Brighton - it's just not a football town

[redoubtable seagull]

Probably right about the city but Brighton has big support across the county. They will come back once the new stadium is built and if the team successful and a bit of money pumped into the club. Remember 30,000 people trekked 450 miles to cardiff a few years ago for a game that they could have watched on the TV. Not many clubs at our level could claim that number of fans travelling that distance.

 

[Gwylan]

How many kids do you see in town, wearing Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs or ManU shirts?

Not many actually... in fact I don't think I've ever seen a kid in Brighton wearing a Spurs shirt.

I see a lot of kids playing football in Wild Park and Albion shirts are definitely in the (large) majority. This will only grow when Falmer's built and more kids go.

 

[house your seagull]

It's a good question. It's perhaps not a football town in the way the places like Blackburn, Oldham, Stoke, etc are. This is because Brighton is a vibrant city with lots going on and the other places are depressing shitholes where football is one of the main sources of entertainment. But as Gwylan says a bit of success for the team (promotion or a cup run) and Brighton, in common with every town in Britain in a similar situation, becomes 'football mad' to a certain extent with people who don't usually give a toss expressing at least a passing interest.

spot on.

 

[Les Biehn]

No, not really.

 

[Mendoza]

There are not that many people who were born in Brighton that stay in Brighton.
The city has a massive diversity, and lots of people from all kinds of racial, religious, national backgrounds.
The Albion is more of a Sussex thing, and I reckon you will find just as many, if not more Brighton fans that dont live in Brighton or Hove than do.

Most towns dont have as many focal points as Brighton does, so maybe that has something to do with its perception of not being a football town

 

[NMH]

Not many actually... in fact I don't think I've ever seen a kid in Brighton wearing a Spurs shirt.

I see a lot of kids playing football in Wild Park and Albion shirts are definitely in the (large) majority. This will only grow when Falmer's built and more kids go.

Well I wanted to include Spurs in the list because there are loads of their supporters in Brighton, but you are right - they aren't kids as such, mostly adults.
Of the Prem, there won't be many Blackburn, Sunderland, Bolton or Boro, but the general overview suggests that the actual football fans (not looking at rugby or cricket fans, or people who could care less about any football whatsoever) are not mostly keen, or remotely interested about The Albion.

With Falmer, there will be some who will come out for the nicer facilities, but more will suddenly appear (like the lightweights always did) when - or if - the competition gets better.

 

[Les Biehn]

To many Blacks, Asians, Gays, Women and Cricket fans.

 

[Tooting Gull]

An obvious comparison on this issue is with Reading. Reading is a town that certainly 15 years ago I wouldn't have called in any way a football town, less so than Brighton. They had a support, but a very small support - much smaller than ours traditionally if not currently.

This season, after the Premier League novelty has worn off, there are no more full houses and crowds have slumped at the Madejski and they are launching all sorts of schemes to try and get people through the door.

There has been a lot of scorn poured on Reading on this site - but is not what happened to them exactly what may happen to us at Falmer? New stadium, better prospects, whole lot of new fans.

 

[Simster]

This season, after the Premier League novelty has worn off, there are no more full houses and crowds have slumped at the Madejski and they are launching all sorts of schemes to try and get people through the door.

Is that really true? Their crowds haven't dipped below 23,000 this season!

 

[London Calling]

It's a good question. It's perhaps not a football town in the way the places like Blackburn, Oldham, Stoke, etc are. This is because Brighton is a vibrant city with lots going on and the other places are depressing shitholes where football is one of the main sources of entertainment. But as Gwylan says a bit of success for the team (promotion or a cup run) and Brighton, in common with every town in Britain in a similar situation, becomes 'football mad' to a certain extent with people who don't usually give a toss expressing at least a passing interest.

Interesting selection, until the £ bought Sheraer and co in, football was second rate in Blackburn, low gates etc. Oldham, football has often been second fiddle to Rugby League. Stoke plus add Port Vale here and you've got a real vibrant rivalry.

I believe Brighton is a football town, but it closeness to London, means there is a large leakage of fans to LOndon clubs, who only see Brighton as their second club. My brother is of this catergory. We are also having migrants coming to our town with other allengencies. This is rare for most football cities.

Go to Newcastle, there is no tradition alternative. It was the colleries, docks, pub and the The Toon. Amazingly for such an industrial area: Northumberland and Durham, including Wearside and Tyneside have only two football sides. Newcastle and Sunderland. Therefore everything is concentrated into these two sides.

In most areas there is a dilution of support. Yorkshire here is a classic example.

Obviously Brighton does not have the concentrated and large population of the big cities but that does mean, man for man, woman for woman, we do not love our town and our football.

