[Archived] How do we bring the fans back?

[JBiz]

Apologies if this has been discussed but this is something that has been preying on my mind since the Hull game.

Obviously, the only way in which we can truly get the numbers back is by success. Invest in the playing the squad, a long winning streak and management including chairman all singing from the same hymn sheet.

The owners and the fat bald controller are the main reasons for the loss of ST holders, but rather than look backwards - to make a difference to the playing squad we need the numbers back. We know what a difference it makes. Fortress Ewood, the defeat of Arsenal at the end of the (2010?) season was booming. In other cases, how difficult is it to beat Stoke away? It's not simply the work of Pulis.

I think, as supporters and not fans, we should be actively seeking ways in which to bring back the atmosphere at Ewood. If not for the players or the coffers, then at least for the sheer excitement value. The atmosphere when the stadium is a third full is dreadful.

I know a lot of people will just state "not while venkys/shebby/inexperience etc"

Lets look above that and try to make some suggestions. Mine would be school/college/group incentives. The club know they will not sell over 20k, so why not offer 10,000 at £2 to primary and secondary schools?

[gumboots]

The club already does very good school offers so there is little more it could do there. When i was at Uni the theatre in Nottingham used to give free tickets on the day to students to fill up unpopular performances so I guess you could try that with Uclan though many students there are locals and laready have their own team. If you tried it at Lancaster you'd have to lay on coaches free or minimal cost too, which would add to the outlay. Wasn't it charlton who used to do free coaches round all the towns on the Kent side of London to boost their crowds? Short term i don't know what you do that will bring people back in/in for the first time.

[Lhrover]

I think basic economics can be applied, when demand is low, lower prices. I mean like how many people will flock to tesco / asda when they have beer / other offers on? Same way attendances rose for the 'take back ewood' campaign or when they had tickets for cheap for under 18s at the european games under hughes.

Mind you, who wants to pay to see dire football in the championship when cubs like city, utd, liverpool etc are not too far away? I think the main chance they have of getting more people back is to simply start winning games, and bringing that football buzz back.

[gumboots]

There's an issue though with slashing prices. In fact there are several. the chief one though is that season ticket holders have already bought their tickets. Now if it becomes significantly cheaper to buy on a single match basis, that cheeses off a lot of your season ticket holders. they'll see that with small crowds it's simply not worth buying your season ticket - just wait and buy later - after all the club will have to do offers if there aren't enough folk going. However, season ticket sales are a way of guaranteeing income so clubs can't really afford for people not to buy season tickets so although slashing prices for walk ons may look like a good idea short term, medium to long term it's an awful idea as it alienates your most loyal group of fans and potentially cuts guaranteed income. i know ticket sales are a fraction of the club's income, but as we stay in the lower league(s) for longer their value increases. Whatever offer you put on has to be above the cost of a season ticket throughout the season. Yes, by all means target individual matches but don't cut the overall cost too much. also i think the club missed a trick last week in that I know of several people who would have gone to the Brighton game if, as half season ticket holders they had been offered the chance to go for a fiver. they understood that it was a rearranged fixture and therefore not covered by their ticket but if half of them had come in for £5 it would have been a little extra cash but a few more bodies plus goodwill bought.

[Kelbo]

Success breeds success, personally, since Appletons appointment, in the main we seem to be much more unified than of late, hopefully, that in itself will stop the rot and fewer supporters walk away but of course its a results driven business and success on the park will no doubt encourage more people to attend games!

The one thing us Northerners have in common is 'everyone loves a tryer' in the bad old days of third division stuff seeing people like little Johnny Price busting a gut to get to the bye line and put in a cross, the aggression of Stuart Metcalfe and Faz at the back with people like Graham Hawkins working and organising!

A player with the attitude of wanting to be 'the best he can be' is the way forward and I see that in players like Adam Henley, Savage was the same, he bust a gut for the club and did ever so well given his limited ability as did Atko, no real superstars but good solid professionals, every club needs those, then you can put one or two flair players around them (ala Tuguy) and you have a team!!

[matt83]

I've always felt that the only reason I support blackburn is I was born here, live here, work here and everyone particularly in my dads side of the family have supported them down through the generations. (God this is sounding grim written down). In other words there's no choice in what team to support.

