Withdean Crowds

[Steve Foster]

Last night's attendance v Southampton was the best of the season so far.

However we failed to hit 8000.
Indeed, only 3 times this season have we past 7000 (Norwich & Leeds also).
All 3 'big' teams brought their full allocation of fans, yet in each of these games there were more than a 1000 empty Albion seats!

So what is going wrong?

A month or so ago we could have blamed the weather, our poor team performances & league position, but not anymore?

Last night, against our local rivals, good weather conditions & on mini run, no work for the majority of Albion fans the morning after, no distractions on the tele & the only league game in the country - had the perfect conditions for a sell out! Yet there were more than a 1000 empty seats!!!

Something is still seriously wrong, if given perfect conditions that barely 7000 Albion fans turned up.

So what's wrong? Ticket prices? Availability of tickets? Or Southern Counties Radio commentating on every game?

Or are we deluding ourselves in thinking that we are a big club, when we actually are very average & in our rightful place in the third tier of football in mid table?

Thoughts please

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

A lot of people away on their Easter breaks perhaps?

And how many STHs make a point of passing on their ticket if they can't go?

 

[Ringmer Seagull]

Last night's attendance v Southampton was the best of the season so far.

However we failed to hit 8000.
Indeed, only 3 times this season have we past 7000 (Norwich & Leeds also).
All 3 'big' teams brought their full allocation of fans, yet in each of these games there were more than a 1000 empty Albion seats!

So what is going wrong?

A month or so ago we could have blamed the weather, our poor team performances & league position, but not anymore?

Last night, against our local rivals, good weather conditions & on mini run, no work for the majority of Albion fans the morning after, no distractions on the tele & the only league game in the country - had the perfect conditions for a sell out! Yet there were more than a 1000 empty seats!!!

Something is still seriously wrong, if given perfect conditions that barely 7000 Albion fans turned up.

So what's wrong? Ticket prices? Availability of tickets? Or Southern Counties Radio commentating on every game?

Or are we deluding ourselves in thinking that we are a big club, when we actually are very average & in our rightful place in the third tier of football in mid table?

Thoughts please

Same old story I fear. There are a large number of fans who simply wont go to Withdean however well we are playing and whatever the opposition. Hopefully we will win them all back at Falmer

 

[Nappy thrower]

Withdean still has to take the lions share of the blame.

This won't change unless we are near the top.Lets me honest here,this game has little significance for us as safety is nailed on.

If this had been on saturday then we would have broken the 8k mark.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

The timing wasn't great for an Easter weekend. If anything, it may have been better to gave played it on Wednesday, although Saints may have objected to that. This is a weekend where a lot of people go away with the family, so the two don't tie in.

.... oh, and Withdean is a poophole.

 

[Steve Foster]

All valid reasons folks on why there were only 7000 Albion fans, but I cannot see how we will double our numbers at Falmer against the likes of Teams that won't bring much away support either, if we are still in league 1?

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

All valid reasons folks on why there were only 7000 Albion fans, but I cannot see how we will double our numbers at Falmer against the likes of Teams that won't bring much away support either, if we are still in league 1?

I know a lot of people who used to go to the Goldstone, or have only casually followed the Albion who fully intend to go to Falmer when it is built. I am sure a lot of other people are the same, so 7,000 people with say 3 friends who are gonna jump on the bandwagon means we sell out, for the first season at least.

 

[k2bluesky]

The ground holds 8800, there were even 50 or so in the 200 seat? 'closed' v block, the south was almost totally full, the away end was and so was the north, a few spaces in the family stand and w, so tell me where were the 1,600 empty seats (they don't count kids for a quid in the crowd figures admittedly), I guess the real crowd figure was around 8200. Anyone have large blocks of empty seats near them?

 

[Pantani]

Last night's attendance v Southampton was the best of the season so far.

However we failed to hit 8000.
Indeed, only 3 times this season have we past 7000 (Norwich & Leeds also).
All 3 'big' teams brought their full allocation of fans, yet in each of these games there were more than a 1000 empty Albion seats!

So what is going wrong?

A month or so ago we could have blamed the weather, our poor team performances & league position, but not anymore?

