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A Guy for the Penney team
Reporter: Matthew Chambers
Date online: 19 November 2009
New commercial boss sets sights on boosting attendances
GUY Walker hopes he can help put “bums on seats” in his capacity as Athletic's new sales and marketing manager.
The 44-year-old from Wilmslow began work this week with a remit of boosting the club's profile — and attendance figures for matches involving Dave Penney’s team.
Boasting extensive experience in sports product marketing, Walker spent 15 years working for Umbro International, during which time he regularly touched base with Athletic as well as such internationally-renowned club sides as Manchester United, Inter Milan, Lazio and Ajax.
More recently the co-owner and sales and marketing director of Elms Marketing, Walker is relishing the challenge which lies ahead.
"I am delighted about taking on this role," said Walker.
"I believe that Oldham Athletic is a bigger club than is often portrayed.
"There is lots of support here. It isn't so many years since the ground was filled regularly and there is so much potential.
"The three owners have shown that they are on board in terms of their ambitions and we need to build on that."
Walker will come up with marketing strategies in the next few weeks against a background of some disappointing attendances at Boundary Park — none more so than the 5,552 who watched the FA Cup first-round tie against Leeds United, a game which would normally be regarded as a crowd-puller.
"We need more fans coming to games and that is part of my role, so I will do everything in my power to make it happen," he said.
As well as appointing Walker, Athletic are set to work closely with marketing company Openhouse Europe and their director Tim Gardiner as part of a rebranding exercise.
Having worked as a former sales and marketing director at West Bromwich Albion for two-and-a-half years, Gardiner was integral to the club's new branding in 2006.
He boasts more than 20 years of experience in the world of sport.
Comments
Is this another of the friends of friends network?, another paper exercise to waffle to the supporters again. These directors have shown they are not up to the task of taking this club forward, nor the finances for such ventures and its time they went. I and everyone knows people cannot continue to lose money, but 5 years of cuts a three sided ground and nothing but waffle from the directors since they took over.
most clubs only have one millionaire on the board, we supposedly have five, and they are all fairing better than us despite the credit crunch, and is not the main reasons the fans are leaving in droves. They have on a yearly basis dragged this club to new lows, and fans have had enough poor team poor ground, poor or no refreshments by half time, priority always given to away supporters.
This club see's fans as a commodity to be exploited they have given very little if nothing to the long hard suffering fans in the five years at the helm, infact stottie did better running this club on nothing, and without the waffle and took us alot further with out the bull****. I wish him luck, but there is only so many times you can flog a dead horse.
Dont make me laugh Mr Walker,bums on seats im afraid the place is full of bums,mainly on the pitch,in the dug out and in the directors box.
He's got a tough job on his hands. I hope he does well so long as part of his job isn't about getting people on board for the Failsworth project.
First job Guy is to keep the people who come happy. Make sure who ever orders pies orders enough, same with the other 'facilities'
This may sound menial but if i came for the first time to BP and found long queues for poor quality products i would not return.
Where has the offers on games gone? Wigans next 3 premiership games cost just £30 all together, gotta be worth a try and thats coming from a season ticket holder.
are these threads about current affairs with the latics or is this the obituary section? everyone on here is grim and miserable - go and check out teams like accrington and bury and you will see supporting latics isnt so bad. we NEED that stadium move, i dont care if its in failsworth or somalia.otherwise this club, with the most miserable & negative fans in the world (not every fan but the majority) will cease to exist. that is a fact.
Steady on RG. I don’t come into the grim and miserable category. But I certainly won’t be going to Somalia! As for Scotties ‘its time they went’ another one for my list of OS gems. One day they will go, when someone wants to buy it! To walk tomorrow would mean liquidation. 98% of the community wouldn’t give a toss. The 3As have made a few mistakes but we are still mid table, if poor. We are voting with our feet, a fair reflection of the ground, ticketing and goals. That’s showbiz!
I wish Guy all the best in his task, it won't be easy but to see a side the state of our attendances at the minute is soul destroying especially hearing Huddersfield fans taunting our turn out the other week (where the hell were they the last 6 seasons at Boundary Park?)
I drove up from Ipswich for the Leeds game and returned immediately afterwards somewhat gutted to see the Chaddy so empty and not consoled by the £70k TV money. I would say that the 3A's commitment since meltdown '03 has been disproportionate to the support received from the Oldham Public when considering weekly financial losses etc and I would be tempted to spread my bets and risk and get my mates involved so good luck to em.
Looks to me they have adjusted strategy to circumstances most notably the credit crunch so thats the time we are in. Looks to me like Mr walker has an exciting challenge on his hands and never doubt that things cannot turn around. Good luck.
Here you go Guy, season 2010/2011, season tickets for adults £100 children £50, that would certainly fill the ground and you would make far more on merchandise and refreshments ( if you ordered enough ), also stop moving the home fans everytime a big club comes to BP, allocate the small section only why should away teams be allowed to have what seems like a home advantage.
I also think the new ground should be built at the side of the existing one and be modelled arond grounds like the Reebok, Galpharm, Keepmoat, after all BP is the home of the Latics, and you could still build houses towards the clayton fields end.
Mikey much smaller club than us have been bought, Notts C and Chesterfield to name a few, and with backers with money to invest in a couple of decent player. Tell me i should be thankful for watching garbage mikey, I think not! and the attendances speak volumes for what supporters think the management are doing for the club "absolutley nothing" they have been promising us a state of the art football and championship football.
good point chaddyender, I seem to recall Blackpool refusing to build a tempory stand for when we played them in the play-offs, why do the rules have to be different for us?
signing one half decent player would be a start, after all they have took in enough from players sold over the years invested nothing in the squad. If you sit down and compare attendances with clubs over the last couple of years with ambition, no matter what div they have rose slightly. I find it slightly insulting when so called fans slag of the die hards, if one remember its them that has kept the club going in the past not the muppets at the helm now killing the club.
Have Your Say
People go to matches to watch football,see plenty of goals,excitement win or lose none of which can be seen at BP.None of the fans i know, and 1ve been going for 42 years, trust the owners or have any faith in the players comitment or attitude,or think that this management have a clue what they are doing.Crowds havnt hit their low point yet and no one wants to have the ground in Failsworth .So on that basis Mr Walker youve no chance mate.
By Mark Jacques @ 19/11/2009 13:31:47