@Staghill i don’t mind if it’s empty as long as we go up.
Getting out this sh!t hole division with clubs like Harrogate, Barrow, Crewe, Bromley, we should not be anywhere near tinpot outfits like this
I won’t be stopping. We’ve been through enough rubbish, I’m making the most of this. I don’t want the season to end.
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Leyton Orient had a feature in The Times today. As I mentioned last week regularly getting crowds of 7-8k and they’re looking into moving to a 17k stadium in next decade.
Their owner said plenty of new developments going up close to the ground so they produce a welcome document giving the history and information on coming to Orient games and post it when the apartments become occupied.
Maybe something to do here with marketing in any new housing developments within 4-5 mile radius of the Bescot especially if it’s right by the train line?
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I read the Italian football side Atalanta gave an Atalanta football shirt to every child born in Bergamo (the city Atalanta is based in) thus giving a connection to the club from the start.
Perhaps Walsall FC could consider something similar with Walsall manor?
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Curiosity got the better of me, so I checked how many babies are born at the manor every year. Around 3600-3700.
I’m not sure what the Club get them for, but I don’t see them outlaying that much.
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Think folk would still want to see us win the league even once we’re promoted
I don’t know what will happen if we win the league by March though. I dont think such a scenario was ever envisaged in the lifetime of the universe.
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Transport/access has been mentioned several times on this thread. I’m old enough to remember the “football special” buses that picked up kids from outlying places; Walsall Wood, Shelfield, Rushall etc. It may be worthwhile looking at a modern version of this to make it more convenient for families to attend, enjoy a drink before and after the game and get home safe. Obviously the club would need to do a viability study before hand. I don’t know whether this would have a positve impact or not but I suggest neither does anyone else. The railway station is handy but is in need of a major upgrade to make it fit for these times. There is no access for people who have mobility problems and that needs to change. I confess, I do not use the train but I do wonder whether the timings of arrivals and departures work well? Now that we have games lasting 100 minutes or more does that mean connections are missed if games run over? I know there is a bus that drops people off outside of the stadium, again are the timings convenient and practical for people on match days? Timetables can be altered if there is a demand but it would need the club to survey supporters and provide evidence to the transport authority to influence timings and then to ensure that supporters are aware of their options. I personally drive, park as close as I can and then walk. That is because I don’t want to get caught up in the after match traffic around Bescot. However, I would be happy to catch a “Circular bus”, (old fashioned terminology I know) that would pick me up on Broadway West after the game and drop me somewhere near home. Just a few thoughts…
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Work on this is Scheduled to be done by 2027
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I agree. I’m sure they reintroduced football specials in the 90s or early 00s briefly? If they did have them then they’d need to let them run at a loss for a while until people changed their usual arrangements and became aware of them etc which might mean a full season.
They could even have buses leaving from pubs, have an arrangement with the pub, a pint, the bus and a match ticket for £25 or something, something for ST holders too etc etc. No point running buses into Walsall, Bloxwich, Gt Wyrley, Cannock etc the train takes care of that, but Brownhills, Pelsall, Rushall, Willenhall, Bentley etc possibly.
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I may be wrong here but I think the football special trains were stopped after the trouble at Wrexham.
I can say for certain that ideas about Buses to local areas and from pubs has been put forward to the club in the past, before Trivela though.
I’m sure years ago when we first moved to Bescot, Buses used to line up by the Saddlers Club after the games. Not sure where they went, my Dad was more into walking than catching buses!
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I was more talking about football special buses rather than trains (I know the term is more used in relation to trains). I went to Wrexham and we just got the normal service.
I was thinking where the buses would line up, they’d have to go towards Delves rather than towards the lights at the Broadway then find their way out that end. They would have to hold back cars off the car park and line them up in that layby thing by the hotel I would imagine, or split the away car park and have them on there.
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No they don’t. Some trains to the game on the Chase Line (Rugeley, Hednesford, Cannock etc) stop additionally at Bescot on matchdays, but West Midlands Railway have been messing around with the frequency and timing. Direct arrivals had been at 13:53 and 14:23, but recently they have been timed to arrived at 14:23 and 14:53 (That’s daft! It’s far too late to get across to the ground, get your ticket, if needed, get searched and get your seat). OK you can always catch the earlier train and change at Walsall for the stopper, not much of a problem admittedly, but it does double the journey time.
After the game is the real issue. There are direct trains, but departures back to Bloxwich , Cannock etc are at 17:02 and 17:32. Invariably I miss that first train and can’t be bothered to wait half an hour, so I drive. I think that the 17:02 used to connect with trains at Rugeley but not any more. There seems no reason why that one can’t be held five minutes to give us all chance to get across to the platforms.
Perhaps the Club could have a word.
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So you really think that spending £20/30 on each of the 4/5000 new born babies a year at the Manor is a good use of the clubs budget. You really do enjoy Dividion 4. This is a good one !
Clearly any long term thought or planning or concept of investment is lost on you, so seems pointless debating.
As I said Atalanta do it and there not doing too badly for a provincial side.
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Well it is in the interest of the railway company to increase passenger numbers and is also in the interests of the club. It is all about making things convenient for all. These things are changed from time to time anyway so are not set in stone. I’m sure there are possibilities here.
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But if you suggest on here that Trivella are doing the wrong thing by not engaging with the WST (do they even exist now) or ISSA you are noted as negative / troll / not getting behind the team at such a glorious time.
The mechanism for starting off initiatives like this is gone. Trivella should start talking to fan groups quarterly.
If it’s left to individuals to make suggestions they just get bombarded with crack pot ideas like traffic lights , chips or giving away 5000 baby sized kits to the manor each year.
Thanks for the laugh though. Good one !
No problem. Simple minds laugh at things they don’t understand. 
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As sensible and easy as that seems, I’m guessing it would be much harder to do in practice.
I work in train planning (not for West Midlands Railway), but the congestion on the railways is most likely the same in and around Birmingham as it is around the bigger cities up in the North.
Even adding 30 seconds into a trains schedule could cause something not to work across the country by knock on effect.
Catch 22 sometimes too, you need to build the infrastructure/bring service improvements for people to be able to decide they’ll use the train, but equally a lot of these changes won’t happen unless there is evidence it is a feasible business decision or that it brings significant improvements to the community - which a fairly small sporting event on average every fortnight at Besot may not be. Particilarly with irregular kick off times now for TV, these changes would be even less likely I’d have thought.
Not saying its impossible mind, just that these things never seem as easy to implement as we’d like.
Completley agree though, it would be to the benefit of everyone if there was a better suiting train service into town after the game, which in turn could mean less traffic around Bescot crescent.
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I’ve posted about this quite a few times in response to others posts.
I am on the committee of ISSA and wrote to them not too long after Trivela they had taken over, to request a meeting, to talk to them about some of the things we do in the community. We thought that was something that was important to them and was a good way to start a good relationship.
They declined the meeting and in simple terms said fans should go through the established channels like programme notes, videos, fans forums and the WFC website. Also fans are encouraged to make contact individually via the SLO.
This was very disappointing to me, but it is what it is. They have their way of doing things and we have to accept that. I can say that everyone involved with ISSA just wants the best for Walsall FC and for them to be as successful as we possibly can. I can assure you ISSA will be there if we are ever needed by fans.
I believe the Trust do have contact with the Club, but I’m not 100% on that. I did notice that the club posted up about “their Christmas toy appeal” which the Trust have been organising for years, and never mentioned them once, which I thought was a bit bad. Despite what some think, it isn’t an us v them.
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