Last night, against our local rivals, good weather conditions & on mini run, no work for the majority of Albion fans the morning after, no distractions on the tele & the only league game in the country - had the perfect conditions for a sell out! Yet there were more than a 1000 empty seats!!!

Something is still seriously wrong, if given perfect conditions that barely 7000 Albion fans turned up.

So what's wrong? Ticket prices? Availability of tickets? Or Southern Counties Radio commentating on every game?

Or are we deluding ourselves in thinking that we are a big club, when we actually are very average & in our rightful place in the third tier of football in mid table?

Thoughts please

We get our best attendance of the season and you see this as a bad thing? It is because Withdean is rubbish, simple, can we stop with this thread every couple of weeks now?

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

What was the actual attendance?

 

[Rookie]

The strange Argus stand next to the family stand was pretty much deserted. And a few odd seats scattered around but didn't see any big gaps.

Also never seen the Mill Rd park n ride full, that was a bit strange

 

[withdeanwombat]

Out spending the Maundy Money perhaps ?

 

[Steve Foster]

what was the actual attendance?

7784

 

[Common as Mook]

I suppose now we are playing well you need something else to get your knickers in a twist over.

 

[Mellotron]

Slightly confusing seeing as we heard reports from the ticket office that "around a hundred tickets" were left, so either the 1,600 empty seats were ALL (bar 100) season ticket holders who didn't turn up, or someone has got numbers wrong somewhere else?...

 

[Steve Foster]

Slightly confusing seeing as we heard reports from the ticket office that "around a hundred tickets" were left, so either the 1,600 empty seats were ALL (bar 100) season ticket holders who didn't turn up, or someone has got numbers wrong somewhere else?...

Most of the empty seats from where I was sitting in J block, seemed to be in the family stand, the stand next to it & that little stand that was empty (and is empty every game! - what is the point of that stand?).

Season ticket holders I believe are only in the family stand, which does not have enough season ticket holders to fill it. So there was obviously plenty of tickets going spare for the game?

So it begs the question, why can't we fill the place?
If we couldn't last night, then what hope at Falmer?
Don't forget we will all have to make even more of an effort to get to Falmer as very few people live round the corner from the place.

Are there really another 10,000-15,000 people out there who didn't go to Withdean last night who will all of a sudden attend matches at Falmer week in week out?

 

[Bean]

All the empty seats were in the family stand and the ones next to it, basically the bottom of the family stand was completely empty! I was sitting in the south stand and there was the odd one or two seats free but not many atall.

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

was in family stand very few empty seats cant see 1000 short came from

 

[Worthai Seagull]

was in family stand very few empty seats cant see 1000 short came from

Its all very strange....the ticket office told me on Wednesday that the match was very nearly sold out..only a couple of hundred tickets left !
They should know ...so things dont add up.

 

[sjamesb3466]

Most of the empty seats from where I was sitting in J block, seemed to be in the family stand, the stand next to it & that little stand that was empty (and is empty every game! - what is the point of that stand?).

Season ticket holders I believe are only in the family stand, which does not have enough season ticket holders to fill it. So there was obviously plenty of tickets going spare for the game?

So it begs the question, why can't we fill the place?
If we couldn't last night, then what hope at Falmer?
Don't forget we will all have to make even more of an effort to get to Falmer as very few people live round the corner from the place.

Are there really another 10,000-15,000 people out there who didn't go to Withdean last night who will all of a sudden attend matches at Falmer week in week out?

Whilst I live in Leicester now and can't afford the 160 mile round trip to go to home games (although Im trying to move closer to Brighton by the time Falmer opens ) I think 12K-15K is about what to expect if we are in league one and doing ok. Withdean really isn't a pleasant experiance (I had a season ticket for 4 years whilst at school and college) and for the price has to be the worst value for money of any ground in the country. And for example I know people such as my grandad who once we are in Falmer would come to the odd game with me and my dad but at 87 years old would not come to withdean as the cold wind and possibility of getting very wet would not do him any good (let alone the rubbish leg room). So cheer up guys, whilst I don't think we will fill falmer straight away we will double our the figure of tonight.