After the recent Greaves Sports 1872 Cup derby matches and ahead of this weekend’s Heineken Cup pool match against London Wasps at Firhill (Sunday 16 January , kick-off 1pm) we chat with Glasgow Warriors chief executive, Kenny Baillie, about some of the issues that have been in our postbag and mailbox.
Read on for our exclusive Q&A with Kenny Baillie
 

Glasgow Warriors Chief Executive Kenny Baillie
 
Question: I know there has been talk of late from media and supporters about attendances at Firhill this season coupled with the fact that, unlike last season, Glasgow Warriors are not currently challenging at the top of the Magners League.  What’s your take on matters?
 
Answer:  Let’s start with the Warriors on-field results, and yes, we’ve had some highs – the wins against the Ospreys, Leinster and Edinburgh in the first leg of the Greaves Sports 1872 Cup, for example – but we’ve not achieved the consistency we enjoyed at the end of last season and we’ve lost a number of games that we could have won.  It’s not an excuse but a fact that some of our more experienced players have been sidelined through injury in the first-half of the season.  That said, our target is to try and secure a play-off place by the end of the second-half of the season and we believe that this can still be achieved with some typical rousing Glasgow support at Firhill.
 
As for attendances, there has been some misplaced comment, not all of it accurate I might say, and I’d specifically mention Iain Morrison’s article in the Scotsman after the opening Greaves Sports 1872 Cup game at Firhill, which was unfair and did not reflect a wider understanding of the challenges that are facing many sports organisations in these challenging times.  Whilst our average gate for the season is currently down, more than 7,000 supporters enjoyed an enthralling 1872 Cup game, and we did achieve record season ticket sales at the start of the season. We’ll continue to work hard to get more fans backing the Warriors on a regular basis.
 
The Warriors players enjoy playing at Firhill because it’s a great surface to play on, and especially in front of our loyal and passionate supporters.  They often comment that playing at Firhill makes a real difference to their performances and I thank our supporters for the atmosphere they create at Firhill where I believe we have a great product on the park, which is priced appropriately to be accessible and affordable to all in challenging economic times.  Just £30 for a season ticket for under-18s is fantastic value.
 
I’d also want to thank our hardy fans who travel to away games too. The recent exploits of a small group of supporters who sacrificed a lot to travel to Toulouse is a good example of their commitment to the club.
 
Question: What factors do you think are affecting your crowds?
 
Answer: There are several factors that must be considered. We have had some challenges with live football on TV and other events and as ever we will review what we have done to see what has worked and what we can do better.
 
Now, while we welcome the live TV coverage we’ve enjoyed on BBC ALBA, I think a number of supporters have chosen to watch games in the warmth of their own living room.  Look around at other teams: London Wasps, our opponents in the Heineken Cup this Sunday, played the Dragons on a bitterly cold day in the lead-up to Christmas.  Their match was live on Sky.  They had a crowd at Adams Park of 1,236, which is lower than our lowest crowd this season.
 
Notwithstanding the challenges, we have had some great support from a variety of sources both within Scottish Rugby and externally to ensure that, for example, both our home Heineken Cup tie against Toulouse (December 10) and the first leg of the Greaves Sports 1872 Cup match (December 27) went ahead as scheduled at Firhill when many other clubs across England and Europe failed to do so.
 
Question:  What positives can we take from the season thus far? 
 
Answer: It’s not all doom and gloom as you might read in some quarters of the press from time to time.  In fact I firmly believe that Warriors are in a stronger position now than we have been for some time, especially off the park when you look at the support facilities we have at Scotstoun. The Warriors are no different to other sports organisations in Scotland who have to operate in the same environment.  Let’s get behind the Warriors and stop knocking the team!
 
Question:   How do you feel you compare to other sports in Scotland?
 
Answer: Looking at our main competitor Football, the SPL New Year derbies between Hamilton and Motherwell (3,171), St Johnstone and Inverness Caledonian Thistle (3,126); and St Mirren and Kilmarnock (6,118) offer an example. Even Rangers, one of the biggest brands in Scotland, saw a crowd of less then 13,000 for their cup match against Kilmarnock earlier this week.  We attracted 7,062 for our Greaves Sports 1872 Cup match against Edinburgh at Firhill, and we actually sold another 300 plus tickets for the game, but what we get in some quarters of the media is a flawed comparison with the previous year’s derby at Firhill, where a marketing initiative contributed a number of extra free tickets to the gate. We also had a record crowd for a game against Connacht earlier in the season. It’s not all doom and gloom, but one or two fixtures have had a big impact on the overall numbers. I firmly believe that our ticketing structure is both affordable and great value for supporters.
 
I also think some comparisons by commentators with other countries are unrealistic as the sporting and broadcasting landscapes in these countries is different to Scotland.  I think a more honest and realistic comparison is to look at sport across Scotland.
 
Question: Do you accept that it’s hard for you to compete with the likes of Toulouse whose playing budget is a reported £27 million?
 
Answer: We’re proud to be part of Scottish Rugby and to be part of the Glasgow rugby community and I think there’s realism on what we can offer – not least our superb training facilities at Scotstoun and the quality of our coaching and medical back-up.  Of course players are ambitious and want to win trophies and I firmly believe we have strong foundations in that regard so that we can deliver.
 
Question:  Any news on players coming to Glasgow in the near future?
 
Answer: We are already in the planning stages for next season. We are endeavouring to assemble the strongest possible squad, with a number of our international players already signed up, whilst looking to attract some top quality new talent as well.
 
Question: You speak about the passion for Glasgow Warriors?  It would make your job much easier if that passion was shared by corporate Glasgow?
 
Answer: We were delighted to secure RESPONSE on improved terms this year as our principal club sponsor and with the exposure through broadcast and written media that we receive through our participation in the Magners League and Heineken Cup, we are working hard to bring on board more business partners alongside the likes of McCrea Financial Services, PV Solar UK and our kit suppliers, Canterbury.  I am hopeful that more of corporate Glasgow wants to get involved with the Warriors – it is the job of my small, dedicated team at Scotstoun to engage and communicate with them because Glasgow Warriors is a great way to promote a business across the Scotland, the UK, Ireland and Europe.

This article was posted on 13-Jan-2011, 18:22 by Hugh Barrow.