Premiership- a dream too far?

[Arriba]

potentially we're bigger than a few.
wigan,bolton,burnley and reading for sure

[Bogus Dave]

Potentially any club can be as big as those 4. Were accrington stanley to undergo a massive turnaround in fortunes, get a rich benefactor, a shiny new stadium and become a mid table premiership team by 2020 people will consider them a 'big club'.

The fact of the matter is we are a 3rd division club, ccasionaly flirting with the level above. We get crowds around the 6,500 mark. We have won one trophy of any note in our whole history. Even at this level, our ground is little more than average.  But we've had one spell of relative success (almost 20 years ago may i add), and it would appear people have ideas of this club above its station.

[Reg Smeeton]

I can't believe some people think we're bigger than the likes of Hull, Bolton and Reading. Seriously get a grip people. Maybe once upon a time those teams were smaller than us but not now. They get 5 figure crowds week in week out and have better stadiums by a mile. As Reg was basically saying we're a league one club and that's only going to change if we can get fans to come on a regular basis and find the right financial footing to cut in the CCC.

And as has been for a while the key to this is some sort of upgrade of the CG.

[Batch]

I think the point was we are as big as Reading and Hull were. But they have put millions transitioning between what they were and what they are.

As Reg said,it is a massive challenge to get to the Championship and stay there. The CC stats are pretty frightening.

Only 3 clubs have averages below 10K this season:
22   Peterborough United (18) 9123
23   Blackpool (7)   8410
24   Scunthorpe United (13)   6720   

And the top 10 supported teams average 20K+.

The gap between where we are now and sustainable CCC footy is considerable. To joint the Elite seems almost impossible.

[jonny72]

I can't believe some people think we're bigger than the likes of Hull, Bolton and Reading. Seriously get a grip people. Maybe once upon a time those teams were smaller than us but not now. They get 5 figure crowds week in week out and have better stadiums by a mile. As Reg was basically saying we're a league one club and that's only going to change if we can get fans to come on a regular basis and find the right financial footing to cut in the CCC.

I'm not saying we're bigger than them at the moment as obviously they get bigger crowds, play in a higher league and have a far higher income. But if they were to drop down to our division or we made it up to theirs, we would be on a similar footing - so historically and deep down they aren't any bigger than us.

Those clubs didn't get bigger due to a bigger fan base - their additional support is solely as a result of them being in a higher league. If we had the stadium and were in the Premier League I could see us averaging 30k a game, albeit as a result of the people that would be coming along to see the big teams play - but they all count.

[Reg Smeeton]

I think the point was we are as big as Reading and Hull were. But they have put millions transitioning between what they were and what they are.

As Reg said,it is a massive challenge to get to the Championship and stay there. The CC stats are pretty frightening.

Only 3 clubs have averages below 10K this season:
22   Peterborough United (18) 9123
23   Blackpool (7)   8410
24   Scunthorpe United (13)   6720   

And the top 10 supported teams average 20K+.

The gap between where we are now and sustainable CCC footy is considerable. To joint the Elite seems almost impossible.

This has been the case for a while though, the season following our last promotion we were the 15th best supported club in the league, of those lower, only Reading and Pompey are still competitive the likes of Oldham Port Vale  O*frod Grimsby and Tranny have fallen away.

[Rich Pullen]

In the early 80's we were a shite 4th division club. Lou Macari arrives and all of a sudden we're a tidy Championship outfit by the 90's.

We've gone full circle, what's to say we can't do it again? It's not about club history or how the fans regard the club. If the money comes in then success is usually forthcoming.

Wigan, Reading and Hull were nothing clubs teams until funding arrived.

Burnley, Portsmouth, Bolton, Fulham were successful clubs many moons ago who enjoyed success again with funding.

With big funding or a sensible business plan I believe any football club can make the top flight.

When we win games constantly, crowd sizes will increase.

[jonny72]

As Reg said,it is a massive challenge to get to the Championship and stay there. The CC stats are pretty frightening. And the top 10 supported teams average 20K+. The gap between where we are now and sustainable CCC footy is considerable. To joint the Elite seems almost impossible.

If we get in to the Championship and stay there the CG capacity is going to be a problem - the average attendance last season was over 20k. We'll get a lot more away fans with the bigger clubs and there will be plenty more home fans wanting to watch the bigger clubs.

