Attendances

[tomphil]

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

I agree we won’t see 20,000 average crowds in this league again.

But are we capable of selling a fair few more than 10,000 season tickets? I think without doubt, we just need more imagination and drive from the club.

This is the thing i'm sure it's better for all concerned to have say 12/13k season ticket holders than 9/10k, not a massive increase but about right for us at this level and moment in time. I think to get around that wouldn't need massive price cuts just something imaginative and some other incentives and of course the main thing as always in Blackburn show some real ambition with a couple of astute signings.

Certainly better for the atmosphere and image in the stadium and better for the team and matchday takings. They've closed bits down to home fans so we only have c20k to fill so why not set about filling those bits up best they can ?

Now on the flip side of the coin looking at it from the business angle I think Waggot & Charlie will have cottoned on to the fact at present levels more or less the same people renew whatever and a bit of natural wastage is balanced by a few newbies however when the team is doing ok around 2k are rocking up paying single match ticket prices with a hell of a lot paying the Waggot tax. That in itself is a bit of an earner along with good away followings when they arise so I reckon he'd be reluctant to alter that by trying to get everyone in on discounted ST's.

Bites them on the arse if the team isn't doing well though and traditional big following games fall in midweek or tv !

[only2garners]

6 hours ago, tomphil said:

Bites them on the arse if the team isn't doing well though and traditional big following games fall in midweek or tv !

That pretty much happened this season. We ended up with two sell out away attendances (Leeds and PNE) and no other team came remotely close. We will probably get them again next season, assuming Leeds are still with us, almost whenever we play them.

Yet PNE had at least 4 sell-outs (Rovers, Leeds, Sheff Utd and Birmingham City). Their end is obviously smaller than the Darwen End but its still 5K+. They just got lucky playing Birmingham when they were playing well before the points deduction and Sheff Utd right at the end of a promotion season. We had the former just before Christmas and the latter on a Tuesday night early in the season. I don't think there were any price promotions involved. Of course Preston is a bit easier to get to for away fans, especially when there were so many Northern rail strikes on matchdays.

[Bigdoggsteel]

On 10/05/2019 at 06:30, Mattyblue said:

I agree we won’t see 20,000 average crowds in this league again.

But are we capable of selling a fair few more than 10,000 season tickets? I think without doubt, we just need more imagination and drive from the club.

If lower costs won't bring people back, nothing will. Barring promotion of course. 

[Mattyblue]

It’s a price freeze with a new category for young adults. No reductions for full price tickets.

Will that on its own see a big increase? Not for me. Couple it with a singing section and then promote the hell out of it and we’d be getting somewhere.

[JHRover]

I was surprised to read on Rovers' website story about away crowds that we were 8th in the Championship for away numbers last season. I expected us to be perhaps mid-way or just below. Goes to show the 'small club' up against the 'big boys' narrative isn't really accurate (if that stat is true).

Suspect Villa, Leeds, Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Norwich are 5 of the 7 above us. Perhaps WBA/Stoke the others.

[Neil Weaver]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

If lower costs won't bring people back, nothing will. Barring promotion of course. 

If a consumer thought price was almost everything how do (to pick a couple of random examples) Tag Heuer watches or Diesel jeans sell?

Rovers STs..... the Gucci of the footballing world, now there's an idea......

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Neil Weaver said:

If a consumer thought price was almost everything how do (to pick a couple of random examples) Tag Heuer watches or Diesel jeans sell?

Rovers STs..... the Gucci of the footballing world, now there's an idea......

 

It's cost and the level the club are playing at 

[Mattyblue]

Just now, JHRover said:

I was surprised to read on Rovers' website story about away crowds that we were 8th in the Championship for away numbers last season. I expected us to be perhaps mid-way or just below. Goes to show the 'small club' up against the 'big boys' narrative isn't really accurate (if that stat is true).

Suspect Villa, Leeds, Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Norwich are 5 of the 7 above us. Perhaps WBA/Stoke the others.

