125 Campaign Latest

The Killie 125 campaign started back in the Autumn of 2002 and here we are in February 2003 still fighting tooth and nail to achieve affordable season tickets for all Killie fans. We've had several meetings with the powers that be during the last couple of months and we continue to argue the only way ahead for Kilmarnock Football Club is to get prices down and build a larger fan base.

The current situation is that Killie's Chief Executive, David Heath, and majority shareholder, Jamie Moffat, are working on a plan that will enable the club to implement the 125 scheme, and are putting together a proposal to present to their fellow board members. If this proposal is generally accepted then its back round the table

with the Killie 125 committee to see if, or how we can make this work.

It goes without saying that the majority of fans we've spoken to would jump at the chance of a £125 season ticket, however, there have been some questions raised regarding the campaign. Here is a selection of some of the issues raised:

Would I be selling the club short by only paying £125 for a ticket?
No,  the club would only sell season tickets at £125 if a pre-determined number of fans (a figure which is yet to be agreed)  took up the offer. We are not asking the club to gamble here, only to give us the chance to show them that there are enough fans out there to make this work. If an insufficient number of fans respond then the club won't have lost anything financially but they would then need to sit down and agree pricing for next season.

What if I can still afford to pay £250?
If you still want to contribute £250 to the club then buy two tickets at £125! I'm sure we all have a friend or family member who would be over the moon at the prospect of a Killie season ticket. Failing that, invest the other £125 in shares and join the soon to be formed Supporter's Trust and become an active part in decision making at board room level.

How can I sign-up for the scheme?
We are currently waiting to see the club's proposals before taking the campaign a stage further. We have secured backing for 80,000 leaflets to be distributed throughout North and East Ayrshire and this would include a cut out section where fans can commit themselves to buying a ticket. There will also be a coupon in the Kilmarnock Standard that fans could use to sign-up.

What happens if the club simply refuse to consider the scheme?
The club have been speaking to us over the last six months and realise that something needs to be done to address the problem of declining attendances at Rugby Park. They have not offered any alternative plans at this stage, however, we fully expect to have their proposal shortly.

Bronco Dylan

The growth and success of the Killiefc.com website has seen us making many new friends whilst establishing a new community of Killie fans. Running the website is a pretty expensive game all the same, especially one as popular as killiefc.com, so to keep it going we have the odd function now and then to raise much needed cash.

We have most of our fund raising nights in The Howard Arms, mein hosts Billy and Annie have always supported the web site and Hippo's fanzine so by way of thanks we have most of our bashes in there to give them a wee turn as well. To be fair most of the regulars are Killie fans anyway, so we are always made most welcome, and after our disappointing exit from the cup last week, a right good night out at the pub was just what the doctor ordered.

Previous party nights have seen Killie legends such as Ray Montgomerie, Paul Wright and Andy King come along and join the fun. So it was back to the Howard we went to seek solace in a glass and comfort from fellow suffering Killie fans who were gathering at the pub for the evening's events. After the live telly game, Arbroath against some other mob, it was straight down to business, and there's nothing will get your night off to a better start than a couple of episodes of the Wacky Races!

Most of you will have been at a race night at some time or another, but we like to do things slightly differently. You don't get to pick who you want to win, you draw it out of a hat, the only down side though is that if you are unlucky enough to draw Dick Dastardly you're basically snookered! You can imagine the expression on Monty and Davie Sneddon's face walking into the pub and hearing shouts of "Gawn Penelope, get intae that Anthill Mob!"

The fun didn't end there though, in between the obligatory raffle and bad karaoke singers we instituted the first ever Howard Buckaroo Championship...and boy did the punters take that serious! Amid allegations of contestants cheating by shoogling the table and fights almost breaking out over who should go first, we eventually got down to the two finalists, the Howard's very own Bullit against Killie legend Dylan Kerr.

It was nail biting stuff to watch and the concentration on their faces had to be seen to be believed, but in the end the Bullit succumbed to the pressure and the plastic donkey bucked for all it was worth leaving him heart broken and the irrepressible Kerr punching the air in delight...only in The Howard!

Read the B&H column in the Kilmarnock Standard every week