Attendances - shocking

[Mr F]

Team best worst average

 

Current SML

 

Edgware Town 108 63 83

Hertford Town 189 67 104

Kentish Town 81 19 35

 

Ex-SML

 

Potters BT 54 201 89

Hanwell Town 47 155 93

Beaconsfield 35 215 75

Brook House 44 135 74

Hillingdon 32 127 65

 

Compared to

 

Hornchurch 240 751 427

 

Shocking, anyone got any ideas why SML and even Ex-SML clubs are so poorly supported and does anyone have ideas how to generate more interest??

[HTFCew]

Not really fair to compare them to Hornchurch when the average for Ryman One North was about 160. Two seasons ago Hertford's average was 148 but 4 teams in that league had averages of 100+, so more fans travelled. We usually take a few suporters to away games, but there are not many away fans at our home games.

The attendances in the ESL are very similar. I think it's just that there are so many clubs in the South East, plus all the London Premier League clubs taking support away from non league, more football on TV etc.

[BRAMLEY]

Spot on HTFCew,

 

It is a major challenge to increase attendances.

The focus primarily must be for your home matches, with bonus people travelling for other local fixtures.

I believe that the way your own team sets out it's stall to play attractive football plays the major part once you can get punters through the turnstiles.

A lot of hard work is needed to achieve the latter, including big bill board posters letting the local community know you exist, for a start.

Existing supporters need to get behnd the team and sing to create an atmosphere which people will want more of.

Good luck in your individual efforts.

[jayjay]

don't think it an issue in surrey only two big clubs Crystal Palace and Chelsea then you got AFC Wimbledon and Woking

[Krooner]

Yes but it is only a 30 minute train to London.

[Wivenhoe Urchin]

Don't forget that we got as far up as Conference South, which will of course attract more interest. Attendances for your league are not too bad, at least it means you won't get one team outnumbering home support at every ground!

[GRS67]

Originally Posted By: jayjay

don't think it an issue in surrey only two big clubs Crystal Palace and Chelsea then you got AFC Wimbledon and Woking

..
Since when have chelsea been in surrey? you can add Millwall to that list who have fans in both surrey and more so in Kent.

[GRS67]

Edgware had the biggest increase in attendances out of all the teams in the SSML with over 70% rise from last season!

 

Hopefuly next seawson will see us get crowds of 100+ on a regular basis

[GRS67]

Team High Low Avge 05/06 +/-%

Hertford Town (T) 189 67 104 101 3.3%

Harefield United 191 56 88 66 33.7%

Edgware Town (T) 108 63 83 47 75.7%

Tring Athletic 148 48 67 73 -8.6%

Ruislip Manor 150 28 64 63 1.7%

Oxhey Jets 101 39 63 62 2.1%

Colney Heath (P) 117 29 60 60 0.2%

Langford 92 40 57 51 11.6%

St Margaretsbury 130 26 56 38 47.9%

Biggleswade United 95 28 55 55 -0.4%

Leverstock Green 90 30 48 37 29.2%

Chalfont St Peter (T) 83 25 48 45 6.0%

Holmer Green 75 28 45 40 13.3%

London Colney 75 25 44 43 3.1%

Broxbourne Borough V&E 140 21 42 45 -6.3%

Haringey Borough 69 23 38 32 19.7%

Aylesbury Vale 58 18 37 55 -32.1%

Biggleswade Town 78 18 36 39 -8.7%

Welwyn Garden City 91 14 35 39 -9.7%

Kingsbury London Tigers (T) 72 12 34 31 9.8%

Royston Town 72 12 33 49 -33.7%

Overall 54 54 0.3%

 

[Horace]

Originally Posted By: Gavin

Edgware had the biggest increase in attendances out of all the teams in the SSML with over 70% rise from last season!

Hopefuly next seawson will see us get crowds of 100+ on a regular basis

Still shocking attendances for so successful a team in such a large catchment area!

[Sharming Paula]

Need to get out there and tell the people you have a club!!

We have advertising hoardings in about a dozen positions on Canvey and a few of the island too.

We also do sponsered walks around the town and the sea wall taking our drums with us the team visit the local schools and we always make sure we get local press coverage (we're over them like a 'rash')

We also have a couple of decent preseasons (Spurs and Sarfend last year) and that normally brings a few people back to see us play in the season.

 

Oh and we have a tea bar (that always helps)

[GRS67]

LOL Horace my old mate, you are joking, you say I take things out of perspective, well your quote above is just as bsd. Edgware is NOT a large catchment area whatsoever, its a SMALL town, that has Kingsbury/Hendon/Harrow Boro/Wealdstone/Northwood/Bwood, to name but a few all within a radius of a couple of miles, add to that Barnet/arsenal/spurs and you will see why the local non league sides and Barnet find it hard to attract support.

 

Hertford may be a small town as well, BUT at least the only other team within close proximity to you is Ware, and you are still a good distance from any pro side, prob your closeset being spurs? who must be at least what? 20 miles away?

