[Archived] A New Football Demographic ? Good Work by Bradford City?

[Ossydave]

In my personal experience, I don't know many Asians at all with a desire to follow Rovers. They're only really interested in Premiership teams like United, cars and fake clothes......

[Mike E]

One guy I know plasters profile pics of himself in an array of flash cars......which he rents for a day. To me that just says what a failure he must be. I'd rather accept that I can only afford a Ford Fiesta and spend such money on activities with loved ones. I wonder how he affords it on £120 a fortnight. And I'm not suggesting drug-dealing at all......

[adopted scouser]

Well done to Bradford City, shades of Rovers against Spurs anyone ?

[Baz]

Every crediit to Bradford. Fantastic for them and their fans. Only 1 game away from Europe now.

[G Somerset Rover]

Well done to Bradford City, shades of Rovers against Spurs anyone ?

Not really, they're league two! What a fantastic result for football.

[Josh]

Well done to Bradford City, shades of Rovers against Spurs anyone ?

Well we were a Premier League team not League 2 so it's a lot different. I'm hoping Swansea go through tomorrow because I fear a hammering at the hands of Chelsea

[DE.]

A Villa reserve earns more in a week than Bradford's team cost put together.

Well done to them, shame on Villa. Lambert deserves the sack after that.

[Stuart]

Well we were a Premier League team not League 2 so it's a lot different. I'm hoping Swansea go through tomorrow because I fear a hammering at the hands of Chelsea

But if Chelsea do go through, it's an automatic Europe for the Bantams!

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Nothing new this, Rovers had been trying to build relationships with the asian community for years before Venkys took over and introduced their brand of disorganised, chaotic non-management.

I think the key ingredients though are a warm welcome, success on the pitch and some inspirational asian representative at the club. Big Sam had managed the second of these and Venkys were supposed to provide the 3rd. But in the end we ended up getting none.

The first of those ingredients is a remaining problem. I feel a mixture of disgust and dismay when I see asian rovers fans abused by other supporters (which definitely does happen). Digust because its racist and traitorous to your own support, and dismay because we're never going to grow our fanbase beyond an absolute max of about 25,000 unless we get asians to turn up in decent numbers.

[Andy]

Nothing new this, Rovers had been trying to build relationships with the asian community for years before Venkys took over and introduced their brand of disorganised, chaotic non-management.

I think the key ingredients though are a warm welcome, success on the pitch and some inspirational asian representative at the club. Big Sam had managed the second of these and Venkys were supposed to provide the 3rd. But in the end we ended up getting none.

The first of those ingredients is a remaining problem. I feel a mixture of disgust and dismay when I see asian rovers fans abused by other supporters (which definitely does happen). Digust because its racist and traitorous to your own support, and dismay because we're never going to grow our fanbase beyond an absolute max of about 25,000 unless we get asians to turn up in decent numbers.

Genuinely?

Abused because of being Asian?

I've never seen it, but I've not seen many Asian fans in the area where I sit.

It'd be an absolute disgrace, not to mention against the law.

We're in 2012, not 1952...I might be completely naive to it, but I'm genuinely shocked that there would be such socially backward people still knocking around in this day and age.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

In my personal experience, I don't know many Asians at all with a desire to follow Rovers. They're only really interested in Premiership teams like United, cars and fake clothes......

Exactly.

The gates of Ewood are open to ALL people regardless of race,color or creed.We dont need to be bending over backwards to entice any one community to attend,they will do that of their own free will if they feel they WANT to.

Right now we are a pile of Dog shyte and that by itself wont bring anymore through the turnstiles.

[Ewoodbhappy]

Exactly.

The gates of Ewood are open to ALL people regardless of race,color or creed.We dont need to be bending over backwards to entice any one community to attend,they will do that of their own free will if they feel they WANT to.

Right now we are a pile of Dog shyte and that by itself wont bring anymore through the turnstiles.

Agree with that. We don't seem to have a problem with recruiting Asian stewards or refreshments staff.

[Mike E]

Agree with that. We don't seem to have a problem with recruiting Asian stewards or refreshments staff.

Though tbf, that's people looking for some extra dosh, rather than watching Rovers.

[Bundesburn]

I'm of a very mixed heritage and having been to away games last season, felt intimidated, but not threatened. Nevertheless, the knuckle-draggers mean I'll be in the JW whenever I return to the UK and to Ewood.

The only demographic that Rovers should be targeting is the young. Free tickets to schools is a no-brainer, for me, we aren't selling out and we need more fans. Introducing them o the game at a young age gives us a good chance at retaining them and not losing them to Utd, City and the like.

[Stuart]

The only demographic that Rovers should be targeting is the young. Free tickets to schools is a no-brainer, for me, we aren't selling out and we need more fans. Introducing them o the game at a young age gives us a good chance at retaining them and not losing them to Utd, City and the like.

Free?

That's not fair. What do I get for free?

[the original david brent]

I'm of a very mixed heritage and having been to away games last season, felt intimidated, but not threatened. Nevertheless, the knuckle-draggers mean I'll be in the JW whenever I return to the UK and to Ewood.

