RUFC - Are We Missing Out?

Rotherham United have moved into their new stadium The New York Stadium and now we have all been and marvelled at our own ground. OK, there's still bits to do, like the ticket office and club shop to move over lock, stock and barrel from it's home of four years at Barbot Hall.

Now, I've been thinking about the club shop. The original Red and White Shop at Millmoor wasn't the biggest but always seemed to have enough stock in to sell. The shop at Don Valley was nothing more than a counter and, like the shop at Millmoor, had nowhere for people to try clothing on. At Barbot Hall the shop had at least two facelifts and, to be honest, there wasn't enough room to put everything and the stock couldn't be really clearly displayed.

Which takes me onto the shop at the NYS. It has been open and they have been selling the odd shirt, scarf and hat and for yesterdays sell-out there did seem to be a lot more in but it's not up and running correctly yet - though, to be fair, it's never going to get any bigger than it is, which is a bit of a disappointment to me for a new stadium.

In my opinion, which isn't worth a lot I know, I think one of the first things they should have had open at the new stadium was the club shop.

The people of Rotherham are 'New York' mad at the moment and would buy anything that said 'New York Stadium' on it or 'Millers Back Home' or 'Rotherham United - New York Stadium 2012' - well anything like that, from shirts to hats to scarves to flags to mugs to mouse mats …... surely the merchandise could be endless.

So, where is it all?

Love the commemorative coins and they were running off the shelves in the club shop yesterday - but why only make such a small number of them?

I know we've had new shirts - home, away, training - and I've seen flags (though told at the time they weren't for sale) and I understand there are mugs out now. Personally I'd even have paid a couple of quid for a season ticket card holder with New York Stadium on - and I`m sure most of the four thousand other season ticket holders would have too. As it was I took a little bit of Millmoor with me yesterday and had my season ticket card in the old black wallet that my season ticket at Millmoor had been in.

We're selling seats at a great rate so surely we'd have sold merchandise too?

I am really a little surprised that things like packs of cards, dominoes etc with the NYS on haven't been for sale - and I really think the commercial department have missed a trick here.

What do you think? Would you have bought items with the New York Stadium on? What would you buy?

Tell us here on Vital Rotherham



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