Are Home Crowds Falling ?

[Kingsmills]

The attendance at our first home game of the season was somewhat disappointing given the large number of away fans who travelled. Yesterday's crowd was almost two and a half thousand less than attended our last home game with Hibs, albiet that that was a bumper holiday crowd. I understand that season ticket numbers are down on last season.

Is the novelty of paying quite a lote of cash to watch SPL football begining to fade with the Inverness public ?

[strathyjags]

remember its still school holidays and holiday season s a lot of peopel may still be away,and yesterday was a lot more thna the 4600 capacity announced

[us2]

People maybe away still on their holidays, but I thought that the club would have to announce the correct number  of people in the ground, for safety reasons if nothing else... If they are going to get it wrong in your opinion ,why bother.  Perhaps season ticket numbers are down because of the home scores last season, hopefully we will make up gate numbers as the season continues. 

[RiG]

Lets not beat about the bush here. Our prices are nothing short of repulsive.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Not surprised - the club seemingly doesn't need our money.  As I live overseas I e-mailed the club about a month ago (using the e-mail address given on the official site) as I had a few questions I wanted answering before getting a season ticket for a family member as a present. 

The club never even responded so obviously it can't be because they are not @rsed it must be becasuse they have so much money that they don't need extra revenue from season tickets. :008:

[Kind of Blue]

I think it's premature to make an assumption about attendances after only 2 games.

The crowd for the St Mirren match was 4,267, of which just over 800 were away fans.  There were about 3,600 home fans, and that figure is on par with previous SPL games against "unglamourous" opposition.

The time to pass judgement on the crowds will be once we've played every team at home.

[buckett]

Gotta start winning home games. That'll draw the crowds.

Maybe.

:006:

[L_G]

I suspect we might reach capacity on Sunday. !!!!!!!!

[RiG]

What about giving people who turn up on Sunday some half price voucher dealy to get in for the Dunmbarton game?

[Kingsmills]

Dumbarton wouldn't agree to that as they get a share of the gate money.

[kencar]

Plus 3000-ish of the fans on Sunday will be there to see Celtic only  :006:

[us2]

Dumbarton may get a share of the gate but if it was cheaper for the earlier round cup games more people would surely attend, meaning in the long run more ICT supporters there. This  means more cash at the gate. Perhaps you could bring your Celtic Seat Ticket with you and just get a pound or two off the cup game or even  buy one full price ticket get a school kid in Free after all they eat all the pies, drink all the juice etc making money for ICT.  Yes I am sure that it would be slightly difficult to sort out but there must be a way to increase the crowds. I agree with you L_G I  imagine we will be capacity on Sunday with all the Car Park madness that that will bring. That I am sure will be another thread......

[Guest 1MORESEASONBLACK]

I am occassionaly disappointed at the crowds we pull @ TCS. A city Inverness's size with the surrounding catchment area we should be able to pull more of a crowd. However last season while standing in the queue to get in against Livingston 3 males were discussing the fact that they didnt normally come to small games like that - PISSED OFF was I  - every game is a big game . The people of Inverness need to be educated - the TCS needs to be turned into a Fortress - the club neeed to employ some aggressive marketing tactics. Okay price may be an issue but i get 1 adult season ticket and two children for 320 quid - thats 18 weekends bought and paid for! Lets take to the streets and spread the words INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE

[The Mantis]

Surely the ticket price will be dropped against Dumbarton anyway, to some sort of compromise between div 3 and SPL prices. That's what usually happens, after negotiation. No disrespect to Dumbarton, but who's going to shell out 20 quid to watch that? Even the Tims cut it to £10 when they played us in the 4-2 game at the t*ttied*me.

[Harry Chibber]

I am occassionaly disappointed at the crowds we pull @ TCS. A city Inverness's size with the surrounding catchment area we should be able to pull more of a crowd. However last season while standing in the queue to get in against Livingston 3 males were discussing the fact that they didnt normally come to small games like that - PISSED OFF was I  - every game is a big game . The people of Inverness need to be educated - the TCS needs to be turned into a Fortress - the club neeed to employ some aggressive marketing tactics. Okay price may be an issue but i get 1 adult season ticket and two children for 320 quid - thats 18 weekends bought and paid for! Lets take to the streets and spread the words INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE

goooooooooooooooo team!!!

