Crowd vs Walsall under 5,000

[British Bulldog]

We could do with a big name to attract fans back to Withdean as well, As much as I rate the manager and squad we have at the moment we lack that big name for fans to relate to. If you look at some of the managers and players we've seen at the Withdean there's no-one there at the moment who's a star.

 

[derek furlong]

Fill the ground with a host of confusing but unmissable ticket deals,possitively encourage an atmosphere,not piss on it and watch the kids make their old man take 'em back,time and again.
Thats how i got hooked.

 

[perseus]

Loud and foul mouthed bullies are putting off some spectators. Don't let them spoil it for you.

 

[Napper]

sometimes crowd can be low with a good atmosphere, dont think we helped the players at all last night.......bad performance from the fans......most seemed uninterested until it was 1 - 1

 

[Mendoza]

yesterdays game had a real JPT game feel about it.

When the players ran out on to the pitch before the game, they were welcomed by a polite ripple of applause much like you hear when Stephen Hendry does a great safety shot.

You could have closed off blocks A,B, H and J and it still would have looked empty.

I thought the crowd would have been as it was only £5 to get in for Stooodents, but that really was a SHOCKING turn out.

No singing, even the moaning was quiet!!!

Hopefully Ken Brown wil HAVE to do something about it, cause we will fail big time with Falmer if that continues

 

[Icy Gull]

I quite enjoyed last night's game, wasn't that exciting but it was quite watchable. Don't go that often and at £54.00 for two Northstand tickets I certainly wouldn't be going every week even if I could. I could be considered a bad fan but the price is definitely not good value for money and that's not forgetting that we are playing reasonably well and are in the play off positions now. Worrying for the club I'm sure and I don't have the solution.

 

[JJ McClure]

Agree with all of the above, especially e);

Too little investment by the Directors in Withdean.

Can't agree with that. They've put a lot of cash into the east and west ends of the ground the problem was it was done at the wrong time. Planning restrictions prohibit further development (such as a roof) and they are hardly going to put more money into Withdean when a) it's half empty and b) Falmer has been approved.

Agree with others on here though about reducing the cost of the East stand. For £15 I would go in there for the rest of the season.

 

[Croydonbloke]

That's f***ing shocking.

We truly are a lower league club with a very poor fanbase.

I will have to cut and paste this comment. BRILLIANT QUOTE.

 

[Nemesis]

We could do with a big name to attract fans back to Withdean as well,

We need to score goals too. People go to football to be entertained and goals are the entertainment they are looking for. Last night was a perfect example. If half of the decent chances had gone in we'd have had 4 or 5. Same for Leeds-had we scored half of the chances we'd have won that game.

That would add more to the crowd figures than any wacko ticket schemes will. People that didn't go last night simply look at the result and think "They drew, glad I didn't go now". They have no idea that we dominated the game until we got in front of goal.

Get a goal scorer-create some headlines and have the stay aways saying "Shit, wish I'd gone last night". They'll start drifting back-as will the atmosphere we used to have at Withdean. Yes! There used to be atmosphere-ask some of the players who visited a few years ago. They just did not like playing here.

DK needs to bring in a couple of players in January to generate some excitement because if he allows things to plod on as they are the crowds will not come back. I know we're in 6th place but that isn't the whole story of our season-I'm glad we're in 6th place but that obviously isn't a good enough league position to win back the missing fans.

 

[Scoffers]

I like the idea of £15 seats for the East, that's the kind of thinking we need, come on Brighton SORT IT OUT

 

[Croydonbloke]

YOU`RE JUST A SMALL CLUB IN SUSSEX!!!!!! That's the problem

 

[Bozza]

We need to score goals too. People go to football to be entertained and goals are the entertainment they are looking for. Last night was a perfect example. If half of the decent chances had gone in we'd have had 4 or 5. Same for Leeds-had we scored half of the chances we'd have won that game.

That would add more to the crowd figures than any wacko ticket schemes will. People that didn't go last night simply look at the result and think "They drew, glad I didn't go now". They have no idea that we dominated the game until we got in front of goal.

Get a goal scorer-create some headlines and have the stay aways saying "Shit, wish I'd gone last night". They'll start drifting back-as will the atmosphere we used to have at Withdean. Yes! There used to be atmosphere-ask some of the players who visited a few years ago. They just did not like playing here.

I agree with what you're saying but what we are seeing at the Albion at the moment doesn't reflect that. On Saturday we beat a team that was (also) recently in the Championship 3-1. I reckon most football fans would say that a 3-1 scoreline hints at a decent game of football. It was the 8th game in a run that had seen the Albion win 5, draw 2 and lose only 1 as they hauled themselves up to 7th place and the play-off fringes.

