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Future of Ionians!!!| Author | Message |
starman7  |  May 9 2008, 18:52 PM |
 Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Apr 28 2008 Status: Offline | Hi there,i'm a keen supporter of Ionians junior section and just wanted to ask is there some new talent coming from the juniors to the seniors for next season?Also, is there going to be a colts team this year or an Academy...if that is the right way to put it!?] |
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| aspiring10 | May 10 2008, 16:57 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sat May 10 2008 Status: Offline Last Edit: 10 May 2008, 17:03 | I am wondering what is going to happen in general. I have followed I,s for years and I think that the playing side has always done well with its resources. Isn,t it time that they looked and where they need to go qnd plan how to get there. I,s have the potential to be a great club and yet we haven,t progressed to where we should be. I am not the only person who thinks that the board of directors need to look forward and be honest enough to say are they the right people to drive this..... What are the thoughts of others.  |
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| Greggers | May 11 2008, 22:57 PM |
 Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 8 2007 Status: Offline | Do you know how much more it costs to fund a team in National 2? Forget wages but longer journeys, over night stays and having a squad of players who are able to leave on a Friday afternoon for some of the longer trips. Plus after next season national 2 and 3 North/South to make 1 Northern League and 1 Southern league so assuming the club are in the top 6 next season then they will be playing a higher standard. I'm not sure that any changes in directors can change this. Perhaps the occassional change to freshen things up is a good thing but I think that there are enough examples of clubs over stretching themselves and it going badly wrong to make me wary of us going down the same path. And I understand there will be an academy set up next season. |
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| aspiring10 | May 12 2008, 07:59 AM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sat May 10 2008 Status: Offline | As usual greggers you are spot on. I do understand the cost issue but all of us dream of watching I,s playing at a higher level (dare I say top flight). We could make the change by possibly bringing more influential people of the area on board and developing the club with a strong financial footing. We have a superb facility, a development network of great proportions and a first team and management that are doing a phenomenal job with limited resources. I feel we need to develop the resources. Someone once said if you dont  change anything how can you expect a different result....... |
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| Waterboy | May 12 2008, 22:14 PM |
 Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Mar 24 2008 Status: Offline | Yer, Greggers "if you always do what you have always done,then you will always get what you have always had". |
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| Gervais | May 12 2008, 22:38 PM |
 Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sun Jan 27 2008 Status: Offline Last Edit: 12 May 2008, 22:40 | Depends how you judge success. Some clubs have realised that they have gone as high up the league structure as funds allow and aspirations dictate and have developed a greater player base, increasing the number of teams within the club, all the mini/ juniors have to play somewhere. Perhaps Ionians could look to run a senior womens team. Come to the AGM and join in the healthy debate! |
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| Greggers | May 13 2008, 12:42 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 8 2007 Status: Offline | Absolutelty Gervais, we used to have 6 senior sides and didn't have an academy side this season. While i agree the highest ever finish in the leagues and the Hawks 2nd place in the merit table are brilliant there is lots of room for improvement. Who does this and how is a matter for the AGM, only a couple of weeks to go. |
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| aspiring10 | May 13 2008, 13:14 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sat May 10 2008 Status: Offline | Does anyone actually have a specific goal for the club. For instance if the goal is to play at the next level does anyone know what we need to get there. There are big financial constraints but if we knew what they were maybe we could find a way to get them. There are several big companies who I think would be willing to invest if they saw a plan of where the club was going. If the unanamous verdict is to stay in North 3 then fine but is that where we want to stay. |
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| Greggers | May 13 2008, 13:59 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 8 2007 Status: Offline | If you read any of Simmy or Micks statements over the past couple of years I think its been made perfectly clear that the club are targetting National 2 rugby, but the time scale is never clear. National North 3 will only exist for 1 more season. I guess the 'ambitions to play National 2' will now be to to make it into National 2 North after next season. In order to do that we need to finish in the top 6. The bonus of this is that a National North league would mean that many of the costs (not match fees) attached to the current National 2 rugby will be gone and won't really kick in until National 1. I am not sure what happens to the RFU funding under the new changes. I question just how many National 1 teams that Yorkshire can support and Leeds Tykes and Rotherham have proven that the county can't sustain regular Premiership rugby at the moment. There are only so many players in the area up to the required standard before you need to start splashing even more cash at players from outside the region. Looking at other clubs in our area, they struggle with this at North 1 level!! I think you over estimate the desire of major companies to sponsor clubs that can only boast a couple of hundred supporters for each home game. This needs to be addressed and I have often wondered why we aren't doing more to encourage our large mini/junior membership to venture down on a Saturday and those that do come to hang around in the club afterwards for a drink. |
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| aspiring10 | May 13 2008, 14:10 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sat May 10 2008 Status: Offline | I do agree with all you have said with the exception of the companies willing to participate. The old addage of people only support a succesful side is true and especially with I's. I remember well the semi of the NPI wher the club was very busy and also companies were falling over us to be involved, we just never really used that success. I really believe that success breeds success and we can give the team management more to play with then improvement is a major possibility. |
