Crowds in NL

[os]

I have not done a proper mathamatic analysis on this but it does seem that crowds across the NL are well down on last season @10-20% with very few if any bucking that trend.

What has caused what appears to be a step change in attendances?

[sallycat]

Interesting. Presumably you only compared with August-September of last year?

[dof]

.....competion from the TV sports channels, football seems to be on most nights now, especially when European Cup matches are on. On tuesday evening I considered seeing my local Weesex League team play, It was wet and Arsenal were box, Arsenal won my evening entertainment. ( It was a great game to watch)

[Rambo]

Rather than sit in and watch a Champions League game, I took in a local game in the Ryman League Div 1 North..........Heybridge v Thurrock...a game which Thurrock won 'comfortably' 5-0, it was great value for the £8 entry fee ! The gate given was 86, so my £8 entry fee would have been gratefully received. Fortunately for Heybridge they've also made it to the next round of the FA Cup like us ( earning £9,425 so far )so at least they've recovered "some" of the huge costs of running a team, just like we will have from our £4,500 from Saturday.

[johnnie1]

I went to see Chessington in their cup game vs Hartley Wintney on Tuesday. Worst game I've seen in years, all three goals were penalties, but still beats watching a game on TV for me. Drop in non-league attendances is very worrying. Hopefully this is as bad as it gets and things will start to improve from here.

[os]

Oct 3, 2013 13:43:10 GMT sallycat said:

Interesting. Presumably you only compared with August-September of last year?

I have not made any direct comparison other then to look at avg crowds, Dartford, Eastleigh, Chelmsford, Dover etc all seem to be down and our max hasn't broken through 500 yet although it will this Saturday due to the fun day kids.

I personally think that tv football revolving around the premiership clubs is bleeding the lower levels dry. Not all but a lot of the premiership fans nowadays are simply following others like sheep and have very little if any knowledge about the game. The media, even local media is turning its back on lower level football, we get no radio coverage at all. Also as the demographics change in local communities that is not being reflected in the crowds. We are not getting new supporters from the black, Eastern european or Asian communities even though they are a growing number within our towns. I think its a area we should addressing as I don't for one minute think its because they don't like football.

[garethl]

I think going over a tenner is a bit of a tipping point for some. I think our entrance fee should be 10 (not including concessions). Older people who traditionally go from the old days dropping off and not being able to come now? Not the same interest in younger generations, all about Champions League and the big sides? Our attendances have been shocking. I remember not too long ago when under 600 on a Saturday would have been deemed poor, but maybe I am wrong? I look at ours and watch them tumble down towards the likes of Maidenhead who I always thought were watched by a man and a dog (no offence to them intended). You look around the ground on a Saturday so far this year and wonder where everyone went? Sides like Tonbridge etc seem at times to be going past us for attendances. Perhaps being in Greater London the Premiership effect is even worse . . .

Who knows what else can be done? We have tried - would help if the local paper occasionally splashed us across the FRONT page and gave us decent coverage, rather than the current portrayal that is more appropriate to Sunday football. Just need to continue to do so and try and get people down ourselves. Maybe if we can get in the top 2 or 3 and keep winning/playing well the place will fill back up a bit. I reckon bringing the stadium on would also help a lot as people will feel we have a good place to view football, at the moment the atmosphere from the home fans is almost as bad as I can remember yet we have the best side we have had in a long time. Tuesday nights can also be great to watch football, but much better when there is a crowd rather than a Surrey Senior Cup feel.

Let's hope we get a few down for Saturday, first Sat home game for a while, good weather scheduled and a near the top of the table clash.

[baboonfish]

I remember voicing similar concerns this time last year as attendances were lower than the previous year. We put that down to the olympics/euros/sport saturation and general economic malaise. Well it seems its got even worse, despite best efforts, top signings and extremely high profile friendlies. Horrific to think what would be the case WITHOUT the efforts that have been made. Its a very worrying trend and its fairly clear that is isnt just us, but we do seem to be particularly exposed with our obvious proximity to so many bigger teams.

