[Archived] Future fan base

[PAFELL]

The fact of the matter is the Asians don't have a connection with rovers, this ia not about a prayer room or halal food.. My view is the club needs to work on selling the benefits of a rounded charachter that is open and has diverse experiences (not just having Asian friends) to the parents... Alot of Asian parents are frightened their kids may lose their Asian / Muslim identity.. The concept that they can retain their asian / muslim identity but also be an integral part of society needs to be sold to them and there are cultural / religious arguments that back up this point..

Many Asian ppl really struggle when they first come into contact with White ppl, they either try too hard to impress or completely isolate themselves as they feel more comfortable with 'their own' simply down to a lack of exposure from an earlier age..

The world is bigger than audley / whalley range and parents need to understand that if they really want their kids to progress (academically and character wise) then they need to proactively work on their charachter and rovers is an ideal way of doing that..

The same is also for white people. I live in a town down on the south coast, where 5 years ago you would find it hard to find somebody who was not white / british. If you did see a coloured or asian person, they were on holiday and not staying. But for awhile now they are slowly moving into the area. It is white people who are finding this hard to deal with - especailly the older generation. (But this town is a place older people retire too - infact spike milligan said of my town that this is a place people come to die, but once here, forget to do it.)

For awhile some young people would not mix with them etc, even having hate towards them. It was only when they were reminded of the places they went out to eat in the town, indian, chinese takeaways etc, that they started to accept the change. Some people find change hard to deal with. Ironically it was when people became regular visitors of the local Indian and chinese etc food outlets and got to know the people running them that things did change, as people made friends.

Maybe something simular could happen in and around Blackburn - people have to befriend each other from all races and use whatever means they can to do so. No one race can say 'we have got things right and you haven't' as I believe we can learn things that benefit each of us, from all race of people. It is easier for myself in some respects, as I am an English and my wife is Chinese and race has never been an issue.

[gumboots]

The same is also for white people. I live in a town down on the south coast, where 5 years ago you would find it hard to find somebody who was not white / british. If you did see a coloured or asian person, they were on holiday and not staying. But for awhile now they are slowly moving into the area. It is white people who are finding this hard to deal with - especailly the older generation. (But this town is a place older people retire too - infact spike milligan said of my town that this is a place people come to die, but once here, forget to do it.)

For awhile some young people would not mix with them etc, even having hate towards them. It was only when they were reminded of the places they went out to eat in the town, indian, chinese takeaways etc, that they started to accept the change. Some people find change hard to deal with. Ironically it was when people became regular visitors of the local Indian and chinese etc food outlets and got to know the people running them that things did change, as people made friends.

Maybe something simular could happen in and around Blackburn - people have to befriend each other from all races and use whatever means they can to do so. No one race can say 'we have got things right and you haven't' as I believe we can learn things that benefit each of us, from all race of people. It is easier for myself in some respects, as I am an English and my wife is Chinese and race has never been an issue.

the problem in Blackburn is that it is not a slow influx of people - it was a largescale move back in the 60s and so people did not need to mix. Communities sprung up with shops, mosques etc. There is even now a state funded islamic girls' school in the town. Communities are divided and there are few cross community links. Race has never been an issue as far as I'm concerned either - the kids I teach are for the most part great and their parents are genuinely concerned that their kids do as well as possible in school and out of it. However, the separate communities mean that some people don't shop in Blackburn town centre because they feel intimidated by the gangs as they see it of Indian or Pakistani heritage youngsters in the Mall. If they knew them they would know that most of them are friendly and harmless, but they don't so they see different and are afraid or at least uncomfortable. There is not the same feeling towards Chinese people etc as they are usually out shopping as a family and not seen as a group of young men. But how do you bring together 2 communities - the Indian Pakistani heritage and the white population - so that they understand one another and can learn to cooperate to make Blackburn a better place for both to live?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

But how do you bring together 2 communities - the Indian Pakistani heritage and the white population - so that they understand one another and can learn to cooperate to make Blackburn a better place for both to live?

Errrr...Ewood Park,all supporting one cause maybe?