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| Waterboy | May 14 2008, 14:51 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Mar 24 2008 Status: Offline | Aspiring 10 are you sure you are not fatnpastit just stirring the brew? Greggers makes a lot of valid points. I do love you Greggers? The club must have made some decisions through its members to achieve and play in the National leagues and it continues to be their choice on how far they want the club to go. A couple of questions which could be asked are: 1. Do the members still want to pursue these aims? 2. Has the pursuit of National league status had any positive or negative status for the club? |
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| zeusthegod | May 14 2008, 15:52 PM |
 Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sun Jan 13 2008 Status: Offline | The point Greggers made about the Mini/Junior section getting involved I made to various people a few seasons ago and NOTHNING was done about it!! I made the point of why dont we give every mini junior team at I's a free booklet of tickets to every first team match for the season. This would mean that each child would get in for free but would incourage their parents to come down with them to watch, the parents have to pay a consession charge to get in. More people at the club equals more spent behind the bar!! There could be a burger van outisde selling drinks, burgers, etc all this money spent by the kids/parents could be going back in to the club's pockets. We could even start having curtain rasisers where the kids play a game before each home 1st team match!! So there would be two junior teams playing with two lots of parents watching, once again more money spent at the club!! Lets try and make I's a family place which is enjoyable to come to on a Saturday. The problem is a certain few treat I's like its their own private country club and dont want young kids running around. |
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| aspiring10 | May 14 2008, 17:20 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sat May 10 2008 Status: Offline Last Edit: 14 May 2008, 17:21 | Waterboy. In a way I am trying to stir a response as the two questions you have asked are 'in a nut shell' the questions I think need answering. I am happy either way but I personally would like to watch an improved standard and success. I think you personally are doing a great job and support the link to the board. I would love to see I's be the club it can be. It does start by filling the stands and the getting the kids there with there parents would be a great start. PS the comment about the country club is very true this should be a community for all not the select few. If this changes that would be the biggest step forward in the clubs history. |
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| Mr-Sandeman | May 14 2008, 18:51 PM |
 Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sun Feb 24 2008 Status: Offline | Just a few things to put in to this Topic. You are alright and are answering each others Questions. To get the Kid's ?. Curtain Raiser is a great Idea, and from that we could get ball boys for all home games Two each side of the pitch. Kids/Parents ?, For every child with a Parent the Parent get's in 1/2 price or if child plays in C/R they get in free for L/match's only. As everyone pay's for cup games. Zeusthegod your last line The problem is a certain few treat I's like its their own private country club and don't want young kids running around. I may be wrong but I've not seen this!, but I'am only there on a Sat. and to me the club will pay the price, if they don't look after the kids |
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| Fullbodiedred | May 15 2008, 15:58 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Nov 12 2007 Status: Offline | Zeus, you obviously don't know about the efforts put in by many to try to encourage better support, particularly of youngsters in the area. I understand that free admittance has been offered regularly to all local schools by the club via the RDO (Boney) but to almost no effect. The last time there was a good crowd of kids was at the home game against Hull some years ago. Its the same in almost all Nat 3 clubs - don't believe the attendance figures put on the web! Yet there are hundreds of relatives of Hull FC academy players turning up to watch them on a weekend. You've got to accept that union is a minor sport around here compared to league. If city get promotion there will be even fewer down to I's games! |
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| zeusthegod | May 15 2008, 17:34 PM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sun Jan 13 2008 Status: Offline | Full Bodied Red we have a large mini/junior section and I never see any of the kids down on a Saturday!! These are the kids and parents we should start to try and attract on a Saturday!! If they are playing for I's on a Sunday they obviously have an interest in Rugby Union so encourage them down!! The best way curtain raisers!! You also then have the visting parents watching!! |
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| Greggers | May 16 2008, 00:11 AM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 8 2007 Status: Offline | exactly, you don't lose anything, you just gain a bigger crowd which will hopefully have a knock on effect. I'd suggest any team playing a curtain raiser gets Sunday off so the parents don't have to give up both days on a weekend. |
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| zeusthegod | May 16 2008, 07:42 AM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sun Jan 13 2008 Status: Offline | Totally agree Greggers!! If the Junior team plays on a Saturday they get Sunday off!! I remember playing curtain raisers when I was young and it was a right buzz!! So we should give these kids at our club the chance to enjoy it!! I am not sure how many teams we have in our mini/junior section but we could start with the youngest and work up to the eldest and then start the cycle again. Like I said in previous posts you then get two lots of parents down watching and spending money. |
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| allezleblanc | May 16 2008, 08:20 AM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Mon Oct 15 2007 Status: Offline | Aspiring10 says Waterboy provides a great link to the board. WHICH BOARD? I believe this certain gentleman will be offering a link to the board at Selby next year!  In support of his very talented lad 'tiger woods' or is it 'Steve Claridge' Good points made by Zeus and Greggers although cheerleaders from FHM or some 'muck tubs' who will do owt for a fiver should raise the gates. It would cover a massive market of excitable young boys and very old viagra ridden old men and lesbians. . Lets get back to old fashioned traditional rugby club filth |
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| aspiring10 | May 16 2008, 11:38 AM |
Group: Member Posts: Joined: Sat May 10 2008 Status: Offline | Completely got me confused with someone else. I think that the role of waterboy is to see what resources we need and then the responsable powers that be should go out and find a way to get it. Not restrict them with the limits they have. p.s. Hvae you ever been to selby....... |
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