But to keep local people interested/going folk to feel that the club is a source of pride in the community and that the team is representing them. Currently supporting rovers is something of an embarrassment, something would not want to admit supporting in public. So to address that its means new owners, no shabby, no shagnew, I'm afraid.

Not knocking anyone who supports rovers who's not from the area, in fact the more the merrier, but never understood anyone would support any team in the country that isn't in the area they are from as its this notion of the team representing your community and in turn the community supporting their team that footballs built on.

Also need to get fans "hooked" at a young age by giving schools tickets is a good idea but imagine with anything like they getting staff to volunteer supervising the kids on a weekend is very difficult so schools would prob just not bother.

[47er]

Success on the field is the ultimate way to win back and retain fans but its gone beyond that at Ewood. Whatever success we theoretically might have under Venkys in the future I'm not sure that would enable many to get over the hurt and pain and frankly, the disgust many have for what they have done to our club. Many won't return until they can feel proud of the Club again and who knows how long that will be?

I always feel with Venkys that we are days or hours away from the next disastrous decision, so consistently do they fail us.

[Roverthechimp]

Agree with previous posts about the risks of pricedumping. How about a deal with "next game free IF we hit 20k"? Season ticket holders receive discount on next season or free cup ticket.

[Roverthechimp]

Matt83 - if the owners/board are talking through the same PR people then the "shame" will fade as the media move on provided the fans let them

After that it is promotion that might reawaken the buzz.

[Ossydave]

Far too many people who COULD be attending were spoilt on the riches and success of the Walker era and being a top premier league team. They have no interest whatsoever in a mid table championship team with a very slight chance of a play off place. For want of a better term 'glory hunters'. It really is as simple as that in many cases.

[gumboots]

Also need to get fans "hooked" at a young age by giving schools tickets is a good idea but imagine with anything like they getting staff to volunteer supervising the kids on a weekend is very difficult so schools would prob just not bother.

it's how i started going to rovers games - as a member of staff not one of the kids. My family already went but i stuck by my hometown team, the Boro, but it was hard in precomputer days to keep in touch, i went home less and less often so I volunteered to be the extra body at rovers games, then took over the running of the schools tickets scheme, then eventually decided i'd rather sit with my family than school. By then i was hooked and got a season ticket. At the moment you can't persuade particularly secondary school kids that it's worth going to rovers games.

[JBiz]

What about college students? Blackburn being the obvious choice. It currently has a LOT of students and staff - yet I see no obvious link.

This may boil down to the clubs re-engagment with companies. The last 2 years has seen corporate and sponsorship drop at similar rate to rapid decline of general attendances. I also agree that price dropping will have an negative effect on st sales.

Offering season ticket holders the chance to buy cup tickets, or tickets for their family and friends at a cheaper rate would be a more suitable choice. Inventive marketing deals need to be explored, the principal of "paying what you can afford" is something football at this level can benefit from - maybe not in the "kickstarter" way but opening up chances of watching football to those interested but not in the financial position. Blackburn with Darwen is one of the skintest places in the country.

[RoverScot]

Teams such as Preston, Burnley and Blackpool were 2-3 divisions below Rovers in the 90's and early 2000's but now are in or around the same League, Bury, Fleetwood and Accrington Stanley are League clubs then there is Bolton and Wigan as well - nevermind the Giant Premier League teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool not far away with Man City and Everton too.

For the casual football fan who wants to watch football but is not necessarily tribal to a particular club, there is alot of choice and competition to which the low ticket prices from 09/10 will have helped attract but may have been counter balanced by the Mrs Desai era.

[Majiball]

A public apology by the three stooges and SK in the stocks at Ewood on a match day.

[Doug]

I didn't renew my ST 2010/11 season after being a regular since the late 60's. The company I worked for had been put in administration and I was concerned about the cost of renewing for myself and my two sons. I then got a job on the oil and gas rigs that meant two weeks offshore then two weeks at home, so I didn't renew then as it would have been a waste of money.

I nearly renewed 2011/12 as I had changed my employment again, but I had got out of the habit and team Venkys were in charge. I did go to a few matches, but, found I didn't enjoy it the same, mainly due to the negative atmosphere. Then there was the protests, I'm afraid I prefered to stay away than be associated with that. I know that seems poor, but, the press coverage left me feeling alienated from the club I love. Regardless of whether the protests were right or not, the coverage always left me feeling depressed. Not living in Blackburn didn't help me gain perspective or understand them. That's why I signed up to this site, so I could try to understand what was happening. I needed some perspective of how Rovers fans felt and, if the atmosphere was going to make it enjoyable again. I rarely watched footy on telly, I think I fell out with the football industry.