[gumboots]

Errrr...Ewood Park,all supporting one cause maybe?

And getting them there in the first place?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

...And what's stoppng them?.Would free entry and buses do it

Come on Gumboots,its up to them to make the effort if they really want.

[Ewood Spark]

...And what's stoppng them?.Would free entry and buses do it

Come on Gumboots,its up to them to make the effort if they really want.

Just a quick question SG194 ... Who took you to your first Rovers Game?

[47er]

And getting them there in the first place?

Rovers seem to employ many Asians on match-days, so plenty have no problem getting there! Personally I think this is largely generational and will sort itself out in time. In years to come Asians will make up a far bigger percentage of fans at Ewood than they do now.

We'll not see many Asian women at Ewood though because , by and large, they stay home. Big culture issue there alright.

[SuperCat]

I am of Asian heritage and I feel there is a lot of generalisation going on here.

Not comfortable with all the "they all" and "them" statements.

Some of you work with some fecked up Asians feeding you a load of bull.

I went to my first Rovers game against Liverpool on 8th January 1983, I'd just turned 6. Loved it.

My dad took me, quite a brave thing to do in the early 80's i think. (Blimey where 'ave these 2 come from Jim?)

He also took me to Wembley twice, Full Members Cup Final and our Play-off final.

Got my first season ticket on row 5 of the BBE in our Premiership winning season (aged 18). Didnt drive at the time (I had to groom all the girls on foot) so walked down to Ewood for every game (I must be one of the chosen *&^%s who was allowed out of Whalley Range area)(Also my dad wasnt a Taxi driver).

I was sat in row 1 of the Kop (with my rovers shirt on) on the final day of the season. Scary stuff at the time.

Went to Uni (this one's been to University an' all) in London stayed there for a few years after that season so didnt go again till I got a job (unbelievable I know) locally a few years ago.

Taking my 6 year old (glory hunter who owns a Barcelona top)next season. My 3 year old (glory hunter who owns a Real Madrid top) dropped out this evening.

The purpose of this is not to get my d!ck sucked, but to say I dont think all white people are drunks who beat people up after a few too many. I have white and asian friends, some good friends and some complete to$$ers.

We are all different.

Sorry if I upset anyone.

EDIT:

Check this out, my wife has even been to a few games with me!

I am off now to make sure I am definately Asian, beginning to doubt it myself now.

[thenodrog]

With a few exceptions it's like mixing oil and water imo. However I heaps lots of blame on

1. the press and media for fawning over and glorifying the big clubs. It makes them appear fashionable and us just so much cannon fodder.

2. The Prem league and Champions league influence which provides a seriously UNlevel financial playing field which does indeed help people to diss us as being rubbish and the likes of MU being the dogs ######.... The rubbish bit btw is by people who know sweet fa about football. Any team surviving in the Prem is most definitely not rubbish! It's just a ###### statement uttered by half wits when they are faced with a few home truths.

[gumboots]

I am of Asian heritage and I feel there is a lot of generalisation going on here.

Not comfortable with all the "they all" and "them" statements.

Some of you work with some fecked up Asians feeding you a load of bull.

I went to my first Rovers game against Liverpool on 8th January 1983, I'd just turned 6. Loved it.

My dad took me, quite a brave thing to do in the early 80's i think. (Blimey where 'ave these 2 come from Jim?)

He also took me to Wembley twice, Full Members Cup Final and our Play-off final.

Got my first season ticket on row 5 of the BBE in our Premiership winning season (aged 18). Didnt drive at the time (I had to groom all the girls on foot) so walked down to Ewood for every game (I must be one of the chosen *&^%s who was allowed out of Whalley Range area)(Also my dad wasnt a Taxi driver).

I was sat in row 1 of the Kop (with my rovers shirt on) on the final day of the season. Scary stuff at the time.

Went to Uni (this one's been to University an' all) in London stayed there for a few years after that season so didnt go again till I got a job (unbelievable I know) locally a few years ago.

