STAR and The Royal Families

[The Reverend]

It seems STAR manned the Costco carpark on New Year's Day and helped to raise £800.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/columnists/ ... ution_no_5

Well done but what a massive missed opportunity. Is that 80 cars at a tenner or 160 cars at a fiver?

Where was the publicity for this? I don't recall seeing anything on here or the OS. There was no email from STAR.

Most of the Royal Families events are way beyond my means but paying a few quid to park isn't. If I'd known about this I'd happily have parked at Costco rather than in my usual carpark.

[STAR Liaison]

Sorry no-one has replied earlier. As an accountant I have been up to my neck at work up to 31 January with no time for HNA.

We were asked for help the week before the game (hence when everyone was rather pre-occupied with family etc) and several board members went to help collect the money for the Royal Families as a gesture of support. The charge was £5 per car and we had a really difficult time on the day getting the Green Park officials to co-operate to remove the 'no parking' sign from the roundabout at the entrance to the stadium to even allow people who had seen the publicity to come along.

We could no doubt have helped with the advertising of the possibility of parking there but, perhaps wrongly, assumed that the Royal Families had this under control. Ironically most of those parking there were Portsmouth fans directed there by the stewards when the club car park was full and all those who normally park there for free (and no we did not accept the flashing of a Costco card in place of a fiver).

[The Reverend]

Thanks for the reply.

Given that we seem to regularly get home games scheduled for New Year's Day I hope that the car park is open next year. I hope the Royal Families committee can see there were mistakes made this time 'round. It's a nice gesture by Costco to allow the use of the car park and generous of STAR to staff it. Such commitment deserved a better return.

With parking half the price of the usual venues it should have been rammed and £thousands made.

[Warfield Royal]

If cut price parking is provided at Costco on New Years Day then is there an issue that the regular car parking facilities are being under cut? Apparently RFC has gone to great lengths to persuade local companies to provide parking although at a prohibitive cost to fans but on one day a year the commercial balance is upset when a group which is very closely associated with the club runs a parking operation at below cost.

[The 17 Bus]

It is not below cost though, as Costco allow them to do it for free I think.

[Forbury Lion]

It's below cost to Costco as the are doing it at a loss.

Other companies may have to increase matchday parking to recoup lost contribution for the one day a year nobody parks there.

[The 17 Bus]

It's below cost to Costco as the are doing it at a loss.

Other companies may have to increase matchday parking to recoup lost contribution for the one day a year nobody parks there.

How is it a loss to Costco when they are closed and the car park will not be used.?

Isn't the only other real company RFC, and Holiday Inn,

[Dirk Gently]

It's below cost to Costco as the are doing it at a loss.

Other companies may have to increase matchday parking to recoup lost contribution for the one day a year nobody parks there.

How is it a loss to Costco when they are closed and the car park will not be used.?

Isn't the only other real company RFC, and Holiday Inn,

Presumably they need to pay someone to come and open the gates, as well as paying business rates on the car park whether it's in use or not.

[The 17 Bus]

Presumeably the business rates are the same, whether they are open or not, as for the opening of the gates, just perhaps they passed a key to STAR and the Royal Families, hardly rocket science.

[Warfield Royal]

It is not below cost though, as Costco allow them to do it for free I think.

When I said "below cost" it was only to illustrate that the one off New Years day car parking was undercutting the regular car parking businesses that RFC have put so much effort into getting established.

What is the point of one off car parking anyway? All home fans will have got their parking sorted by now whether it is pay at the stadium, pay an independent or park up on a side road or waste ground.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

What is the point of one off car parking anyway? All home fans will have got their parking sorted by now whether it is pay at the stadium, pay an independent or park up on a side road or waste ground.

Unless said people currently park a mile or so away for the same price because they were too late / not organised enough to get parking sorted nearer the ground. Either that or they want to support the RF Charity.

[The 17 Bus]

Better to pay the Wags £5 than get a parking ticket, away fans could be happy with the choice.