Last nights attendance

[Eastside Urchin]

It seems we have stooped to a new low with last nights attendance of 173 and while I think we had lower against Borehamwood a year or so ago,on that night though they didn't bring 40 plus fans like Margate did last night,so in real terms we had 130 fans there last night.

I do understand that 3 home games in a week maybe too much for some people and some others support other clubs like orient,palace and that's fair enough as well but if you simply couldn't be bothered to come over then I think we need to realise if gates continue like this there is no way we can justify going into the conference south,in fact if I owned the club I would seriously think about whether it was all worth it.I don't think anyone wants to go back to the "Good old days of 50 fans and a dog" but that is what will happen if gates drop any further,yes we had a little dip in form and some of us do whinge about it from time to time but league wise this could be our best season since we came back up,another 100 on the gate last night which should be the norm would probably bring in 5/600 quid extra plus bar/programme/burger bar sales,probably over a grand,money which the club could really do with

[cup of tea]

Looking around the ground last night, I couldn't see 200 fans in, that's now been confirmed.

A really disappointing crowd, which really spells danger for the finances.

[Eastside Urchin]

It was soul destroying on the eastside last night,surely fans are supposed to support the team through thick and thin,i don't think people realise there isn't a never ending pot of gold which pays the players,staff etc etc.Any football club needs fans through the turnstyles and we went for 2 months with one home game,since then we have had gates of 316 v lowestoft who bought down 60-70,which is not too bad.235 v horsham which was dissapointing and now 173 v margate who had 40 plus fans.Jeff King pulled out of Canvey because the gates couldn't support the Conference at around 6-700,well 173 doesn't support the ryman and its costs,we have some very good players at the bridge but these players won't want to carry on playing in front of such low crowds,lets just hope its a January thing and people are struggling for money over christmas although to be honest as much of a struggle it is financially for alot of people at the moment,is £9 really that much???

 

 

[blackballed]

I did not turn up last night, even thou I have a season ticket, I can not say why I did not turn out, as you all know I have done so for over 20 years, but there seems to be for me something missing, it may be me, I only wish I knew, as then I could do something about it.

Maybe sometimes you just need a rest who knows .............................. I surpose getting up at 4am does not help.

Edited February 2, 2011 by blackballed

[UD161]

Mate, it's everywhere. We had 1,950 last night, for a London derby v Brentford!! And just as shockingly, Brentford only bought 350 which is even less than we took to them on NYD!!! Am not sure what the answer is mate. I know their are always "glory-runners" but we took 16,000 to Wembley in May and last night there were 1,600 home fans!! Just the same, when Brentford played us two years ago in League Two and were going for promotion they bought 1,500 and last night they bought 350.

 

I think what you say about supporting through thick and thin is valid, but thats what these games actually show. Those who are real supporters and those who just want to watch a team who are doing well (at that particular level). We are in relegation zone and so the local people don't want to come and watch. You are pushing for play offs which makes it more frustrating I guess??

 

As I say, don't know the answer mate. 10 days ago we did the Anti Racism day and the cheap tickets (99p and 9.99) and we had four and half thousand. You hope some will come back, but based on last night (which was the first home game since) it appears that isn't the case.

 

I guess with Aresnal, Southend, Orient, us, yourselves all at home last night it doesn't help any of those clubs involved??

[Eastside Urchin]

It's very odd as there were quite a few fans there last night who were not there Saturday and me and minty were saying before the game that there were a few we hadn't seen for a while

[missunderstood]

It's very odd as there were quite a few fans there last night who were not there Saturday and me and minty were saying before the game that there were a few we hadn't seen for a while

 

 

If its any consolation it wasn't just Hornchurch who had a shocking gate last night, and I wonder sometimes how many people in the LBH actually know both clubs exist,or where we play. Both clubs obviously need to raise our clubs profiles perhaps by having a save your local clubs campaign, similar to the local shopkeepers do, by explaining that if they don't, they will be lost forever, and then the big-boys (in their case supermarkets) will completely take over and do what they want. It certainly worked on me as I now try and use local shops as much as I can, and have actually found them to be better value in many cases.

Edited February 2, 2011 by missunderstood

[Serious Sid]

AFCH is part of the entertainment industry and if people believe they will receive value for money entertainment then they will come. Simple enough equation - but tricky to solve. I too have a Season Ticket but didn't show last night. Difficult to say why ... maybe I just needed a rest after Lowestoft and Horsham? I will be there on Saturday. Its easy enough to criticise people for not attending but maybe the Club ought to be a bit more pro-active in tackling the problem? I am not aware of any initiatives the Club have tried in an effort to increase gates. All the ideas seem to be being generated by supporters.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Serious Sid

[Eastside Urchin]

When we was in the ESL we probably took more to most away games than we had in the ground last night

[missunderstood]

When we was in the ESL we probably took more to most away games than we had in the ground last night

 

 

Your beginning to sound like a bona fidi Romford fan going on about the old glory days, so why don't you/us take a leaf out of a certain geriatric old Boro fans book, who used to take shed loads of stick for having letters published in our fave local newspaper. You may not have liked the content but they created a lot of interest and got people talking. A well crafted letter giving favourable publicity to both clubs certainly couldn't do any harm.