This year I attended the Bolton game on my own, the performance was so bad and the atmosphere and appauling abuse from a few fans left me wishing I hadn't bothered.

I signed up to Rovers website before christmas with the intention of buying a half season ticket for me and the boys, but, I just didn't have the desire, and niether did my sons.

The appointment of MA, his few 'pressers' have made me feel more positive.

Its never been about success, I served my time in the dark days and always looked forward to matches. I have never really taken notice of who the directors were, the politics in the boardroom, I didn't rub shoulders with Rovers fans on a day to day basis so it was always about the men wearing the blue and white halves.

I will return soon, because saturdays just aren't the same not going to Ewood. Feels like I've lost a relative!

[broadsword]

It doesn't matter what the prices are, I don't want to go until Venky's have gone.

I really couldn't care less what division Rovers are in at that stage, they'll always be my team, but I'm so sick of Venky's I can't go until they've gone.

Totally sick of it.

[Guest Norbert]

I'm guessing Bryan's post reflects a number of fans' attitude. The Raos have been so utterly awful as owners that some people would rather do some DIY or whatever than give money to those clowns and spend a few hours feeling cheated.

[1864roverite]

I didnt renew my ticket this year and my first games were in 1971/72. The KEANSCUM experience did it for me and although I have been to Ewood and a couple of away games I really do not have the gumption or desire to pay for the diatribe on offer.

I had every intention of renewing once KEANSCUM had been sacked but the delay in appointing a manager, the circus between Shaw/Agnew and Singh and not to mention the fools in pune made me realise that there was never going to be a renewal for this season at least.

I havent missed it which is sad for me. When I have gone its been bloody awful. I am afraid the KANSCUM hangover will still be hanging over this club at the end of this season. I dont see how we can go up this year and I just hope venkys can learn finally from their lunacy in wrecking the foundations that were in place. They have a responsibility to rebuild them not just to shore them up however, I think it will take a lot more to get the missing fans back.

Too many bad decisions, too much in fighting and too much disrespect of the support. This will take time to heal.

For now, Agnew and Singh should be fired. Shaw (the better of the 3) can probably do a better short term job on his own but will need replacing at the end of this season.

The senior management needs overhauling with football people.

MA needs to bring in his own staff across the board. He needs to be allowed to sweep the club clean of the debris left by KEANSCUM and co because until happens the shoots of recovery will just refuse to sprout and the club will simply die.

[yoda]

Far too many people who COULD be attending were spoilt on the riches and success of the Walker era and being a top premier league team. They have no interest whatsoever in a mid table championship team with a very slight chance of a play off place. For want of a better term 'glory hunters'. It really is as simple as that in many cases.

That just highlights the incompetence of the Rao's, why should supporters not expect to be a PL team if that is what they were brought up on (not like the longer term supporters who started in the mid 60's to the late 80's) not really glory hunters in the same vein as manu glory hunters who don't live anywhere near the club and in some cases could not find the ground.

[ABBEY]

3 I know won't ever set foot in ewood whilst scumkys here.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Until the club addresses the lack of mutual respect it has shown so far under Venky's tenure then why would the fans go back? Respect goes both ways.

[Gav]

If we could obtain a license that allowed us to feed Steve Kean to lions at half time that would bring plenty of fans back, but sadly once he'd been eaten they'd not return again until Venkys have left the club.

[den]

They wont come back. That's why I have been so vocal about sacking Allardyce, JW, selling our best players etc, etc. From experience I knew what would happen.

Once it's gone, it's gone.

[mhead]

Sabotage and vandalism. It may take 10 years. Other Clubs do not lose their fans on relegation....we have been torpedoed.

Kean, Samba and Nelsen lost us the PL.

Venkys just compound the misery.

We need an Owner /the Trust and a QPR or Swansea solution. Take your pick.

Oh and we must not lose to Bumley. Its not about gaining more fans....its about stemming the exodus.

[barry_]

I, for one, think that the last few weeks have been a start.

Concentrate on the team as nothing else really matters.

Stopping the behind the scenes circus/leaks.

By far the most important thing is for the team to start winning again as, the first post kean match proved, we still have a considerable fan base.