Attendances

[Mattyblue]

11,300 home fans today.

So crowds are a few hundred down on last season, which is purely down to us selling less season tickets.

Big failure on Waggott’s part who gave it plenty of big talk about selling 1,500 more, and we’ve actually sold less.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

26 minutes ago, Mr. E said:

Attendances getting critically low now in danger of dropping below 10k. There needs to be a massive overhaul in marketing.

No amount of marketing will bring in the crowds if the product on the pitch is mediocre.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

11,300 home fans today.

So crowds are a few hundred down on last season, which is purely down to us selling less season tickets.

Big failure on Waggott’s part who gave it plenty of big talk about selling 1,500 more, and we’ve actually sold less.

Wonder what will happen next season when a price increase is introduced....

[Husky]

54 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Wonder what will happen next season when a price increase is introduced....

It won't matter as all the Premier League glory hunters will be back ..

Right? ?

[MarkBRFC]

Second lowest attendance in the second tier today.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Preston now pulling more through the gates than us.The fourth lowest gate today was about 16,000.

Cheers Venkys the damage you have caused to our fan base may be terminal.

Edited September 14, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Paul]

Well that was a grim turnout yesterday. Doesn't look good.

[Mattyblue]

Once we get to September I stop worrying about it as there is nothing we can do.

As the season gets properly going they may rise a little for a game against decent opposition, a little more after Christmas if we sell our standard few hundred half STs, but generally the die is now cast until next season.

As our crowds are 80/90% made up of ST holders with very few walk ons, our gates only wax and wane on season ticket sales, we’ve lost a few hundred this summer, ergo crowds are a few hundred down.

For the second year in a row Waggott has missed his targets, indeed we aren’t even stagnating now, but going backwards. He now needs to reflect on why. He won’t, of course, as he still doesn’t understand the fanbase and catchment area one iota.

 

[Stuart]

Waggott is to blame for our low attendances.

Failed to capitalise on a huge feelgood factor - potentially even a turning point - and instead turned fans off.

Never rewards loyalty and doesn’t do enough to attract new fans. He will say he does (like sending a delegation to the Eid in the Park event) but as long as he thinks he has the right pricing structure, it’ll be the long-standing fans who, quite literally, pay for his failures.

I also think that the football offered by Mowbray isn’t inspiring and every game we are questioning the logic of his line-ups, game plan, and substitutions. Such is the mediocrity of the football that even winning doesn’t feel like it will bring in the 18,000 crowds that we should be able to expect. Not unless it ends in promotion...

[Mattyblue]

I think 18,000 is pushing it for us in this league, especially as we are forever an also ran, regular home attendees of 14,000 or so would be fine for now. We had many a PL home fan attendance of less than 18,000 in the 2000s.

But for us to have a 1,000 less home fans in the ground than was seen at Deepdale yesterday is a worry - though I believe anyone buying a ticket yesterday were guaranteed one for the City cup tie.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Mattyblue

[AshleyClifford]

The attendance yesterday in all honesty is what I would expect. I thought millwall would have brought maybe 1000 rather than 500 that they did though,so a better home turn out than I thought. Last year we had 13.300 at the same fixture but this was the 1st home game of the year, we had a similar crowd to yesterday when we played Reading at home (noted, this was on a Tuesday ) ; I would say we are inline for similar crowds to last season. Each week are crowd will be one of the lowest but how low depends on who is playing who and where. Also as mentioned about Preston have set a condition on the game yesterday for applications for the city game, maybe some city fans bought tickets.

[Stuart]

I don’t think 18,000 is pushing it but it will take more imagination than freezing earlier price rises.

We aren’t going to compete with City, or Liverpool, or United for quality and level of competition but we should be able win hearts and minds in terms of what it means to support your home town club and have the club mean something to the town (ideally without a disaster). How often do we hear stories of how people came to a game and were hooked - by the atmosphere, excitement on the pitch or even a particular player - but we have to get them into the ground first. Our most exciting player currently doesn’t get on the pitch until the last half hour.

I’m sure many of us have had the dreaded conversation with our young children about why they can’t support United or Liverpool, and calmly and sincerely explaining about how you don’t pick your team, it picks you. “You are from Blackburn which makes you a Rovers fan” (although birth certificates are probably being misplaced at the minute). Those conversations for 1st gen fans to 2nd gen fans will continue to be a long way off unless we get people down to Ewood in the first place.

[Mattyblue]

It is pushing it because that would mean we need to sell around 15/16,000 season tickets, and we will not be doing that until a) prices are dramatically reduced or b. we are promoted.

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Stuart]

Which is what I’m saying. 16,000 ST sales should not be beyond us.

But they are with Waggott’s current strategy.

[Mattyblue]

We would need a Huddersfield pricing strategy timed right, I.e on the back of a season of real promise or statement of intent in the transfer market.

Neither of those will be happening any time soon nor will the Hudds approach.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Mattyblue

[OldEwoodBlue]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

We would need a Huddersfield pricing strategy timed right, I.e on the back of a season of real promise or statement of intent in the transfer market.

