6,033 - Another Poor Crowd

[The Laughing Bluebird]

The ticket prices are obviously a major factor.

I paid £322-00 for my Cardiff City season ticket this year. That works out at just £14 per game for First Division football. Excellent seat, great view just to the left of the halfway line, bar facilities and a roof.

Matchday prices are £17 for the section I sit in, but you can buy tickets up to 2 days in advance of the game for £15. The terraces are cheaper still. £14 in advance I believe.

I know Albion's circumstances dictate that higher ticket prices are necessary due to the rent on the ground, but consider this: I had tickets for our next two away games arrive on my doorstep on Friday - Derby (£18) and West Brom (£20).

Albion fans are clearly paying way over the odds for Second Division football. Maybe a percentage have now had enough of the inflated admission prices?

 

[Bozza]

LB - I don't think so - at least not in isolation.

Sure, the ticket prices are expensive - we all know that. More importantly - we all know why they are.

But as Safeway said - people are fed up of sitting in the cold, in the wet and in a place that atmosphere forgot.

Take away the relative glamour that a brief flirtation with Division One football provided and add the fact that on the pitch we are frankly shite means some people can not really be arsed with it all any more. There are plenty that will keep on keeping on, but there an increasing number that won't. And don't get me wrong here - I don't believe it is anyone's fault - it's a matter of cirumstances.

I intend to 'look you up' sometime soon in order to experience Cardiff City FC from a home fans perspective - it will be a curious thing I am sure.

Safeway - my Plymouth ticket is yours should you want it.

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

I intend to 'look you up' sometime soon in order to experience Cardiff City FC from a home fans perspective - it will be a curious thing I am sure.

Let me know which game you fancy and I'll pick you up a ticket. I'm sure you'll simply adore the Ninian Park experience. It'll change your life forever.....

 

[Safeway]

Safeway - my Plymouth ticket is yours should you want it.

It's alright thanks, the pub is more appealing.

Talking of other atmospheres, I'm going to the East Anglian derby in March. Wonder if that'll be a tinderbox or if they'll just sit there lobbing straw at each other.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I'm sure you'll simply adore the Ninian Park experience. It'll change your life forever.....

jeez, Bozza. Be careful.



As far as today goes, I was genuinely shocked to see that no more than 250 Barnsley supporters had bothered to make the trip.

Did they return their unsold tickets? And if they did, when was that?

Half the problem with filling Withdean is that the Club can never mount a sustained marketing campaign, because there are never more than a thousand non-season-ticket seats to push. As far as I can see, the Club only promote them via the programme and the website, and the occasional low-profile press release.

Once we get the extra 2,000 seats (or should that be if?), it should be easier to capture the casual supporters - special family offers, schools' promotions, etc. That sort of thing is just not possible at the moment.

Todays attendance, incidentally was only 198 less than the average for league games this season.

 

[Robot Chicken]

There must have been plenty of teams who brought less than Barnsley during those two seasons. For instance, looking at the stats for the 2000/01 season in Division Three, I see that you had the following attendances:

Scunthorpe: 6,567
Hartlepool: 6,528
Carlisle Utd: 6,746
Halifax Town: 6,995
Mansfield: 6,703
Darlington: 6,639

Laughing Bluebird, the Halifax crowd should actually be 6,595...the largest crowd at Withdean so far was 6,922 when Cardiff were the visitors on 10/2/01. That was at capacity and has never been exceeded.

At the end of the day, the crowd is 500, 600 down from that season to this season after relegation and a series of disappointing results. Although it's hardly good news and I can't defend it, it's usually the away stand that isn't completely sold out.

 

[Row Z Creased Shirt]

It is expensive for poor div 2 football. It was nice to get the three points yesterday but the game was dire. If it were not for the bizarre ref we would not only not of won, but wouldn't have any entertainment either.

Albion watching has reached a low ebb when the only entertainment to be had is running a book on whether the ref can correctly award a corner or not!

I can quite understand why non-regulars are unwilling to cough up more than £20 for mediocre fare, when they could be doing something else instead.

 

[Yorkie]

At the end of the day, the crowd is 500, 600 down from that season to this season after relegation and a series of disappointing results. Although it's hardly good news and I can't defend it, it's usually the away stand that isn't completely sold out.

Away fans get allocated 700 - Barnsley brought 200.

