KFCSA Meeting

Thursday night saw the Killie Supporter's Association's February meeting in the Park Suite at Rugby Park. There were around fifty or so in attendance, which is pretty much the norm, to hear the latest news and to listen to what special guest David Heath had to say…of which there was plenty! David started by going through the details of the new season ticket scheme, he said: "We've sent out letters detailing all the plans today which should get to the current season ticket holders in a couple of days time, well we sent them second class after all!"

Things haven't been all plain sailing so far, he explained: "We've had more people contacting us about the open seating policy than anything else this season so we saw it as an issue we had to

address. While we still think that it's a good idea in terms of improving the atmosphere, the wishes of our current season ticket holders are paramount, so we are sticking with allocated seating in the East and West stands for now. A few people have mentioned the fact that our deadlines for renewal are earlier than previous seasons but they needn't worry about having to pay up front. There will be credit terms available for the price of the season ticket over a ten month period, and we are going to introduce a kind of Killie credit card with a slightly higher limit with which fans can buy their season ticket and also use it to purchase things from the club shop or the hotel." He went on: "We have also introduced a non-old firm ticket for the Moffat Stand which is cheaper yet again, that stand will have open seating. We are hoping to have 8,000 season ticket holders next year, which should make a real difference to the atmosphere at games and encourage people to come back. We'd like to take the credit for this innovation but it was the fans who instigated it in the first place and it's the fans who can make it work."

Mr. Heath was asked why the free season tickets had to be non-transferable, he replied: "We had to take the 'walk-up' figures into account when planning how to make this scheme work. It stands to reason that increasing the amount of season ticket holders who have paid up front will in turn decrease the numbers who are paying hard cash at the turnstiles. If we made the free tickets transferable so that anyone could use them then we would be cutting into that walk-up revenue even further, which we just can't afford to do." Asked how the club proposed to follow the scheme up next season, he said: "For talking's sake let's say that the scheme this season is a success. If you and your 'partner' team up again next season, we will offer you the same terms, and that will go for everyone. We may even introduce a bonus whereby you are getting two for £270 this season, but if the two of you introduce another 'new' season ticket holder between you next season, then we will give you three for £370, if we have enough room in the stands! That would be a nice problem to have."

The Partick game getting called off was also a major point of contention with those present, the fans wanting to know what had happened and what was being done about it. David said: "Basically we have a dual system that is great for wet conditions but not so great when the temperature drops too low. The company we bought the system from went bust, so we can't sue them, and we are currently dealing with one of their support companies to try and modify the system so that it is more effective. We have submitted a planning application to the council to run the system during the night, and that will come before them in a few weeks time, but until them we are allowed to use it, so that has not been an issue this season."

He continued: "For the replayed game we purchased huge covers that attach together with Velcro and hired big heaters to blow under them to create a dome effect, and that seemed to work well, so that may be the route we take in the future. It's either that or dig up the pitch and install a new system or wait and see if the support company come up with any modifications like West Ham had done to theirs when they also had problems. We will be talking to them on an ongoing basis but I think that the big heaters will be the way to go for now. The league are not going to fine us this time but they will do should it happen again, and the current SPL rule that clubs must have 'adequate pitch protection' may well change to state that clubs must have under soil heating."

At the recent SPL meeting the other clubs who had previously labeled our board 'daft' for even considering the fan's half price proposals were now very interested in the scheme now that they've seen how it's going to work. Mr. Heath went over a few of the issues that have been appearing in the tabloids of late. He said: "Despite what the media reports the SPL 10 have came out of the negotiations with the majority of what we wanted. We wanted to change the voting rights to 8:4 on some major issues like TV rights and we got that for most cases. There are a few instances when the 11:1 majority will still be in play, and league reconstruction is a strange 10:2 with the bottom of the league clubs fearing a smaller league (Killie want a bigger league), but the bottom line is that we could now force through SPL TV if we so desire, and that was what it was all about in the first place." He added: "There has been a lot of talk about Falkirk and Inverness challenging the 10,000 seater stadia rule via the Office of Fair Trading, but that won't get much further. The rule was not instigated by the SPL but drafted into the rules after the Taylor Report's safety recommendations. They would have a case about the SPL operating a 'closed shop' if it wasn't a safety issue, but as it stands, rules are rules."

