Boosting attendances

[Kirishima]

All very good posts, but you sense Terry's frustrations, last season and this. The core support comment by OCG is right, and I dont think this thread is negativity, I think people are starting to empathize with Terry.

The best idea I have seen so far is "bring a friend" - simple as it sounds, I think that has potential for to try some promotion marketing on with one game in the future.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Kirishima

[old caley girl]

All very good posts, but you sense Terry's frustrations, last season and this. The core support comment by OCG is right, and I dont think this thread is negativity, I think people are starting to empathize with Terry.

The best idea I have seen so far is "bring a friend" - simple as it sounds, I think that has potential for to try some promotion marketing on with one game in the future.

Not trying to be negative Krishima but its been tried and wasn't exactly a rip roaring success. It was probably be repeated at some point tho. I share Terry's frustrations but crowds are what they are unfortunately.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

We have a core support of maybe about 2000 which after near 20 years in existence is pretty poor IMHO .

[Kirishima]

All very good posts, but you sense Terry's frustrations, last season and this. The core support comment by OCG is right, and I dont think this thread is negativity, I think people are starting to empathize with Terry.

The best idea I have seen so far is "bring a friend" - simple as it sounds, I think that has potential for to try some promotion marketing on with one game in the future.

Not trying to be negative Krishima but its been tried and wasn't exactly a rip roaring success. It was probably be repeated at some point tho. I share Terry's frustrations but crowds are what they are unfortunately.

Why wasn't it a success do you feel? I agree, I don't think there is a magic wand, and it's a niche expensive hobby in a small city, and I think the club is already very fair with kids and families. We all know that a lot of people in Inverness have previous allegiances to other SPL or Div 1 teams, which is up to the individual, but the problem there is often kids will follow the parents team.

I think the more young kids get time coached by ICT the more likely they will be to form an attachment. It may be that it is grassroots.

[Alex MacLeod]

 

 

All very good posts, but you sense Terry's frustrations, last season and this. The core support comment by OCG is right, and I dont think this thread is negativity, I think people are starting to empathize with Terry.

The best idea I have seen so far is "bring a friend" - simple as it sounds, I think that has potential for to try some promotion marketing on with one game in the future.

Not trying to be negative Krishima but its been tried and wasn't exactly a rip roaring success. It was probably be repeated at some point tho. I share Terry's frustrations but crowds are what they are unfortunately.

Why wasn't it a success do you feel? I agree, I don't think there is a magic wand, and it's a niche expensive hobby in a small city, and I think the club is already very fair with kids and families. We all know that a lot of people in Inverness have previous allegiances to other SPL or Div 1 teams, which is up to the individual, but the problem there is often kids will follow the parents team.

I think the more young kids get time coached by ICT the more likely they will be to form an attachment. It may be that it is grassroots.

 

That is happening but it doesn't develop in a season or two. Takes years from getting the kids interested to them being in a position to afford to pay entry

[Ronaldo]

Is it worth the club conducting a survey or consultation and asking everyone in Inverness and surrounding areas why they do not come to the football and what would make them consider coming, I suspect the pricing structure could be one factor but you may get some other interesting reasons.

[Charles Bannerman]

Is it worth the club conducting a survey or consultation and asking everyone in Inverness and surrounding areas why they do not come to the football and what would make them consider coming, I suspect the pricing structure could be one factor but you may get some other interesting reasons.

A very fair idea but you would have to be prepared for the overwhelming answer will be that the people asked are simply not particularly interested in football or at least in making any effort at all to go and see it. Of the 100,000+ people relatively local to Inverness, this will be the case with the significant majority.

On the other hand there MAY be (rough ballpark????) 10 - 20,000 in the area who are potential football customers. Of these, a significant number will be fans of the OF and Ross County and to a lesser extent Aberdeen etc. So the "swing population" who might be persuaded to attend will actually come from quite a narrow slice of the community.

Over the years I have along similar lines found that if I need to do a vox pop about Caley Thistle in the streets of Inverness, the majority of those I approach for a response invariably aren't interested in football and the football fans are dominated by the OF.

[+Wanderer]

We have a core support of maybe about 2000 which after near 20 years in existence is pretty poor IMHO .

 

Whether it's 'pretty poor' or not is moot...I'd say it's pretty much spot on...

 

If you remove Celtic and The Rangers from the equation then that's where the trend in Scottish Football is destined...

 

Reduce the ridiculous entry prices, under 12s free, and provide standing opportunities...maybe the trend will shift...

 

 

 

 

Sorry, just woke up...

[Scarlet Pimple]

Well, Caley D, Wanderer seems to favour a substantial reduction in prices. No one wants to reduce their prices in the market place and the shrewd often have a very good reason not to. 

 

But, my Real Estate Agent has been pestering us to death about reducing our price in an attempt to sell our house  in a dead market. But if she worked harder and in a more innovative way (hell will freeze over before any Canadian Realtor will deliver 1,000 leaflets round the doors as I did when I was in business for myself - and did very well out of it I may say) then she could perhaps come to us with a more persuasive argument to suggest a larger price reduction  especially after we have already reduced the price heavily over several months anyway.

