[Archived] Pathetic Attendance

[Paul]

I'm certain that the Rovers are in fact experimenting with their pricing structure. I think the way forward is to offer cheap seats compared to everyone else - not just for the odd game, but for EVERY game. We may lose a bit of money, but at the end of the day if we can fill our stadium and/or generate more interest in our club, that can only be a more postive thing.

I'd suggest Rovers are looking for the magic formula that will allow them to sell the maximum volume at the maximum price. Once we find that the ticket price will be firmly established. Rovers difficulty is discovering the ticket price the highest number of fans will accept/pay. once they do that I feel this will become the standard matchday price with the occassional £5 added for Utd etc.

The difficulty is hitting the right spot. Personally I think £25 is the top price price and I certainly wouldn't pay the £30-£35 often bandied about on here. A game of fooyball, Rovers or not, simply isn't worth more than £25.

[thenodrog]

A game of football, Rovers or not, simply isn't worth more than £25.

That is definitely a relative statement Paul which only applies to you. Consider a bit of lateral thinking applied to that statement.......

1. You take your kids therefore it is not a £25 decision for you it's much more.

2. Also you have a family, so imagine the same income with far less outgoings and £25 means little.

3. You take a new job that pays much more than your current one.

4. You live and work in London.

5. Rovers v Spurs at Cardiff..... how much was that worth?

6. You support Man Utd, cant get tickets easily for OT and you get the chance to see em live for £25.

7. Last but certainly not least.......Returned from Krakow with the realisation that I could have bought next years ST for less money than my 3 day trip cost!

[Paul Mellelieu]

We can't make any real conclusions from one game, let's wait until the "experiment" is over. (Altough other than making these games free i don't really know what else the club can do.) Like Colin here are a few observations.

If you make it too cheap then there is a possibility that fans stop attaching any real value to going to games.

Living in Manchester I have no real idea of how the club markets these games locally. Could more be done to lead on price reductions.

Theon's point about a collapse in interest in the club/game amongst layers of part time supporters strike me as the most important issue. A lad I sit next to tells me how he knows lots of "fans" who watch on legal and illegal TV and call him a mug for shelling out for a season ticket when players are earning £40k a week. No doubt the lustre of the Shearer years has worn off, but there seems to be a more significant cultural shift, which effects Rovers more than other clubs because of the unique situation we find oursleves in. But Man City, Bolton, Boro and other are experiencing similar problems, so we're part of general development.

It is difficult to know where the club goes with reduced ticketing for premiership games.

And lastly...I've banged on about this for some time, but look at the demographic, economic and other data and the club is persuing a strategy in very, very unfavourable circumstances a fact not understood by the outside world.

Up the Rovers!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Rovers are to continue with the cheap ticket initiatives despite the 'disappointing' responce on Thursday ,so says John Williams in todays LET.

[The1mattjansen]

The two things we need to remember here are:

A) Ticket revenue is NOT a massive source of income for us, never has been, and never will be.

B ) The catchment area for Blackburn Rovers must surely be one of the smallest in England. There are approximately 80,000 possible fans in Blackburn (after Asians are considered) and we have an astounding number of local rivals.

The only reason this gets brought up again and again is because it doesn't look good when talking to your mates, but the fact remains that 13k wasn't a bad crowd for us, and was simply the hardcore turning out for a cold Thursday night.

Edited November 4, 2006 by The1mattjansen

[RevidgeBlue]

Rovers are to continue with the cheap ticket initiatives despite the 'disappointing' responce on Thursday ,so says John Williams in todays LET.

"Disappointing" wasn't actually the phrase used by John Williams directly. Andy Neild wrote that officials were "slightly disappointed" (which is about right) by the turn out of 13789.

JW said that "We can't keep dipping in and out with these initiatives" which is of course entirely correct.

[OhmiBRFC]

How many season ticket holders didn't come last night and how many of them were under 10's (being on a school night )?

I didnt take my little brother thursday night, he's a season ticket holder.

