Worrying Low Home Attendances

[dougal]

It was reported yesterday 2100 attended but I think most sane people will admit it never looked like there was even close to 2000 there, either the figures are being manipulated or the club are including all season tickets sold whether they are in attendance or not.

My concern is that this will continue to drop not just because of the poor football on show but Robbo's criticism of the home support in his post match rant is not going to help matters.

Ok probably the weather was also a factor yesterday which I fully understand but when does these figures actually become a concern to the board and the so called guardians of the club?

Dougal

 

[bdu98196]

Inclusion of ST holders whether present or not is standard practise for all clubs as technically those seats are sold - empty or not on the day. Don't see it as an issue.

[Yngwie]

I’m sure the declining revenue is already a concern.

Its a pity that most our points are earned away from home. It’s the same 3 points for a win but if you could choose between home or away it is much better to have a good home record in order to boost attendances and season ticket renewals.

[Yngwie]

1 minute ago, bdu98196 said:

Inclusion of ST holders whether present or not is standard practise for all clubs as technically those seats are sold - empty or not on the day. Don't see it as an issue.

However, the reported stat is “Attendance” ie people who attended, not tickets sold.

But there’s no reason why clubs should publish any figure, is there? It’s not part of the game.

[+old caley girl]

I couldnt care less what they announce tbh. However anyone with a pair of eyes can see crowds are droppimg and folk are staying away in droves. I bet it would be even worse if season tickets were not already bought and paid for. 

Worrying times. Crowds down and looks like other revenue down like hospitality. 

Big changes needed in my opinion starting with the Board improving the matchday experience to help atmosphere etc 

[Polo Chick]

1 hour ago, old caley girl said:

I couldnt care less what they announce tbh. However anyone with a pair of eyes can see crowds are droppimg and folk are staying away in droves. I bet it would be even worse if season tickets were not already bought and paid for. 

Worrying times. Crowds down and looks like other revenue down like hospitality. 

Big changes needed in my opinion starting with the Board improving the matchday experience to help atmosphere etc 

There's no one at Board level got a clue how to do that. 2 home wins all season is poor if it was any other club Robbo would be long gone but not this lot as they would not know where to start also i think it is well know what a shambles the club is that no one in their right mind would want the managers job. I fear next season they will be lucky to play in front of 1000 fans not helped by Robbo's comment's yesterday most fans and me included today thinking well F*** You !

[Weekend Hacker]

Is it time to lift the petulant wee ban on the young team and accept that a football ground is not Sunday school?  I agree, we don’t need the personal abuse of players and families but we need atmosphere and like it or lump it, nobody else is up for it.  I agree, the stadium doesn’t lend itself to atmosphere the same as Victoria but if Robbo is looking for the 12th man, the board perhaps need to reconsider.....  I’ll get ma tin hat ready

[Satan]

1 minute ago, Weekend Hacker said:

Is it time to lift the petulant wee ban on the young team and accept that a football ground is not Sunday school?  I agree, we don’t need the personal abuse of players and families but we need atmosphere and like it or lump it, nobody else is up for it.  I agree, the stadium doesn’t lend itself to atmosphere the same as Victoria but if Robbo is looking for the 12th man, the board perhaps need to reconsider.....  I’ll get ma tin hat ready

That's all good until we get a performance like yesterday, then the young team can get nasty quite quickly.

Not sure if the wee neds are all banned anyway, just the odd one or two.

 

[+old caley girl]

We as a club have no future unless we encourage young fans. Not excusing some of the stuff in the past but we need to start a dialogue. Agree with  its not a Sunday School comment totally. 

[Weekend Hacker]

 Fair point Satan.  I used to like a bit of a song at Telford St, but not so inclined in the family but with the boy.  How do we improve it such as what I’m expecting in Dinge Wall next Monday ?

