A Worrying Trend

Wynonie Harris

Wynonie Harris

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I hate to sound a note of pessimism amidst all the jubilations, but is anybody else as concerned about current attendances as I am? The gates were nothing to write home about last season, but incredibly, now we've gone fulltime, they appear to be even worse. 1,705 for the opening match followed by a miserly 1,270 for last Saturday. What are they going to be like on a freezing January afternoon?

I don't know anything about football finances, but surely we'll be struggling to pay talented professionals the wages they want on gates of 1,270?
 
Hopefully the near perfect start to the season will boost the crowd. But I somehow doubt it. It would seem the novelty has worn off for some.
 
As we have said before, get the roof sorted out, and now this new problem we have created regarding the car parking needs sorting out. We just seem to be putting obstacles in peoples way to discourage them to come and watch Stanley on a freezing January afternoon.
 
Yes, I agree, these problems do need sorting out. However, the lack of a roof wouldn't have made any difference at the last two home matches which were played in fine weather and as you say, Jeff, the car parking is a "new problem" so that wouldn't put people off, as they wouldn't have been aware of it.
 
The last two home games were played in fine weather but rain was always threatening. Last Saturday there werer other circumstances, we had just lost 5-0 away at Stevenage, Blackburn Rovers v Man. United was live on Sky and did not finish until 2.45, probably too late for people to come to the game, also it was Bank Holiday week-end. This Saturday should tell, especially if it is a nice day, we are on the back of two good wins, there is no Premiership programme and England do not play until Saturday night.
 
Yes, I agree, Jeff, there should be a good gate this Saturday, considering the circumstances you've just described. Would 2,000 be too much to hope for?
 
I would hope for a minimum of 2000, but we will have to wait and see. If we do get a good gate then it's up to the players to do their bit and give us a good performance so as to encourage the crowd to come back. As we all know, everybody loves to be associated with a winning team.
 
I think we should presume that some fans might have still been away on their summer holidays, I missed most of the pre-season games due to my own holiday, but now the kids are due back at school then those fans might start coming back to the games. Also, Crawley dont have the best following in the division, and Burton have been fairly regular visitors so some of their fans might have decided to give the trip a miss. The attendance averages will probably shoot up when we play Carlisle, York, Halifax & Morecambe who dont have too far to travel.
 
The main reason is that the majority of Accy people just dont care about Stanley enough to turn up to say even two/three matches a season. Sad but true. Most people care more about the heady fortunes of Rovers, Utd, Liverpool and even Arsenal and Chelsea(especially kids) to be bothered with the less glorious Stanley and Conference football. I think it is a sorry state that here we are with a great chance to get back into league football and the vast majority of the indigenous population couldnt give a flying ****. What about kids get in for free days, give tickets away at local schools etc. get them hooked then charge them - cynical, but hey like it or not football is now a business.
 
junior-reds was started as a means to attract kids to the club and combat the Burnley and Blackburn clubs who go into the schools in Accrington and give free gifts/merchandise and tickets to kids.. They know once they get the kds on there ground then they have got future fans.

I can see that long term we need to get kids of Accrington supporting Accrington.. Unfortunatly the junior-reds has done nothing in this area. Sorry ton/Cammy I am not having a go. But nothing has been done to combat the local "big" clubs and attract kids to ASFC which is one of the reasons the club was formed.

Short term I have no idea.
Shortish/Long term we need to attract the kids of accy to the club. But we aint.
 
Start a junior League run by Stanley, get the kids playing and associating with Stanley, I think we had this topic last year and some great Ideas came out but looking at the big picture it needs revenue and someone to run it, over in the States all sport is business and they all have a promotions office, people coming up with ideas and implementing them some work some dont but I come in contact with these people every day and they all say you have to get them in school. Kids are fickle and will change alligance because there mate did or a group at school did, so make it attractive, SELL Stanley.
 
This all sounds like the same old story. Back in '63 we were struggling with finances, but the crowds were about 4,000 or so. Unfortunately, time has passed since those days and so have a lot of the older supporters. The thread seems to be going the right way though, in that the suggestion to attract people to the I.E.S. on match days, including kids, by going into schools etc. Have open days, Quiz nights, etc etc but for god sake do something, because we don't want this Stanley to go the way of the previous club.
 
:wave8: Just a couple of quick ideas (not my own I hasten to add). Whilst at York last night, they announced a scheme for mini season tickets i.e. buy a book of 10 tickets for any home league match and pay only something like £100 (entrance between 13 and 15 pounds to Bootham crescent),
Wigan Athletic also have a scheme whereby you buy 5 tickets and get a 6th free..
Perhaps either or both these could be adapted to suit Stanley - Buy 10 tickets for say £75
or the buy 5 and get 6th free for £50. I am certain either or both schemes would be suitable for supporters who already come to the games and for enticing those who do not.
Also a promotional story in either Observer or Telegraph (or both) whereby money off vouchers could be offered.
Another idea would be to pinch the holiday firms idea of adult payys full admission and bring 1 child for free. 2nd child would pay half price and 3rd and subsequent children would have to be paid at full child price. So if a couple come with 2 children,both would be free
Any of these would bring in extra support I am sure and also with the free child places and reductions on 2nd children, this would also bring in the younger generation and show them what Stanley can offer them

:D :D :D
 
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maybe i could take some Junior Reds membership forms and offer them to the lower ages of my school......

Just an idea?.......
 
I think a good idea could be that all season ticket holders should be able to bring a friend along for a discount price say a couple of pounds off (but they are only alowed to do this about 5 times a season) and this will intise some extra fans and keep them at the club, because not many fans want to come to a game by themselves. It is alot easier to find a rovers or burnley supporter to go to a game with than it is a stanley fan. Just a suggestion???
 
A friend of mine is going to huddersfield uni and last season KIDS and STUDENTS got in for a pound :) Him and his mates went to loads of games last season..... But while at home he could only afford the odd game :(

We have plenty of space to fill at Stanley so a bit of money extra is better than none..

Promotion's and voucher's in local paper would be a good idea..

But as already stated the best way to fill Stanley is with a winning team at the TOP of the league.....and a roof to keep people dry :)
 
Top quality ideas and better to do them now while the team is near the top of the league and the weather is fine. Might smack of desperation if done when the team is playing poorly and gates start to fall in the winter months.

Can we get a response from Rob?
 
Not worried in the slightest... Our gate is very much in line with the rest of the conference & Eric will not have gambled on the finances of a higher gate. He's not that daft!

The 400 fans that went to Morecambe is all I need thank you....

Jase
 
Obviously, no one can read Eric's mind, but I would've thought that he was hoping for rather more than the 1,270 who turned up for the last home match. Taking 400 to Morecambe is all very well but the home gates need to improve to justify the decision to go fulltime. The club can always rely on us lot - "the faithful one thousand" - but we need to expand the support base to achieve further progress.

Hopefully, success on the pitch will help in this and Saturday's gate will see a marked improvement.
 
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