Stay away Fans????

[Eastside Urchin]

Are you a stay away fan,or someone who used to be a regular that only comes every now and then or do you know people who came but have since stopped,what's their reasons why??

I know,speaking to Colin today that he is as bewildered as me as to the poor crowds,I could understand it if we were near the bottom of the league but we are top.

Please don't think this is a witch hunt against people who have stopped coming,it's about understanding why and how to change things.

 

I have noticed that our social media side has died down recently, I checked on Saturday lunchtime and there wasn't a single tweet about our game so I tweeted from my own account about the game and it got retweeted straight away,but we must be advertising forthcoming games surely several times in the week or so leading upto the game.

Facebook is non existent recently,don't remember anything on there for a couple of months.

[missunderstood]

Sorry for the intrusion, but I went to D&R on Saturday and saw at least half a dozen ex Hornchurch supporters that I recognised, and about twenty ex Romford fans. The reason is simple. Football in league 1 is light years away from the Rymans League, there's a better atmosphere generated by larger crowds, and its not that much more expensive to get in.(£12 for OAPS). Also if I ever want to take my grandchildren they wont allow bad language in the ground which is a massive plus for me, and obviously all the young families that bring their own kids along. I would imagine Orient is pretty much the same.

[Eastside Urchin]

I know what you are saying Alan but I went Dagenham a while back and have been orient in recent weeks and yes swearing isn't allowed but it does still happen,especially in the terraced area to the side, the difference for me is that in front of 300 people one mans swearing can be heard whereas in front of 2000 people it won't carry across the grounds.

Fans are always being pulled up in the Ryman league for swearing but unless you have 20-30 stewards like most league clubs it's impossible to stamp out.

Unless you eradicate swearing from society you certainly aren't going to eradicate it fully at a football match.

 

I do think a family stand should be designated for families only,Preferably on the opposite side of the pitch to the terraced area.

As for pricing,I have always believed that it's maybe £2-3 too much at this level but the leagues pretty much set that

[Seaney The Sheep]

half of dagenham fans are true hornchurch but they only jumped ship for the glory

[cup of tea]

It's a fair point about language - having said that, I've heard swearing (and seen rubbish football) at Upton Park.

You can't discount the recent recession for falling attendances, Dagenham's attendances have been dropping the same as everyone else. It's tough for non-league football in general.

Edited December 2, 2013 by cup of tea

[cup of tea]

And Alan, this is an open forum - you can post on here.

[Eastside Urchin]

The football is obviously a better quality but to say its miles better is doing the Ryman league an injustice.

I find it truer football,less cheating and actually more entertaining than league 2 football

[shrimper]

a part  from  of course  maidstone  and  dulwich  seems  that  most crowds   in the ryman  league are  droping off   billericay  and canvey  are down to  280 -310 sometimes lower  and many of the other  clubs  are  now 150 /180   tough times  for sure   

[Eastside Urchin]

I know in the past friends have said that it's too much to watch a second team play

[blackballed]

I have to admit on trying to drum up support for our boxing day match the first thing they ask is how much to get in.

[Wivenhoe Urchin]

I think it might not be enough for us to be at or near the top of the ryman prem. Last season we were in the conf south and season before the ryman prem, so really to attract the crowds we would need to be back in the conf south and doing well with the outside chance of promotion to the conference. That would make it a more exciting situation for the non-regular fans.

 

As much as you would think the hefty prices are putting off people going to watch a premier or football league side I think there is the oppposite effect happening, as the majority of people who used to come that I haven't seen this season or very much this season are regulars at prem sides, and so they are choosing not to attend hornchurch home games. For them there cannot be much of an incentive to attend.

 

Maidstone are getting the crowds at present because they've not long since moved to a new ground, and in Maidstone. Their crowds will drop to 3 figures, but only if they remain a ryman prem side (making interested new fans bored).

[cup of tea]

I'm not sure of the exact figures but I don't think that our attendances were significantly higher in the BSS (as it was when we were in it) than it was the previous season.

I don't understand really.

 

It's clear to see that we need other revenue streams in order to support the club, hence the events that we put on (there always seems to be some event at Billericay as well).

 

We've been here before with getting more people through the gates, any ideas will need the involvement of the current fans in order to get them off the ground

Shame really as we've got a really good squad/management team at the moment and we're doing well.

[Eastside Urchin]

Problem is,when we do put events on,no one apart from a few hardcore fans turn up,even 80% of the Comittee don't turn up to most things!!!!

[Eastside Urchin]

Unless crowds pick up fast,we will have to get rid of some players and don't think for one minute that that's something that won't happen because we are top of the league because it will.

[Hornchurch "O"]

I'm back for the Margate game.

Had a few feet problems, so missed about 4 games i could have made with my Orient connections.

It is a shame crowds are down. Can't see why people don't go as it's a great club to follow.

Plenty of swearing in the family stand at Orient, so don't thing language is an issue.

Not sure we did enough to keep the youngsters when they came.