But he had school the day after and it was to cold for him I thought because he's only 6 years old,

[Alan75]

"Disappointing" wasn't actually the phrase used by John Williams directly. Andy Neild wrote that officials were "slightly disappointed" (which is about right) by the turn out of 13789.

JW said that "We can't keep dipping in and out with these initiatives" which is of course entirely correct.

The "stay away" fans should note the final quote by JW wery carefully and remember it in years to come, when there is no premiership football in Blackburn.

I'm not going off on a crusade, everyone has the right to spend their earnings as they see fit. But you dont miss what you have until it's not there.

Coming back to Rev's quote by JW. - A contact of mine recently gave me a copy of an article where a Walker Trust spokesman had reportedly stated that the funding of the club will not last for ever. It's not ending now, but the funding is drying up.

Part of John William's remit when he was appointed chairman was to make an appraisal of the opportunities for new investment into Rovers.

Fans / supporters need to wake up to the fact, that without their financial investment into the club, by buying tickets there will be very little finance available for JW and the board to back Mark Hughes in transfers. With no financial backing how long do you think the club would be able to retain an ambitious manager.

[FourLaneBlue]

Ultimately the choice is whether to go for a short-term strategy of maximising revenue or the more long-term strategy of trying to entice former attenders of Ewood Park back. Personally I think that the club has to keep up with these initiatives as the club cannot go on hemorrhaging fans year in year out. However, the longer some ex-attendees stay away then probably the lower the number that will ever return. So it is vital to act in time.

However, human beings are not like taps. They can't just be turned on and off with cheaper tickets/more expensive tickets. The cost is only one of a number of reasons why fans aren't coming back. It's good to see another reason (illegal pub broadcasts) also being tackled.

We'd all love Ewood to be full and for the atmosphere that brings to come back but if that is to ever happen more than once or twice a season then it will take a long, long time and a lot of work. The club can't do much more and deserve backing but some of the people on here who expect people to come flooding back overnight are living on cloud cuckoo land. If it was that easy we would all be able to manage a football club!

Edited November 4, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[thenodrog]

The two things we need to remember here are:

A) Ticket revenue is NOT a massive source of income for us, never has been, and never will be.

The first part of that sentence may indeed be applicable now but the latter part is in the first instance absolute rubbish and in the second pure conjecture.

[stuwilky]

The first part of that sentence may indeed be applicable now but the latter part is in the first instance absolute rubbish and in the second pure conjecture.

It does of course depend what you mean by the term "massive source"

Any source of income which is a multi million pound amount into the club is a "massive source" surely?

[FourLaneBlue]

Talk Sport have just been slagging off Wigan and Bolton for attracting just under 20,000 for the derby at the JJB today. "They are unfashionable sides and that's why...they can't attract 20,000 for a local derby" etc.

So it's not just Rovers getting stick...

Edited November 4, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Have these Baffoons nothing better to do than slag off us 'unfashionable' clubs?

More and more I am convinced they want the Prem full of big city clubs and nothing more.

[cletus]

Talk Sport have just been slagging off Wigan and Bolton for attracting just under 20,000 for the derby at the JJB today. "They are unfashionable sides and that's why...they can't attract 20,000 for a local derby" etc.

So it's not just Rovers getting stick...

20,000 crowd at the JJB isn`t bad....seeing as the game was at the Reebok!

[USABlue]

The "stay away" fans should note the final quote by JW wery carefully and remember it in years to come, when there is no premiership football in Blackburn.

Been saying it for sometime. It's why I get down on the negative people, they should learn to appreciate what we have it WILL NOT last for ever. Sometime within the next couple of seasons Sparky will be off. With the lousy, and getting lousier, attendance we will be hard pressed to compete.

As I have stated I fully expect us to find our own level within the next 5-10 years if not sooner. Our own level? That of a struggling to competent 2nd division side.

As for why the numbers continue to dwindle, my feeling it is the way we as people are going, modern society is teaching us to be lazy. Many simply do not have the motivation to make the effort, there are so many other forms of entertainment available now to compete with the average persons disposable income they wwould just as soon be entertained in manners which need less effort.

Many years ago there was not much else to do in the form of entertainment after 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.