It's simple

 

[Zeitgeist]

Sorry, heaping the blame on Barnsley for yesterdays low attendance just doesn't wash, unless they sent the U block allocation back so late, it was impossible to try and sell them. For most teams in this division, around three hundred tickets in T block are ample. Barnsley filled most of these seats. Far more than many sides who've visited Withdean this season. Are Barnsley renowned for a huge away support? Not to my knowledge. It was always doubtful they'd fill U block as well. As I mentioned, baring Barnsley sending tickets back too late, the real reason for low attendences has been mentioned plenty of times before. People have become apathetic and pissed off paying £22 ( Plus £1.50 booking fee ), to sit in a lump of mechano, maybe getting soaked and watching a poorer product than what they've been used to in the past.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

ts simple NSC is the hard core of Albion and most of us feel it is a duty to go. Lots of people don't think like that. £ 22 each for awful facilities and crap football is not appealing for the floating supporter. Would you expect people to go and watch a crap film or crap play or go to a crap restaurant ?. No, Why is this any different ?.

 

[Max's Dad]

Most of what's been discussed is ringing true with me.

There's also a feeling that there isn't so much at stake now. In the Gritt-Horton-Adams-Taylor years we were fighting for our lives and then steaming through the divisions. There was a reason to be excited.

Now, none of us is really that worked up about the play-offs or promotion because we've just been up to Div 1, know how hard it is, and don't really expect the current squad to cope with it again.

With the Falmer decision hanging over us I think most of us regard this as a sort of pause for thought. If I'm absolutely honest, I think mid-table will be fine for us this year. And it's difficult to find a reason to attend a cold and boring football match when mid-table is your highest hope!

 

[Yorkie]

With the Falmer decision hanging over us I think most of us regard this as a sort of pause for thought. If I'm absolutely honest, I think mid-table will be fine for us this year. And it's difficult to find a reason to attend a cold and boring football match when mid-table is your highest hope!

Glass half empty/full scenario again.

We're in a playoff position now, game in hand and QPhahaha starting to falter

 

[Beach Hut]

Through thick and thin you support your club.

Do you suppose if we didn't have to commit ourselves to season tickets Withdean would have even less fans ?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

You miss the point. We will go regardless but there only about 4000-5000 who will do that. People in there valuable leisure time want to be entertained especially if they are paying over the odds in a crap ground.

Don't expect people to go unless they preceive the product as good.

Whether we are 6th or 15th the football has been dire most of the season and anyone who denies that is either:

1. Stupid
2. Mad
3. On Drugs
4. Drink

 

[Mental Lental]

If you thought today was bad, wait until next week!

What with it being on Sky and likely to be bastarding cold I predict our first under 6000 attendance ever.

I've been offered a FREE ticket for this one and I am still seriously considering staying in a nice warm pub instead.

Or maybe going to the dogs.

 

[bhanuts]

Anyone who wants to suggest I'm anything like a fair weather fan can f*** off right now. I was at The Goldstone, at Gillingham, and two seasons ago travelled to Swansea on a freezing October night in the first round of the LDV.

Safeway you are a fair weather supporter, like it or not! So what that you went to Swansea.

Get behind the team! and get to the Withdean!

bloody part time supporters! it makes me mad!

 

[brighton rock]

But as Safeway said - people are fed up of sitting in the cold, in the wet and in a place that atmosphere forgot.

strange to hear a comment like that?most brighton fans slaged of palace for trying to whip up an atmosphere using pom pom girls music and name singing after a goal!

brighton should try the same?

 

[Beach Hut]

BR - nothing would work at Withdean. The one great entertainer we had was rocket man and he was banned eventually by the nimbys.

The only thing that works at Withdean is athletics which by an amazing coincidence is what it is designed for.

 

[brighton rock]

BR - nothing would work at Withdean. The one great entertainer we had was rocket man and he was banned eventually by the nimbys.

The only thing that works at Withdean is athletics which by an amazing coincidence is what it is designed for.

fair game!
save it for falmer?

 

[Paddy B]

There are number of reasons why crowds are down but the biggest one is apathy from our own supporters.

This is possibly due to the reson that, since we have been at Withdean, there has always been a reason to get excited about home games whether it be the euphoria of being back in Brighton, Promotion challenges or fighting against relegation playing against the likes of Wolves & Forest.

This season has not been great in terms of excitment but were are still in a play off spot so please get behind the team!