Attendances

[ref off ref]

To date only 6 games have topped the 3 figure mark in the SSML, all Premier clubs, Royston having achieved this twice, their top gate reaching 148.

Why are attendances so low considering some of the football on offer is top class, what with the banter and a few dodgy decisions what more could you ask for.

Is it there are too many clubs on each others doorsteps, are clubs prices for entry too high considering say their facilities and the level we play, are clubs doing enough to promote their themselves?, You can advertise as much as you like, but the door to door local approach, who knows.

The reason for this topic is some attendances are very poor, especially in Division 1 and you have to feel for them clubs, take say Cranfield v Bedford, now this isn't a knock in any form, but a localish derby, Cranfield has enough local people living around the ground, but the attendance was 15, Stony v Buckinham, again a local derby in a sense, Milton Keynes is a growing city, but the attendance was just 70.

In the United Counties League, Premier Division, to date well over a dozen games have topped the 3 figure mark, Royston top ours with 148, but some of theirs read, 210, 262, 295, 297 and Kings Lynn Town's 2 home games, 710 and 825.

What's the difference, their Prem is level 5 grade the same as the SSML, okay you go to places like St Neots, St Ives, kings Lynn, and they are out in the sticks which may explain one reason.

This is just a thought, we are all supporters, managers, whatever, the one thing we have in common is we love the game, so do we need to sell it?, as clubs are we doing enough?, imagine every game you attend there is a 100 plus watching.

Crowds generate income, income generates......well you work it out.

So are you a reader, or will you step forward for your club, each Prem club minimum should break 100 per game, Division 1 should be 50 minimum........get your local lot in and behind your team.

[the special one]

Our attendance was 35 not 15 at stated (misprint) and that wasnt against bedford !!1 wrong again also at cranfield we dont count the members who are allowed to enter free we just count paying spectators there can be 20 members watching from in and just outside the clubhouse having said that i would love more people at the games home and away

[syd_lexic]

Alot of it can be down to too many many clubs in one area. Within 6 miles of my front door I have 1 Blue Square South club, 2 Ryman North clubs, 1 SSML Prem, 1 SSML Div.1 & also a ESL club. Go to 10 miles out & I can add another 2 ESL clubs, another SSML Prem & 1 more SSML Div.1 club.

Also when you are less than an hour from London you have all the professional clubs that fans go & see. I think that because in the UCL & Ridgeons regions, there are not as many professional clubs & they are more community based. The Ridgeons League attendance figures are always far higher than the ESL & SSML yet I wouldn't say the standard is far greater.

[ref off ref]

Our attendance was 35 not 15 at stated (misprint) and that wasnt against bedford !!1 wrong again also at cranfield we dont count the members who are allowed to enter free we just count paying spectators there can be 20 members watching from in and just outside the clubhouse having said that i would love more people at the games home and away

 

A lot of clubs don't count the 'non paying' spectators, don't know why, it's not as if the taxman will be paying a visit, remember New Bradwell couldn't charge admission so if they had gone down that road every attendance would have been zero, I've always said a person is a spectator, paying or not.

But this post was just to see why a lot of clubs do suffer attendance wise, New Bradwell have enough people in the Bradville area to command a 3 figure attendance, as do Stony and say yourselves in Cranfield.....just think from a players point of view it would be nice to run out to a considerable crowd.

While it could be some of us are on top of each other as far as distance is concerned I still believe as clubs it is our duty to sell the club to the community, make it an attraction to them rather than a chore, I mean a family with 2 kids, it could cost say £12 to watch a game, on a wet, windy November evening......how would an individual get them to leave the comfort of their home to come down to watch local football, that's the question.