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Re: Bits & Bobs
Perhaps it's time to put things into perspective regarding our continued low home attendance.
On the 30th January AFC Bournemouth beat Chelsea 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium. Official attendance - only 10,227.
Of this, 1,500 were away fans, so the home crowd was actually 8,727. As the population of Bournemouth is 187,500 - 4.6% of the population attended.
This is a club enjoying their 4th season at the top level of the game, playing against the cream of English football.
Four days before, we entertained Derby County in the FA Cup - attendance was 5397, of which home fans numbered 2738.
The population of Accrington is 35,456, so 7.7% of our population turned out.
In our Conference winning season, 2005-6, when the prize was a return to the football league, our average gate was 1,895
In our first 'honeymoon' season back in the football league, the average gate was 2,260.
Let's get real! We're never, never, ever going to increase home attendance to any significant level. Nor should we expect to.
Constrained by our low population & hemmed in by our two big neighbours, I doubt we'd scrape 4,000 fans if we made the Championship.
Our gates are what they are for good reason & there's little point gnashing our teeth about it.
The kids are the most important element in the future success of ASFC, something the club is making positive steps to encourage.
Until then, let's be grateful we're so lucky, lucky, lucky to be playing football in League 1 - against some clubs than make Bournemouth look like a minnow.
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