opinion Attendances

[sympatheticclaret]

In peace,

Regrettably, I think some in the Asian community still have the mindset that a football ground isn't a welcoming place for them. This would almost certainly have been true with some of the attitudes that prevailed from the 1950's up to fairly recently, and perhaps it's been handed down the generations .... it will change but it will take time ...

 

[Stuart]

8 hours ago, sympatheticclaret said:

In peace,

Regrettably, I think some in the Asian community still have the mindset that a football ground isn't a welcoming place for them. This would almost certainly have been true with some of the attitudes that prevailed from the 1950's up to fairly recently, and perhaps it's been handed down the generations .... it will change but it will take time ...

What will change though?

I agree that it could be more welcoming but it needs to not be at the expense of existing fans - which is more difficult than it sounds.

Without wanting to take this down a particular path, religion needs to be left at the gate and for 90 minutes everyone puts their football club ahead of everything else. 90 minutes. Sadly that seems to be very difficult and we end up installing ‘multi faith rooms’ and having to have special nutritional requirements.

To borrow the vernacular of the millennials, football needs to be a safe space from other things in life: work, school, family, etc, and not brought into the ground.

[sympatheticclaret]

5 hours ago, Stuart said:

What will change though?

I agree that it could be more welcoming but it needs to not be at the expense of existing fans - which is more difficult than it sounds.

Without wanting to take this down a particular path, religion needs to be left at the gate and for 90 minutes everyone puts their football club ahead of everything else. 90 minutes. Sadly that seems to be very difficult and we end up installing ‘multi faith rooms’ and having to have special nutritional requirements.

To borrow the vernacular of the millennials, football needs to be a safe space from other things in life: work, school, family, etc, and not brought into the ground.

That's not entirely what I meant ...

The first couple of generations of the south east Asian immigrants ( India, Pakistan etc ) will have come to Britain, when it was a very different place to what it is now. The atmosphere at Football grounds would have reflected that in terms of intolerant views, just ask black players such as Clyde Best, John Barnes. What was then a common occurrence, is now quite rare. It's rightly called out, condemned and acted upon. 

Some of the older generation will still hold the view that Football grounds are not places where Asian's are welcome, and may permeate down through the generations.The game, and society, has moved on tremendously, and the work that Rovers, and Burnley, do in the schools will pay dividends in time, but time is what it will take. I don't think we need to go down the road of faith rooms, but I'd love to see a Food kiosk, having Halal sandwiches or pies as an option, for example.

I know Ewood Park, like Turf Moor host large weddings on occasion, for the Asian heritage community. It would be great to see more of them visit the grounds for their primary purpose, that is to watch the football.

Edited August 6, 2019 by sympatheticclaret

[tomphil]

14 hours ago, sympatheticclaret said:

In peace,

Regrettably, I think some in the Asian community still have the mindset that a football ground isn't a welcoming place for them. This would almost certainly have been true with some of the attitudes that prevailed from the 1950's up to fairly recently, and perhaps it's been handed down the generations .... it will change but it will take time ...

 

Done a lot of business in the past with Asian owned and run firms particularly in Leicester and what always struck me was how interested the younger guys were in football down there and the amount who appeared to support Leicester City.

I'm going back to way before they won the Prem, when i went down i usually had a Rovers related top on or the car/van/wagon had a sticker in so it was an instant talking point.

Never the same in East Lancs although maybe the close proximity to 'glory glory' big TV clubs carries a big share of the blame.

[Mattyblue]

Without doubt. As said before, the Asian community are football mad these days, so it always annoys me when people just say ‘nah they only do cricket’.

Completely wrong, ‘they only do Man Utd and Liverpool’ is the issue. 

[Stuart]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Without doubt. As said before, the Asian community are football mad these days, so it always annoys me when people just say ‘nah they only do cricket’.

Completely wrong, ‘they only do Man Utd and Liverpool’ is the issue. 

That’s not football crazy, it’s image conscious.

[Mattyblue]

Maybe, but whatever the reason they largely aren’t interested in the Rovers. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Vinjay]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

That’s not football crazy, it’s image conscious.

...and maybe Rovers fans aren't image conscious enough.

[tomphil]

7 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Without doubt. As said before, the Asian community are football mad these days, so it always annoys me when people just say ‘nah they only do cricket’.

Completely wrong, ‘they only do Man Utd and Liverpool’ is the issue. 

I think when you've got plans to turn the old coach building site into an Asian shopping centre it shows what you are up against it's not really integration it's keeping things separate.

I'm sure if someone started another pro team in town and it involved Asian people and played over that side of town there'd be several thousand watching it.  

I once worked with an Indian lad briefly and he understood me but barely spoke a word of English so i was surprised to learn he'd lived in Blackburn nearly 5 years in the heart of the Bastwell area.  Lovely lad and family but i'd imagine there are many like him and some are probably unaware what Blackburn Rovers is they just live. work, school and go about their lives within the heart of their own community.