The only demographic that Rovers should be targeting is the young. Free tickets to schools is a no-brainer, for me, we aren't selling out and we need more fans. Introducing them o the game at a young age gives us a good chance at retaining them and not losing them to Utd, City and the like.

well said!

I raised on the fans forums thread that the club do not appear to be doing enough to entice the young to attend ewood. I didnt get a response from FF secretary Fernhurst Rover so can only assume it will not be raised at the next FF meeting.

We should be targetting the young in general, regardless of race, religion etc. The club should not target a specific community.

[only2garners]

well said!

I raised on the fans forums thread that the club do not appear to be doing enough to entice the young to attend ewood. I didnt get a response from FF secretary Fernhurst Rover so can only assume it will not be raised at the next FF meeting.

We should be targetting the young in general, regardless of race, religion etc. The club should not target a specific community.

We have already flagged it up as a topic for discussion at the next FF on 25th February. It came up just too late to get on last week's agenda.

But if Chelsea do go through, it's an automatic Europe for the Bantams!

Not that it's relevant now but they would not have done. These days you have to win the League Cup to get a European place.

[Stuart]

We have already flagged it up as a topic for discussion at the next FF on 25th February. It came up just too late to get on last week's agenda.

Not that it's relevant now but they would not have done. These days you have to win the League Cup to get a European place.

I stand corrected. I went off what they said on the radio before the game yesterday. Mind you they were peddling the fact that Bradford were the first EVER fourth tier side to make it to the League Cup final, so it shows their research isn't great.

[Stuart]

We should be targetting the young in general, regardless of race, religion etc. The club should not target a specific community.

I understand your point. However...

The asian community, which do make up a large part of the demographic of Blackburn Rovers' catchment area, for whatever reason, the vast majority do not attend matches. Those that do attend report that they sometimes do not feel comfortable - and these are the ones who ARE interested in football. If some focussed work needs to be done on making a particular community more aware and feel more welcome at Ewood then I say, from a business perpective, it's an opportunity that should definitely be explored in more depth. I'm not saying offer them enticements you wouldn't offer the rest of the community (e.g. a free ticket scheme or other offers) but a lot more should be done to advertise it in a better way within those communities.

Football clubs are a large part of communities and can be a catalyst to bring people together. The bi-product of investigating this for business reasons, may even be better community cohesion.

I'd be interested to understand better how Bradford fares these days in this regard. Certainly the OP suggests that they are much better at it than we are. I'm sure the cultural differences are similar.

I've said this on a few different threads recently - in different contexts - but "we need all the fans we can get".

[Baz]

I understand your point. However...

The asian community, which do make up a large part of the demographic of Blackburn Rovers' catchment area, for whatever reason, the vast majority do not attend matches. Those that do attend report that they sometimes do not feel comfortable - and these are the ones who ARE interested in football. If some focussed work needs to be done on making a particular community more aware and feel more welcome at Ewood then I say, from a business perpective, it's an opportunity that should definitely be explored in more depth. I'm not saying offer them enticements you wouldn't offer the rest of the community (e.g. a free ticket scheme or other offers) but a lot more should be done to advertise it in a better way within those communities.

Football clubs are a large part of communities and can be a catalyst to bring people together. The bi-product of investigating this for business reasons, may even be better community cohesion.

I'd be interested to understand better how Bradford fares these days in this regard. Certainly the OP suggests that they are much better at it than we are. I'm sure the cultural differences are similar.

I've said this on a few different threads recently - in different contexts - but "we need all the fans we can get".

Totally agree. See no harm in the club trying to do specific things to entice different types of fans, wether they be kids, asians, women or any other demographic.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Genuinely?

Abused because of being Asian?

I've never seen it, but I've not seen many Asian fans in the area where I sit.

It'd be an absolute disgrace, not to mention against the law.

We're in 2012, not 1952...I might be completely naive to it, but I'm genuinely shocked that there would be such socially backward people still knocking around in this day and age.

Yeah, I mean not very often and only in the more boisterous areas of Ewood/at away games, but seen it happen to an extent. For example there's 2-3 asian lads that often stand near the back of the Darwen End and occasionally I've heard groups behind them shout the odd thing just about within earshot.

There's also the general undercurrent of racism that you sometimes get that can't be very welcoming. Race-obsessed songs like the ones about Samba and Etuhu, the rougher ride black players seem to get from fans (granted this has decreased from the days of Nathan Blake, Marcus Bent etc), there were those 2 fans who got arrested at Wigan away a few years back for racism.

Not trying to judge our support really. Its a wider political issue and is bound to cause more tensions in somewhere like Blackburn with the highest ethnic percentage of any town in england. And I'm pretty sure racism happens both ways as well.

But the point is the asian fans who come to Rovers are the ones who are proud of their town and want to support it. As has been mentioned if that kind of attitude can be encouraged to become more widespread, it would work wonders for social cohesion. And from a purely football side of things, we need those fans. Attracting asian supporters is the only way to grow our fanbase.

Getting kids along is all well and good but thats not gonna increase the fanbase, thats just damage limitation as a bigger percentage of each new generation are choosing to gloryhunt one of the big teams than did in the previous one.