 

However,  if there are no buyers, then reducing the price only opens up a can of worms because once you do that then it is very difficult to go back to the former price. At that time you have to sit tight or take the property off the market.

And so, I am not  suggesting this route as an irrevocable step for ICT. Just a temporary measure to encourage people to come through the doors and to show the new product  to them.

 

 

My "risking life and limb" comment was a symbolic gesture against resignation to the status quo and defeatism and in no way should anyone see that as my expectation that they should court bankruptcy by being reckless in the extreme. It's not my attitude, merely an illustration of my OPINION and how I think. So give me a break?

 

Something must be done  that's  different

[bdu98196]

Everyone cites reducing prices, this has a knock on effect - you have to garuntee the extra persons through the gate to still incur the same income, if not overall income drops - this results in less finance for wages, poorer quality on the park and then less people coming to watch and a slow downwards trend - catch 22 IMO.

 

With respect to the price - £26 for an adult main stand, 1 game every 2 wks roughly so thats £13 per wk. When you consider the other 'entertainment' in the city, Cinema is about £9 for an adult, going out for a meal is £10 per person at least, Eden court is not cheap, is the pricing really that bad given the level we have been playing at for the last 18 months and entertainment on offer?

 

Said it before on here, the people of Inverness are lazy and would rather moan - the excuses are farcical and carry no weight - team isnt good enough and not entertaining (cant say that now), stadium is too far away (its a 15 min walk from town), there's no parking, dont like TB etc etc - no matter what the club does there seems to be a mentality that people dont want the club and the success. Its time to talk more about the 2-3000 fans who do go to enhance their experience than going over the same old ground repeatedly, the kids are the future and we just have to accept that perhaps in 5-10 years we will have more of a support.

 

I'd be interested to see 'if' we reached a cup final how many 'fans' would turn out - bet it would be like County, Midden syndrom where 10k extra just suddenly appear but have always ben 'real' fans.

Edited September 4, 2013 by bdu98196

[Caleyjag157]

Everyone cites reducing prices, this has a knock on effect - you have to garuntee the extra persons through the gate to still incur the same income, if not overall income drops - this results in less finance for wages, poorer quality on the park and then less people coming to watch and a slow downwards trend - catch 22 IMO.

With respect to the price - £26 for an adult main stand, 1 game every 2 wks roughly so thats £13 per wk. When you consider the other 'entertainment' in the city, Cinema is about £9 for an adult, going out for a meal is £10 per person at least, Eden court is not cheap, is the pricing really that bad given the level we have been playing at for the last 18 months and entertainment on offer?

Said it before on here, the people of Inverness are lazy and would rather moan - the excuses are farcical and carry no weight - team isnt good enough and not entertaining (cant say that now), stadium is too far away (its a 15 min walk from town), there's no parking, dont like TB etc etc - no matter what the club does there seems to be a mentality that people dont want the club and the success. Its time to talk more about the 2-3000 fans who do go to enhance their experience than going over the same old ground repeatedly, the kids are the future and we just have to accept that perhaps in 5-10 years we will have more of a support.

I'd be interested to see 'if' we reached a cup final how many 'fans' would turn out - bet it would be like County, Midden syndrom where 10k extra just suddenly appear but have always ben 'real' fans.

I would say I get to 60-70% of home games and have started going to the U20s games which are now in the evening. I would love to get along to every home game with my family but for me the reason I don't is purely down to finances. So for me yes reducing ticket prices would make a big difference.

[Slater]

Not sure what we can all do apart from telling everyone we can how brilliant it is to come along.

 

Without re-opening the stadium can of worms all together, I wonder if in the medium term, the North and South stands being temporary, they'll need replaced.  Would it be possible when this happens to build them a bit more sheer, and a bit closer to the goals or with smaller front walkway bit?  Could be a natural opportunity to get some of the noisiest fans closer, improve their view and the atmosphere.  Which could make attending in that stand and elsewhere a bit more attractive and contribute to the match day experience and maybe even improving attendances, without rebuilding the whole flipping lot?

[Kingsmills]

Not sure what we can all do apart from telling everyone we can how brilliant it is to come along.

 

Without re-opening the stadium can of worms all together, I wonder if in the medium term, the North and South stands being temporary, they'll need replaced.  Would it be possible when this happens to build them a bit more sheer, and a bit closer to the goals or with smaller front walkway bit?  Could be a natural opportunity to get some of the noisiest fans closer, improve their view and the atmosphere.  Which could make attending in that stand and elsewhere a bit more attractive and contribute to the match day experience and maybe even improving attendances, without rebuilding the whole flipping lot?

 

Suspect the 'temporary' stands will be there for the next twenty years.

