An excellent article re: Cardiff and their demise to the PL

[Batch]

How out of town rob? I lived in Cirencester. Swindon was my local league club. So essentially the same reasons as you.

Agree about moving out of Swindon ending us being Swindon, hence ending my support. County ground is in a great location, but I'd survive if the club moved within the Town

[RobertT]

I think even Bassett would tug at the heart strings.......maybe that's too far, and I'd actually still carry on.  Ciren would be a big no no though.  That's a different Town and County.  I think we are talking a few miles really, so not a big radius.

I honestly can get my head around how you end up supporting Swindon.  I can see why fans with no league club in their home town would choose a big club.  I've got no emotional tie to Ciren for example, so if Swindon didn't exist and Ciren was a league club, I can get my head around wanting to support them, I think I'd go an watch the easiest club to get to in London on the train or something (big one that is).

[Honkytonk]

What would intrigue me is how out of towners would feel, people who never lived here.  To be honest, I don't really get how you guys end up supporting the club - in a good way.  What is it about the club that makes it the one you would support?

I think I class as an 'out of towner'- I live about an hour and a half away. I support Swindon because it's a family thing. I wouldn't call myself a Moonraker, having grown up more in Dorset, but my dad is, and he got me and my elder sibling hooked on the club from an early age. I'm named after a certain Mr. Shearer, so it was kind of inevitable...

I personally think moving the club out of Swindon would be abhorrent. From the outside, the town is a shithole with no real attractions, and hoiking out a major reason for people to go there would properly cripple the place. I can't really get my head around the club moving away from the CG, as I don't think they should, but if there was a good reason/properly decent development option that was elsewhere in the Town, I think I'd survive. It is Swindon 'Town' after all. We don't want to do a kassam/ricoh/franchise and relocate miles away in some 'orrible industrial complex with no soul anywhere nearby. The Liberty Stadium in Swansea is actually a good example of somewhere that has balanced the practical need to build a new stadium on an industrial estate with having a closeness to town. Thinking about it, I do think Swansea should be the new 'pattern' for making a club work. They're safe in the prem, have a decent-ish youth system, great new stadium, semi-fan ownership, etc.

Different to a lot of other teams, I think our club's redevelopment is intrinsically linked to the improvement of the town. As I've said, there's not a lot else that draws in the crowds in Swindon, and the town itself is actually well placed in the middle of a 'dead ground' of decent football teams (Brizzle doesn't count, Reading are going down, Southampton are pretty much the closest team that will definitely be Premiership next year, and with Coventry's problems god only knows). It's possible that a load of 'floating fans' could be drawn to new investment/development, particularly if we're in the Championship next year.

Cardiff have done something that works in the short term, we'll see how they're doing 5 years down the line. I can actually seeing them being alright, they're still in the city, still a Welsh club, improving their marketing links in the far east. If they don't go mental and start spending £30m on players, I reckon they'll be alright.

[Batch]

Sorry I meant how out of town would you need to be to be classed as an 'out of towner'.

But you reply was more interesting. The distances of Cirencester, Chippenham would be a no. Moving to a greenfield site on the outskirts (e.g j16) I think would be dissapointing for multiple reasons, but we'd still be Swindon town.

[RobertT]

Sorry I meant how out of town would you need to be to be classed as an 'out of towner'.

But you reply was more interesting. The distances of Cirencester, Chippenham would be a no. Moving to a greenfield site on the outskirts (e.g j16) I think would be dissapointing for multiple reasons, but we'd still be Swindon town.

Ok, I can see why someone from Bassett would support Swindon, it's practically a suburb now.
Cricklade - 50/50, they probably think they are nothing to do with Swindon, but are, same for Highworth.  Once you go beyond those, I'd say you were an "out of towner".  At that point I can imagine myself choosing rather than having no choice.  I know I am wrong, and there all sorts of reasons, but my point was geared towards whether the fanbase would in fact "care" whether it was in Swindon or 15 miles away and whether that would depend on where you were from and why you supported the club.

[Bukkake Regiment]

I would rather stay at a ramshackle County Ground then move to a soulless pit in the middle of nowhere. If we were to build a new ground I would want 4 separate stands, and a bit of character. Wouldn't want to end up with a Keepmoat. I still think the way forward is redeveloping the County Ground, all we need at the moment is a redeveloped Townend, if we did that it would probably take our capacity up to 17/18k.

