[Archived] Asian Support

[BRFCC]

Ewood park isn't an underground bunker, I think the Asians know where it is.

maybe we get some of them Green and Gold domes for the floodlights help the park stand out a little more

Nice Post

[Roaming Rover]

Let the kiosks sell Asians foods aswell as your chips, hotdogs etc.

They sell Balti Pies, what more do they want

Seriously though, Rovers should not go all out to attract Asian supporters, they should go all out to attract Any supporter and not discriminate.

Hughesy what you suggest would IMO make it more likely to put Asians off coming to Ewood due to increased animosity from other supporters. Could you imagine a father who has just spent half his wage taking his kids to Rovers and an asain family sat next to him get in for free.

What's next? Lasagne to attract Italians, Stir fry for the Chinese

Edited September 22, 2004 by Roaming Rover

[BRFCC]

Let the kiosks sell Asians foods aswell as your chips, hotdogs etc.

They sell Balti Pies, what more do they want

Seriously though, Rovers should not go all out to attract Asian supporters, they should go all out to attract Any supporter and not discriminate.

Hughesy what you suggest would IMO make it more likely to put Asians off coming to Ewood due to increased animosity from other supporters. Could you imagine a father who has just spent half his wage taking his kids to Rovers and an again family sat next to him get in for free.

What's next? Lasagne to attract Italians, Stir fry for the Chinese

Exactly

[broadsword]

Let the kiosks sell Asians foods

Are we refusing to serve them foods at the minute then?

That's disgusting, no wonder they're not turning up.

"I only want a burger! Is it cos I is Asian?"

[thenodrog]

They should run a scheme where the coaches or even youth team players go down and train younger people to play football. They could target many different areas like Bastwell, Audley, Bank top etc and maybe that would interest more of them into Blackburn Rovers. The players could also visit more asian schools.

This may be pedantic but imo when discussing racial issues pedantry appears to be very important....... Surely benefitting the IndoPak community whilst by definition neglecting the white community is racist?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Hughesy, there isn't anywhere near 65,000+ Asians in Blackburn and Darwen mate.

[Manchester Blue]

Seriously though, Rovers should not go all out to attract Asian supporters, they should go all out to attract Any supporter and not discriminate.

That sums it up perfectly and nothing more needs saying really.

[dave birch]

Has anyone gone to the "Asian" community and said "why don't you support your local football team?"

At a guess, I'd say they don't do things that way in their community, because it's not their "tradition".

Having said that, tradition has to start somewhere.

I would agree that the Rovers should try and attract as many supporters as they can, from where ever they can.

[RoyRover]

With comments like, "they only come if they get free tickets" is it a wonder that Asians don't turn up in large numbers. Even if they did, I'm sure that there would be some, who would find it awfully annoying.

[Rovermatt]

Hughesy, there isn't anywhere near 65,000+ Asians in Blackburn and Darwen mate.

There must be...

Are they not everywhere...breeding?

As someone said above, the club should be trying to attract as many people to Ewood as possible. The sizeable Asian population is of course a potential base, but there are others who could be lured to the stadium if the Asians don't want to play ball.

Edited September 22, 2004 by Rovermatt

[mac]

At the end of the day regardless of colour race creed, will cannot make people come down if they dont want to, All the club can do is make rovers as "attractive" to casul football fans as possible!

[Guest Kamy100]

Interesting debate.

The main reasons that Asian people do not come to matches is a) because of a misguided fear of getting racially abused can't afford it (just like many people from other races) c) they don't support Rovers.

The racism fear comes from images of English hooligans when England have played abroad, people think that all matches are like this especially the elders of the community. This viewpoint is changing slowly.

As for "free" tickets never agreed with that. The club asked me once about it and told them if you give summat away for free then people will only come when they get more free tickets. I know from personal experience when people from the community have said to me "you actually go to Ewood Park" like it is on to of mount everest or summat. There is nothing that the club can do about it, things take time and am sure that people will start to go in the future.

