[Crown Grounder]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

The queue for tickets went back to the half way line, not sure many more could have made it in for the kick off.

There may have been no live league games for 17 months, but it is the same for everyone and more deprived areas were hit worse by COVID as the better paid jobs just worked from home and saved a few quid, and the people in lower paid employment were more likely to lose their jobs or be furloughed. Lots of people have moved into more expensive housing in the last year or so, and car prices and many day to day expenses have shot up. Pubs in Accy which were cheap around £2.40/£2.50 a pint have put their prices up 50p, and so have Stanley, with winners' hour also going from £1 a pint to £2.50 a pint.

Fan bases were built in a different era, now it is near impossible to build one, too many other things going on. Blackburn got 10k for their first Saturday home game back. The crowd shaming stuff is what Eric Whalley did after promotion in 2006, "we would get more for a bbbb bloody baby show" , and fans who go can take it to heart a bit and feel not appreciated, whilst those who don't go have no concern about the crowd numbers. Therefore it is futile lamenting about it. Go on a local derby cricket game when it is a bit overcast in the Lancs league, and 20 fans have paid to get on, while the BBC shows pantomime cricket.

How many people on Ormerod Street have heard of Brett? I met two young men in the Railway pub a few years ago, brothers, one said he supported Real Madrid and the other Barcelona, lived in Accy all their lives, out for their twice a year tv football game. Different world now and regulars are over 40, and a lot at the older end, there is a threat support will dwindle over time all other things remaining the same, and with COVID and no restrictions whatsoever at the game I expect a few are giving it a miss thus far.

I agree with all of this post. However, Holty is trying to do something about it. The whole ethos of a community club is in its infancy at Accrington Stanley. The new facilities will attract more revenue and also reward the "long suffering" hard core of Stanley supporters .....including me!.......We are in transition, the world is changing with wall to wall pub and armchair TV. Mr Holt has a vision and is doing his best to implement it at Accrington Stanley. As a Community club is I think the only way we will survive.......and if in the short term I have to queue round the main stand and drink in a tent and pay £2.50 a pint when we win.......then so be it.....