the ONLY thing that will bring crowds back is promotion

[SeagullEd]

I honestly believe that. Anyone agree?

Obviously like 'quid a seat' for every game is unrealistic, so i'm talking about realistic solutions. Good performances will bring some crowd back, but we can't expect a 5 goal thriller every game. People will stay away till Falmer UNLESS there quite literally are unmissable games.
If we get the likes of say Newcastle (obviously a bit of a dream) and West Brom and Watford etc down here crowds will come back. You've got to make it completely unmissable.

 

[Marc]

well DUH of course promotion will get better crowds, higher division + better teams...not rocket science is it!?

As for this season, a Play-Off run in and gradually better/warmer weather will also help get bigger crowds.

 

[bristolseagull]

what a ridiculous thread

 

[SNOOBS]

Genius

 

[Clapham Old Mug]

A roof would help.
If I wanted to get cold, wet and miserable, I'd take up sailing.

 

[Bozza]

Before actual promotion comes the race for promotion. And when that hots up crowds will come too.

 

[bigc]

Before actual promotion comes the race for promotion. And when that hots up crowds will come too.

Always makes me wonder what we'd have got in the run up to the two championships.

I reckon we'd have been selling 8k in all those run-in games, Withdean fatigue wouldn't have set in yet.

 

[NMH]

Watching Match Of The Day and seeing the highlights from the Premiership loaded with international talent, I have to say that there might be a case for The Championship being the nearest to what one could call 'the best of British football'.
Watching the Championship though, there's not really quite so much difference between that and the division that we're in.

 

[SeagullEd]

Sorry, geniuses. Oh wait, no you're not because you can't read!!!

Let's re-read the title aye, always a good place to start. Do you want me to teach you phonics first?

OBVIOUSLY promotion gets crowd back but I think thats the 'only thing' that will do it.

Perhaps before dishing it out you should look at your own plate.

 

[BensGrandad]

I think that the crowds will increase possibly for the remaining home games if we win at Huddersfield, and for the playoffs if we make it. We will get 30k fans 'who always go to watch BHA when they are not working' at Wembley and if we go up the crowds will go back to about 5,000.

So the answer is no promotion will not increase the gates.

 

[fatbadger]

Explaining yourself doesn't help. Your statement is rubbish. After all, I imagine the crowds next season if we are in the Championship getting spanked week in, week out would never match crowds next season if we are competing for automatic promotion from League One.

 

[Conkers]

That's not the only thing. Perhaps if we bought the entire Brazil team that might being the fans back. All Gully's Girls doing their entire routine naked might also bring back the over 30's/40's/50's.....80's?

 

[bigc]

Sorry, geniuses. Oh wait, no you're not because you can't read!!!

Let's re-read the title aye, always a good place to start. Do you want me to teach you phonics first?

OBVIOUSLY promotion gets crowd back but I think thats the 'only thing' that will do it.

Perhaps before dishing it out you should look at your own plate.

Touchy touchy. I'm guessing you'll grow out of moodswings when you get older..

Well, you could qualify why other factors won't bring it back...

 

[Braders]

A roof would help.
If I wanted to get cold, wet and miserable, I'd take up sailing.

exactly

something for chants to bounce off and allow some sort've attmosphere


i feel the roof on the north stand is abit wasted really

 

[ewe2]

why many of us are diehard albion fans is because we started young.....perhaps going with your dad (once a fan always a fan).At last,and i aplaud the club for realizing this they are now sorting this out.I dont think Falmer comes into this.Come on remember the raw and total excitement of you first match watching your team.......capture this and and hardcore fans will increase !

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Hmm I agree with the principle but I also feel that some good decent performances at home will also bring some people back and a flirt with the playoffs.

It was about this time when we went on a 14 game unbeaten run which set us up nicely to go up as champions the season after (albeit it was the lower division).

Whilst we have put in some good performances there have also been some not so good like Cheltenham at home even tho we won.

What we need (and I believe Wilkins is providing slowly but surely) is an entertaining product to watch. Word does get round, im sure that if we get into the top 6 there will be a few more punters.

Personally I feel that £25 is too much, thats been debated elsewhere and I understand why but a few floaters I know when I tell them go "how much for effectively third division football?"

Thats why the Gillingham and Port Vale initiatives are welcomed

 

[SeagullEd]

So you honestly think if we loose 5 games on the trot and then Bolton or Newcastle come down the crowd won't be more then 5 / 6k ?

I think that's rubbish.

 

[bigc]

So you honestly think if we loose 5 games on the trot and then Bolton or Newcastle come down the crowd won't be more then 5 / 6k ?

I think that's rubbish.

well they will bring their lot won't they?

But if we get someone dull, then yup.

 

[SeagullEd]

Look at the teams in the Championship: West Brom, Crystal Palace, Ipswich, Charlton, Wolves, QPR, Sheffield United, Cardiff, Norwich, Southampton, Leicester, Coventry and (if they stay up) Colchester. I am sure that all those 13 teams will get more then 7 k definitly. Then looking at the remainder, I still think we'll get in the region of 7 k. I don't see how it could be otherwise.

Bigc - Oh that's a good one. Rather then try and discuss with me or discredit me that way attack my age! Great one. My God, School must have been SO much better when you were they aye! Clearly your schedule was so jam packed they didn't teach you interpersonal skills. I'm sure my 'moods' will take care of themselves, but thankyou for your concern.

The only thing I take from your post is about arguing against other ones. So I'll do it.

A Roof - isn't going to happen ( I did say realistic)

VERY cheap prices for everyone - not going to happen, too unrealistic

Giving tickets round to local football clubs - a lot of people will argue with this, football clubs won't fill the ground

Entertaining football - Probably the strongest argument. This is hugely important, I agree, but we're not going to play entertaining football every week. I have mates who go to loads of away gmes every season but, regardless of how well we're playing, won't come to Withdean because of price/conditions and our lack of consistancy. At the end of the day we're not going to play better then United for example who you can watch basically eveyr match on tele. Entertaining football will bring some back but realistically we can't keep it going completely. Sometimes we will have to play poor football to win.

What my arguments is, is that none of the above will solve it season long. A combination won't either, in my opinion. To play attractive football you need good players, to get good players you do need to spend, to spend you need high income, lowering ticket prices won't do this. The only thing that will get people back is promotion because:

- of the UNMISSABLE games ( we have to make them completely unmissable)
- when we get the bigger teams there is a better atmosphere, people will come
- when we get promoted we get more money and therefore COULD lower prices for adults now or keep it as it is and we can both afford and attract bigger, better players

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

So you honestly think if we loose 5 games on the trot and then Bolton or Newcastle come down the crowd won't be more then 5 / 6k ?

I think that's rubbish.

To paraphrase a famous quote, "If Bolton were playing in my back garden I'd draw the curtains."

Who the hell are Bolton ffs!?!?!