Urgent - REMF Match 3

[Uncle Spielberg]

Palace are playing Coventry away which, no disrespect is a mid table end of season game with nothing to play for , for either side.

I have had objections in that some Brighton supporters will be coming back Sunday so its not ideal.

I am fine with Sunday 9th May but we need good numbers and helpers.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Given that the stadium manager cannot arrange a date for pitch renovations until he knows EXACTLY when our season finishes, is there no opportunity for another discussion with him and the club on this?

P.S. It can't, surely, be realistic to arrange to play on the day of the Palace's last game? No matter how worthy the cause, the last game of any club's season is going to be first priority.

 

[fatboy]

Palace are playing Coventry away which, no disrespect is a mid table end of season game with nothing to play for , for either side.

I have had objections in that some Brighton supporters will be coming back Sunday so its not ideal.

I am fine with Sunday 9th May but we need good numbers and helpers.

I disagree Gareth. I think it is very unfair to make them miss a game like that. (If the unlikely occurs-could they make the play offs?)

It really will reduce the attendence, and essentially the money we raise, and I expect that a lot of their squad will want to go to the match. I know Kevin goes to all games.

They may feel obliged to miss the Coventry game and come down to Withdean but I know if it was the other way around I wouldn't be happy with it.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

I disagree Gareth. I think it is very unfair to make them miss a game like that. (If the unlikely occurs-could they make the play offs?)

It really will reduce the attendence, and essentially the money we raise, and I expect that a lot of their squad will want to go to the match. I know Kevin goes to all games.

They may feel obliged to miss the Coventry game and come down to Withdean but I know if it was the other way around I wouldn't be happy with it

Agreed. And I know for a fact that Ed and I will be amongst those "some Brighton supporters" unavailable on that day because we'll be coming back from Wrexham.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Palace are playing Coventry away which, no disrespect is a mid table end of season game with nothing to play for , for either side.

That's not what Ian Dowie is saying today.

Mind you, there's a deal of self-delusion around.

 

[Lush]

Have you considered Southwick? After all it is the venue where the first REMF match was played.

I know it is not as glamorous - but it has a bar! And you may find you get a bit more interest from local people away from Withdean.

Last year we had good publicity but virtually no-one turned up who wasn't connected with the team members in some way - I know, I was on the turnstile!

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I am trying to get a date which is happy with everyone or the majority and am not trying to offend people. I will leave it for now as I seem to be on a hiding to nothing.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I would like to keep the continuity of playing at the Albion as it makes it more likely we will get the ground again each year. What do other people think ?.

May 9th is off. I have run out of ideas

 

[jmc]

Sod it, lets go to Southwick with a Date we are all happy..... I'll play in a carpark if we have to....

 

[fatboy]

Or wait until August.

We are probably going to use Southwick for the Leicester game in July.

Has anyone considered Broadfield?

I do agree with Gareth's point about continuity. We'd all like to play at Falmer one day....

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Gareth, I don't think anyone is taking offence at anything given the difficulties about getting a convenient date. But people can't keep organising themselves around dates that keep changing.

Doesn't it just come down to a few simple things to work through, consult on and then make a decision about?

1. Is playing at Withdean an essential element of the REMF game?

2. If yes, then a convenient date is causing a bit of a problem at the moment. So there are a couple of things that could be done:

(a) Talk to the club and stadium manager about whether there is any chance of some flexibility in the pitch renovation programme.

(b) Consider playing the game in August but, before announcing any definitive dates, be absolutely certain that this suits both the club, the stadium manager and the players and helpers. Bearing in mind that this is holiday season for a lot of people.

(c) Don't play a REMF game this year. Make it biennial (is that the right word?) given the particular difficulties faced this year because of the play-offs and the fixture list.

3. If it isn't essential to play the game at Withdean, find somewhere else where a Saturday/Sunday afternoon game at the end of May would be possible. As well as Southwick there's Worthing, Lewes & possibly Crawley who could be approached.

PS. I wouldn't worry too much about losing Withdean on a permanent basis if we don't play there this year. However, I agree that it adds a particularly special element to the game and will almost certainly bring attendance in the way that Southwick, say, wouldn't/

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Roz

Good points. I am frustrated as I was told Tuesday 4th May was possible after consultation with the Albion/Stadium manager only to be told yesterday it was not.

However they are being very generous in allowing the facilities and therefore I think we should do everything possible to play the game annually at The Withdean Stadium/Albion Ground.

I will see if there is possibility in playing after 9/5/04 but it depends I suppose on play off plans which won't be known until Early May possibly.

I think we should play at Withdean in August if it is just impossible to get the game played at Withdean.

I will be happy to go with the majority on the time and venue however. Sorry if I am getting a bit stressed !.

 

[Trilby]

Id rather either of the April dates, but again, Im flexible for any.

 

[Brighton Boy]

30th april.....august to long to get whats ours

 

[Everest]

Whatever the date, get it sorted quick, or the option of playing it at the end of this season will no longer be available.

Roz, you are correct.
biennial
Lasting or living for two years.
Happening every second year.

 

[cpfc remf captain]

Any news on dates, Few of my players work shifts so need to take a day of to play in this so early notice would be great.

Friday night at southwick would do me.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

The only dates I can think of are

Sunday 18th April
Friday 23rd April

 

[Dave the OAP]

I am getting more of the view that we should draw a line under this now.

Reasons:

We achieved the original objectives of honouring Robert's memory by raising funds for a team of New York children who otherwise would not have had the benefit of Kits etc

The original members of the "team" are now spread far and wide and the initial momentum seems to have faltered.( NOT IN ANY WAY MEANT AS A CRITISISM)

The world has changed since 9/11 and people's perception of the incident and the current attitude towards the United States makes fund raising for something in NY very difficult as we found last year.

Enthusiasm from the Albion's supporters has changed since the original match at Southwick ( as hinted at in Lush's post above) in that the majority of fans were family and friends.

Finally, Robert's memory is indellibly written into Albion folklaw and represented everytime the Giant Flag is unfurled. Hopefully once Falmer is open, unfurling the flag can be a permanent fixture.

This is not meant as a critisism of the management team, Gareth Ed and Ros have spend a considerable time and effort in promoting and organising the fund. I just think we ought to clap one another on the back and move on.

Dave

 

[Brighton Boy]

continue it.


Hard work should never go to waste.

Your efforts are appreciated .

 

[Lush]

There is nothing wrong with having a football match between BHA supporters and Palace supporters but I think an all singing all dancing affair is perhaps too much to expect.

You need commitment of people in organising it (difficult, particularly when it raises very little money), commitment from the club re the pitch, commitment from stewards/St John etc; commitment from people like DK and other staff/players turning up.

And don't forget there's also the Eaton family to consider, who may feel as though they should attend if it's a game at Withdean but may not be able to make any of those dates.

Keep it simple. Have a game in the park if that's what's easiest - as long as the Palace fans don't feel too shortchanged - and then drink a toast to Rob Eaton's memory in the pub after. Perhaps that's what he would have wanted?