Push The Boundary are calling for a boycott for the home game against Carlisle United. The following statement has been issued:
Fixture: Carlisle United (home)
Date: Saturday 18th January 2020
Time: 3pm
Following the Q&A with the football club last night, we have evaluated all replies and have decided to proceed with the proposed action above. From day one we have wanted to represent the fans of this football club. All we are is a vehicle to air their concerns, of which there are many. We understand the club has agreed to a meeting with PTB and we shall hold them to account on this. Having said this, 730 people voted for the next course of action and it would be hugely disrespectful to them all to delay any further.
We have been courteous and professional in all our correspondence on behalf of the fans we represent and the very least we expect is for that professionalism and respect to be mirrored by the club and we shall be following up and holding them to their word. We have been advised that Abdallah is returning to Dubai but we expect a date and time to be arranged in the immediate future. In view of the assurances we have previously been given by the club regarding a face to face group meeting with the chairman (that ultimately never materialised), we shall continue with our proposed actions of varied protests.
Firstly, thank you to the 730 who took the time to vote in our survey. This is a tremendous effort at such short notice and one we are very grateful for. One of the areas that over 58% of you voted for was to stage a mass boycott of Boundary Park. Attendances have gradually been on the decline for a number of years and this season has seen the number of home fans consistently fall below 3,000 and our away support drop by a staggering 45% on average. This is something that is utterly unthinkable for a club of our history and stature. These numbers are despite complimentary tickets and tickets for schools being handed out for recent home fixtures.
You were there in more recent times for the games against Liverpool (3-2), Everton (2-2), Peterborough (5-4) as well as the backs to the wall 10-men victory against Bolton. It’s clear the difference you can make inside the stadium. At the moment, we aren’t feeling this and home games have become something that are attended out of obligation rather than passion. We desperately want to get that passion back.
In order to highlight our dissatisfaction with the lack of engagement and willingness to publicly acknowledge or address the concerns of fans by current ownership, we will be staging a mass boycott of Boundary Park against Carlisle United. We would encourage all pay on the day customers not to attend and for as many disgruntled season ticket holders to miss this one game. We need our actions to jolt the decision makers into realising that fundamental changes are required at this football club and that as fans, we have a clear voice and that we will be heard.
PTB have already engaged with local and national media to ensure this boycott reaches the largest audience possible. We want to turn heads and make a statement so people understand the plight of this club. The lower the attendance, the more attention this will garner.
The Alternative
For those who are willing to partake in this boycott, you are obviously free to spend your Saturday however you wish, although for those who still require a fix of football we can offer some alternatives:
Avro FC v Ashton Athletic (3pm)
Vestacare Stadium, OL8 3JH
£5 Adults
£3 Concessions
Chadderton FC v Emley AFC (3pm)
Andrew Street, Chadderton, OL9 0JT
£5 Adults
£3 Concessions
As a group we will be attending the Avro game so feel free to come and join us. You can watch a local team and there is a bar so you can enjoy a nice cold pint pitchside! Their record attendance is 287 (the league record is 403!) so it would be great to help them break that record! Indeed it is where our very own Tom Hamer started his career.
This is far from the ideal scenario and decisive action that certainly has been taken with heavy hearts. That being said, Push The Boundary has stood and will continue to stand for the people we represent and have done so having used the results of the most recent survey.
We understand and appreciate that some supporters will still wish to attend Boundary Park for this fixture and that is the individuals prerogative. However, as stated prior to this statement, desperate times call for desperate measures and we are well into that territory now following the ignorance of supporters concerns by the hierarchy of the club. The owner is continuously treating supporters with contempt and as such we feel that this action, sadly, needs to be taken to show the strength of feeling towards the club at this present time.
As a gesture of compromise in terms of a potential meeting being agreed, we shall not be advising fans who choose to attend games to continue to boycott food, drink and programmes in the stadium.
The Future
This course of action does not mean that other action won’t be taken at other games, quite the opposite in fact, but we have to start somewhere and do something that could be organised at short notice and we felt this was the best solution.
We will announce other ideas in due course but our efforts to #ReclaimTheFaith continue. These are dark times for our club, but make no mistake that as long as there is something to fight for, we will continue to fight for it and bring you with us on the journey.
As always, if you have any queries please contact us via twitter, Facebook or email (info@pushtheboundary.co.uk) and we will try to assist however we can.
Let’s get our club back.
PTB