opinion Attendances

[Brigger68]

Just now, Riverside under the drip said:

That's the reason why we SHOULD focus on this. This is not an easy task and won't happen overnight. This is a project which may well take decades.Parents will pay money for almost anything given sufficient pestering. We just need to work in schools and in whatever youth social activities there are to convince the young to give live football a shot. Going to a live game is always better than watching big clubs on the tv. To begin with, I would focus on this aspect and try to hook a few that way.

Never going to happen. Far too expensive for the Asian community. They won't shell out money on something they can watch on their lap top or phone. Football isn't ingrained in them. 

No Asian players either. Non starter and not just at Blackburn. Bradford City tried a scheme years ago trying to engage the Muslim community and get them involved offering free tickets. Plenty went on the freebies but didn't go back. 

[Mattyblue]

There is some truth in that.

The white population of Blackburn and east Lancs have been going down t’Rovers for nearly 150 years. Passed down from father to son, or mates dragging down other mates. A culture of going to matches.

That culture just doesn’t exist in the Asian community. We are largely attempting to build a fanbase from a standing start. As I said, very difficult. So do we just not bother with half the town?

[Brigger68]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

There is some truth in that.

The white population of Blackburn and east Lancs have been going down t’Rovers for nearly 150 years. Passed down from father to son, or mates dragging down other mates. A culture of going to matches.

That culture just doesn’t exist in the Asian community. We are largely attempting to build a fanbase from a standing start. As I said, very difficult. So do we just not bother with half the town?

Yes. 

[Mattyblue]

Obviously that can’t and won’t happen.

[Brigger68]

It's like going into Booths and making your way over to the deli counter hoping there are little samples of cheese or if you're lucky a scotch egg or quiche. I and probably most do have a sample or 3 but 99% don't buy it. 

Very much similar to offering free tickets to Asian communities in the North of England. 

[Doogs]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

Reading Waggott's comments in the Telegraph today I think he's in cloud cuckoo land.

Rovers 'couldn't have done more' to increase attendances. If that's his real view of the situation its probably time.for him to pack his bags and get someone in with more idea.

I've seen very little change in the approach to season tickets than we had 5-6 years ago except prices have gone up and stands have been closed.

The club have upset large numbers of people by moving the family stand, kicking season ticket holders out of their seats and putting prices up. I'm not aware of other clubs doing such things.

We're doing nothing that isnt the norm at every other club. A quick look at Stanley's pricing and engagement with fans shows us up.

The usual pro-owners stuff. They're apparently doing everything they can and it's the fans who don't buy tickets that are the issue. Perhaps if they'd have cared for the fans back when they arrived we wouldn't be in this mess. 

Waggott keeps having to ask the owners for money. Shame for them. We kept asking for Kean to be sacked and for the club to be run properly, it still isn't. Actions have consequences. Get us promoted and we won't need as many hand outs.

Any excuse to not buy a season ticket.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Just looked at the catering, some sort of hot dog, crisps and soft drink leaves two quid change from a tenner. Attractive pricing.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Just now, Doogs said:

Any excuse to not buy a season ticket.

He always does! 

[Doogs]

1 hour ago, Riverside under the drip said:

To be honest, I don't see ever cheaper tickets as the answer. We can demand dirt-cheap prices all we like but that would completely defeat the point of selling an extra thousand. We need finance. Either it comes from India or it comes from us. If tickets cost £15 a game, there'd still be those asking for discounts for certain games (kids for a quid is great as a one-off by the way).

Those who don't go for whatever reason, be it protest, distance, price, fine. Those who go, fine. Let's not go over old, poisonous ground.

There are only two ways of getting larger (I'm talking around the 20k mark) attendances regularly. One is promotion back to the top flight and the other is establishing a core of Asian fans over several years. This is clearly on their agenda and is already having an effect. It is noticeable that the number of Asian fans attending is beginning to creep up. Personally, I'd have taken the change of caterers as an opportunity to include a halal option with massive marketing of these efforts with leaflets for every house down Audley, Whalley Range etc.

Same comment in Season Tickets thread. Merging?

Good points. But the real reason a lot of folk dont go is because we are no longer a Premier League club.

[Mattyblue]

We all know big season ticket sales will only happen on promotion, and no hand wringing or innovative ideas on here will alter that fact.

However, this summer Waggott targeted an increase of 1,250 on last summer. The only time that kind of increase has happened since 2012 is the summer of 2014 on the back of just missing out on the play offs the previous May, so a decent side to watch and a lot of optimism around that we would go one better.

I don’t know why Waggott would think finishing 15th, with a fairly small net spend and £325-£450 prices would lead to a similar increase this summer? Very optimistic to me.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Sparks Rover]

38 minutes ago, Doogs said:

Good points. But the real reason a lot of folk dont go is because we are no longer a Premier League club.