Neither of those will be happening any time soon and neither will the Hudds approach.

I was reading Huddersfield have 18000 season ticket holders and only 2200 matchday tickets available.

They had sold out in early April.

 

We have 8600 season tickets and 20,000 available.

Ours went on sale in June.

 

Something is wrong.

Edited September 15, 2019 by OldEwoodBlue

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Stop blaming the strategy. The tickets aren’t that expensive. They’re competitively priced for the league we’re in. That’s not subjective. Are they more expensive than Preston. I doubt it. 

Could they be cheaper? Obviously. But where do you draw the line. Do you still want a competitive squad? 

I’m bored of the excuses. Fans can look to find reasons not to go, that’s their prerogative. There will always be a reason. The product on the pitch. The owners. Transfer activity. Not starting Rothwell. Mowbray. The shade of blue on the shirts.

The damage was done years ago. Our crowds have been static since 2013. I genuinely don’t believe that there’s any marketing strategy which will significantly change that. Promotion may be the only way.

 

[Mattyblue]

We’ve never got back on track from the Kean disgrace.

Most clubs that come down from the PL keep the vast majority of their season ticket holders, giving the club a tangible lasting benefit from their time at the top.

We crashed out of the top flight with fans and club in a civil war and lost pretty much half of ST holders in one summer, going from around 16,000 to 9,000... and we’ve never recovered.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Mattyblue

[TheKitGuy]

On 09/09/2019 at 17:16, Crimpshrine said:

 

Just out of interest, what persuaded you two guys to return this year? Were you boycotting or just had other commitments ( or lost a bit of interest)?

Any other boycotters out there, are you determined to stick it out until Venky's leave or tempted to return because it's really not making any difference ?

Not boycotting I went to about 10 home games a year each season and I'd say 10-12 away games each season but this year I've moved back to Blackburn so makes sense really! 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

57 minutes ago, AshleyClifford said:

The attendance yesterday in all honesty is what I would expect. I thought millwall would have brought maybe 1000 rather than 500 that they did though,so a better home turn out than I thought. Last year we had 13.300 at the same fixture but this was the 1st home game of the year, we had a similar crowd to yesterday when we played Reading at home (noted, this was on a Tuesday ) ; I would say we are inline for similar crowds to last season. Each week are crowd will be one of the lowest but how low depends on who is playing who and where. Also as mentioned about Preston have set a condition on the game yesterday for applications for the city game, maybe some city fans bought tickets.

And here you see how a lowering of expectations is now becoming the excepted norm on and off the field of play by supporters...is a worrying and terminal trend.

Edited September 15, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Stuart]

59 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Stop blaming the strategy. The tickets aren’t that expensive. They’re competitively priced for the league we’re in. That’s not subjective. Are they more expensive than Preston. I doubt it. 

Could they be cheaper? Obviously. But where do you draw the line. Do you still want a competitive squad? 

I’m bored of the excuses. Fans can look to find reasons not to go, that’s their prerogative. There will always be a reason. The product on the pitch. The owners. Transfer activity. Not starting Rothwell. Mowbray. The shade of blue on the shirts.

The damage was done years ago. Our crowds have been static since 2013. I genuinely don’t believe that there’s any marketing strategy which will significantly change that. Promotion may be the only way.

 

Our squad is not paid by ticket sales, it’s paid for by our jailers.

Nice to see you blaming Rovers fans though. You’ll get on well with Waggott.

The fact is that we have thousands of empty seats. If you are happy with that because it makes you feel like a ’good fan’ who can call out ‘bad fans’ who look for excuses not to go (which I nonsense by the way) then fair enough.

Personally I think that large crowds are good for success on the pitch - even if a club doesn’t have the best players in the division. It might also be good for attracting new owners. The trouble is, as we’ve found over the last 10 years, some very mediocre individuals indeed have done very well out of keeping Venkys just where they are. The status quo works well for them - as long as they can keep making excuses. Like blaming fans...

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

We’ve never got back on track from the Kean disgrace.

Most clubs that come down from the PL keep the vast majority of their season ticket holders, giving the club a tangible lasting benefit from their time at the top.

We crashed out of the top flight with fans and club in a civil war and lost pretty much half of ST holders in one summer, going from around 16,000 to 9,000... and we’ve never recovered.

It’s been said a lot but the Walker children couldn’t have sold the club at a worse time.

Venkys have been an unmitigated disaster.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Why in God's name didn't the Walker offspring continue to run the club as a sound family business?....only they know their reasons for the fire sale but I have a feeling they wanted theirs and theirs alone rightful inheritance back asap.

I have always suspected a modicum of resentment on their behalf to Jack's Philanthropism

Edited September 15, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Mattyblue]

The Huddersfield singing section is a great example of how we could improve things, it only contains a 1,000 fans, but they are wedged in together with flags and banners creating an atmosphere that aides the rest of the crowd.

Alas no such foresight at Ewood.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

The club has no intention whatsoever of doing such a thing Matty..they just want to shut areas of the stadium down.