On another point, I actually took 12 people to a game last season (which they paid for), we were sat in the Jack Walker Upper Tier and the amount of looks and stares that we got was quite frankly embarrassing, it was like "why are they here" and definately not a welcoming atomosphere/experience. So the process has to be a two way thing or else it will never work.

[Nuclearsox]

On another point, I actually took 12 people to a game last season (which they paid for), we were sat in the Jack Walker Upper Tier and the amount of looks and stares that we got was quite frankly embarrassing

People?! In the Jack Walker Upper Tier?!?! Have you gone completely mad Kamy!?! I'm not surprised you got stared at!

[The Prof.]

Mega complex issue this.

I think the size of the asian population in Blackburn is highly contentious but not as high as quoted. Certainly no more than 20%.

Generally asians attend many sporting events but they generally have less disposable income then the white population. Cost is therefore a bigger factor to them. They also don't have a tradition of following football as first generation English asians. Many asian parents won't have been to a football match due to racism, which was rife at Ewood during the 70's and 80's (although has is thankfully not been a problem for many years- Perhaps these neanderthals have now taken up with the inbreds down at Burnley)

However, an odd poster or two to this board notwithstanding, they are made welcome when they attend and we have asian stewards. We also have a good number of common sense Lancashire asians who are difficult to identify as different from you or me and a good football in the community programme wich has young asians and some good players.

I don't think an asian player from Leeds say would command as much respect as a white player from down Whally Range so that argument is out of the window.

At present I was worried about going on holiday to Turkey so if the chappie from Liverpool gets his head chopped off by the mad mullas today then I'm sure asians will be less likely to attend Ewood even if it is just out of shame.

Its happening but the best and easiest people to get back in quick are the 5000 lost recent supporters of whatever colour. Perhaps a season ticket offer to these and with the promising new regime those recently lost would be the easiest to bring back.

[Linny8]

I totally agree with ossydave on both of his points! When I saw this post a minute ago I was thinking the exact same things!

[nottsrover]

Leicester City have the reputation of being the club with the best links to the Asian heritage people in their locality-and they have links with a club in Calcutta.

Ironic that, because the last time I heard racist abuse was at a Leicester away a few seasons ago.

I agree with those posts which are arguing that basically if the Asian community wants to come to Ewood then nothing is stopping them. That is of course true. However, we also have to think about where new fans are going to come from. Even with the history and tradition of going to ewood within the white community we still only manage to get 20k through the gates on a regular basis. We therefore need to reinvigorate the traditional fans and also go out to seek new ones.

Here in Nottingham, Forrest have a policy of giving a home replica shirt to all children within a certain radius of the ground when they reach 7 years old. Once you have got a shirt you are almost certainly going to grow up supporting that team and take a more active interest in what is going on down at Ewood. This is the sort of thing that Blackburn should seriously consider IMO.

[cletus]

I know that the club has the interests of all sections of the community at heart.

No.....the club has the interests of all sections of the communities money!! They couldn`t give a flying toss about anybody really....just their £££

...As for "Why don`t asians come to Ewood?" It`s simple.....they all support Man Utd....innit!

[American]

If you look at some other clubs in the world and how they have done by getting players of a certain race/ethnicity, that would be a big step for Rovers to getting the Asian fans in. One of the German clubs (don't remember which) has a Japanese player, and have big crowds of Japanese at all their matches. Here in the states, when the MetroStars signed Armada Guevara, the number of Hondurans attending increased dramatically, because they could see one of their countrymen play week after week.

The tricky part becomes that the player has to be good enough to make the starting lineup.

[jozsurf]

I have been following this thread with some interest as:

1. I am of Asian descent and am currently an immigrant in New Zealand.

2. I am a Blackburn Rovers fan and it has been one of my dreams to visit Ewood Park one day.

Let me try to give my perspective on this. Immigrants in general have an extremely thrifty mentality, moreso if they have come to a more developed country to earn money to send back to their family back home. Despite the freeze the Rovers board has placed on ticket prices, they are still very pricey for just two hours of entertainment. Asians are generally more conservative as well. We all watched Bend it like Beckham right ;-).

