Attendances

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, MCMC1875 said:

Many people have annual salary reviews effective from 1 April and, if they  are lucky, extra disposable income. That's when season tickets should be on sale. Also the football season is still underway.

If you leave it until June/July, people are saving their disposable income for summer holidays. Also the season is over and a lot of people have switched off football.

I've come to the conclusion that Rovers will never be a major force under Venkys, with or without Mowbray, despite their wealth, because they are clueless about running a football club.

Good point and really, the earlier the better seems to make complete logical sense with no downside  

[blueboy3333]

I'm sure if ST's were on sale last season during a promotion push we would have sold more. Once the season finishes the momentum is lost. 

[JHRover]

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/february/preston-game-not-to-be-streamed-live

They've managed to prevent Sky from making it a red button game. Not sure how many more that will see turn up.

[Mattyblue]

Reading that neither will the other daytime non Saturday 3pm games. Bolton on Easter Monday and Swansea last day of the season.

I thought it much have been a change of policy from the EFL, but looks like a club decision. Sense prevails down Ewood for once!

 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Mattyblue

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

6 hours ago, MCMC1875 said:

I've come to the conclusion that Rovers will never be a major force under Venkys, with or without Mowbray, despite their wealth, because they are clueless about running a football club.

They fail time and time again with the basic fundamentals.

[Rover_Shaun]

Will this break the 16k barrier?

[Stuart]

Would be rather annoyed if it was an away game and the home club decided to block the red button while every other game was on.

We really have no clue what we are doing when it comes to ticket sales and increasing attendances.

Just seems like it’s big stick under Waggott’s watch. Keeping charging them more and more and make sure they can’t watch unless they come to Ewood. Doesn’t help when some numpties talk about “real fans paying at any price”. We are due to have a really bad season with numbers, where Waggott cranks the prices up too high. Then we might see a few offers and prices drop a bit. But I won’t hold my breath.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

In my view Waggott is a symptom, not a solution. He has an agenda. I have no doubt he said they have gone as far as they can with attendances.......well that's quite bo**ocks. He's in a job for which he is no doubt on a very decent salary. We are back to the simple premise the Loons have no idea what is going on at the club, and he makes all the right noises to stay in situ. 

I feel little has changed, save for TM is a decent bloke, but has no doubt had some say in getting Waggott in. The underlying problem will always be there, until the blight is banished. We are always one moment from further disaster.

[AAK]

9 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Reading that neither will the other daytime non Saturday 3pm games. Bolton on Easter Monday and Swansea last day of the season.

I thought it much have been a change of policy from the EFL, but looks like a club decision. Sense prevails down Ewood for once!

 

If the ground isn't so much of a percentage full, the home side can choose not to show it, that's why West Brom game wasn't on red button on bank holiday .That's what I read in the EFL guidelines. I think that's only for Saturday and bank holiday though.

Edited February 21, 2019 by AAK

[CP Company Lad]

Your crowds make for interesting reading. Usual average around 13,500.

15,900 for Villa and just under 21,000 when we came in October. Massive jump is that. Thought Villa would of been higher. I would imagine 17,000 v Preston.

Do you still do quid for a kid in the Riverside  ??

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by CP Company Lad

[Mattyblue]

Villa didn’t sell the bottom tier, never mind the upper.

Our home support is fairly static, 12,000 or so. The only movement you see is due to the away following.

Kid for a quid? Must be joking! The days of that kind of offer has long gone.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Oldgregg86]

It's 8 quid a kid and the only movement is when they close a stand and make season ticket holders move

[Parsonblue]

14 hours ago, Stuart said:

Would be rather annoyed if it was an away game and the home club decided to block the red button while every other game was on.

We really have no clue what we are doing when it comes to ticket sales and increasing attendances.

Just seems like it’s big stick under Waggott’s watch. Keeping charging them more and more and make sure they can’t watch unless they come to Ewood. Doesn’t help when some numpties talk about “real fans paying at any price”. We are due to have a really bad season with numbers, where Waggott cranks the prices up too high. Then we might see a few offers and prices drop a bit. But I won’t hold my breath.

Personally, I'm delighted they've blocked the red button.  When it was announced that games could be screened in midweek everyone said it would lower attendances and I believe it has been detrimental to attendances for those games. 

For me the main way to get attendances up is to get schools coming back and giving tickets to kids for free in large numbers - we have enough empty stands to use for this to be done.  Capturing the next generation and building on the family orientation of the club is the way that I believe we will increase attendances in the long run. 

As Mattyblue said, and I agree with him, we have about 12,000 in terms of home support and it's going to be difficult to shift that without Premier League football.  Let's not forget that thirty years ago - with the club in a similar position to today - the home average was under 9,000.    

[arbitro]

Just now, Parsonblue said:

Personally, I'm delighted they've blocked the red button.  When it was announced that games could be screened in midweek everyone said it would lower attendances and I believe it has been detrimental to attendances for those games. 

For me the main way to get attendances up is to get schools coming back and giving tickets to kids for free in large numbers - we have enough empty stands to use for this to be done.  Capturing the next generation and building on the family orientation of the club is the way that I believe we will increase attendances in the long run. 

As Mattyblue said, and I agree with him, we have about 12,000 in terms of home support and it's going to be difficult to shift that without Premier League football.  Let's not forget that thirty years ago - with the club in a similar position to today - the home average was under 9,000.    

