This season the Highland League has fixed several mid-week games at the start of the season rather than inserting catch-up games towards the end of the footballing year's fixtures. Nairn County Chairman, Peter Mackintosh, has outlined his anxieties about this new procedure in his autumn message on the club's website. He says:
"The impact of forcing so many mid-week games over such a short period has resulted in a devastating effect on Club revenue income generation. Mid-week games are unattractive to valued match sponsorship as entertainment, enjoyment and hospitality is in conflict with pressing weekday business commitments. Equally affected are the town's business community who on Saturday match days generate a lot of foot-fall - flowing from which clubs such as ours directly benefit through advertising and other related income support. Add to this supporter drop off in attendance given their inability to factor in home and away attendance mid-week through a combination of travel restriction or simply, within a Highland context, working away from home."
Peter also thanks the County fans for their Ground Improvement Fund initiative which so far has raised over £60,000. More on the Clubs website here.
I knew it, the beautiful game is really all about money
ReplyDeleteCould the bakers not open on match evenings?
ReplyDeleteRealise there are a few supporters not so happy with certain club affairs and modus operandi etc but que sera,sera - anonymity has its limits in comments on gurnnurn.com.
ReplyDeleteWhy do Highland League want to squash everything in? Midweek fixtures are hardly fair for either players or supporters. You might as well settle the result by a flick of a coin
ReplyDeleteIn recent times it's the supporters fund raising for a new stand that's put the spotlight on the club. Their huge efforts have been well recorded in the media and have effectively advertised the club in the town and elsewhere. I'm sure this must have had an positive effect on sponsors view of the club
ReplyDeleteWhat will make or break the club is not mid week fixtures, but how well the team performs. Highland League could move all our games to Saturdays but unless Nairn County is consistently firing on all cylinders, interest from everyone concerned is going to fall away. 'Maybe next year' is not something we want to hear