Our attendances

[Lumps]

There's been a few comments in various threads over the last few weeks about the shit attendances that we get, and there seems to be a prevailing view that the 7-7500 average that we've managed over the last few seasons is in some way under what we should be getting.

Now I know that back in Reg's day we could pull in 25,000 plus for a big game, but since I've been going, with a few exceptional years, it struck me that what were getting at the moment is about par for the course.

I started going in 83/84 in Ken Beamishes nightmare season when we had little quality in the side and narrowly avoided exiting the league. I'm pretty sure we were lucky to get more than about 4,000 that season. Now that's not suprising because we were shit and the club was seriously in the duldrums.

However, the season after we got a new sponsor, a new manager, there was supposed to be a new mood of optimism, and I'm bloody sure the crowds didn't improve much at all. I think we finished top ten that year.

The next season we won the championship, with a record points score and goal record. Basically the best season you could hope to have in the basement division.  Attendance?  Averaged about 6,500!

86/87, we were on a real roll, playing well all season, finished 3rd and won the play offs to get promotion in our first season up from the depths. Attendance - about 7,500 maybe a bit more.

The Hoddle promotion winning side? About 10,500. Even in the Prem season, when we had a capacity of 18,000 or so, and a lot of big clubs were bringing 3,000 odd away fans, we only averaged about 15,000.

A good chunk of those crowd increases can be put down to just playing bigger clubs who bring more away fans. Oldham in the Prem, who brought  a few hundred, I don't think we broke 9,000.

It's depressed me a bit, which is annoying as my intention was to demonstrate that historically our crowds aren't that bad.

All I've done is convince myself that actually we're quite a small club that had a few lucky seasons punching above our weight.

Bollocks!

[Tails]

Swindon is a lot bigger now than it was 20 minutes ago... If the club was well marketed we could pull in a lot bigger crowds than we do now.

Also, in the prem season - Chelsea were only getting crowds of 19,000 odd.. Crowds were generally smaller back then.

[BANGKOK RED]

Swindon is a lot bigger now than it was 20 minutes ago... If the club was well marketed we could pull in a lot bigger crowds than we do now.

Also, in the prem season - Chelsea were only getting crowds of 19,000 odd.. Crowds were generally smaller back then.

20 Minutes Tails?, fuck me Swindon really must be a boom town then.  

[Tails]

Ooops  

20 years, obviously

[thepeoplesgame]

Swindon is a lot bigger now than it was 20 minutes ago... If the club was well marketed we could pull in a lot bigger crowds than we do now.

Also, in the prem season - Chelsea were only getting crowds of 19,000 odd.. Crowds were generally smaller back then.

Possibly my favourite statistic in the world (and pinched from Reg to whom I apologise) is that there was a bigger attendance at the County Ground for Swindon vs Chelsea than there was at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea vs Swindon the year we were in the Premier League.

They're a massive club though, obviously.

[Phil_S]

I have no doubt in my mind that the attendances should be higher than they are. I put this down to factors.
We are in a more competetive league than last season. ie rather than being in the top 3, we are maybe in the middle.
Second, the way the board / owners have continually had a go at the supporters, has taken it's toll. Many now just go to away games.
A resaonable yardstick is Brissle Wovers, who last season before the play offs had a lower average crowd than we did. Now their average is higher.

[RobertT]

I think last seasons average was a little lower than maybe it could have been.  This year, we are again probably a little under par, especially as the Town has grown in size since the 86/87 season if we use that as a comparison.

[lambourn red]

Ooops  

20 years, obviously

Judging by the amount of eastern europeans and somalians arriving in Swindon I think you were right the first time Tails

[matty]

[gasha1]

A resaonable yardstick is Brissle Wovers, who last season before the play offs had a lower average crowd than we did. Now their average is higher.

Worth remembering that Bristol Rovers average includes home games against both Forest and Leeds, neither of whom we have yet played, so that comparison is not really valid.

However, I certainly do agree with the general view that our gates are shite.

The point was made that we basically get the same attendance as we did in the mid-80s and that is correct. The problem is most other clubs get a lot more through the gate than they did 20 years ago, Chelsea being a case in point.

The bottom line is, we have stood still, whilst others have moved onwards and upwards.

[jayohaitchenn]

A resaonable yardstick is Brissle Wovers, who last season before the play offs had a lower average crowd than we did. Now their average is higher.

Worth remembering that Bristol Rovers average includes home games against both Forest and Leeds, neither of whom we have yet played, so that comparison is not really valid.

However, I certainly do agree with the general view that our gates are shite.

The point was made that we basically get the same attendance as we did in the mid-80s and that is correct. The problem is most other clubs get a lot more through the gate than they did 20 years ago, Chelsea being a case in point.

The bottom line is, we have stood still, whilst others have moved onwards and upwards.

Not to mention the fact that Bristol is 5 times the size of Swindon!

[Nemo]

However, we don't have another club in the town a division above us.

[Tails]

Hmmm, not the same though, even half of Bristol is over twice the size of Swindon.

[STFCere]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7136087.stm


this may be of some use

[STFCere]

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