Average attendances (below) are not back to Holloway/pre- boycott levels but seem to be recovering now we are back in the Championship. About 2000 down on pre-boycott levels. Not bad considering the 5 year period we had pre Sadler. But could be better, considering we are now Oyston free and the whole vibe is there and the football is good. Should rise again next season if the team pushes on. ST prices are higher now of course, parachute money was used to keep them down and keep us quiet while £millions were siphoned! I think price must be a factor. And Covid to an extent perhaps. Some lost fans, some new fans, higher ST prices, pandemic
Can't find 20/21 figure.
2021--22: 11,758
2020--21: ???
2019–20: 8,770
2018–19: 5,517
2017–18: 4,178
2016–17: 3,456
2015–16: 7,052
2014–15: 10,928
2013–14: 14,217 (82%)
2012–13: 13,916 (80%)
2011–12: 12,764 (79%)
2010–11: 15,782 (97%)
2009–10: 8,611 (91%)
2008–09: 7,842 (81%)
2007–08: 8,861 (92%)
2006–07: 6,877 (73%)
2005–06: 5,820 (61%)
You have to remember the crowds were only swelled from going to the prem and subsequent good football and buzz after.
Before those years we had been mainly in the lower leagues for years and lost many fans there.
What we need now is a sustained period of stability and success.
It will likely take something really special to get some of those ‘lost supporters’ to change their habits…
That might mean (for example) some ground redevelopment or a promotion / play off run or maybe another Wembley Final….
That’s why our Derby games are so important and why we really need to get the Capacity up to a suitable level and start actively promoting those big games…..Similarly the big FA Cup draws…. Those games can be real turning points where you can win new or lapsed fans back, they’re the opportunities to showcase the club.
This is why I mentioned the cost of promotion last season when missing out on the playoff home game sellout and 30k to Wembley, those casuals who then by attending a game, some return the following season. Seeing us win at Wembley is enough to reignite any fans passion.
This is why to me, its absolutely vital to have a cheap price, some deals, make it easy for new or lapsed fans to attend these big games. We really needed a cup run with a big side at home too. All these things would help massively.
People say well some have been lost to other things, can't be true fans, maybe. But from purely a numbers game we can get them back.
It might also help if Fleetwood went down too.
But we need to concentrate on ourselves and the clubs offerings on deals, prices and big games hasn't been good enough so far.
The prices for big games are raised too high, the walk ons overcharged even more, a potentially dodgy previous purchase history request with not all of them having it, no deals or offers.
The east is limiting us and what we can do. But remember that meeting where some at the club said no plans to open the east to home fans, I think not getting that NE end prepared with some temp facilities was a mistake. Yes we'd have away fans leaving South but so what, worth a bit of disruption to grow the fanbase and if they opened the north gate to home fans it would have reduced the numbers traipsing round the stadium.
If we want to attract these people and more back, we have to do some of the above.
I'm a little disappointed we haven't been more proactive on this. Given we know we have lost fans, we know the poverty of the area therfore sensitivity to price and we know we just have to get many back through the door for big games.
We need to capitalise now whilst the going is pretty good.