Taking my 6 year old (glory hunter who owns a Barcelona top)next season. My 3 year old (glory hunter who owns a Real Madrid top) dropped out this evening.

The purpose of this is not to get my d!ck sucked, but to say I dont think all white people are drunks who beat people up after a few too many. I have white and asian friends, some good friends and some complete to$$ers.

We are all different.

Sorry if I upset anyone.

EDIT:

Check this out, my wife has even been to a few games with me!

I am off now to make sure I am definately Asian, beginning to doubt it myself now.

I hope you don't think I'm one of those generalising as I'm not intending to. However, it is more difficult for kids from Asian heritage backgrounds to get involved in going to matches in the first place, because there is no general tradition of dads taking kids. You were lucky - someone took you and you're passing that on - great. But I teach kids who wouldn't know how to get to the town centre from where they live unless they were driven in a car, let alone find their way to Ewood. We took some kids to Witton Park a year or so back and they didn't even know it was there, even though for many it was half an hour's walk from their front door. Fortunately things are changing. More of the Asian heritage kids are becoming more outgoing and are looking to integrate more, to take more responsibility within their town and not just within their own communities. However, as I've said so many times, this kind of big change takes a long time to happen.I'm not blaming anyone for that. I too know kids who go to Rovers matches. I meet them with their older brothers and sisters, their dads and even sometimes with their mums who tell me how much they have enjoyed the experience. However, the numbers I meet are small in proportion to the total Asian heritage population of Blackburn. They are rising and the club itself, through its work in schools and at its education centre, is doing its best. Yes, if you really want to go to Ewood it's your responsibility to get yourself there, but the first time my husband took our elder son, he didn't want to go as he was scared of going into the unknown. Ewood on a matchday can be a scary place if you don't know where to go, where to put your ticket, when to stand up or sit down, especially if you're a kid or a couple of kids on your own. Just because kids put on a show of being streetwise doesn't mean they are not scared stiff underneath.

[SAS]

Ive got that response from many whites in Blackburn and in the Ribble Valley, That said I did see a decent amount of "asians" going to the Brum match when I was there.

That was due to free tickets in the darwen end. Lots of asian folk turned up. Not many returned, unless they relocated to another stand.

Shame really.

[PAFELL]

And getting them there in the first place?

Talking often helps. Invite the people for a free ground tour. Ask the people if there are culture etc differences that stop or put asian etc people off attending matches. Is there a fear factor? What can the club do to ease the fears and the concerns etc. It may even be something silly, to us, that some people may feel that their presence would not be welcomed by white british folk. If it is something like that, then that would be our fault and not theirs.

Some may even say why should we concern ourselves or even bother to reach out to the ethnic population. I suggest that it would be better for the town as a whole as well as Rovers. Barriers on all sides need to be broken down using all means available to do so.

Somebody posted, encouraging all Blackburn folk to get behind a common cause, Blackburn Rovers. At the end of the day we are BLUE AND WHITE not BLACK AND WHITE.

A successful football club, will help the town as a whole, for everyone.

I fully understand talking / posting about race issues can be a delicate subject and we all have different opinions. I hope nobody is offended by anything written here.

[BlueMonday]

Avoid this kind of debate usually because its so imotive.

Not sure what the breakdown of the Asian communty is in Blackburn. However IMO our Indian ownership will probably discourage as many of the Pakistan community as it will attract from the Indian community from attending Ewood.

Personally dont think we should be marketing specifically to the Asian community anyway. Just get the ticket pricing right(which they are). The football on the pitch right (they're trying). Improve the match day experience. Also try to promote a more positive media presence (difficult because of the big club biase).

That will get more people through the gate regaurdless of colour or culture.

Having said that we are enjoying the longest run in the top flight in our history, with some of the cheapest tickets in the whole league. You've gotta think that we are not going to improve our fan base significantly in the future.

When I tell my St.Mirren season ticket holding mates what I pay for my season ticket, they choke on their pint. They literally cant believe it. They are paying something like £310.

[92er]

Having said that we are enjoying the longest run in the top flight in our history,

The longest run since approx 1936, not the longest run in our history.