[Sharming Paula]

Gav, it looks like our away support will be higher than your home crowd lol.

Funnily we were talking about Edgware on Saturday. We decided it should be the 1st game of the new season.

We have already made our travel plans (desperate for a game or what lol)

Going br train so we can ALL have a drink. Camden first, onto Edgware then going out somewhere after the game and last tube home. Cab from Upminster station to Canvey/Benfleet.

 

Cant wait

[GRS67]

Originally Posted By: Paula

Need to get out there and tell the people you have a club!!
We have advertising hoardings in about a dozen positions on Canvey and a few of the island too.
We also do sponsered walks around the town and the sea wall taking our drums with us the team visit the local schools and we always make sure we get local press coverage (we're over them like a 'rash')
We also have a couple of decent preseasons (Spurs and Sarfend last year) and that normally brings a few people back to see us play in the season.

Oh and we have a tea bar (that always helps)

..
I FULLY agree Paula, Edgware DONT do enough to promote the team, in fact I dont think we do anything

There needs to be a big effort to promote the team in the local area, this can be done by flyers/posters in shop windows (this was done a few seasons ago then stopped:( ) PLUS if I had my way, I would get the players to visit local schools/colleges and run some kind of summer soccer school, other clubs at our level do it so why not Edgware?.

Each child could be given a goodie bag and a free ticket to a match next season, they club could charge for the soccer school and give them a pack lunch, I am sure a number would return in the season and that the parents would encourage their kid to come and watch their local sides, specially as under 12's get in for free at Edgware, thus encouraging a new generation of support.

Its true that that if you did a survey of 100 people in Edgware most would not even know that a team existed let alone where the ground is, again this a problem that a lot of non league clubs have.

The area has changed but you need to get out there and get support you cant just expect them to turn up, even with a winning side, if they dont even know you are there!

[GRS67]

Originally Posted By: Paula

Gav, it looks like our away support will be higher than your home crowd lol.
Funnily we were talking about Edgware on Saturday. We decided it should be the 1st game of the new season.
We have already made our travel plans (desperate for a game or what lol)
Going br train so we can ALL have a drink. Camden first, onto Edgware then going out somewhere after the game and last tube home. Cab from Upminster station to Canvey/Benfleet.

Cant wait

Maybe we will have a tea bar in place for your visit selling burgers and hot dogs, otherwise a missed oppotunity of making money will be lost

So how come you wont be getting a coach to the game? dont you run coaches to every match? The northern line stops at Camden (plenty of good boozers) then back on to Edgware last stop, I will let you know full directions if you are coming by pubic transport, and I may come and meet you in Camden for a couple before the match

[GRS67]

Gav, it looks like our away support will be higher than your home crowd lol.

..

You away support is prob bigger then a number of teams home support in div 1 north! Our ave crowd would have put us in the bottom few of teams in the league, but I hope that we can ave 100+ for most games next season, which would be a good increase when we were only getting 40 odd a couple of seasons ago.

 

Our away support was actually very good in the SSML with Edgware fans always making up for at least half the number if not more at most games. Obvioulsy that wont be the case next season but we should still have a healthy number travelling to matches.

[Sharming Paula]

We always have a 54 seater coach and its always full!! Many pair up in their cars too. Normally take about 80-100

We like to make our own way now (Not so far to travel now unlike our Conference days). We normally get to a pub for the televised game and then go to the ground in question. We ALWAYS check out the facilities at the ground prior to our arrival (booze, SKY tv, burger vans etc)

Think we've already worked out how to get there (couple of them have been to your ground before).

Be good to meet ya mate (leave the other arf at home). Rhodes, no getting jealous

[jayjay]

Originally Posted By: Gavin

Originally Posted By: jayjay

don't think it an issue in surrey only two big clubs Crystal Palace and Chelsea then you got AFC Wimbledon and Woking

..
Since when have chelsea been in surrey? you can add Millwall to that list who have fans in both surrey and more so in Kent.

a lot of Chelsea fans Travel from surrey

[Mr F]

Great idea about the Bill-board and poster locally.

 

How about placing ads locally too where children go free if accompanied by a full paying adult. Get the local children involved and they can pester thier parent/s, carer, gaurdian etc to come along too.

 

I also believe the SML could do more to promote the league itself, nationally and locally. It would be a good idea for the SML to issue a weekly News Round-Up to the Non-League daily, local newspapers and radio Blog Sites with transfer details, attendances, goalscorers etc.

 

Mr F

[Football Man]

Several things cause poor attendances at football.

 

1) People are wary of stopping for a drink after the game due to the awareness of drink/driving in the modern day. And it's only a few weeks before they can't smoke either.

 

2) Admission, even at our level, is pricey for the quality of football that you get. It is competitive compared to higher up the pyramid, but still pricey when you look at it in isolation.

 

3) Too much football on the box now.

 

4) Kids these days would rather be playing video/computer games than go to a football match. Other kids will be out earning ASBOs - a sad reflection on modern society and political correctness gone mad.