Another factor is the modern players and the lop sided officiating, it turns me off a lot. Pansy challenges result in players rolling on the ground and yellow cards being dished out (invariably in favour of the "big" team)

PLayers cheating to gain an advantage, acting, flopping, dissention to the officials it all quite frankly make me sick.

There are 3 games on telly here on a Saturday and I have become so turned off by the way the game is going I hardly watch, I used to never miss. It's pewtrid, vile and disgusting what is going on. Shoulder challenges are called up now, clean tackles are blown up and yellow cards issued, what for? because it was a hard challenge and "could have" caused injury. It did not so get on with, however these "professional" tactics are allowed to go unchecked all the time. Football has only Football to blame, for the most part, for it's decline in these parts.

Now they are talking about changing the goals come on the game was bloody fine before the tinkerers started, offside was offside. BTW I thought there had to be daylight between the defender and attacker, don't see that called do we.

Consistency, fairness and the same rules for everyone combined with harsh punishment for cheating will go along way to helping things.

Edited November 4, 2006 by USABlue

[Billy Castell]

If someone can subsidise me around £900-2,500 per year, I'll buy a season ticket and go to all the games. Should cover transport costs (can't drive) and any time I have to take off work.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Burnley played infront of just 11,700 today in their lofty position...is this currently a predominantly East Lancs problem.

[yorkblues]

i have made the 180 mile round trip for the past 9 seasons.i do hope all the door step fans come back and see how good we are

[RevidgeBlue]

The "stay away" fans should note the final quote by JW wery carefully and remember it in years to come, when there is no premiership football in Blackburn.

I'm not going off on a crusade, everyone has the right to spend their earnings as they see fit. But you dont miss what you have until it's not there.

Coming back to Rev's quote by JW. - A contact of mine recently gave me a copy of an article where a Walker Trust spokesman had reportedly stated that the funding of the club will not last for ever. It's not ending now, but the funding is drying up.

Part of John William's remit when he was appointed chairman was to make an appraisal of the opportunities for new investment into Rovers.

Fans / supporters need to wake up to the fact, that without their financial investment into the club, by buying tickets there will be very little finance available for JW and the board to back Mark Hughes in transfers. With no financial backing how long do you think the club would be able to retain an ambitious manager.

Sorry the quote from JW was possibly misleading in isolation.

What he was saying was that they couldn't experiment with the cut prices and then dump them after one game, they had to persevere with them as far as possible consistent with still giving ST holders value. He wasn't saying they couldn't do them again etc.

Alan were exactly was that articlee you saw - can you reproduce it on here? It seems to be in direct conflict with what Egerton Vernon said c2001 when he said that the Trust fund was for the benefit of all the Walker Businesses and was a dynamic fund supplemented by profits from all the businesses. This was to counteract the suggestion that there was to be an ever diminishing pot for Blackburn Rovers.

Of course there may have been a distinct sea change in policy since then. (Although shouldn't they still abide by the original wishes of the settlor i.e. Jack?) What we really need is an up to date and clear statement of intent from their Trustees regarding their relationship with the club.

Are they committed long term to the club or are they looking to sell? (I think we already know the answer to that) Whilst they are still involved with the club, shouldn't some net transfer funding be made available to our exceptional young manager? etc etc.

A key subject for BRISA to pursue?

Edited November 4, 2006 by RevidgeBlue

[Jan]

However, human beings are not like taps. They can't just be turned on and off with cheaper tickets/more expensive tickets. The cost is only one of a number of reasons why fans aren't coming back. It's good to see another reason (illegal pub broadcasts) also being tackled.

We'd all love Ewood to be full and for the atmosphere that brings to come back but if that is to ever happen more than once or twice a season then it will take a long, long time and a lot of work. The club can't do much more and deserve backing but some of the people on here who expect people to come flooding back overnight are living on cloud cuckoo land. If it was that easy we would all be able to manage a football club!

So you've just admitted that cheap tickets don't work

[RevidgeBlue]

Burnley played infront of just 11,700 today in their lofty position...is this currently a predominantly East Lancs problem.