Wasn't there some stats a few years back in last last few weeks at the Goldstone, that showed Brighton had a greater percentage of fans that travelled to a home game than any where else!!!!!!!!!!!! Then we had Gillingham, which I believe concentrated our base - and is still an unigue experience for a major football side in the uK.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Isn't the point that, famously, there's just nothing else to do in the town of Reading: their plastic hotdog-munching child-based "support" is either at the Majeski or would otherwise be heading off to some other grim, modern suburban entertainment complex, with the usual Bowlplex, Fatty Arbuckles etc etc. They've got no seafront, or North Laine, or Festivals etc etc.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Is that really true? Their crowds haven't dipped below 23,000 this season!

(from a couple of weeks ago, local rag)
READING have launched an initiative to recruit new fans to the Madejski Stadium following a dip in attendances.
The club is offering reduced prices on the next three home games in a bid to fill the 24,000 capacity ground.
Last season tickets were like gold dust with fans desperate to watch the club's debut season in the Premier League.
But there has been a noticeable lull in demand for the opening games of this season and the Royals are keen to get the message across that seats are available.
Director of communications Andy West said: "We're trying to make people aware that most of the time it's possible to buy tickets for Premier League games.
"The perception is that if you're not a season-ticket holder you have no chance of getting in. But that's not the case, other than when we play the 'Big Four' clubs.
"We didn't sell out against Everton and West Ham recently and there are opportunities for people to come along."
He added: "We appreciate the demand is different this year because there isn't the uniqueness of a first season in the Premier League. Inevitably, demand has dropped.
"But our long term goal remains to attract new people, especially with plans to expand the stadium to 38,000."
In response, Reading are prepared to waive the £10 membership fee for anyone who buys a ticket for Saturday's home game with Wigan Athletic or the match against Derby County two weeks later.
Prices have also been slashed for the Carling Cup third round home tie against Liverpool next Tuesday night to £18 adults and £8 concessions.

Why have Reading's crowds dipped this season? Poor performances? Over-priced tickets? The novelty of the Premiership wearing off? Let us know why you think the Royals aren't putting the 'Sold Out' signs up any more? Email: sport@readingchronicle.co.uk

 

[Icy Gull]

That wasn't the case for the first three to four years back at Withdean though. We had a successful side playing to a full capacity every week and albion shirts were seen everywhere and, dare I say out, outnumbering the Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea ones.

IMO, we badly lost the momentum with one cock up of a preseason costing us our place in the championship and even though we regained it the damage appeared to have been done by that time.

We were playing good football though I think you'll agree and in my years watching the Albion, it seems to me that we have to win and be playing good football to fill the ground. The only exception I can think of is the 1st year back in the Championship after about 10 years of playing lower league football, when the attraction of the opposition and the massive number of season ticket holders who were riding on the back of 2 Championships and didn't want to miss getting tickets for games meant most games were a sell out.

 

[rool]

The only exception I can think of is the 1st year back in the Championship after about 10 years of playing lower league football, when the attraction of the opposition and the massive number of season ticket holders who were riding on the back of 2 Championships and didn't want to miss getting tickets for games meant most games were a sell out.

That's my point though, it was exactly that first season in the championship with the farce of the pre season that meant we didn't really build the squad properly. Even if the manager, that was apparently lined up but backed down at the last minute, had come on board it was virtually at the beginning of the new season anyway and then we got Hinshelwood. It has mostly been a spiral of reduced attendance, reduced season ticket renewals, less money therefore not much in the way of team building, less attractive football equalling less attendance and so on and on since then.

 

[Clive Walker's slaphead]

No it's not. This part of the country has been infested by 'up their own arse yuppies' and they would rather sit at home wearing their Chelsea or Spurs shirt and watch Sky pretending they know everything there is to know about football and would never go to see The Albion because ' that's not proper football'.

 

[Prof P]

No it's not. This part of the country has been infested by 'up their own arse yuppies' and they would rather sit at home wearing their Chelsea or Spurs shirt and watch Sky pretending they know everything there is to know about football and would never go to see The Albion because ' that's not proper football'.

Don't really go along with that. Many clubs have seen their immediate environment ‘poshed-up’ over the last 10 or 20 years but have maintained or increased their support.

What concerns me is the general feeling that once the stadium is built that the crowds will come. The club could hardly have had more press in the last few years and generated more support and we still get gates of under 6,000. Granted, Yeovil Town at the Withdean is not an enticing place to start watching live football but I can’t convince myself that, with the opening of a nice new ground, suddenly loads of kids are going to rush out, buy a shirt and start supporting the club.

 

[glasfryn]

not even going to deign this thread with a vote ......................and by the way Brighton is a city

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Chris Kamara said during the Play - Off campaign regarding the fight for Falmer
'come on Brighton's a football town give them thier stadium'

 

[dougdeep]

definately

AAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I got the train from Preston Park up to Gatwick two Saturdays ago. Number of bloody Arsenal shirts you'd have thought it was a football special. How do these people live with themselves? What, if anything, goes through their minds?