LIVE BLOG: FC Halifax Town Q&A with David Bosomworth, Chris Millington and Andy Cooper
Stay tuned for all the updates throughout the evening from the event.
FC Halifax Town Q&A LIVE
AC: “The buck stops with the manager and I’m not here to be a yes man and gree with everything he says. I will have a voice on team selection, training methods, reviewing games. I watched the games from last season but that only gives you a snapshot. When we’re doing final match prep there’l be decisions I have to respect. I need to filter out some of the nonsense that goes on with having 25 blokes around the place. There’s not much time to reflect but we speak a lot, evening calls to make sure we’re ready for the next day.”
Difference between CM and PW and role of AC as assistant
CM: “My philosophy is about going out to try and win every game and making sure we dominate the opposition in every way possible. Even if we don’t have the ball I want to control the game, and I really want to dominate and control it in possession.”
Club shop
DB: “In this day and age of online sales and high street shops closing, I’m thinking we’re ahead of the game we have an online shop! The cost of doing it means it would be a non starter financially. I know there’s been a discussion over a cabin and a discussion will take place in the next fortnight. In terms of opening a shop, that isn’t necessarily a possibility.”
DB: “We have tried to do incentives but it doesn’t seem to trigger any more attendance. I know I’m seen as a miserable so and so but we try and balance it as best we can.”
Ticket banding
DB: “We do have matchday concessions. We didn’t used to sell a lot of concession season tickets. Under 12s can go free with an adult - we want to get the kids in as early as you can. THere are so many other distractions which does make it competitive. We don’t balance the books from what we get through the turnstiles or season tickets, it’s impossible. We’ve only 3 or 4 channels where we can make money.”
Season ticket sales
DB: “They’re on a par (with last season). We’re happy with where it is. I’m delighted with the turnout tonight, it’s fantastic to see. We need everyone to get behind the new management team to give ourselves the best chance. Everyone is busting a gut to get out of this division. Season tickets have been slightly late but they are going to be available for collection during next week. There will be an announcement when they’re available.”
DB: “Grimsby was a difficult game for us in respect of the policing. We’ve kept polic costs to the minimum but they are looking at more and more games and saying they have an interest in it. As much as we look at visiting teams, we’ve got to be sure some of our fans are behaving themselves. That’s something we’re very keen to make sure we control. At Fylde, we had the visitors endto ourselve sbut we had one person attack a steward a throw a flare. That causes problems if people start saying ‘Halifax don’t travel well’.”
Online ticketing
DB: “We will be trialling taking cards during August rather than just cash. In terms of e-ticketing we’re not interested because we have capacity in the stadium. It costs some clubs 5 per cent on every transaction so it’s a drain on your income streams.”
Women’s team
DB: “We have had an approach. We mothballed it slightly. There was an approach from Leeds United in terms of an arrangement, we’re going to investigate that through Steve Nichol.”