Well said though, I would love to find out what these muppets are doing about the marketing of the club.  It seems they are going day by day when they should really be planning for the future, they can't exactly be that busy

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I often find myself falling in the crowd both home and away.

[Alex MacLeod]

I dont think crowds are falling. Average 4500 at home so far this season which is on a par with other seasons if you discount the OF and Aberdire.

Prices may seem a bit steep but if they were lower would we get more people attending. I honestly dont think so.

[kencar]

The 2 teams that visited so far have taken fairly decent supports though

[Harry Chibber]

i have always known the club to be very fast and helpful with their replies-never heard any complaints before!

It's not the staff I have a problem with, it's the people incharge.. they just seem very short sited

[Guest warped reed]

I believe that some of you are ill educated. The biggest music festival in the WHOLE of the highlands was on during the Hibs game. I was at BELLADRUM,and i missed the game ( I am a season ticket holder)  This is the one and only reason for the poor attendance on saturday!!!!!!

[CaleyD]

With regards to attendances in relation to catchment area, we suffer from the same issue as Livingston - a large proportion of the population in the catchment area are "outsiders" who will have followed another team before moving here.  It will take a generation or two for that to filter out and produce more fans.

In the meantime however, I agree that the club need to be doing more to encourage these new people along to the stadium and our prices are a major stumbling block.

[clacher_holiday2]

judging by the cost of new houses in inverness i doubt any newcomers will be put off coming to ict games by the ticket price.

the reason we dont have two full home stands every game is that we dont have that many fans.......... the attendances arent falling, theyre just always going to be crap.

do i win a prize for getting the right answer?

[Scarlet Pimple]

High prices for houses translate into high mortgages, meaning less disposable income. then comes feeding the bairns etc . Football is a luxury these days for a family man.

One retired man in Inverness emailed me in response to my query''are you going to ICT today? and said " are you kidding, have you seen their prices?"

Read into that what you may.

It is true that every business must energetically market the product or service in order to have a chance of progress, let alone success. ICT must do the same ............ :006:

[clacher_holiday2]

yeah i suppose its expensive compared to other things, but thats football.

where we cant compete with say wandering around the shops or sitting on a pub stool for a saturday afternoon to the average invernessian is on different grounds; its cold and shyty most of the year , often boring, grounds in an awkward part of town, expensive maybe(?)..... plus for most people who might casually support us or just watch football generally its much easier and cheaper to take in a game through their telly, or one in a pub.

maybe theres an over exposure of footbal on tv now, all the fairweather fans are being molested by the sporting media for attnetion, i mean compared to the likes of the charity shield between liverpool and chelsea, why would they want to come and see st mirren v ict for £20?

after the hype and pompus crap that followed the world cup and the constantly high expectations from every game (and subsequent disapointment), i was expecting a break before the season as far as the box is concerned, but there mustve been a record number of friendlies shown live on tv this year.  every single one of them was hyped out of all proportion, i honestly believe the commentators and presenters (especially on 5) had lost grasp on reality with some of the fare they were trying to encourage me to watch.  the damage they may well be doing to others is scary, thosewho might actually be interested in watching the game in person sometime

making football out to be something its not on tv, online; plus if we're all honest to each other in person when talking about a particular match or day in the past, will only lead to disapointment and a sense of dis satisfaction with handing over £20 to watch russel duncan sideways pass to barry wilson, to pass back to tokely, who willdly slices it across the park at nobody for the 1,000th time in thier carears

sooner we admit that whats on show is never going to be that exciting, the better we'll all be!  there is no point worrying about people who dont follow ict or cant be bothered, what could you possibly tell them, without over stating or lying, that will convince them theyre in the wrong

[tm4tj]

WoW clacher, is that you?

Good post with many valid points, maybe not what everyone wants to admit, but nonetheless true.