Only thing that will ever really swing it in Rovers favour and away from the glory hunting is a player of their heritage and even then he'd have to be a good one. 

Great that the Taz comedian fella seems a passionate Rover he gives us a bit of exposure.

Edited August 6, 2019 by tomphil

[old darwen blue]

Well worth a watch this chap, love the line at 16:46

Edited August 6, 2019 by old darwen blue

[tomphil]

Quite good he is has his own show on tv now.  Wonder if he posts on here or reads ?

Be interesting to know his views on this subject and how he became a Rovers fan.

Unless he's one of those dual supporter Fogarty types ?

[Stuart]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Maybe, but whatever the reason they largely aren’t interested in the Rovers. 

So how do we turn ‘passing interest in football / bragging rights over my mates’ into ‘watching live football even if we lose is great’?

[Mattyblue]

19 minutes ago, Stuart said:

So how do we turn ‘passing interest in football / bragging rights over my mates’ into ‘watching live football even if we lose is great’?

With great difficulty.

[Stuart]

We should still try.

We need an entrepreneur at the club and we only have administrators.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Asian kids in the Mall today, Madrid kits. No affinity at all with the town club, it's sad.

[old darwen blue]

5 hours ago, Proudtobeblue&white said:

Asian kids in the Mall today, Madrid kits. No affinity at all with the town club, it's sad.

White kids in The Mall today wearing Man City kits, yes I fully agree with you?????

[DeeCee]

The kids down here wear Man.Ure/Pool/Chelski/Spuds tops, very few wear Argyle despite it being the nearest League club. 25 years ago most towns (10000 + population) used to run coaches up there.

[Gary C]

On 02/08/2019 at 07:41, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

The attendances will stay around the same as last year...the atmosphere will be as dire as ever.

In the family stand for a second season with my daughter. Atmosphere is terrible when I get vocal I'm met with disgruntled looks. Love going to watch rovers but atmosphere needs to improve can see why people have stopped going

[Gary C]

9 hours ago, Proudtobeblue&white said:

Asian kids in the Mall today, Madrid kits. No affinity at all with the town club, it's sad.

Rovers have tried to do things like sponsoring Eid in the park for last 2 years and they are trying to attract more fans which will help the atmosphere but really it's not working

[Stuart]

37 minutes ago, Gary C said:

In the family stand for a second season with my daughter. Atmosphere is terrible when I get vocal I'm met with disgruntled looks. Love going to watch rovers but atmosphere needs to improve can see why people have stopped going

If by vocal, you mean swearing then it’s the family stand.

If you are just shouting then fill your boots. We need a bit more passion.

[Mattyblue]

Pretty much every town in England now has a chronic glory hunting problem, especially with kids. Some worse than others. Absolutely terrible for the future of match going support in this country.

However, Blackburn is nuanced. I will tell you now there will be far more young Rovers fans at say St Bede’s than at Pleckgate High. Though even at Bede’s the percentage of Rovers fans will be substantially lower than 10/15 years ago.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Gary C]

Just now, Stuart said:

If by vocal, you mean swearing then it’s the family stand.

If you are just shouting then fill your boots. We need a bit more passion.

On 02/08/2019 at 07:41, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

The attendances will stay around the same as last year...the atmosphere will be as dire as ever.

No not swearing just trying to cheer on the team and to get people around me a bit more passionate 

[Stuart]

Just now, Gary C said:

No not swearing just trying to cheer on the team and to get people around me a bit more passionate 

Should be no problem with that. Ignore any disapproving (or curious) looks. They’re probably just not used to it.

Singing seems to be almost completely gone but I think that has a lot to do with the language content of our songs. The player ones are better. We definitely need better songs though - without mentioning ‘that lot’.

[Gary C]

Just now, Stuart said:

Should be no problem with that. Ignore any disapproving (or curious) looks. They’re probably just not used to it.

Singing seems to be almost completely gone but I think that has a lot to do with the language content of our songs. The player ones are better. We definitely need better songs though - without mentioning ‘that lot’.

Yep. The club should try and do something with the kids to encourage them to sing songs about their favourite players. They are the next generation of fans and they would generate a lot of noise to get behind the team

[Mr. E]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

Pretty much every town in England now has a chronic glory hunting problem, especially with kids. Some worse than others. Absolutely terrible for the future of match going support in this country.

However, Blackburn is nuanced. I will tell you now there will be far more young Rovers fans at say St Bede’s than at Pleckgate High. Though even at Bede’s the percentage of Rovers fans will be substantially lower than 10/15 years ago.

Ways must be found (easier said than done) of selling the message - the truth - that football is about much more than winning trophies or being at the top, and that there is great value and reward in supporting your local club through thick and thin. It is a mentality that needs to be re-enforced in society however, a flyer won't do it on its own.