Who will come to Falmer?

[Kent Seagull]

Surely most games would be pay on the gate? If thats the case I would probably go to loads more games. The one thing that stops me is the uncertaity about whether or not I have to be at work on a Saturday. If I can still decide wheter I want to go at midday on matchday, I would probably go to an extra dozen or so games a year. I wouldn't mind betting I'm not the only one who gets f***ed up by all the pre-booking lark.

 

[berkshire seagull]

Quite right, berkshire seagull. The crowds will come flocking in, once we get to Falmer.

perseus is expecting only about 12,000. That doesn't matter, since the finances for the stadium stack up nicely if that is the crowd for "standard" games. What excites me is that a new stadium will be combined with success on the pitch - and that will boost the numbers to the point that the Club is generating additional revenue to strengthen the squad and perform even better.

It'll be an upward spiral.

berkshire seagull himself might even be tempted along.

You bet you hairy monster
It won't be just me iether as the mates will love it and a great night out,well to think of going to a footer stadium to watch footer with ya mates again makes you wonder grrrrrr greatttttt it would be.

Thats what we have been missing so so much us lads and mates
Went once to withdean with my bro and he was in a diffrent block so fu-ck the withdean.

 

[Le Premier Cru]

I agree with Staffs' Field of Dreams principle - When we build it, people will come.

 

[perseus]

Optimistic:

The Labour Party will use their Annual Conference to announce the YES vote in September 2004. All the politicians will congratulate themselves on a job well done (albeit I might feel a bit subdued because I think if they had more courage we could have got Village Way South*).

After six weeks or so have elapsed to avoid the remote possibility of a judical review, the developers will start digging out the chalk and improving the Falmer landscape to get the stadium built before the start of the 2005-6 season.

Meanwhile for 2003-4, Albion will be disappointed to have come very close to promotion via the play-offs. The new season starts off with a visit to Milton Keynes (who will go?). Albion have a clear out of 12 out of contract players and start the new cracking season with new seats at Withdean, new players, and visits of promotion contenders Hull City and QPR, and hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County.


Their will be epic trips to Oxford, QPR, Luton, Swindon and Colchester and it is a pity that many of the teams are too far away.

It won't matter so much if we don't go up straight away, because the next season will start (hopefully) in the new stadium.

It would be better if we go up via the play-off final this season cause it will be tricky the next one and Division One is better football, even if we struggle.

(* Five years down the line, the fans will be complaining that the Falmer stadium is too small. Ten years time and the current football impetus is fading away and the Albion can still fill their stadium whereas the overambitious clubs are straining to pay off huge debts? Such are the decisions for the bankers. Dick Knight retires after a further five years at the helm giving the Albion over to younger decision makers?)

 

[fatbadger]

18,000 @ £20 ticket = £360,000
12,000 @ £25 ticket = £300,000

And it's not just about ticket prices - everyone who comes spends at least a couple of quid at the food & drink stalls; more programmes are sold; at cheaper prices (kids half price PLEASE), more families come - you get the kids young, they grow up following the Albion not some Premiership team, they keep coming back as adults - and they all ask for shirts for Christmas, etc etc etc.

 

[perseus]

15,000 x £ 22.50 = £337,500
3,000 x £ 1.00 = £ 3,000 (Special Sussex Pasties that don't make a mess and don't smell horrid and make everybody in block feel queasy and want to throw up)

Total = £340,000