Our ground isn't that shit though, the main stands are fine - its just behind the goals and the corners that need sorting out which could take the capacity up to say 25k which would be acceptable.

[Spencer_White]

I thought Highbury was one of the three best grounds in the country. Along with Anfield and Wembley. The place just oozed charm, class and history.

Mex, Im sure you have seen first hand what effect the internet has had on the music industry. I think the internet could start to have an affect with football soon. Just like single and album sales have declined I think TV rights will also decline in comming years. People like Murdoch are very worried at the moment because they dont know what the future holds for them. Im pretty sure they cant hold off Pay per view for much longer.

The big fear though, is that clubs off set the drop off of TV money with massive hikes in ticket prices (a bit like a gig nowadays is 3 times more expensive than an album). That really could be the death of football. Could make going to top flight football just for the elite.

[Arriba]

In the early 80's we were a shite 4th division club. Lou Macari arrives and all of a sudden we're a tidy Championship outfit by the 90's.

We've gone full circle, what's to say we can't do it again? It's not about club history or how the fans regard the club. If the money comes in then success is usually forthcoming.

Wigan, Reading and Hull were nothing clubs teams until funding arrived.

Burnley, Portsmouth, Bolton, Fulham were successful clubs many moons ago who enjoyed success again with funding.

With big funding or a sensible business plan I believe any football club can make the top flight.

When we win games constantly, crowd sizes will increase.

well said that man

[Reg Smeeton]

If we get in to the Championship and stay there the CG capacity is going to be a problem - the average attendance last season was over 20k. We'll get a lot more away fans with the bigger clubs and there will be plenty more home fans wanting to watch the bigger clubs.

Our ground isn't that shit though, the main stands are fine - its just behind the goals and the corners that need sorting out which could take the capacity up to say 25k which would be acceptable.

The ground needs sorting, not so much from the point of view of capacity, but for income streams out of game times...also the prawn sandwich brigade and corporates need catering for...there is no evidence that gates significantly increase for more than maybe the odd couple thousand for very big clubs, and plenty to suggest it makes little difference for fairly big clubs.

[Spencer_White]

If we get in to the Championship and stay there the CG capacity is going to be a problem - the average attendance last season was over 20k. We'll get a lot more away fans with the bigger clubs and there will be plenty more home fans wanting to watch the bigger clubs.

Our ground isn't that shit though, the main stands are fine - its just behind the goals and the corners that need sorting out which could take the capacity up to say 25k which would be acceptable.

That is dream land territory.

Our biggest hope is that attendances start decreasing again so we can compete like we did in the late 80's and early 90's.

Families wont ever come en mass to the County Ground. And good, because this is who we are, we are Swindon. These are our fans that weve had for years. We get 7,000 fans at home and can take 3,000 away.

[Ardiles]

I don't really see Premiership football as a realistic aspiration any more, where as once I did.  Now, I would like to see us become an established Championship side with big games every other week.  I would like to see crowds rise to maybe double their current level and the return of a big match feel around town when we played.  I'd like to see Swindon kids routinely wearing Swindon Town shirts again.  That, a good day out once in a while, a couple of pints with my friends before the game...and a promise that we'll never relocate to a plastic bowl in a field on the edge of town, is pretty much the extent of my ambition.

[alanmayes]

I don't really see Premiership football as a realistic aspiration any more, where as once I did.  Now, I would like to see us become an established Championship side with big games every other week.  I would like to see crowds rise to maybe double their current level and the return of a big match feel around town when we played.  I'd like to see Swindon kids routinely wearing Swindon Town shirts again.  That, a good day out once in a while, a couple of pints with my friends before the game...and a promise that we'll never relocate to a plastic bowl in a field on the edge of town, is pretty much the extent of my ambition.

I've had very much the same thoughts for sometime.I'd be very happy to see us back in the Championship,with an
increased fanbase and a redeveloped CG,which upholds our traditions,but with a modern feel.A template for us could
be a club like Preston,who have a nicely developed ground,decent fanbase and a good team on the pitch.

[Spy]

Swindon and its surrounding areas CAN support a side in the Premiership and CAN draw on a huge potential fan base of 25k+.

But would the experience actually be better than going to the current county ground when we're doing well or would it be expensive with a sanitised atmosphere and see us as getting regularly beaten at home cos we'd be underdogs in practically every game?