There are a hell of a lot of young adults that go away but rarely set foot on Ewood.

Will this new category of ticket entice them in? A few, perhaps.  But the majority think 'the atmosphere at Ewood is shit'. A singing SECTION promoted to such fans would be a great idea and I think would see decent numbers getting involved..

Maybe next year ay? 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

There are a hell of a lot of young adults that go away but rarely set foot on Ewood.

Will this new category of ticket entice them in? A few, perhaps.  But the majority think 'the atmosphere at Ewood is shit'. A singing SECTION promoted to such fans would be a great idea and I think would see decent numbers getting involved..

Maybe next year ay? 

Catch me up here. Can fans not sing if they choose? Does there have to be a designated singing section 

[Mattyblue]

Course they can.

But what you find is that the folk that get involved in a sing song away from home, either don’t bother with home games ‘cos they’re shit’ or they are scattered across different stands, ergo nowt really gets going.

A lot of clubs have cottoned on to this, so are now setting up designated, unreserved areas to encourage it.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

Course they can.

But what you find is that the folk that get involved in a sing song away from home, either don’t bother with home games ‘cos they’re shit’ or they are scattered across different stands, ergo nowt really gets going.

A lot of clubs have cottoned on to this, so are now setting up designated, unreserved areas to encourage it.

Is this not something that fans groups should be leading as opposed to the club though? Same with "being scattered" is that not up to fans to choose where they sit?

I just see a lot of blaming of the club re attendances, when the reality is the prices are decent and fans know the tickets are available. You can bring a horse to water.....

[gumboots]

We go to matches in France quite often and there the ultras collect in one area of the ground. Sounds good but the problem is that they sing regardless not really encouraging the team or responding to events on the pitch and also if you're not one of them you don't sing or shout or anything even when your team need encouragement or a kick up the backside. A singing section sounds good in theory but in practice it could easily become this kind of meaningless entity. A home game needs as many as possible to be involved in the noise and atmosphere creation. At away games people who would never be in a singing section at home get involved too because there's an atmosphere of all in together that's hard to duplicate at home games

[rigger]

36 minutes ago, gumboots said:

We go to matches in France quite often and there the ultras collect in one area of the ground. Sounds good but the problem is that they sing regardless not really encouraging the team or responding to events on the pitch and also if you're not one of them you don't sing or shout or anything even when your team need encouragement or a kick up the backside. A singing section sounds good in theory but in practice it could easily become this kind of meaningless entity. A home game needs as many as possible to be involved in the noise and atmosphere creation. At away games people who would never be in a singing section at home get involved too because there's an atmosphere of all in together that's hard to duplicate at home games

Yes the kop never works

[gumboots]

I didn't say it couldn't work. Anything that might make a difference is worth trying but as with most things you need to be aware of potential problems so that you can avoid them. The kop is also a huge area not a hundred or so fans. How many do you think we'd get in a singing section? Not knocking the idea. Just wanting to know. 

[rigger]

Just now, gumboots said:

I didn't say it couldn't work. Anything that might make a difference is worth trying but as with most things you need to be aware of potential problems so that you can avoid them. The kop is also a huge area not a hundred or so fans. How many do you think we'd get in a singing section? Not knocking the idea. Just wanting to know. 

I would have thought the aim would be to make Ewood park the singing section. But you have to start somewhere.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

What potential problems Gumboots?

Why not open up the BBE upper as a singing section,3,000 fans with flags,banners etc...not getting in the view of anyone else within the Stadium.

Just needs a bit of imagination and planning with supporters and the club working together to improve an awful match day atmosphere.

Not holding my breath though. 

Edited May 14, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[blueboy3333]

1 hour ago, gumboots said:

A singing section sounds good in theory but in practice it could easily become this kind of meaningless entity. A home game needs as many as possible to be involved in the noise and atmosphere creation.

Thar's why singing sections work. The singing starts off there and (in theory) spreads around the rest of the stands. If no-one starts them then no-one else joins in. 

