Attendances

[John Pearce]

In many recent posts comments such as "I'll be happy if the Fleet survive in the Conference this season" and "I'll be happy with a mid-table finish" have been made.

 

Whilst I obviously hope that the Fleet do indeed maintain their Conference status I would like to make one observation that everyone seems to have forgotten.

 

To fund the additional costs of going semi full professional, the board have already stated the need to increase attendances. I seem to remember a figure of around 2,000 - 3,000 being quoted.

 

If the club do finish mid-table this season, I cannot see attendances raising much above what appears to be the regular 1,200 or so. If the club have a season at the wrong end of the table and do just avoid relegation then attendances are more likely to be around 800 or even worse. Where will that leave the push to become a totally full time preofessional club?

 

My fears are that the squad of players that Daish appears to be settling for for this season will see the club struggling at the wrong end of the table and the financial pressures that will bring on the club both towards the end of this season and next season could well be crippling.

[Slartibartfast]

Sadly I have to agree with you WVN. I don't know what attendances the club have budgeted for to break even this season but given the fickleness of our support a few bad results will see attendances plummet.

Its obviously easy for clubs like Chelsea and Man Utd to attract gloryhunters but I think the fans who deserve success are those who stick by their club in times of adversity like Man City, Wolves, Hull City and even Carlisle.

I fear that if we were to be relegated we would be back to gates of 500 and all those 'Gravesend til I die' fans would melt away perhaps they will show their true colours and sing 'Gravesend til we lose'?

Hopefully we will all be proved wrong and the boys can put a good run of results together otherwise I think we may be dependant on a cup run to make the club profitable. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[Matt (GNFC)]

Yes agree with u both, its as if we have to finish in the top half or we'll face mounting losses. Im also still at a loss as to why when the full time budget is tight Daish is so keen on 2 full time goalkeepers? This is a total waste of resources to me and would be better spent on a full time outfield player. kentonline is linking us with Holloway of Farnboro. If need be lets get a loan kepper in as the no.2. I would also agree with WVN comments on another thread that we seem no nearer the wiser to fielding a settled team. The last time i was concerened about pre season and was very vocal was 2yrs ago when we spent the summer doing nothing, scratching for players in pre season and spent the first 10 games at the bottom. Even Forest Green on paper look to have strengthened considerably from last yr.

[behindthegoal]

I quite agree with Matt. A definite feeling of Deja Vu here.... I hope we are wrong but I can't see us getting more than 2 points from our first 3 games although Proths reckons in todays Reporter it might be 6 from the first 2. Some hope!

[John Pearce]

Unless Daish is able to field a settled side before the season starts, unfortunately I cannot see the Fleet getting any points until the Canvey game.

[gnfcmightymole]

i think at start of last season the figure was in the region of 2,500 to be viable full time

[Slartibartfast]

I doubt that the move to full-time was planned on the off chance that we doubled our gates so presumably some alternative source of finance is available, possibly Victor Gladwish or maybe something different altogether but if we want to attract larger gates we need home wins.

[David Holden]

If you recall Brian's interview on Radio Kent just after the announcement that we were going full-time, he stated that a large increase in crowds had NOT been part of the budget.

 

Obviously there will be a strain he crowds fall, but that would be true whether we were part-time or full time.

[JimGNFC]

The figure of 2500 was presumably for a squad of full-timers based on 16-18 players? At present, we have 6-8 full-timers?

 

With the Club going full-time what is the Club doing to improve attendances? At present, the entire "Master Plan" seems to be based on us having success on the Pitch. The trouble with this approach is there are another 20 odd clubs working along the same lines, many with true full-time squads 0f 18 plus. On this basis, the master plan is flawed.

 

Also agree with Matt regarding the Keeper situation - 2 full time keepers seems excessive when only 1 can play and the money could be used for an outfield player - If I was a Board member its the kind of thing I would remark upon.

 

As we saw a couple of years ago when it was "all change" on the personnel front, it took time for the team to "gel" and by Christmas we were rock-bottom. I would hope someone at the Club has pointed this out to Liam and the need to start fielding a settled side or the season could be over before its begun in terms of any hopes of reaching the play-off's.

 

Brian has gone on record and suggested in no way is the Club's future being risked and even in a worst case scenario the Club has all angles covered. Aside from Mr Gladwish pumping money into the Club its difficult to see where the money is coming from with expected gates of 1300 at best.

 

Like many others, my worry is that if we don't get a good start and crowds plummet to the 800 mark have the Club got the resources to continue paying those full-time personnel.

[David Holden]

Quote:

The figure of 2500 was presumably for a squad of full-timers based on 16-18 players? At present, we have 6-8 full-timers?

 

It's a made up figure, I've looked back over everything the board have said on this, and no figure for crowds has ever been quoted, unless it was an offthe cuff/off the record remark.

 

I'm sure the board would love to have 2,500 coming through the gates as would we all, but provided that we can keep to the 1,300/1,500 that we are currently attracting then we are OK financially.

 

And no I don't know where the money is coming from.

[gnfcmightymole]

david that figure was posted somewhere on here i remember seeing it.

[David Holden]

As no one from the board posts on here, and I didn't post it, I rest my case.

[gnfcmightymole]

i didn't say it was from you or the board, i rest my case

[David Holden]

So you agree that it is a made up figure then.

[gnfcmightymole]

no all i said was that before last season that figure was put on i wouldn't of put it if i hadn't seen it

[David Holden]

You are completely missing the point, if it didn't come from the club then it's just a figure that somebody has plucked out of the air, and doesn't have any relevance to the figures used to calculate the required income for us to go full time.

 

Anyone can start a thread saying that to afford full-time football we need a gate of 15,000 or whatever figure you choose, it doesn't make it real.

[gnfcmightymole]

if you want to argue do it in pm NOT on threads

[Stu M]

Quote:

gnfcmightymole said:
i didn't say it was from you or the board, i rest my case

Blimey, Rumpole of the Bailey. It's a watertight case, Dave surely won't win this one... <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Robbo]

I do remember that a long while ago Brian said in some newspaper interview or something that we will be needing to have an average gate of about 2,500 to be a full-time club.

[Robbo]

But as some people have said, i'm really curious as to how we've all of the sudden got money to spend on full time wages. Where's it coming from eh? The only thing I can guess is that the players signing on full time deals are on very low wages so they're practically the same amount our part time players are on.