Apologies to anyone who was offended by the wording of my original title for this post. I have removed it in deference to their complaints. I have also removed the offending word from the post below.
This afternoon, someone from Darlington Partnership, acting on behalf of Darlington Football Club, emailed me the poster above, asking me to display it in my business. Ok, it advertises three upcoming fixtures and they need all the support they can get, but what's at the top of the poster? Cut price, "Happy Hour" drinks for a total of three hours before and after each match.
Now, the drinks industry claims to have a new-found awareness of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and the need to protect young people in particular. I thought they had signed up to an informal understanding to limit "Happy Hour" promotions. See here, here and here for some articles on the subject.
Furthermore, nominally at least, DFC is a sports club and might be expected to show a greater regard for the health of its patrons. And DFC has always claimed to be a friendly, family club. This image sits uneasily with an advertisment which offers cheap drnks at the ground on match days.
Now, as a member of STAR Northern Royals (Supporters Trust at Reading for northern exiled Royals fans) I usually have a pint in a friendly pub before Reading matches, meeting up with other Reading exiles from the area. But, given my age, I prefer to watch the football rather than spend half the game in the toilet. So one is enough.
Darlo: I have no problem with you having a bar at the ground, it's all part of the matchday experience for many adult fans. But don't base your marketing campaign on the availability of cheap drinks. Show some responsibility!
3 comments:
So the club try and do something to generate a bit of extra revenue during financially troubled times and you jump on the binge drinking bandwagon to score "political points"
You need to realise that people are going to drink before and after matches, why not do this at the ground? they do this at other pubs and there's rarely any drink related problems once they get to the ground
The hardcore Darlington supporters who make a day out of going to the match and having a drink appreciate the game too much to risk getting arrested for being drunk at the ground and a subsequent banning order.
The club doesn't need people like you knocking the club with piss taking blogs, you should be showing your support, but there again you're not a Darlo fan so I guess you really don't care though you'll pretend to when the club goes under
with councillors like you, god help darlington. you cannot even get your facts right.
'Apologies to anyone who was offended by the wording of my original title for this post'
.....when you titled the blog in such an offensive manner did it not enter your mind that people might be offended or that it showed total disrespect to the football club with your accusation that the football club do not want people to turn up to support the team but would prefer they create anti-social behaviour throughout the town?
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