[Slater]

Most likely, but once we have the league winner prize money and Champions League revenues rolling in

 

Not sure reduced ticket prices would get me along more often as much as I'd appreciate them, but cheaper transport deals or bundles are interesting.  Then again, can't imagine megabus, citylink or firstscotrail agreeing.  Seems continuous community presence and encouraging people to get their youngsters started early are the best realistic options.  We've got to convey just how brilliant ICT are in the flesh right now.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Slater

[Charles Bannerman]

 

 I'd be interested to see 'if' we reached a cup final how many 'fans' would turn out - bet it would be like County, Midden syndrom where 10k extra just suddenly appear but have always ben 'real' fans.

 There would certainly be an increase but I'm not convinced it would be as big as that. Certainly a cup final would be a big "first" for ICT but I think there's a law of diminishing returns here, given that playing the biggest names in Scottish football has become commonplace in recent years. I think it was very diferent in days gone by when, for instance, Thistle played Killie at KIngsmills in 1985 or Caley played Rangers at Telford Street in 1984. These were the kind of opponents to which the Inverness football public had had very little exposure so seeing them up here was a complete novelty. In 1992 even the visit of St Johnstone had Telford Street packed out (and some say a bit more than that!) at a time when Caley only played in front of a few hundred regular supporters. But that's all changed now, although the novelty of a first cup final might well be a significant incentive.

The reality is that there always have been glory hunters who only turn out for the "bigger" games in football and there always will be.

The more I think about attendance levels at ICT (and elsewhere as well) the more firmly I come to the conclusion that this is a problem with many separate variables contributing to the overall situation.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Perhaps the Merger has had a lasting effect.

[Renegade]

Maybe it's a new slogan we need.  I remember about a decade ago, one of the newspapers referred to ICT as something along the lines of "the most entertaining team in Britain".  Maybe we need something like that on the posters.

 

"Come and see Britain's/Scotland's/the World's most attacking/entertaining/exciting team!"

 

If you market it like that, and make sure people know they're going to see something exciting, they might be more inclined to go.

[clacher_holiday2]

I remember that, it was when we went on our run without a 0-0.

[12th Man]

Where, Why  When.

 

A colourful fun flyer

Where ICT at the TCS

Why  Stamina Steel and Style.   quote news paper articles like a block buster movie, highlight ICT on a SPFL league table.

When  list the up an coming fixtures.

 

New fans web page  at bottom  ICTFC.COM/willifeelwelcome for example.

New web page with all that you would need to know about going to the match for the 1st time, photos, parking, how do I get a ticket, buses to ground, wheres the bar, will my seat be easy to find, what food can I buy. etc    would you like ICT to email you regarding forth coming events and season ticket deals.

 

 

Perhaps

 

 

Perhaps.

[Council Juice]

On the topic of the Bundesliga mentioned before, a) as mentioned there are significant sponsorship and tv deals in place which offset the lower pricing.
b) German clubs do get the highest attendances in Europe but with a population of 80m that is to be expected. Interestingly per capita Scottish teams are the best supported in europe. Well I'm sure I read that somewhere. (we're 3rd behind Iceland and Cyprus according to this) 1 in 373 people attend games in Scotland compared to 1 in 1924 in Germany. Obviously it'll be in some way skewed by the OF but we can't do much more really

 

http://foot.ie/threads/157230-Average-attendances-in-Europe-per-capita

Edited September 6, 2013 by iamthecaptain1

[Rainbow]

1 in 373 people attend games in Scotland compared to 1 in 1924 in Germany.

Are these only professional games or are amateur / youth games included? 2 weeks ago there were 1300 people at a 6th tier derby in the Bavarian Forest, the two towns villages having a accumulated population of 9000. Kick-off was Saturday 3 p.m., 30 minutes before the Bundesliga.

[WYNESS101]

Ok, I don't have evidence to prove that lowering tickets at ICT would improve attendances. However its true in other countries that if the price is right....people will come!

 

Only one way to find out. No harm in trying it for a few weeks and see what the out come is

[old caley girl]

Ok, I don't have evidence to prove that lowering tickets at ICT would improve attendances. However its true in other countries that if the price is right....people will come!

 

Only one way to find out. No harm in trying it for a few weeks and see what the out come is

The harm could be loss of income and if done midsession. Would probably annoy those who have bought season tickets.

[Sneckboy]

After the 2012 season, Scottish attendances were the 2nd highest in Europe for top flight games relative to their top flight attendances as a percentage of population. According to this...

 

http://comparetheleagues.com

 

Edit. Click on the top of the column three-in from the right, and the order sorts to show Scotland 2nd.

Edited September 6, 2013 by Sneckboy

[Scarlet Pimple]

Old Caley Girl

But that's negative thought.

 

I doubt your hypothesis. All fans, like all other types of customers, probably took advantage of special deals when they were younger and it is a fact of life nowadays.--specials, sales etc. All designed to draw in more clients.

 

The more clients that are drawn in the more this gives strength to the club to continue the process.... deals, sales, etc.

 

Right now I think that it is more about getting bums on seats than putting a few more pounds in the coffers--that will come later as the fans come back BUT, if they never get in the ground, then they have nothing to come back to do they?