A Fun Day For All

The sun shone on Bristol Rovers today as the clubs annual funday went down a treat with the gasheads in attendance.

The day acts as an important part of Rovers pre-season PR and with the entire first team squad in attendance, a Q&A session and mostly unseen parts of the ground to tour it was once again a successful event. One of the reasons that people turn up to the funday en masse is because of the chance to pick up the seasons new kit and as the day went on it was plain to see that they were selling well, as the fresh 2010/11 designs were being worn with pride by many. While the home shirt had been out for a few weeks now it was the debut for the new away strip, featuring black and yellow quarters, a colour scheme that fans have long been calling for in recent seasons, though the ‘Stalbridge Linen Services’ sponsorship on the shirt won’t cut the meanest of figures on the pitch. With queues often stretching round the corner of the shop the shirts and other items should have proved to be a sure fire money-spinner for the club.

Shirts were also on display in the changing rooms, which were opened up for fans to have a tour of. With club kitman Roger Harding and various members of the first team squad guiding people through a part of the ground that fans don’t normally get to see it was a nice experience for all, especially the kids, to go and see where the players prepare for their games. Alongside the changing rooms being opened up fans also got to visit the luxury of the executive boxes up in the very top tier of the Das stand and take a look out at the finest view of the memorial stadium pitch that money can buy.

There was little new news to come out of the Q&A session, which featured manager Paul Trollope, director Ed Ware and finance director Toni Watola, with the bulk of the questions, which had to be pre-submitted, only reinforcing what most Rovers fans already knew. The stadium for instance is slowly progressing the watching crowd were told and there will be at least three more signings to come, but aside from that there was little of note to come from the guest speakers.

One part of the day that interested the kids, and the big kids, was the funfair in the main car park, with a number of rides and fair games to entertain and win prizes from, the smiling faces of the youngsters and their watching parents were plain for all to see. In the members bar the new fitness coach, Lee Southernwood, was showing off some of the new equipment and general training techniques being employed by the club, with the help of various members of the playing squad, and these proved to be an interesting sideshow to view while sipping on a pint of cider.

In the main bar there were a number of supporters groups in attendance, from places such as Norton Radstock and the Forest of Dean, talking to members of the public about what they do and how they can get involved as well as getting together for possible away trips during the season. Meanwhile a number of players rotated during the day at a nearby table to sign autographs for starstruck youngsters and generally chat about there hopes for the season to come, all seemed in good spirits and will no doubt be seen in photos with fans for years to come.
All in all the day went without a hitch for Bristol Rovers, successfully bringing a number of people in, making a fair old chunk of cash and only raising hopes for the new season, a fun day indeed.