[Eastside Urchin]

We seem to be making excuses or burying our heads up our own arses with regards to this issue.

 

Here are some facts

1) plenty of regular fans no longer attend

2) we are top of the league and attracted 180 fans

3) Christmas party tickets went on sale Saturday,not one was sold

4) less than 10% of fans attend functions

5) we managed less than 800 against a ex football league/conference side in FA Cup

6) the Eastside is like a morgue nowadays

7) I got parked in the main car park at 2.55 Saturday

8) the coaches are very rarely full to away games

9) the bar is emptier every game

10) players will have to be let go unless something changes

11) the local press don't seem too bothered by us nowadays compared to their interest 2 years ago and last year.

12) the cost for the ground rent,lighting etc has gone up

 

Now tell me that all or any of those above points are good for the club???

Unless something changes we will not end up back in the conference South or top in April,we will end up half way down the league and in an even worse position.

Instead of talking about Maidstone or what we had 2 years ago,we need feedback on how to solve these issues,how to get crowds in,to pull together for the club.

If you think there's something the club needs to do or is doing wrong then say so.

If you are one of those that doesn't come along anymore or very often then tell us why

I must of thought of a hundred people who used to be regulars who I rarely see anymore.

Only people commenting on this us going to help

Edited December 3, 2013 by Eastside Urchin

[Eastside Urchin]

Thanks O

Youngsters,maybe we need to do more to get them in.

Personally I would get anyone under 16 in for free and really publicise it

[cup of tea]

Glad you're on the mend O

[Fat Tom Daley]

As many of you know this has been getting on my nerves for a couple of years now. To have 180 people turn up for a Saturday game when we went top is embarrasing considering there 200,000 people living in the borough.

 

A couple of ideas I have came up with on the spot

 

a. Send round a fixture list for Jan/Feb along with a 1x £2.00 a pint voucher

b. Have more matchday stuff (like invite a local marching band or something down to play before a game on the track)
c. Bundle ticket vouchers (Like what Margate do, sell 6 Ticket Vouchers which can be used for entry for any game till the end of the season)

d. Family Stand (Like said above, maybe the Riverside). Give Kids a A4 Banner like 'Come on You Urchins'

Edited December 3, 2013 by Just A Fat Tom Daley

[Michael Howard]

By the sounds of it,I am one of the fans you are alluding to.

I have followed the club sporadically since around 2006 when we won the ryman one north.

I have a shared West Ham season ticket so usually I get to around 10-15 hornchurch home games,dependant on fixture clashes but if a game stands out,then I can always change games at west ham with my friend.

I came to a pre season game this season,the West Ham fixture and the first league match and to be honest,until Saturday I didn't bother rushing back,and not 100% sure I will after last Saturday,Don't get me wrong,the football was decent,it seems we have a side full of quality but the whole experience of watching the Hornchurch seems vastly different from even a year ago.

This is my very first post on here,I have always kept an eye on the forum before but never felt the need to post until I saw this thread.

It just seems to me that the whole experience of watching a game has changed,you used to have a friendly old guy on the gate who would always have a chat to you,there was always a young family selling programmes and the 50/50 seller who would chat about the previous games,all people who seemed happy to give their time to you.

The times I have been this season I have paid my money,walked through the turnstile and basically felt as if I had to part with my money for the raffle and programme,almost as if I didn't have a choice,do people really think this is going to entice people back in?What has happened to these smiling faces at the gate?

I saw the old 50/50 seller Saturday and asked him why he didn't do it any more,it seems its because the new woman makes more money,hardly surprising really given her tactics.

For me,the above few things are probably as good a reason for me staying away as anything else but other factors obviously come into play.

Pricing £10 for level 7 football,doesn't seem a lot but when I spend £400 a season in West Ham,£10 a game isn't cheap.It was affordable when I could get in,get a programme and a raffle ticket for around £10 but now that would be around £15,by the time I have had a couple of drinks and a bite to eat,I have spent £30,equate that to a young family and that's around £80 for an afternoons football.

With regards to Food,yes Burgers,Hot dogs & chips are standard football fayre but this is 2013,I can't remember the last ground I went to where the choice was so limited,be innovative,try new things,why are sandwiches,rolls or pies not even bring sold.

With regards to swearing,which someone brought up earlier,The Eastside seems to be the main area where this occurs,so try to move the children with families to the opposite side of the ground as suggested,although ironically on Saturday it seemed it was the younger fans who were the most vocal with regards to lewd behaviour and language.

I had a friend who was at the Hereford game who mentioned about their goal,miles offside he said but can't blame the linesman for not putting up his flag with the amount of abuse he had received all afternoon,is berating the officials constantly really a good idea?

The bar area is lovely,the beer is reasonably priced so not everything is wrong but some things do need to change,I hope I haven't said anything too out of term being a newbie but I was driven to do so by this thread,I just hope my comments are seen as positive rather than negative as I would like to come over more often but only if I see a change in the attitude on matchdays,its a Non league club after all but it has felt more like a league club in recent times due to money being an issue with everything.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Michael Howard