love it when there are children at Cougars because they are the future for us. I just hope that we give away free tickets for the Dewsbury game, not just for the children but perhaps a "one adult and one child ticket" as a taster session, get the ground filled so people on telly can see what fun it is.

The stand opposite the cameras should be full to brimming so it looks like its full and perhaps you get the feeling you may be missing something if you dont go.

I would be more than willing to run a stand in keighley centre taking names and addresses and then give out free tickets. (saturday before???).

York had 3,000 + at thier game last night and of course they are winning matches at the moment but how did they do that???

Captain Cougar is only stating that our attendances are dwindling, we have fans and fanatics amongst us who go every week in week out, but we need new people. People who will buy ice creams, beer, raffle tickets, season tickets etc.

(PS the rain had stopped at the game where the kids were called off a lot of thier parents had paid to get in, including the opposition team parents)

Rach don't forget all the good thing Cougars mania brought to the club.
It got the people of Keighley behind it.
5000 gates.
It got kids involved 1000 going to watch the Challenge cup final.
It got a lot of kids playing the game.




On this i have to agree with you, but that cannot be a reason for stopping people coming down.



And i have to agree with all the points you have raised.
The one thing the club needs to do is try and find something new. Something no other club is doing.
Or something they are not doing well.

York has a population of just short of 90,000 people , whereas Keighley has just over 51,000.If you also take into consideration

On that basis (taking into consideration the economic and ethic make up of our town and the fact that the Knights have very little competition from other Pro RL , unlike ourselves n Dewsbury with the Bulls n Rhinos just up the road) if York cannot draw in a bigger crowd than us, then if I were them I'd worry.

Prior to Thursdays game their best attendance was only 1300 and odd against Dewsbury ,with the other NL1 games averaging only around 800 and
if you read their message board , what a suprise, a big percentage of those attending last night were on free tickets.

Maybe so, but if a proportion of those on free tickets liked what they saw, maybe they'll be back, p'raps bring a mate and so the crowds grow.
Above all, it needs to be friendly, so if someone wants to come but they'll be on their own, they won't feel left out. It's all about feeling that you're part of something.
What about each area having it's own little 'fan club', with an easily reachable point of contact for would-be, but shy, new fans?

free tickets exactly

It also eventually took the club into administration....



We are currently seeing the very real effects of a club throwing it all in to try and achieve the impossible and failing (Doncaster)...having been in that situation before at Cougar Park ,do we really want to go there again?

Ambition, yes , but not a the risk of financial suicide.

On the subject of free tickets , I've been told by the Development Lads that over the past few weeks 600 free kids tickets have been distributed

I'm fairly sure that I've seen a poster advertising a limited amount of free family tickets available on a first come first served basisfor the Dewsbury game.

I think I saw one

You may well have, they're on the little Dewsbury game flyers. I think it's 200 of them, first come first served.

Rach as i said it also brought a lot of good things to the club.

Maybe getting someone who was involved, at the time of Cougar mania might be a good thing.

I am pretty certain i have seen Mike Smith down at Cougar park.
Now he really was a man of ideas.
I wonder if anyone at the club, has ever thought of approaching him to see what ideas he would have.
If he didn't want to be involved. What have the club lost?

I must admit i to am like goosey. In that i have my doubts if the classroom thing will bring in a lot of new supporters.

You are in a good position to answer to this.

How many kids who regularly attend the classroom sessions, also turn up regularly at home games?

Is the success of the scheme meeting the forecasted growth rate?

This is something that the club must surly be keeping a count of. If for no other reason than to work out the success of it.

I can see the benefit of the classroom scheme for the work in the community. This also ties in with getting new sponsors on side as they love that type of link.