The pitch is superb and the playing staff/management are as good as we can possibly expect, perhaps the ground is partly what is putting people off returning. I have to say I am starting to feel less and less enamored with old GGL, it looks incredibly sad these days if you discount the wonderfully well maintained playing surface. Whereas back in the day I would have spent my fantasy millions redeveloping GGL I think now I would have to consider raising it to the ground and building a new stadium

Failing that just being a bit closer to the action on the far side would be a start! Or making the 3/4ths of the standing Main Stand side more hospitable to watching football. Theres no escaping the fact that the ground needs huge investment and I know the SUST are doing their best but there are things that can surely be done to make minor improvements without breaking the bank. If only there was a gok-wan style football ground makeover program.

And as for the local paper, I think its about 5 years since the Guardian was last delivered to my mums place in the borough of Sutton so Im not sure what Gareth means by front page? I gather it might still exist as a physical entity but I have seen little evidence to suggest it has a readership beyond a few old folk at the library? Or do you mean the website?

It is indeed a head-scratcher. By all rational considerations we should have a supporter base that is growing at least a little, not shrinking over the past few years. One has to wonder how we could ever sustain a conference national team without running at a substantial loss, it must be very very frustrating for the management and directors.

[garethl]

Still get the Guardian weekly. Bet if you went to places like Dartford the paper would be loud and proud about the local team. Ours is a half arsed effort probably not much better than none at all.

[markf2]

The Guardian is a free-bee that is distributed across London and, I believe, relies mainly on advertising for funding. Therefore, they are not going to be in a position to employ a full-time sports journalist so don't expect much else. Not sure what The Advertiser is like these days other being full of Crystal Palace stuff. That is where one would expect half decent coverage to appear.

I have loads of old newspaper cuttings and the locals used to be outstanding with regards to reporting and match previews. They used to cover Sutton, Robins, Epsom, Banstead and even Leatherhead and T&M for a while. Ironically, much of the problems are because of the very media we are using now, the internet.

It ain't gonna improve.

[Andy K]

There have been 3 games I think with over 1,000 crowds. Sadly two of those were free entry games or major concession (Eastleigh v Hayes and Farnborough v Dover).

Would be interesting to see the change across similar and different levels. It does take one well supported club to skew the figures though. Last years were certainly down on the previous mainly because we lost Dartford and Woking, the two best attended teams in the league. Same goes for Salisbury last year. Whitehawk and Concord coming in were never going to replace that, and in the last couple of seasons, we've only had one Conf Prem side come in than 2.

It would easy to point at a single team and see why their crowds are dropping (like Chelmsford for example) but for it to happen wholesale throughout the division is worrying. Add to that there are probably 2 or 3 teams who have any sort of decent level of away support in this league and things go into a bit of a downward spiral. You can put money on the fact that a few teams best league gate of the season will be when we visit them, as our away support is still one of the best in the division. Certainly that currently stands for our last two away games, Havant and Tonbridge.

[garethl]

Salisbury hardly travel in force. I don't think away travel can explain away losing 100-200 people.

[os]

We know Tim Ashton at the guardian and to be honest he doesn't do a bad job, he often includes our video highlights and it goes out online in most of South London editions. We have lost the Advertiser as its all about Croydon and Palace we hardly get a mention and they have openly stated to me that our events are of little editorial interest to them.

There are a few things in the pipeline that may help get people in but the difficulty is keeping them and making them want to come back.

[Stewart]

Oct 3, 2013 20:33:56 GMT billy said:

I started coming to the games again , after a long break , this time 5 years ago. Firstly because i was sick of the greed in the premier league and secondly to get out more outside of the cricket season after having a heart attack earlier in 2008.

From my first game , a 1-1 draw against Heybridge Swifts , i think i attended every single home game , including Epsom where the attendance was 106. I also went to a few aways.

I've paid my entrance fee , stand transfer and programme money each time.I've also sponsored the club for £1 a goal for the last two seasons (from the first game i come to after the cricket season)

Having just turned 60 i feel i should be charged half price.It's not a question of money as i can easily afford it , it's just too much and often not value for money. The vast percentage of football and cricket teams now use 60 as the yardstick.

As things stand i'm looking at coming round there a few times this season.

Sutton United know best...........................

Just say concession when you enter. You won't be challenged

[billy]