Evening games are, in most places, very much looked forward to. The combination of a crisp Autumnal evening and floodlights is a heady mix. Additionally those who have other engagements on Saturdays are able to take in a game. Yet last night no more (if anything a few less) Albion fans turned up than had done so on Saturday.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

guessing the stoodent offer didnt really work tonight either?

was this down to the fact stoodents cant be bothered to go, or a complete lack of advertising by the club?

Thats a good point, was it just put on the web site or did they make an effort and put posters up etc at the unis?

 

[Il Duce]

£15 East stand and all tickets for 12 yr olds and under, wherever they are in the ground, should be free.

 

[Tooting Gull]

According to Harty on SCR. I'm an STH but I think ticket prices MUST be cut.

We were talking about this in the pub at length before last night's game, and I still think there is some complacency on the issue.

We need to find another 5 or 6,000 STHs in the next two years, to have a base from which to reach 15,000 crowds with day-only sales at Falmer. We are a million miles off that at the moment.

I think the current crowds show just how important pay on the day is to a football club, because along with prices at Withdean, that is killing us. Crowds go up with impulse buys when you're doing well. If you take out those impulse buys, crowds react far less to good performances on the pitch.

In the short term (and I'm guessing), if you say we have 4,000 STHs and roughly 1,000 extras coming in at average £23 a pop, that's an extra £23,000. If you could get the 'extras' to 3,000 at £15, that's an extra £45,000. I can't believe that's not possible.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Can I remind everyone that in the 1990-91 season, when we were seriously challenging for the old Division One, we got 4420 against Grimsby on a Wednesday night, when Byrne and Small were banging in the goals. I am a season ticket holder, but I had another appointment last night, but last night's game is one I am just not going to make the effort to get down to from London when I am manically busy at work. However, I do think the club seriously needs to look at pricing and consider introducing a category system. Last night's game would come in the lowest category, with tickets at, say, £18 to £20, with Leeds or Forest as Category A games at £25. Surely that would be a good idea.

 

[Scotty Mac]

Thats a good point, was it just put on the web site or did they make an effort and put posters up etc at the unis?

according to potter, nothing was advertised at brighton uni

how do they expect stoodents to find out about the chance of seeing football for £5 if they don't advertise it DIRECTLY to them?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Does seem rather stupid

 

[Questions]

You need as many season ticket holders as you can possibly get. Its not advisable to piss them off because if they dont renew and go back to match to match purchases, its easy for them to miss out on say............... 10% -15% of the games.
That equates to a big slice of wedge for this club......

and I am not saying STH are the bees knees before WW3 starts up again over that issue.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

As someone who until this season always had a ST at Withdean I am, together with my son one of the missing thousands.

Here are my reasons why the crowds are so low, and then some possible solutions:

The performances at home last season (both under MM and DW) were on the whole woeful and at the end of the season we decided that we wouldn't renew for the first time. Going to Withdean had before some sort of obligation, rather than a pleasure. Instead we can pick and choose our home games and go to more away games which are far more enjoyable.

I know we have about 4000 STHs but this is down from about 5000 the season before. These 1000 people will pick and choose the games they go to, and of course you will go to far less games on a casual basis.

The whole Withdean experience is crap. I have just had enough of the whole thing - from the being so far from the pitch thing, the lack of roof, atmosphere, moaning old gits, park and ride, I could go on.

The biggest mistake was the extra seats - you used to HAVE to have a ST to get a ticket, now you can get one easily, there is/was no incentive to have a ST, - you might save a few quid, but if you miss a couple of games then it generally evens itself out anyway. (If you're going to put extra seats in, then should have invested in the team to stay in the Championship.)

West Ham. I got tickets, but I am aware of several STHs who didn't and this just added to the reasons why they gave theirs up. No loyalty from the club to them - so why give the club their money up front.

Pay on the Day. Yes, I know the current restrictions, but this has to be readdressed NOW, even if it means going back to the Council. Does anyone think the council will say NO? This also needs to be addressed for Falmer as well. (Even if it means selling tickets on the Park and Ride buses, rail stations etc...) There has to be some unallocated seating at Falmer as well - yes it is possible.

Costs. Now as a non STH I will pick and choose games, and yes the cost is a factor.I understand STHs might not want all tickets sold at say £15.00 but why not sell tickets in the East Stand and at the ends of the South Stand for 15 and 5 for a kid, even if you have to buy them in 3 match packages? With the booking fee £27.00 is a joke.

Finally, we must make sure that the club get to Falmer 'on time' ie in 2.1/2 seasons time. I will get a ST when we are at Falmer, but not before. Bad fan.

Ken Brown better start earning his Salary PDQ.