No, the reason people don't go is because on the whole the football is crap.  Tony is dour, uninspiring and all the words you can associate with that.  A souness or similar in their prime pushing and fighting with exciting players is what gets the rovers fans down.  I bet a few turn up tomorrow for a look at the new players, Tony has to get it right from day 1 to keep them. That's rovers fans.

[HowieFive0]

Just now, Sparks Rover said:

No, the reason people don't go is because on the whole the football is crap.  Tony is dour, uninspiring and all the words you can associate with that.  A souness or similar in their prime pushing and fighting with exciting players is what gets the rovers fans down.  I bet a few turn up tomorrow for a look at the new players, Tony has to get it right from day 1 to keep them. That's rovers fans.

 

No we ve found our level fan wise.Not much different than GB.

Rovers fans have seen TM for two n half seasons now ..so in your theory attendances should have plummeted ..but  yet but stay the same so either half have walked away pissed off with this boring brand of football over the last couple of seasons so that means  half must  have come back onboard to bring the attendance back to its current level ?  

We ve found our Championship level ..only success will bring people back ala Oxford . And that was just a piss up in the sun for most ...

[JHRover]

1 hour ago, Doogs said:

Any excuse to not buy a season ticket.

I've got one thanks 

[arbitro]

2 hours ago, Doogs said:

Any excuse to not buy a season ticket.

You couldn't be more wrong my friend. 

[Ossydave]

3 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Pure folly to focus the club's efforts on the Towns Asian population,Cricket is their main Sport.The few who do follow football choose to wear the Red of either Utd or Liverpool.

From my experience they will definitely not pay good money to watch footy at Ewood.

Sorry but that is absolute nonsense 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

We've been here before...nothing nonsensical about it.

The indigenous Asian population of Blackburn have never backed the club in numbers and never will.

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[AAK]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

We all know big season ticket sales will only happen on promotion, and no hand wringing or innovative ideas on here will alter that fact.

However, this summer Waggott targeted an increase of 1,250 on last summer. The only time that kind of increase has happened since 2012 is the summer of 2014 on the back of just missing out on the play offs the previous May, so a decent side to watch and a lot of optimism around that we would go one better.

I don’t know why Waggott would think finishing 15th, with a fairly small net spend and £325-£450 prices would lead to a similar increase this summer? Very optimistic to me.

Because hes a first class dick head.

[Ossydave]

Just now, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

We've been here before...nothing nonsensical about it.

The indigenous Asian population of Blackburn have never backed the club in numbers and never will.

 

Have you got kids? Because I can tell you now there's a lot of Asian kids buzzing round play centres and parks with rovers tops on. Unfortunately a lot think football crowds are full of racist drunks....

[philipl]

Just now, Ossydave said:

Have you got kids? Because I can tell you now there's a lot of Asian kids buzzing round play centres and parks with rovers tops on. Unfortunately a lot think football crowds are full of racist drunks....

Yes, sadly the big issue discouraging the Asian communities.

[Mattyblue]

Just now, Ossydave said:

Have you got kids? Because I can tell you now there's a lot of Asian kids buzzing round play centres and parks with rovers tops on. Unfortunately a lot think football crowds are full of racist drunks....

Sounds great but that isn’t the impression I get from working in Asian schools. From memory gumboots was a teacher in similar schools and came across the same thing.

Football mad? Absolutely.

Rovers mad? No, not remotely on their radar.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Lot of Asian kids with Rovers tops on?....not from what I've seen Ossydave!

Make no mistake,the gates of Ewood are open to all races...they choose not to attend and back the Club.

Edited August 2, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Ossydave]

Not as many as there SHOULD be admittedly,  the whole Eid in the park thing though is another effort by the club to get them onboard.  It's a difficult one ?

[Vinjay]

Recently heard someone suggest the home shirt be changed to black/white halves for one season as a "inter racial" marketing move. Thought my ideas were radical...

[m1st]

5 hours ago, HowieFive0 said:

We ve found our Championship level ..only success will bring people back ala Oxford . And that was just a piss up in the sun for most ...

And, as I'm fairly sure others have pointed out on one thread or another on here, it could also be seen as a marketing opportunity missed.

Each of us passing through the turnstiles that afternoon could - should - have been given a flier advertising season ticket prices for the first season back in the Championship with an application form. Many of them might have been thrown into the bin, but for each one that was completed & returned to the club, we'd have had a new season ticket-holder - possibly more if the form was completed by a parent/grandparent.

[old darwen blue]

9 hours ago, Brigger68 said:

Never going to happen. Far too expensive for the Asian community. They won't shell out money on something they can watch on their lap top or phone. Football isn't ingrained in them. 

No Asian players either. Non starter and not just at Blackburn. Bradford City tried a scheme years ago trying to engage the Muslim community and get them involved offering free tickets. Plenty went on the freebies but didn't go back. 

Utter rubbish, Ive noticed a heck of a lot more Asians coming down to Ewood compared to 20 years ago say. A bit of a negative attitude from you, convinced you're a knob ender on the wind up. 

 

And from a different thread:

"Finney was better than Best"

Gotcha. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by old darwen blue