[Stuart]

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Course they can.

But what you find is that the folk that get involved in a sing song away from home, either don’t bother with home games ‘cos they’re shit’ or they are scattered across different stands, ergo nowt really gets going.

A lot of clubs have cottoned on to this, so are now setting up designated, unreserved areas to encourage it.

I think the unreserved part is more sellable than the singing section.

Phase one would be the top 5 rows of BBE lower unreserved seating where people can stand and sing.

But the real revolution is then phase two: turning that area into official safe standing. A club like Rovers should be leading the introduction by highlighting the market and demonstrating that it can be done safely.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Stuart

[MarkBRFC]

2 hours ago, JHRover said:

I was surprised to read on Rovers' website story about away crowds that we were 8th in the Championship for away numbers last season. I expected us to be perhaps mid-way or just below. Goes to show the 'small club' up against the 'big boys' narrative isn't really accurate (if that stat is true).

Suspect Villa, Leeds, Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Norwich are 5 of the 7 above us. Perhaps WBA/Stoke the others.

Saw this doing the rounds, seems more likely than Rovers picking a number out of thin air to me.

Edited May 14, 2019 by MarkBRFC

[Mattyblue]

2 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Is this not something that fans groups should be leading as opposed to the club though? Same with "being scattered" is that not up to fans to choose where they sit?

 

Should be both. Just like it is elsewhere.

[Paul]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

It’s a price freeze with a new category for young adults. No reductions for full price tickets.

Will that on its own see a big increase? Not for me. Couple it with a singing section and then promote the hell out of it and we’d be getting somewhere.

A singing section in the DE didn't really work for most games. I think that was fan lead? Why would a club lead initiative be any different?

[Paul]

1 hour ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

What potential problems Gumboots?

Why not open up the BBE upper as a singing section,3,000 fans with flags,banners etc...not getting in the view of anyone else within the Stadium.

Just needs a bit of imagination and planning with supporters and the club working together to improve an awful match day atmosphere.

Not holding my breath though. 

3,000? I think a success might be counted as 500.

[Paul]

2 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Is this not something that fans groups should be leading as opposed to the club though? Same with "being scattered" is that not up to fans to choose where they sit?

I just see a lot of blaming of the club re attendances, when the reality is the prices are decent and fans know the tickets are available. You can bring a horse to water.....

You're quite correct with this. Our lack of attendance, poor atmosphere, difficulty in selling more tickets is far more complex than whether or not there is a singing section. I've highlighted all this before with a lot of detail on my thoughts but what it really boils down to is when crowds were 20-25,000 many of those fans were not from the town. At 10-12,000 Rovers have probably got the core local support, beyond that the club has to look way beyond the town boundaries.

As for those who go away but don't go to Ewood because the atmosphere is, as I think mattyblue put it, shit? My philosophy in life has always been if you don't like it or don't agree get involved and do something constructive to change things. My father taught me that when I was 15. So for the fans who go away but not home the answer is simple. Get down to Ewood and help improve the atmosphere or stop moaning about it. Put up or shut up.

 

 

[Mattyblue]

Because as crowds dwindled post 2012, so did the Darwen End.

If the club now wants to grow its crowds again, why not work with fans to re-create one. Work on flags/banners etc?

Club after club are setting them up, and the large demographic of such areas are young adults.

They aren’t coming currently, so we just say ‘well they bloody well should!’ And that’s that? 

As I’ve always said, the key to increased crowds is increased season ticket sales and there are many ways to attempt that.

What’s to lose? 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Mattyblue

[old darwen blue]

5 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

If lower costs won't bring people back, nothing will. Barring promotion of course. 

Uh, venkys selling up would. 

5 minutes ago, Paul said:

A singing section in the DE didn't really work for most games. I think that was fan lead? Why would a club lead initiative be any different?

Utter rubbish, you don’t know what you are talking about. It worked just fine for such low numbers.