Despite the deep embarrasment seemingly felt by the sanctimonious brigade on here who seem ashamed to venture out of their front door because of our crowds, Rovers attendances seem entirely consistent, with those of our nearest geographical rivals i.e. Preston, Burnley and the lowish 20,000 turnout at Bolton v Wigan today.

On a related note, don't know if it's been mentioned specifically but the Dog on Revidge and the Hordens in Feniscowles plus 2 Pubs in Darwen were reported in the LT yesterday as having had satellite equipment confiscated.

[Alan75]

Sorry the quote from JW was possibly misleading in isolation.

What he was saying was that they couldn't experiment with the cut prices and then dump them after one game, they had to persevere with them as far as possible consistent with still giving ST holders value. He wasn't saying they couldn't do them again etc.

Alan were exactly was that articlee you saw - can you reproduce it on here? It seems to be in direct conflict with what Egerton Vernon said c2001 when he said that the Trust fund was for the benefit of all the Walker Businesses and was a dynamic fund supplemented by profits from all the businesses. This was to counteract the suggestion that there was to be an ever diminishing pot for Blackburn Rovers.

Of course there may have been a distinct sea change in policy since then. (Although shouldn't they still abide by the original wishes of the settlor i.e. Jack?) What we really need is an up to date and clear statement of intent from their Trustees regarding their relationship with the club.

Are they committed long term to the club or are they looking to sell? (I think we already know the answer to that) Whilst they are still involved with the club, shouldn't some net transfer funding be made available to our exceptional young manager? etc etc.

A key subject for BRISA to pursue?

It's an extract from a report by Michael Taylor in the "Insider" business magazine, November 2005. following the appointment of JW as chairman. I'm trying to obtain a copy of the original article to confirm the name of the reported trustee spokesman, who I dont want to name at present. However anyone who has bought 4000 holes, will find the name in an article called "It cant go on"

[jim mk2]

On a related note, don't know if it's been mentioned specifically but the Dog on Revidge and the Hordens in Feniscowles plus 2 Pubs in Darwen were reported in the LT yesterday as having had satellite equipment confiscated.

Excellent news. Now how about the hundreds of other pubs in East Lancs ?

[Fife Rover]

The attendance problem at Ewood is of course a matter for deep concern for us all. We discuss it at great length on this and other threads as well, and the conclusion that stares us all in the face is that there is no easy fix, no solution that any of us on here are able to implement or to do anything at all about.

The hard truth of the matter is that it is not directly our problem at all. What do I mean by that?

I mean that every one of us regular readers and contributors on BRFCS.COM is already a fully committed Rovers fan and we each of us do whatever lies within our power to alleviate the problem as far as we are able. And therein lies the crunch! We can do no more! The problem lies in somehow getting the stay-aways to come along to watch live games at Ewood, and we are not going to do that by incessant mulling over our various opinions as to what are the causes/solutions to the problem. It is not US that is at fault; it is the stay-aways and THEY are not members of this MB so THEY are never going to see any of this.

The club, the local press, etc are the ones that should be taking this forward. By all means make our collected thoughts available to them via BRISA or however and then we have done almost as much as we can. The only other possibly helpful thing we could each do is to try and talk round any stay-aways that we come across in our daily lives, and get the message across that they dont know what they are missing by not being there to see the match live.

Edited November 4, 2006 by Fife Rover

[grizfoot]

Article from one of todays papers:

Noisy Grounds

1) Portsmouth 97 Decibels

2) Newcastle 96

3) Liverpool 96

4) Man Utd 94

5) Sheff Utd 91

6) Bolton 90

7) Aston Villa 89

8) Blackburn 89

9) Everton 86

10) Reading 84

11) Man City 83

12) West Ham 81

13) Chelsea 80

14) Arsenal 77

15) Fulham 77

16) Wigan 72

17) Watford 71

18) Spurs 68

19) 'Boro 67

20) Charlton 65

8th is fair impressive to say we only get 20k most matches. Teams like Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea get twice that and still can't produce the same volume of noise.