[Honkytonk]

I would rather stay at a ramshackle County Ground then move to a soulless pit in the middle of nowhere. If we were to build a new ground I would want 4 separate stands, and a bit of character. Wouldn't want to end up with a Keepmoat. I still think the way forward is redeveloping the County Ground, all we need at the moment is a redeveloped Townend, if we did that it would probably take our capacity up to 17/18k.

Yep. Redevelop the TE (even just ripping the seats out and replacing them with safe standing when it gets approved would be a good start if we're being cheap about it), replace Stratton with a proper, roofed stand that we can stick the away lot in, and we'd be well on our way to having a 20k capacity. Internal remodelling is really all that really needs to happen with the DRS and Arkells, just to make them look slightly less grotty (it's happened to some extent in the Legends Lounge and the 'posh' bits of the Arkells already).

[Batch]

but my point was geared towards whether the fanbase would in fact "care" whether it was in Swindon or 15 miles away and whether that would depend on where you were from and why you supported the club.

Well, if you are taking a straw poll, as an out of towner now living in town it very much matters to me.  Swindon are my club. 15 miles isn't Swindon. That answer would be the same if I lived elsewhere.

[wiggy]

I am from and live in Devizes. The location of the ground is important as it forms such a big part of the match day ritual, from where you park to the routes you walk to the ground, what pubs/chippies you use. I also think the most of us have to walk to the ground from where we park is also part of the experience - you meet and have a shared experience and conversation with total strangers, including away fans.

[JanTheMan]

On reflection, the only tradition that would bring my support into question would be location.  If we moved out of Swindon, ala Franchise, then I would call it a day and have no affinity towards the new club.  Everything else would be a ballache, but in reality, our stands won't last forever, our kit will change as will our badge and we might even change a bit of the name.  None of that would really make me stop, the club would still exist and be "Swindon".
As soon as we move out to say Membury/Leigh Delamere/Chippenham/Newbury etc, that would be it.  iT's not my home town, which is essentially the reason I support the club.
What would intrigue me is how out of towners would feel, people who never lived here.  To be honest, I don't really get how you guys end up supporting the club - in a good way.  What is it about the club that makes it the one you would support?

I have very little interest in the town of Swindon and the only thing I go there for is football - even then i'd choose 10 aways over one home game……..but if we ever moved out of the town, i'd be done.  I’m not even sure why I think like this, but I do.
 
A great article, but unfortunately anyone agreeing with the author is very much in the minority.  At the end of the day, the Premier League TM and all the shite that comes with it will win. 

Supporting town was probably the only thing I could rely on until my death bed, but it’s articles like this that make me realise there’s a high chance I won’t be watching town in 20 or 30 years.  Football is a horrible business and I fully expect to be shafted at some point soon. 

Now this is pessimism to rival Mr Reg

[leefer]

Some brilliant posts on here.

I think a lot depends on the first PROPER match you attend either on your own(as i did) or with a friend or parent...after my first match i was hooked...the atmosphere, smell and the whole experience as a youngster had me spellbound.

If i had gone to watch another team instead of Swindon....maybe i would have been hooked on them.

[Costanza]

A move to Chippenham would work for me.........

 

[Abrahammer]

Some brilliant posts on here.

I think a lot depends on the first PROPER match you attend either on your own(as i did) or with a friend or parent...after my first match i was hooked...the atmosphere, smell and the whole experience as a youngster had me spellbound.

If i had gone to watch another team instead of Swindon....maybe i would have been hooked on them.

Exactly the reason I'm a town fan.  As a proper out-of-towner it was pure chance that my first game as a young kid was at Swindon due to my old man getting a couple of free tickets.  I was hooked thereafter but I assume if that first game had of been at Pox, Reading, whoever then I'd probably be a fan of them

[Costanza]

Exactly the reason I'm a town fan.  As a proper out-of-towner it was pure chance that my first game as a young kid was at Swindon due to my old man getting a couple of free tickets.  I was hooked thereafter but I assume if that first game had of been at Pox, Reading, whoever then I'd probably be a fan of them

Same. I have no personal/family links to the Town other than the support for its football club.

Thanks dad.

[FreddySTFC!]

Same. I have no personal/family links to the Town other than the support for its football club.

Thanks dad.

Same here, probably in more extreme circs than most!! My uncle took me to the first game of the 94/95 season against Port Vale, the season after relegation from the Prem. Been going ever since & have had a season ticket since 96/97 & all despite being a proud Welshman with no links to Swindon at all!! My nickname at home is Swindon, u'd be amazed at how many people here look out for our results on a Saturday, mainly to take the piss!!