It doesn't help as well that cricket is fairly big in England. How does the racial composition look at the cricket matches in the Blackburn area?

One thing that Rovers could do (if they don't already do it) is to distribute a free ticket to youngsters who play in their little league games (assuming that Asian kids play football?) so that their parents would have to purchase tickets to bring their kids to go. That's what the Football Kingz do once in awhile here in Auckland...although I would say that the poor turn out in home games is probably due to their terrible football rather than anything else.

I am also quite disturbed at the underlying animosity towards Asians as shown by some here. While I am still keen to visit Ewood one day (and donate some of my hard-earned money to the Rovers shop ;-)) I'm not sure I want to spend a crapload of money to potentially get abused because my skin is of a different colour from other people.

Edited September 22, 2004 by jozsurf

[Ewood Spark]

I am also quite disturbed at the underlying animosity towards Asians as shown by some here. While I am still keen to visit Ewood one day (and donate some of my hard-earned money to the Rovers shop ;-)) I'm not sure I want to spend a crapload of money to potentially get abused because my skin is of a different colour from other people.

Jozsurf, don't let the ignorant minority put you off, on the whole Rovers fans are a decent bunch.

[Mike Graham]

Apart from some sensible comment from Kammy and Hughesey i've rarely read such sad drivel and related rascist undertones for a long long time.

If this is the attitude of the majority of Rovers fans you can stuff my season ticket and the £thousands I spend watching Rovers every season.

[Roaming Rover]

Don't think it is direct animosity to the Asian football supporter Jozsurf, but the perception that people seem to bend over backwards to help them whilst the rest of the community get shafted. I am not saying this is the case, but when you read about Christmas cards being banned from stores and offices etc and the police saying they should employee the Asian if they were on a par with a white applicant it all adds up.

Don't get me wrong this is not necessarily the Asian populations fault and as far as I'm aware it causes no offence when they receive Christmas cards, but the people at the top who 'know what's best' when really they do more harm than good.

Asian supporters should count themselves lucky, they don't get half the abuse non season ticket holders get on £10 a ticket match days

[BRFCC]

Apart from some sensible comment from Kammy and Hughesey i've rarely read such sad drivel and related rascist undertones for a long long time.

If this is the attitude of the majority of Rovers fans you can stuff my season ticket and the £thousands I spend watching Rovers every season.

Well if thats your attitude you must not like going down ewood that much, the slightest thing and your going to stop going on the games, PATHETIC

[Exiled in Toronto]

Whenever I come back to Blackburn, I am always struck by how there is an underlying level of racism in normal people that is considered to be perfectly acceptable; and many of the posts on this thread just reinforce that impression.

I live near and work in one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world - Toronto - where nearly half of the population are visible minorities, and you will see that diversity reflected in both the players and the crowds for Baseball and Football. Even in hockey, where there are hardly any non-white players at any of the teams, the crowd at the Toronto Maple Leafs is surprisingly diverse.

I think the big difference is that multi-culturalism is accepted and largely embraced here, whereas as Blackburn is clearly two seperate towns within one. Asians feel no more comfortable going to Ewood than whites do getting their shopping on Whalley Range.

It's also a bit of an unfortunate coincidence now that Cole and Yorke have left, we must have been the only club in the league with 11 white faces in the starting line up last Saturday. Obviously I'm not saying this is club policy, but it's hardly indicative of a progressive, multi-cultural attitude.

[BRFCC]

It's also a bit of an unfortunate coincidence now that Cole and Yorke have left, we must have been the only club in the league with 11 white faces in the starting line up last Saturday. Obviously I'm not saying this is club policy, but it's hardly indicative of a progressive, multi-cultural attitude.

I dont think it is unfortunate that 2 donkey's adding up to something in the region of £75,000 a week have left ewood in recent weeks. I dont think having 11 white faces in a football team is going to deter asians away from ewood park. I dont think we should have a couple of black players in the squad that cost money just to make the minority feel better if that is the case.