Edited February 3, 2019 by Weekend Hacker

[Alan Simpson]

It was the young team who were slating Polly! Tho tbh least they did make a bit of atmosphere at the ground they're no all banned anyway that age now they'll be chasing skirt instead of chasing half a dozen Falkirk fans!

[dougal]

2 hours ago, old caley girl said:

We as a club have no future unless we encourage young fans. Not excusing some of the stuff in the past but we need to start a dialogue. Agree with  its not a Sunday School comment totally. 

Only some of the stuff? So what stuff are you ok with? 

Dougal

[TopSix]

Should reopen the west stand terracing and make it £10 to stand. 

[Punk N Disorderly]

I may be in the minority as a supporter who has recently begun to attend more regularly recently, due to finally being able to get the odd saturday off work. It is disappointing that there somehow seems to be even less of an atmosphere than the last time I was able to attend regularly - which is going back a while to be honest (pre 2007).

The club is still young in comparison to many other teams in Scotland, but I agree more needs to be done to attract younger fans to come to home games. I remember being in primary school and getting the odd free ticket to home games. Does anyone know if things like this still happen? Fair enough, this is probably back in the old 2nd or 1st division days...

Edited February 3, 2019 by Punk N Disorderly
spelling errors...

[MorayJaggie]

What is there this season to actually make people want to go to a game?

 

[Polo Chick]

2 minutes ago, MorayJaggie said:

What is there this season to actually make people want to go to a game?

 

Absolutley! Most of us are only turning up because we have played for our season tickets. It is a chore to find the enthusiasm to go now Yesterday i wanted to leave at HT as i knew there was no way back Polo Chap stopped me but all i could think about in second half was i want to leave 

[bdu98196]

Need to step back as too many only remember good times and been spoilt by recent success. There's clubs much older and better supported that would be envious of what ict have achieved. Right now its a downwards trajectory but we need to support the club and get a stable platform to build the next wave of success however that must also be realistic in expectations. Thoughts of cup wins, finals and ventures to Europe are rarity and can't be expected as the norm.

Pit a plan in place to develop talent and maintain sensible costs and we as fans should back the club - the lack of leadership and transparency needs to be addressed now to encourage continued support next season from anyone other than die hards

[+DoofersDad]

It's worth bearing in mind that we are not the only club with a concern about poor attendances and poor results at home.  Most clubs do better at home  but, like us, both Falkirk and Dunfermline have significantly better records on the road this season than at home.  Dundee Utd's home record is now just marginally better than their away record following their victory yesterday.  

What all 4 clubs share is an expectation from the fans that the club should be doing better than they are, and this is reflected in a frustration when performances don't match expectations.  They also have a reasonably decent and vocal away support.  Notwithstanding what the club, the manager  or the players may be doing wrong, there is a clear message here that positive vocal support helps the team.  Players seem to relax and play better when away from home but are edgy and nervous in front of the home support.

 Away from home. we have taken a greater percentage (61%) of available points than any other team in the division.  That demonstrates that we are a pretty decent side and the question of why we don't do better at home is a very important one to address.  Yes, we'll get bigger home gates if the team players better, but if the fans who attend the home games reacted more positively to aspects of good play and held back from venting their frustration about the poor play, then the players would probably be less edgy and play better as a result.  We really shouldn't underestimate how important a positive and supportive home crowd is to the team.

[TopSix]

The most disheartening thing is the club do nothing. How many times have we had a thread like this on CTO? 

[Scarlet Pimple]

Sad as it may be there does not seem to be a way out of the dilemma since the Scottish Football Authorities  would probably never change t to summer football. THAT would make a huge difference but how do you persuade people ,who appear to have no flexibility in their thinking,  to make the changes that would possibly help several clubs survive and prosper?

The other suggestion I've made  may have been looked upon as joking -- I,e bring on half-time entertainment-- but I am deadly serious and the lack of forward and dynamic thinking  here is pathetic and discouraging. This is not just a game of football ,  it's SUPPOSED TO BE a well-run business enterprise---if for no other reason than that of the future survival, of the club, which nobody can deny. People come to the stadium to be entertained , not frozen stiff and frustrated and bored to bits.