[Mike Graham]

I am of Asian heritage and I feel there is a lot of generalisation going on here.

Not comfortable with all the "they all" and "them" statements.

Some of you work with some fecked up Asians feeding you a load of bull.

I went to my first Rovers game against Liverpool on 8th January 1983, I'd just turned 6. Loved it.

My dad took me, quite a brave thing to do in the early 80's i think. (Blimey where 'ave these 2 come from Jim?)

He also took me to Wembley twice, Full Members Cup Final and our Play-off final.

Got my first season ticket on row 5 of the BBE in our Premiership winning season (aged 18). Didnt drive at the time (I had to groom all the girls on foot) so walked down to Ewood for every game (I must be one of the chosen *&^%s who was allowed out of Whalley Range area)(Also my dad wasnt a Taxi driver).

I was sat in row 1 of the Kop (with my rovers shirt on) on the final day of the season. Scary stuff at the time.

Went to Uni (this one's been to University an' all) in London stayed there for a few years after that season so didnt go again till I got a job (unbelievable I know) locally a few years ago.

Taking my 6 year old (glory hunter who owns a Barcelona top)next season. My 3 year old (glory hunter who owns a Real Madrid top) dropped out this evening.

The purpose of this is not to get my d!ck sucked, but to say I dont think all white people are drunks who beat people up after a few too many. I have white and asian friends, some good friends and some complete to$$ers.

We are all different.

Sorry if I upset anyone.

EDIT:

Check this out, my wife has even been to a few games with me!

I am off now to make sure I am definately Asian, beginning to doubt it myself now.

flippin' eck SuperCat you sound just like the rest of us! I hope that you don't think we are all like Thenodrog (sorry Gordon ).

[Mattyblue]

You sound like a top fan SuperCat, however we are right to generalise- in general the football lovers in the Asian community DO support Man United/Liverpool.

Not sure what we can do to change that.

[gumboots]

Talking often helps. Invite the people for a free ground tour. Ask the people if there are culture etc differences that stop or put asian etc people off attending matches. Is there a fear factor? What can the club do to ease the fears and the concerns etc. It may even be something silly, to us, that some people may feel that their presence would not be welcomed by white british folk. If it is something like that, then that would be our fault and not theirs.

Some may even say why should we concern ourselves or even bother to reach out to the ethnic population. I suggest that it would be better for the town as a whole as well as Rovers. Barriers on all sides need to be broken down using all means available to do so.

Somebody posted, encouraging all Blackburn folk to get behind a common cause, Blackburn Rovers. At the end of the day we are BLUE AND WHITE not BLACK AND WHITE.

A successful football club, will help the town as a whole, for everyone.

I fully understand talking / posting about race issues can be a delicate subject and we all have different opinions. I hope nobody is offended by anything written here.

Thing is, club already does a lot to attract people with offers and so on for schools, youth clubs etc after school clubs and presentation evenings. Of course it would be better for the town if people from all backgrounds felt a link to the club. More success for the club on the pitch would help but that isn't going to happen overnight either. As Gordon says, and it's not often I agree with him, whilst Sky bigs up the few and runs down clubs like ours, we are never going to be popular even with kids in our own town who should identify with us.Things are changing and will continue to do so. People like me who work with kids will keep hammering the good prices and trying to get kids involved with rovers, although my rovers pics will not be on the walls in the new school because the building isn't ours and we're not allowed to put anything on the walls not even subject specific stuff. We'll chip away gradually at prejudice of whatever kind and hope that we make at least a bit of a difference to some kids.

[SuperCat]

Sorry about the rant boys and girls - tough day!

It wasnt intended for every person who has responded to the thread, just a couple made me go a bit mad.

Anyways on a side note, Does anyone think my ticket from row 1 of the Kop on the day we won the Premiership is worth anything?

Probably not but there might be a rich Rovers fan with money to burn after this piece of history....

I have already asked that Ali Syed fella.... he wanted $2million dollars up front to broker the deal, I am sure Phillip was involved as well