Lottery can be a big help

THE news that 'good idea' boxes are to be established in the public bar and the Broadway Suite is a good one. Bill Quinn, Mike Ford and the board has done a brilliant job in taking the club forward in such a comparatively short space of time and it is easy to understand Bill's frustration at how the crowds are doing.

They are UP considerably, of course, but not sufficiently to meet expectations, needs or aspirations and it all came to a head when 1,500 saw that magnificent performance against York in the first Championship game yet the attendance for game two in the league v Batley was down by about 200.

The weather was bitter and wild, with the fierce gales that had the rugby posts swinging in the wind, but you can understand the chairman's frustration when he says: "What more can we do?"

The powers-that-be have worked wonders since they took over less than two years ago, but for what it's worth my suggestion is to rekindle interest in the club's lottery which has been neglected somewhat in recent times.

Many of our previous collectors are now too old to be knocking on doors on dark nights and, in any event, there is a very good argument to advance that in this day and age everything should be done online.

That's how the new board sees it — and one has to agree — but it's a situation that needs a lot of care and attention and I'm more than happy to report that John Chadwick, no less, has been asked to take a look at the lottery and to come up with ideas about what can be done.

John has enlisted the help of his cousin, Elizabeth Haigh, and that well-known former Shaw Rhinos hooker Dave 'Crazy Horse' Whittaker, both of whom are temporarily working in the Broadway Suite on match days in the hope that some people will join the lottery to help out and to show their allegiance.

Elizabeth has been a Roughyeds fan all her life, as has 'Crazy Horse', whose father, Les Whittaker, was a Roughyeds nut, like his father before him. So Dave is a third generation Oldham fan. He might have a static caravan on the Fylde coast these days, but there was nothing like playing for Shaw Rhinos or shouting for Oldham from the Watersheddings terraces.

John just knew that Elizabeth and Dave would answer the call for help — and there must be hundreds like them out there who will sign up for a few quid each month if the club gets in touch

Says John:

"One way or the other, we intend to approach as many people as possible. You can join for as little as £1 a week and while that isn't even the price of a cup of coffee, if enough fans join us, it will make a huge difference."

So what can I tell you about this lottery

It used to be called 'Club Cash', we had an army of collectors, and all was well. One by one, the collectors decided they were too old to go on and we finished with just two, the new owners deciding it was time to have a rethink, to relaunch it as an 'online only' venture and to take it from there.

Generally speaking , collectors would take £2 each fortnightly visit — the equivalent of £1 a week. Some were told collections would stop; many said they would stop too.

Others said they would carry on under the new system, but the potential difficulty is identifying them and making contact. That's where John Chadwick comes into the equation.

The lottery is basically the same as its always been and at the Batley game, a leaflet was left on tables in the Broadway Suite, pointing out that you could win £1,000 with each weekly draw, plus £100, £50 (twice), £25 (twice) and ten consolation prizes, each of £10.

It wasn't mentioned on this particular sheet, but there's also a weekly rollover jackpot of £500 which is run on a different system, is NOT guaranteed like the prizes above, and if it isn't won, rolls over to the following week up to a maximum of £10,000.

YOU COULD, THEREFORE, WIN £10,000 FOR £1 A WEEK — AND ALTHOUGH THAT'S UNLIKELY, IT'S A REALITY THAT IS WELL WORTH CONSIDERATION.

The lottery now is called 'The Roughyeds 1876 partnership' and it will support participation, growth, volunteer development and coach education as part of the club's 2024-2027 development plan.

For more information, you could scan a QR code or get in touch with the club via email to lottery@roughyeds.co.uk or phone 0161 241 6305.

The club website (follow the links to Club Cash) tells you everything you need to know.

THE CLUB CAN ONLY BENEFIT FROM YOUR INTEREST --- AND IT WON'T COST A FORTUNE.