And if you don't treat the client as at least of equal importance to that of the  team itself then Management is crazy  because it's just common sense, dearies, that if there are no fans in the ground then the team has no purpose for being in existence!

                                                                              THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE !!

So what does the smart business do apart from advertising  their wares? Why, INNOVATE for goodness sake. Bring in something new and fresh to ENTERTAIN the paying, and apparently often suffering,  customer? So what does ICT do to entertain the customer these days. Same old tannoy music at half time? Again, NOTHING! Boredom and freezing bodies trying to convince themselves that  coming back  in two weeks' time in this weather is a great idea?

Unless some bright spark does something to start a new trend at Tulloch Caledonian stadium  then you are doomed to Same old, Same old.

 

[Kingsmills]

1 hour ago, Scarlet Pimple said:

Sad as it may be there does not seem to be a way out of the dilemma since the Scottish Football Authorities  would probably never change t to summer football. THAT would make a huge difference but how do you persuade people ,who appear to have no flexibility in their thinking,  to make the changes that would possibly help several clubs survive and prosper?

The other suggestion I've made  may have been looked upon as joking -- I,e bring on half-time entertainment-- but I am deadly serious and the lack of forward and dynamic thinking  here is pathetic and discouraging. This is not just a game of football ,  it's SUPPOSED TO BE a well-run business enterprise---if for no other reason than that of the future survival, of the club, which nobody can deny. People come to the stadium to be entertained , not frozen stiff and frustrated and bored to bits.

And if you don't treat the client as at least of equal importance to that of the  team itself then Management is crazy  because it's just common sense, dearies, that if there are no fans in the ground then the team has no purpose for being in existence!

                                                                              THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE !!

So what does the smart business do apart from advertising  their wares? Why, INNOVATE for goodness sake. Bring in something new and fresh to ENTERTAIN the paying, and apparently often suffering,  customer? So what does ICT do to entertain the customer these days. Same old tannoy music at half time? Again, NOTHING! Boredom and freezing bodies trying to convince themselves that  coming back  in two weeks' time in this weather is a great idea?

Unless some bright spark does something to start a new trend at Tulloch Caledonian stadium  then you are doomed to Same old, Same old.

 

I appreciate that you have been in North America for a long time Scarlet but cheerleaders and half time on pitch entertainment are not the answer in Inverness.Apart from anything else, they have been tried before with no positive effect on attendances.

We will never have a huge support but entertaining and attractive football would help together with an improved match day experience including better catering.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

At the moment I think that I would appreciate entertaining and attractive cheerleaders more.

[+old caley girl]

15 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

I appreciate that you have been in North America for a long time Scarlet but cheerleaders and half time on pitch entertainment are not the answer in Inverness.Apart from anything else, they have been tried before with no positive effect on attendances.

We will never have a huge support but entertaining and attractive football would help together with an improved match day experience including better catering.

I agree totally. Girls nowadays thankfully want to play football not be oggled at with pom poms! 

No objection to a bit of half time entertainment though. Been a long time since there has been any such as a competition for fans or kids playing. Not sure it improves attendance though. 

[IBM]

Something like beat the goalie could be entertaining and if someone is really good it could solve our striker problem!

[Kingsmills]

35 minutes ago, old caley girl said:

I agree totally. Girls nowadays thankfully want to play football not be oggled at with pom poms! 

No objection to a bit of half time entertainment though. Been a long time since there has been any such as a competition for fans or kids playing. Not sure it improves attendance though. 

I don't think that girls ever enjoyed such an experience but were conditioned by society to to flash their flesh and wave pom poms rather than play, watch or coach football.

Thankfully, those days are in the past but we still need to put much more effort into attracting and encouraging half our potential fan base.