Club size potential by catchment area?

[Triggaaar]

No doubt plenty has been done to work out a teams potential based on population etc, anyone got any links?

Brighton is surprisingly big as a continuous urban area (10th biggest) - and shockingly dense (2nd densest EDIT 6th, obviously) (link)

I'm not sure how misleading that is, I'm sure some of you will know a fair amount about this sort of thing?

 

[The Grockle]

Our catchement area is at least on par with Southampton and easily capable of susataining 30,000 + crowds. I'd say were probably not far behind Leeds for the size of our catchment area and the fact were (pretty much) a one team county.

Before anyone says anything i'm not saying were anywhere near the size of Leeds but we certainly have the potential to match teams like Norwich and Bolton in terms of stature, a looong way to go though.

 

[Badger]

6th densest, how could you miss the giants of Rhondda, Doncaster, Burnley and Accrington!?

Given how close our neighbours are in footballing terms we should easily be able to attract 30,000+ crowds.

 

[Triggaaar]

I presume this is the sort of thing all clubs research before building grounds etc, and to my highly untrained eye, Brighton seems to have a fairly large potential (don't let David Pleat see this).

 

[Triggaaar]

6th densest, how could you miss the giants of Rhondda, Doncaster, Burnley and Accrington!?

Because I'm bloody stupid.

 

[tooting2]

No doubt plenty has been done to work out a teams potential based on population etc, anyone got any links?

Brighton is surprisingly big as a continuous urban area (10th biggest) - and shockingly dense (2nd densest EDIT 6th, obviously) (link)

I'm not sure how misleading that is, I'm sure some of you will know a fair amount about this sort of thing?

traffic wardens on one again ...........lol

 

[Triggaaar]

traffic wardens on one again ...........lol

Well I did take quite a blow to the head

 

[SK1NT]

Not only does Brighton have a huge catchment area but it is a wealthy area of the country so if times do become harder the northern fans are likley to stop going to see their team first where as Brighton ticket numbers will still be strong... This is slightly sweeping but you get the idea....

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Does having a real rival on your doorstep have a bigger impact in forging allegiances and helping a club to grow a fanbase than merely being the only league club in a large area?

 

[Return of the Rev]

Not only does Brighton have a huge catchment area but it is a wealthy area of the country so if times do become harder the northern fans are likley to stop going to see their team first where as Brighton ticket numbers will still be strong... This is slightly sweeping but you get the idea....

 

[seagullondon]

Not only does Brighton have a huge catchment area but it is a wealthy area of the country so if times do become harder the northern fans are likley to stop going to see their team first where as Brighton ticket numbers will still be strong... This is slightly sweeping but you get the idea....

 

[SK1NT]

Yes really? you really dont think stopping going to the footy is one of the first things to go when times are hard?

Do you not think that the South East is more vibrant for job opportunites than the north...

Av a think lads its a valid point...

I can't be arsed to explain the economical difference between the north and south...

Just saying Brighton is a wealthy area so unlikely to have fans stop going to games through financial issues.

 

[Triggaaar]

Not only does Brighton have a huge catchment area but it is a wealthy area of the country so if times do become harder the northern fans are likley to stop going to see their team first where as Brighton ticket numbers will still be strong... This is slightly sweeping but you get the idea....

Yeah, but it's grim up north, so there's f all else to do but watch footy. And there are no jobs down here, so we'll run out of money soon.

Does having a real rival on your doorstep have a bigger impact in forging allegiances and helping a club to grow a fanbase than merely being the only league club in a large area?

I think it helps - more talk in the pub of rivalries and general excitement. There's obviously a lot to it all, I just wondered where we fit in terms of population alone.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Yes really? you really dont think stopping going to the footy is one of the first things to go when times are hard?

Do you not think that the South East is more vibrant for job opportunites than the north...

Av a think lads its a valid point...

I can't be arsed to explain the economical difference between the north and south...

Just saying Brighton is a wealthy area so unlikely to have fans stop going to games through financial issues.

 

[perseus]

Not only does Brighton have a huge catchment area but it is a wealthy area of the country so if times do become harder the northern fans are likley to stop going to see their team first where as Brighton ticket numbers will still be strong... This is slightly sweeping but you get the idea....

This is simply not true. The average household income in Reading is one third higher than in the Brighton area. We are just about the national average. House prices should be lower. It is the Londoners making the house prices inflated above their real worth.

 

[Peter Grummit]

No doubt plenty has been done to work out a teams potential based on population etc, anyone got any links?

Brighton is surprisingly big as a continuous urban area (10th biggest) - and shockingly dense (2nd densest EDIT 6th, obviously) (link)

I'm not sure how misleading that is, I'm sure some of you will know a fair amount about this sort of thing?

It's an interesting question.

Commercial organisations eg big employers or retail chains making investment decisions will look at transport catchments eg population within a 30 minute or 60 minute drive time as a key indicator. Now Brighton has the small matter of the sea on one side so this limits the catchment in time/distance compared with a classic radial city like Leeds. This is why John Lewis has always resisted coming to Brighton. The other factor is competition, and that of course is where Brighton scores better in football terms. The simplest model is a gravity model which measures the relative 'pull' of attractiveness as related directly to size (population) and distance (or travel time).

Taking it down to the next level, the make-up of population is a factor. The Brighton urban area (esp West of the city) has a higher elderly population, and a high proportion of students living away from home. For different reasons each are likely to have a lower propensity to attend matches.

The harder to measure factor is brand loyalty. We could argue all day about that one.

Given that it is accessibility that is as important than proximity in these models, there is an argument to say that in expanding the capacity at Falmer, the club should be doing more to improve transport access. This is not just to appease existing fans but to make it easier to attract more fans from further away. As far as I can see from the planning application, they are trying to get away with doing very little.

PG

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

remember that a lot of people living in our catchment area are from outside the area and therefore (if they like football) may support someone else

go into many brighton pubs and try and find 10 people actually from brighton....surprisingly difficult

 

[Return of the Rev]

Yes really? you really dont think stopping going to the footy is one of the first things to go when times are hard?

Do you not think that the South East is more vibrant for job opportunites than the north...

Av a think lads its a valid point...

I can't be arsed to explain the economical difference between the north and south...

Just saying Brighton is a wealthy area so unlikely to have fans stop going to games through financial issues.

Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of brighton,i'll show you something that will make you change your mind

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I think this thread has largely debunked any lingering myth that we are a potentially big club because of our purported large catchment area. There are so many other factors that trump 'large catchment area' as a factor.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not only does Brighton have a huge catchment area but it is a wealthy area of the country so if times do become harder the northern fans are likley to stop going to see their team first where as Brighton ticket numbers will still be strong... This is slightly sweeping but you get the idea....

Is it a wealthy area? New figures yesterday revealed the average salaries for workers in East and West Sussex are 5 and 2 thousand below the national average respectively. Must be a hell of a lot of commuters if the county is wealthy.