Edited February 2, 2011 by missunderstood

[paokman]

Don't like to say I told you so but I did predict a "paltry 173" for last night's game. Weather was rotten but no excuse as if you'd decided to go to the game and stepped outside to find damp and chilly conditions I guess you would have gone anyway. But reckon I'm lucky, just a five minute walk to the stadium, but our Lawrence managed to get there, reckon he deserves a medal.

[Eastside Urchin]

Indeed,Lawrence did manage to get there,as did 43 Margate fans and 129 other fans,although out of that number I would suspect that a good 10-20 were there because they had a relative playing the game so the truer number of Hornchurch fans who were at the game was probably only just over 100

Although the bickering between hornchurch and Romford fans has stopped the last few months I am not too sure too many fans of each club would be comfortable working together to get the gates up,would of thought that each club would prefer to concentrate solely on their own club but I may be wrong

[Serious Sid]

Rob, are you talking about fans working together or the Board of Directors for each club? Whilst the fans should do all they can to help their club the tail should not wag the dog! IMHO initiatives and strategies for improving gates should come from the Board - with input from the fans of course.

[Eastside Urchin]

To be honest fans first and foremost

With regards to the board,they have only owned the club for a year,so it is still pretty new for them and it may of taken a crowd like last nights to realise something may have to be done,they do also have many functions to cater for which are all essential to the club,the fact that we have had a season plagued by postponements has not helped.The supporters association have tried various things to get the gates up or at least to a level they were 2/3 years ago but so far it just hasn't worked out how we had hoped.We did get posters earlier in the season but found it hard getting many shops to take them,also harder finding people to put them up,we had 4 people basically doing the whole of havering and in the end it pittered out but the majority of people have jobs and its hard to find the spare time for football and then to dish out the posters,we now create our own posters,some of which I do see on my travels.I give the local couple of off licences them to put up but in all honesty they either forget or if they do go up they are tucked away in a corner and easily missed.I think we need to do something but not necessarily to get new fans in although that is still vital,but to work out why we have lost some of late

Edited February 2, 2011 by Eastside Urchin

[UD161]

Rob, and others, I wish you luck with any initiatives you come up with, I really do. However, be warned it is difficult. As I say, Dagenham did something for their last game and the crowd more than doubled. Some people argued though that this wouldn't increase the gate long-term and going by last night they are obviously correct. It was like a game back in the Conference (a good thing in some ways!!) rather than a London Derby in League One!!!

 

Crowds are down at all levels including the big clubs though. West Ham gates for instance are down and they are constantly trying thigns to get people in. Family tickets, kids for a quid, even an Irish Day to welcome Robbie Keane on Sunday (no joke that by the way!!!). Man Yoo tickets have apparently made "available on the day" sales for every game this season for the first time in many a year, Villa are only just averaging 30k, and Liverpool had 35k for a game with Bolton over Christmas.

 

Things go in cycles. Crowds in the 70s were big, down in the 80s, back up as the 90s and 00s went on, and now dropping again. The big clubs will survive because of sponsorship and TV money, but your AFCs, Romfords and Dagenhams of the world will bear the brunt.

 

I think people are skint (there is a recession on, and a number of other things for people to choose to spend their cash on) and there are a lot of disillusioned people. Football abandoned it's old fashin working class image in the 90s to woo in new punters and they forced a lot of people away. Now the new fans have found something else to interest them and in the meantime those who were pushed away by the game over the last 20 years have found other things to do as well.

[Eastside Urchin]

What gets me and I am not digging anyone specific out and I know some peoples circumstances have changed but I could go through old photos of away trips and name probably 30 people who were passionate about the club but no longer even come to home games

[UD161]

Times change I guess mate. I totally understand your frustrations but thats the way it is I guess.

 

You know our group who go to the Daggers yeah?? Well 3 or 4 years ago there one or two in that group who did home and away every week. There were a couple of years where 4 of us did 45+ games in a season. Now one or two of them hardly do an away trip and miss some home games if something else comes up. I am probably guilty myself mate, I am not going to Oldham Saturday when I would have most other years and I missed Yeovil to. Reasons for not going are money, hassle and wanting to spend more time with the nipper.

 

Not digging you out here mate, as I agree with what you are saying, but didn't you miss a game the other week when you went to Norfolk for the day?? Would you have done that 5 or 6 years ago??

[Eastside Urchin]

Yes I did but I do miss the odd game because of my birding and usually either in January or early feb(missed canvey at home last year as I was birding with the missus at minsmere is a good month for getting the new years list underway,more details can be seen on my blog lol

As I say,I am more worried in the fans that stay away either completely or only come a few times a season when before they were at every game

I assume you will be watching Hornchurch this Saturday then as you are not going Oldham

Edited February 2, 2011 by Eastside Urchin

[UD161]

Well I said I would help out the hockey club this week as they are short of players, but if I don't get the call I will pop over mate. You can get me a pint.

[Eastside Urchin]

Hockey is a poofs game