[Archived] Asian Support

[Manchester Blue]

Well i'm sorry but it's attitude's like yours that give ammo to those with hidden agenda's trying to score points by labelling everything pc nonsense or liberal rubbish. I've not really noticed any underlying racism at all merely people arguing rightly that the Asian community should be no more entitled to free tickets than any other.

There are many Asians that I see at Ewood certainly in the JW lower in fact Blue Phil's mate Lord Patel sits near me fairly often. I've never noticed any dodgy comments or people being funny with them and neither would I.

If certain people don't come to the football because of fears of the reception then I think that's a shame but I think the club and football in general has done loads to improve the games image and really it's a case of what more can you do. The very thought of attracting a certain group with free tickets, unless they were children, just irritates me and also goes against the whole notion of multi-culturalism to me.

How you can you argue for more integration when you single out one group for special priveleges?

[mac]

A good point very well made

[Roaming Rover]

Well said Manchester Blue.

[BRFCC]

good post manc blue

[mattyboy6000]

How you can you argue for more integration when you single out one group for special priveleges?

agree with this. completely.

a lot of people have jumped on the "free tickets" thing, and vented their spleen over this, but was this seriously an option?

there's another thread where the costs of attending have been mentioned, now say you did have 6 sons (as an observant catholic or musllim might), would you be willing to shell out £210 to watch one game with them?

it's a little extravagant isn't it?

[tashor]

So the concessus is that as they cannot be bothered to attend Ewood we should tell them to get lost. We can do without them. We do not need anyone to attend who is not 100% Blue 'n' White. We will be relegated in the next few seasons but we don't care.

[speeeeeeedie]

I was tempted to bring up this point in the "investment in our club" thread last week, but deemed it too sticky to deal with, it didn't fit with my agenda for the Blues, and I don't think it will work.

One of my points was that as a town there are 140,000 in Blackburn and it would take nearly 1 in 5 people, regardless of race, going to a game to fill Ewood every week. Why offer discounts to a specialist group within the 140,000 to increase gates? All that will happen is that you will upset the regular fan who pays full price, who may never come back. What some are advocating here is by offering reductions/stimuli to the asian population you are trying to increase your revenue by offering discounts to a small part of the support that is not that interested for whatever reason. As a business you treat your biggest customers well, that's why corporate boxes are all the rage and why "high rollers" in Las Vegas get free plane rides, rooms, girls, etc.. they'll still spend more than Joe Public on his hols there for a week.

You will get people who think we should be PC and treat Blackburn's ethnic population with kid gloves and others who say that we should not bother with them. Good points have been rasied on both sides and I'm keeping clear of the race debate - that's for the non-football board.

Blackburn Rovers desperately needs to increase its gate size, management know this and efforts to attract fans should be pursued. However this needs to be done without making the die-hard mad. Should the asian community be given priority? I don't think so. Have asian community groups and other asian fan friendly activities but Rovers also need a young farmer's supporters club, butchers of the north 5-a-side competition, educating women about football nights; all these must, in the end, get more full paying supporters through the turnstiles. Yes I'm stretching it a little but you get my drift?

[mattyboy6000]

So the concessus is that as they cannot be bothered to attend Ewood we should tell them to get lost. We can do without them. We do not need anyone to attend who is not 100% Blue 'n' White

hardly.

[ABBEY]

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?"

its because you asked for a black coffee

[1864roverite]

Jozsurf

I think your wrong on that point trying to infer that some members are ANTI Asian or appear to be.

It would be great for everyone if we could have several hundred Asain supporters in the ground every home game. we have some who sit near us and they love it, the enjoy the banter and good humour and give as much as any other Rovers supporter be them white, pink,yellow,chinese or caribbean.

I think the point is is that there are barriers to be broke down.

racism is still a big factor in east lancs as well as the world, this is a taboo subject. the minority are the racists themselves and I for one would have no hesitation in pointing this out if I heard racial abuse. The majority will understand this. The Asian community have many good points but at the saem time they also have bad points.

Rovers AND the Asian community should work together to generate interest. I am not a fan of the free ticket idea because that would cause uproar amongst some.

Most people know or understand how the Asain community operate within the individual groups, please dont slate me for that as I have a very in depth knowledge of this. My suggestion is that the elders of the community should be communicated with and the message sent down through the education classes and community gatherings that all is well within football and that racist behaviour is a seriously minor problem.

its a massive hurdle and its a mammoth task but its a barrier well worth breaking down

[rover6]

I agree with most of the points made by Manc blue.

The club should NOT pursue policies that anger the long-term fan who has attended shed-loads of games for unmentionable amounts of money.

However, the club should be proactively trying to bring Asian fans in by other means than giving away free/discounted tickets. If we tap into that segment of the market, Blackburn can get bigger and better.

And that would benefit the die-hard fan of 30 or whatever years as well as the new arrivals.

My opinion is that the best way would be to unearth a great Asian (Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi) talent. If a player of that ethnic background was playing for Rovers I expect barriers to be broken and more Asians to attend matches. There would be a pride factor. I suspect that not a huge number of Asians were into boxing but Amir Kahn's exploits have changed that.