The meeting continued after Mr. Heath left with all the usual business, which included a discussion on the bad treatment of Killie fans at Tannadice recently. Killie are back in Tayside within the next week or so and it will be interesting to see what kind of a reaction the fans will get from the stewards and the police this time. Probably no better than usual is my bet! Chairman Colin Hargreaves finished off the evening with a presentation about Supporter's Trusts that some fans have been looking into in depth.

The bottom line here is that there are 72 clubs in the UK currently setting up or have already set up trusts whereby the fans get a big say in the running of their club. In fact there are four clubs in Engerlund that are run totally by the fans, and it's generally thought that at some point down the line fan power will be the norm and not the exception. In most cases trusts come about when a club is in trouble but KFC are actively encouraging the idea as they too see it as the way ahead. It's an important subject and not to be taken lightly hence we'll be getting Colin to do a general summary of what it's all about in the column next week, or maybe we should ask Hippo, he is the resident 'heavyweight' after all.

135 Update

The season ticket offer for 2003-04 is the talk of the town at the moment, and the club sent out letters to current season ticket holders last week. The letter fully explained the details of the offer and lets fans know how they can fully pair up with a friend to share the cost. The offer applies to everyone, not just current season ticket holders, so here are a few of the more important points that fans should know:

The Free Ticket

For each purchased season ticket for season 2003/2004 the purchaser will receive a voucher that is exchangeable for a free season ticket. In effect the club are asking existing season ticket holders to encourage a fellow supporter to come back and follow Killie again. The offer is also available to non-season ticket holders so you can also pair-up and take up the offer.

PRICING (including free ticket)

You are free to come to any arrangement you like with your season ticket partner thus giving you the possibility of saving a huge amount. If you and a friend take advantage and split the cost 50/50 here's what it would cost (based on attending all home league matches):

Adults attend all home league matches for £7.11 per match
Students attend all home league matches for £4.61 per match
Senior citizens attend all home league matches for £3.55 per match
16/17 year olds attend all home matches for £3.03 per match
13-15 year olds attend all home matches for £1.97 per match
Children under 13 attend all home matches for £1.45 per match

We'll be including more details next week including seat allocation, purchasing tickets and finding someone to share the cost with if you are struggling.

Bully's Back!

The Ballingry Bull is back in town for the Dunfermline game next week. The game has been moved to the Sunday because it is live on telly, which is a bit daft considering that the league cup final is on the same day and loads of punters will just stay in the pub to watch both. Killie's own 'Super Ally' (the original and the best) has been invited back by the club to do the half time draw and get a well deserved send off from the Killie faithful. In this day and age it's pretty unusual for any player to stay at a club for as long as Bully was at Rugby Park but it's more than his loyalty that endeared him to the fans. During his many years of service Bully played in almost every position on the field bar in goals and despite being dropped at times by certain managers, he always managed to force his way back into the team and never once went moaning to the papers.

That's the kind of guy Ally is off the park, and that's the kind of guy he was on it as well. He gave 110% every time he played and his grit and tenacity was only outweighed by his skill with a football. From that first lung bursting run up the wing against Sparta Rotterdam to his final three minute appearance for Killie against Dundee United at Tannadice, you knew what you were going to get from him, and he seldom failed to deliver. It was a real shame when he decided that he had to move on after the winter break this season, but our loss is St. Mirren's gain and we are sure he will do the business for them for a few years yet. He's already been voted by their fans as the player most likely to make a difference to their team! I only hope they don't get promotion or draw us in the cup before he retires though, because sure as fate he'll come back and haunt us and we never want to see the day that he's not welcome at Rugby Park.

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