Millionth Fan at The TCS

[Kingsmills]

Am I right in thinking that, taking into account friendlies and testimonials, we are approaching the milestone of the millionth fan throgh the gates of Fortress Longman.

If so, it strikes me that there's a good opportunity looming for the club to generate some publicity by rewarding that particular individual perhaps in conjunction with a sponsor. A chance to bring club and fans closer together again as well.

[Scotty]

I dont think we would include friendlies and testimonials in any official count as not all games over the years have official crowd figures provided. Like player goals, the count would likely be for "competitive" fixtures only.

I dont have the figures to hand or easily accessible so have fired off an email to Ian Broadfoot for clarification. If anyone knows, he will !!!

[Kingsmills]

I dont think we would include friendlies and testimonials in any official count as not all games over the years have official crowd figures provided. Like player goals, the count would likely be for "competitive" fixtures only.

I dont have the figures to hand or easily accessible so have fired off an email to Ian Broadfoot for clarification. If anyone knows, he will !!!

Excluding friendlies and testimonials we could still be a season or so away.

[TheKnowledge]

Do you reckon they'll include all the doubters and Doctor Who fans that tried to rush back in after deserting our camp early on Saturday?

[Scotty]

a quick estimate from Ian, and i re-iterate that this is just a quick estimate so not an official figure ...... is a little over 875,000.

This does NOT include testimonials, friendlies, pre-season, reserve games, home matches at Pittodrie or the one at Dingwall.

[Charles Bannerman]

I dont have the figures to hand or easily accessible so have fired off an email to Ian Broadfoot for clarification. If anyone knows, he will !!!

So you're not the only person to be picking Ian's brains today then. My enquiry elicited the information that there was a 514 minute shutout in the spring of 2007 compared with the 490 minutes which were concluded early in Saturday's proceedings and that ICT's record unbeaten run is indeed 22 matches during D3 championship season 96-97.

However, to return to the original topic... I would largely go with what has just been quoted on Ian's behalf although numerical intuition hints to me that his estimate might well be at the top of the range.

My back of an envelope calculation is based as follows....

* The part season 96-97, with good "novelty factor" attendances in these first days, seems to have taken in around 40,000 from when the stadium opened on 9.11.96. (I have taken statistics from Against All Odds here which quote an average of 2500 per game for that whole season, including the first 3 months at Telford Street although that is the only concrete source I have access to apart from my memory.)

* Attendances in the Second Division from 97-98 and right through to the First Division title in 2004 were very typically on average maybe just over 2000 for the league with 18 home games per season and allowing for the return of the Derbies from 2000-01 - although they tended not quite to reach Division 3 levels.

* Then you add in cup games and give them a bit of un upward tweak for big ones like Celtic, Aberdeen and the Dundee United replay.

* The SPL era then begins with a big zero since the first half season was at Pittodrie.

* After that you have 4.5 SPL seasons with typically 4000 plus for around 19 home games each and add an appropriate number on for cup ties.

* This season with typically 3000 odd on average has so far probably yielded about 60,000.

This is very, very rough, ballpark, back of envelope stuff up but I make the current total maybe a touch above 800,000 (potentially plus or minus a fair chunk)... so I would by no means disagree with Ian.

But the time the 1,000,000th fan enters the TCS will be maybe a couple of years away... but will to some extent depend on whether ICT go back top the SPL next season!

Edited April 5, 2010 by Charles Bannerman

[Charles Bannerman]

Do you reckon they'll include all the doubters and Doctor Who fans that tried to rush back in after deserting our camp early on Saturday?

You should have seen them when Mark McCulloch scored his wonder goal to send the Dundee United cup replay into extra time!

Edited April 5, 2010 by Charles Bannerman

[TheKnowledge]

Do you reckon they'll include all the doubters and Doctor Who fans that tried to rush back in after deserting our camp early on Saturday?

You should have seen them when Mark McCulloch scored his wonder goal to send the Dundee United cup replay into extra time!

I worked in the main stand away pie stall for that game and there were a whole bunch of United fans converging at the corner to make the quick exit and then that happened, they went absolutely nuts at Sturrock (or was it someone else?), and I got to jump about in amongst them because I had an elite catering top on and they were all to raging to care.

[The Mantis]

Was I the only one that was surprised to hear the crowd announced as 3500 on Saturday? I thought I was at Viccy Park by mistake.

[TinRoofMan]

Do you reckon they'll include all the doubters and Doctor Who fans that tried to rush back in after deserting our camp early on Saturday?

You should have seen them when Mark McCulloch scored his wonder goal to send the Dundee United cup replay into extra time!

I worked in the main stand away pie stall for that game and there were a whole bunch of United fans converging at the corner to make the quick exit and then that happened, they went absolutely nuts at Sturrock (or was it someone else?), and I got to jump about in amongst them because I had an elite catering top on and they were all to raging to care.

If you were any good... There may be vacancies....

[Kingsmills]

At circa 875,000 for competitive matches I wouldn't have been far off approaching a million including friendlies and testimonials.

Still, might be worth marking in a season and a half's time or so.