Some people on this board might say fast-tracking an Asian player into the first team squad would be unnecessary pc-ism and bending backwards to a group of reluctant football fans.

However, if it long-term benefits Blackburn, would it not be a good thing for your club?

Before anyone says that there are no decent Asian players (the old chestnut) I would say you're wrong. There are barriers of discrimination and culture. Can you believe that Shaun Wright-Phillips was rejected by Nottingham Forest because he was too small? If that sort of idiotic stereotyping/discrimination can occur, racial discrimination can do so too.

Our scouts have to just look harder and deeper.

Edited September 22, 2004 by rover6

[Roaming Rover]

So the concessus is that as they cannot be bothered to attend Ewood we should tell them to get lost. We can do without them. We do not need anyone to attend who is not 100% Blue 'n' White. We will be relegated in the next few seasons but we don't care.

No the concessus is we need to attract fans from all walks of life not just the Asian population.

[blue phil]

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.

You're correct in saying that B'burn is two towns in one and the sad fact is those TWO (not multi) cultures are as different as it's possible for be . You could hardly pick two more different cultures on the face of the planet. It's a silly mistake to say that there is an underlying level of racism over here ; the fact is that most people on both sides of the divide just accept that the two sides are never going to integrate . They have their way of life , we have ours and that's that .

Your last paragraph shows (with all respect) that you just don't understand the problem . Cole and Yorke are black but their cultures are a million miles closer to ours than they are to the Asians . It is NOT in any way about colour. 11 white faces or 11 black faces in the team would not make much difference to any of the posters on here IMO .

[FourLaneBlue]

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.

That's a wonderful idea. In all seriousness how much would that cost the club each year if they were to gave each local child a replica shirt on his seventh birthday? One week of one of our highest earners wages? Doubt it'd even come to that. It'd be worth it for the good publicity and PR alone.

Other than that Rovers do actively target schoolkids in the area. It is something they must continue as it is those kids who often pester their parents to take them along to Ewood. We do not have the fanbase to rely on people keep turning up or locals turning into Rovers fans (United or Chelsea seem so much more glamorous on Sky) so the club has to keep plugging away at the young locals to turn them into Rovers supporters who will then be that way for life.

[jim mk2]

Doling out free shirts to kids is all very well but supporting Rovers for life requires an act of faith that is sorely tested at the best of times.

Pity the Rovers kids who have to go to school today to be taunted by their peers about losing to Bournemouth. Little wonder they take the easy option and support teams like United who win far more matches than they lose!

[neozijian]

dont forget there are asians supporting blackburn in Asia itself. Hong Kong and Singapore seem to be places that rovers can try to tap into. losing to bournemouth helps too! at least blackburn gets one whole page to itself in the New Paper for once

[colin]

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. 

That's a wonderful idea.

That strikes me as a brilliant idea too.

Sod this "ethic background" rubbish. Haul 'em in by some other method.

Schoolkids don't give a damn where there classmates parents come from.

[BuckyRover]

Im so glad I have moved away from Accrington and to the bright lights of University.

Its good being educated

I can certainly bet that the majority who have posted here are not.

I have never heard more self obsessed (us whites we have it so bad ) and uneducated tripe in all of my life.

[MCMC1875]

Im so glad I have moved away from Accrington and to the bright lights of University.

Its good being educated

I can certainly bet that the majority who have posted here are not.

I have never heard more self obsessed (us whites we have it so bad ) and uneducated tripe in all of my life.

Your naivety and poor judgement screams from your mails. Unfortunately common sense cannot be obtained from a university. You would do well to meet some of those you correspond with on this MB Accringtonian.

[Roaming Rover]

I take it from your post you have only just started at Uni BuckyRover as that is a typical I'm at Uni now I know it all a lot of first years come out with.

I think MCM1875 says it all really

[thenodrog]

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,

Surely in Toronto you have a common link? You are ALL immigrants together.

E in T I dont want to offend you but you are beginning to sound like an Aussie!

Edited September 24, 2004 by thenodrog

[jim mk2]

Im so glad I have moved away from Accrington and to the bright lights of University.

Its good being educated

I can certainly bet that the majority who have posted here are not.

I have never heard more self obsessed (us whites we have it so bad ) and uneducated tripe in all of my life.

I note that you are so well educated that you do not know how to use apostrophes, hyphens, capital letters or full stops.

Perhaps you might care to attend remedial classes at "Uni".

[thenodrog]

Im so glad I have moved away from Accrington and to the bright lights of University.

Its good being educated

I can certainly bet that the majority who have posted here are not.

Listen laddie you think you are educated? Well imo it takes a special talent to avoid a university education these days.

btw whose bright lights are you enjoying and what are you studying?

Edited September 24, 2004 by thenodrog

[thenodrog]

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.

So thats the difference is it?

You really need to visit cock because I can tell you that if thats the case they are just like the rest of us!

Please dont fall into the common trap of thinking that everyone else is better off than you! Blackburn is a poor and depressed town........for all it's inhabitants.

(Dont think that it'll ever be 'conservative' though )

[bob fleming]

Im so glad I have moved away from Accrington and to the bright lights of University.

Those'll be the bright lights of Leeds. "Sophistication? Sophistication?!? I've been to Leeeds!"