Best Loo-ser competition

[Kieran]

A lot do watch their local team.

A lot have developed an affinity with the Fleet now though and are closer to them in terms of support than they are their local team.

When you put money into a club and play a part in its decision making then that affinity grows.

A lot left in the early days because they didn't really feel committed to the team but those that have remained are pretty much committed now.

We have fans all round the world that listen in to internet radio commentary and support the club by buying shirt replicas and "virtual" tickets so local kids can go to the match free in their stead.

I live in Leicester and used to be a Season ticket holder there but i'd rather watch lower league football to be honest. It is less dominated by big bucks and I enjoy it more.

I went to Barrow two seasons ago (bit of a trek) and will be there again in December.

Give over you joker!

It's an absolute circus, and anyone who tries to claim otherwise is embarrassing themselves.

[prague bluebird]

That's true!

Many live a long way from the ground to be fair and about 1000 of them are overseas.

We do get visitors to the matches from overseas members every week too.

p.

We also have fans that live overseas and get to games now and again.
With no airport close to Barrow its not so easy.

[Holkerbird]

That's true!

Many live a long way from the ground to be fair and about 1000 of them are overseas.

We do get visitors to the matches from overseas members every week too.

p.

We also have fans that live overseas and get to games now and again.
With no airport close to Barrow its not so easy.

Yes but this is an Italian that has adopted Ebbsfleet and flies over for all the home games.

[Arithonfleet]

A lot do watch their local team.

A lot have developed an affinity with the Fleet now though and are closer to them in terms of support than they are their local team.

When you put money into a club and play a part in its decision making then that affinity grows.

A lot left in the early days because they didn't really feel committed to the team but those that have remained are pretty much committed now.

We have fans all round the world that listen in to internet radio commentary and support the club by buying shirt replicas and "virtual" tickets so local kids can go to the match free in their stead.

I live in Leicester and used to be a Season ticket holder there but i'd rather watch lower league football to be honest. It is less dominated by big bucks and I enjoy it more.

I went to Barrow two seasons ago (bit of a trek) and will be there again in December.

Give over you joker!

It's an absolute circus, and anyone who tries to claim otherwise is embarrassing themselves.

Well the "circus" will have been running for 4 years come February.

Take a look around the lower leagues and tell me that the more traditional ownership models are doing any better.

The only thing that makes it unusual is that a lot of the people involved don't live local to the ground. So what?

I've enjoyed it myself and it has got me interested in football again. I was getting bored with it before this TBH.

You mock it because it is different. You are not the first and won't be the last.

Our Italian fan is pretty unusual, but he does have work in the UK fairly regularly so has a reason to travel.

He is there most home games and some away too.

[Cokey]

We also have fans that live overseas and get to games now and again.
With no airport close to Barrow its not so easy.

Yes but this is an Italian that has adopted Ebbsfleet and flies over for all the home games.

He clearly has more money, and time, than sense.

[Kieran]

Give over you joker!

It's an absolute circus, and anyone who tries to claim otherwise is embarrassing themselves.

Well the "circus" will have been running for 4 years come February.

Take a look around the lower leagues and tell me that the more traditional ownership models are doing any better.

The only thing that makes it unusual is that a lot of the people involved don't live local to the ground. So what?

I've enjoyed it myself and it has got me interested in football again. I was getting bored with it before this TBH.

You mock it because it is different. You are not the first and won't be the last.

Our Italian fan is pretty unusual, but he does have work in the UK fairly regularly so has a reason to travel.

He is there most home games and some away too.

As I said, embarrassing.

[Arithonfleet]

As I said, embarrassing.

You did say, yes.

I'm not remotely embarrassed though.

We took a club that was not far from going under and Ebbsfleet then won the FA Trophy, taking 25,000 fans to Wembley
We eventually ran out of money but rallied and got promoted again.
Like yourselves, it's always going to be difficult with a local support base of only about 1100 but we are coping and competing.
Not many clubs at our level have supporters in 5 continents who listen in to the matches and occasionally visit too.

If that's embarrassing then I'll take it.

[Angela]

voting still down

[DaveC]

Website down entirely now. It's beginning to look bogus now.

[Ste Story]

Making it so only one vote per IP would be stupid - stop all BAE voting, army lads etc.

It's a stupid competition anyway. If they want to give grants to lower league clubs then do so, don't try and turn it into some poxy popularity competition that can't even withstand the amount of cheating that would obviously go on, just so a few big companies can send out press-releases to their shareholders that they've helped stopped Burnzio's nephew get wazz in his eyes and the world is now a better place.

[Jonty]

Making it so only one vote per IP would be stupid - stop all BAE voting, army lads etc.

It's a stupid competition anyway. If they want to give grants to lower league clubs then do so, don't try and turn it into some poxy popularity competition that can't even withstand the amount of cheating that would obviously go on, just so a few big companies can send out press-releases to their shareholders that they've helped stopped Burnzio's nephew get wazz in his eyes and the world is now a better place.

I am leaning toward this kind of thinking now. All the clubs in there, even the league clubs with more resources and bigger fanbases probably need work doing and the money would be most welcome by all the clubs involved. The competition organisers would get real appreciative thanks and make more friends sharing the prize pot out across all the clubs. We clearly need new bogs, but clearly so do Ebbsfleet, neither more than the other, do we need to get down to a "battle of the bogs". I say the organisers should share out the prize money out and get more publicity that way.

£10k would be most welcome to all clubs I'm sure. We could maybe afford then to have running water plumbed in and a couple of splashback guards!

[Arithonfleet]

i agree with the two posts above.

£100k or nothing is a bit OTT

However, the competition element does introduce a bit of fun and motivation though and let's face it, it has resulted in both you and us engaging with the fanbase far more than we would have.

A good idea would be to offer £20k towards a bog makeover to 5 nominated clubs PROVIDING they each got 2000 people to vote for their club.

That way 5 clubs would benefit and the company concerned would get good publicity from the 5 clubs, probably on an ongoing basis too.

[Richard Ingham]

Think they were being just a touch naive there.

Bang on Nigel, the reason we have all been taking so much interest in this all week rather than a very tasty FA Cup tie is because we (and obviously Ebbsfleet too) are DESPERATE for improved facilities. If the organisers thought that they could get away with putting half an IT system into this with very little in the way of stopping people rigging the vote then they are clearly nuts. IMO the best way for them to save face and get some positive PR out of the whole shambles would be to call off the vote and do the decent thing and split the prize between us and Ebbsfleet. That way they can say they really are providing facilities for the biggest loosers, come out of it with a lot of positive goodwill and show they support the real grassroots clubs.

[Wintergreen]

It's turned into blatant and pre-meditated willy-waving.

[Holkerbird]

It's turned into blatant and pre-meditated willy-waving.

Well really Wintergreen----not by me.