Blackburn Hawks sent a representative and the club mascot to my granddaughters school a couple of weeks ago and wooed the kids with a presentation about the club and ice hockey in general. They offered the school 250 (I think) tickets for an upcoming game at a pound per ticket for both adults and kids. I believe the uptake has been good. For the life in me I don't know why Rovers aren't tapping into this too.

[MCMC1875]

  17 hours ago, Songman said:

Can't for the life in me understand why Rovers would request this kick off time. The pne police twitter account has confirmed that it is Rovers who have asked for early kick off.

 

Lancs police Twitter confirms PNE (and Leeds?) kick off times moved at clubs request.

Lies from the club then? Thought we were past all that.

No thought for those who work on Saturday mornings.

No thought for those whose kids play football on Saturday mornings.

We've had 20 years of full Darwen Ends at 3.00 or 7.45.

Can't think of another club that does this.

Family club my @rse. Caley out.

[Mattyblue]

For the red button to be available for any match not kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday was absolutely crackers and why it was ever even considered by the clubs or the EFL is beyond me.

We are not operating in the Premier League with its vast audience, the only folk interested in EFL are fans of the clubs involved and giving fans the opportunity to watch around 40% of home games on TV was totally bonkers and will only be the detriment of attendances.

I’d hope the midweek games go next (and that’s said as someone that watched Swansea and Reading away on it, bigger picture and all that) and we can put this ridiculous development to bed.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Stuart]

32 minutes ago, Parsonblue said:

Personally, I'm delighted they've blocked the red button.  When it was announced that games could be screened in midweek everyone said it would lower attendances and I believe it has been detrimental to attendances for those games. 

For me the main way to get attendances up is to get schools coming back and giving tickets to kids for free in large numbers - we have enough empty stands to use for this to be done.  Capturing the next generation and building on the family orientation of the club is the way that I believe we will increase attendances in the long run. 

As Mattyblue said, and I agree with him, we have about 12,000 in terms of home support and it's going to be difficult to shift that without Premier League football.  Let's not forget that thirty years ago - with the club in a similar position to today - the home average was under 9,000.    

It’s not the red button that is detrimental to our attendances. They have been pretty static before and after the introduction of the service.

What is prohibitive, is Waggott’s pricing strategy. He is trying to increase the value but while we remain so unambitious on and off the field, there is a widening gap between product and price.

With respect, Parson, you would go home and away regardless of most factors. I would buy a ST most seasons - up to a price limit. However, it isn’t you and I, or the other 9000 dyed-in-the-wool types, it’s the other 9000 who aren’t all weather that need attracting to Rovers - if we are to have any chance of turning some of them into die hards.

However, it appears that no matter what suggestions anyone puts forward, Waggott will plough on regardless with the current strategy. Much like the manager, he doesn’t have a Plan B.

[Stuart]

The red button coverage is crap btw. If people are choosing that over watching a live home game then they club really isn’t trying.

The only mistake clubs made was making sure they got paid. Because if there was extra tv money coming in I’m sure Waggott wouldn’t care about the attendance. In my opinion, the only reason we’ve stopped the red button for the Preston game is to ensure that they get as many away fans down as possible.

#homefansmatter

[AllRoverAsia]

Print your ticket at home.  A great option,  if you have access to a printer. 

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/february/print--home/

[Stuart]

Looks like we’ve got the important stuff covered.

I guess that’s all the walk-on fan needs to get down and support the lads: convenience in getting your match ticket. Wonder if this be at a reduced price because the club now has zero service costs...?

[CP Company Lad]

A copper told us in the DE in October that whenever the DE is given completely to the away team and 7,000 are turning up then it has to be a noon kick off. Sure we brought pretty much 7,000 the other year on a night match when Pontus got a late winner. So a bit of a contradiction there or maybe that is Saturday/Sunday when the noon ko applies. I am sure he said it was the Police who insisted on this rather than the club. 

Said copper was a man mountain and I would say not far off 7ft. Leeds fan as it went from Burnley.

 

 

[Mattyblue]

That is what everyone thought was the case until contradicted by Preston police.

Be interesting to see whet the club line is at the next Fans Forum.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Mattyblue

[JHRover]

How does it work though?

If we believe the club's account - that a 7000 away following means the game must kick off at 12 noon - then where does the dividing line fall? What is the magic number to force a noon kick off? What happens if Preston don't reach that number? Is it the full Darwen End being allocated? If so then how come Liverpool and United weren't noon games? Burnley in the League Cup?

What would be particularly outrageous is if PNE only sold 5000 in the bottom tier and so there would have been no need for a noon kick off either way.

Seems that the club goes diving in eagerly expecting a full away end and making all sorts of concessions in doing so, but doesn't have a plan for what happens if 6000+ turn up.

Lets face it, the only club at this level that can be relied upon to fill the away end or close to fill it every year is Leeds.

Suffice to say whatever the excuse or blame game the club and police come up with the whole operation disgusts me.

Edited February 22, 2019 by JHRover

[K-Hod]

2 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Print your ticket at home.  A great option,  if you have access to a printer. 

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/february/print--home/

It is good. They should just get like gigs and add a barcode in an email to save printing.

[HowieFive0]

16 hours ago, K-Hod said:

It is good. They should just get like gigs and add a barcode in an email to save printing.

Yep and scan your phone like you can at the airport.