Also, surely we want people who are going to improve the atmosphere and become committed supporters longer term - not just people coming down for the occasional day out? I know you've got to start somewhere, but are people who need enticing with gourmet food or whatever really those people? It's a football club, ffs.
So can anyone explain why we have lost between 1,000-1,500 fans over the last two decades despite an improvement in playing standards, facilities etc? I am genuinely intrigued to know why we can’t attract bigger crowds.
@glasshalffull said:
So can anyone explain why we have lost between 1,000-1,500 fans over the last two decades despite an improvement in playing standards, facilities etc? I am genuinely intrigued to know why we can’t attract bigger crowds.
How have ticket prices changed since then? Relatively. They were dirt cheap under the Trust but seem expensive now.
Relatively speaking I don’t think ticket prices are much higher than they were when we were attracting bigger crowds. I am not moaning as RITM suggests, just trying to get feedback.
Did anyone also notice the boxes on Saturday ? Half of them look empty, I've heard a few rumours of massive price hikes over there. If that is the reason wouldn't it make more sense to keep prices a bit lower, then the people that fill them will at least be eating and drinking ?
Only last week the national media highlighted the so called 'suprise' fact that Wycombe suffers from large swathes of poverty.
For those who live in or close to the many urban estates, this will come as no shock.
But I'm afraid the current pricing policy pretty much excludes those that are struggling financially.
The inclusive message that is regularly banged out, regarding colour,gender and sexual orientation, sadly doesn't seem to include the poor.
I read somewhere that we are the 4th dearest in league 1. That may not be right though.
However, I don’t think that is the main cause but it is rather the fact that we are in a difficult catchment area as stated earlier.
All very difficult but we need to concentrate on getting new young fans through the doors and the free tickets handed out at schools was a great policy as that ensured parents would attend with them and would also spend in the club shop and kiosks etc.
I got two tickets given to me by a work colleague for the second part of the Adams Park inaugural games (Southampton), in 1990. I brought my eldest son to that game and we were completely sold on Wycombe Wanderers from that point and my other two younger sons then joined us and we have had family season tickets ever since.
Hate to state the obvious but comparing a one off attendance in August (during a pandemic) with hardly any away fans vs an average attendance across the course of an entire season and then using that comparison to state that "we have lost between 1,000 and 1,500 fans" is an absolutely pointless thing to do
@HolmerBlue said:
Did anyone also notice the boxes on Saturday ? Half of them look empty, I've heard a few rumours of massive price hikes over there. If that is the reason wouldn't it make more sense to keep prices a bit lower, then the people that fill them will at least be eating and drinking ?
That reminds me, how was the 'in the tunnel' experience that the club was trumpeting during lockdown, with the new lounge built there? I did wonder at the time whether it would be quite the draw here that it is at Tottenham. I'm surprised not to have seen more comms on that or the new lounge in the Frank Adams over the last week or so... Are they struggling for subscribers?
@glasshalffull said:
So can anyone explain why we have lost between 1,000-1,500 fans over the last two decades despite an improvement in playing standards, facilities etc? I am genuinely intrigued to know why we can’t attract bigger crowds.
@eric_plant said:
Hate to state the obvious but comparing a one off attendance in August (during a pandemic) with hardly any away fans vs an average attendance across the course of an entire season and then using that comparison to state that "we have lost between 1,000 and 1,500 fans" is an absolutely pointless thing to do
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that by the end of the season our average attendance will be higher than Saturday’s figure, but do you think it will reach the dizzy heights of 6,000-6,500?
@glasshalffull said:
So can anyone explain why we have lost between 1,000-1,500 fans over the last two decades despite an improvement in playing standards, facilities etc? I am genuinely intrigued to know why we can’t attract bigger crowds.
I'm not sure we have lost 1000 - 1500 fans Alan.
If you compare the first home game in 2001/2(record average attendance year) to Saturday attendance we are 874 down. Though only about 700 home fans down due to Accringtons low attendance compared to Wrexhams 316.
In the 2019/20 season we only had four home games left that would have lifted our average attendance up to 5800'ish for the season. Around 800 down on 2001/2.
We have a squad that will entertain and push us towards the top of Lge1 this season. I think many people are concerned we have a pricing structure for tickets, food, merchandise etc that is undoubtedly also at the very top of Lge1, if not in 1st place.
Many will happily pay top dollar for a season ticket because of the quality of the squad, management, improved stadium and feel good factor. Occasional visitors will not put up with traffic issues and sky high catering prices.
With a high League position this year I can quite easily seeing us getting very close to that 6621 record attendance if it wasn't for the International breaks.
@glasshalffull said:
I get where you are coming from Chas on the cost of food and drinks, but would you say this also applies to the price of tickets?
They are certainly not cheap, when you don't have a lot of spare cash.
Whilst I admire a lot of things the Couhigs are trying to do, including making it a real day out. I don't think their is anyone batting for those struggling, and have been our core fan base for many years.
You shouldn't be made to feel alienated or out priced when you just want to continue your passion for association football and the Wanderers, but simply don't have the resources.
I think @ChasHarps brings up a very valid point. There is a large part of the local population that simply can't afford to attend matches on a regular basis. Speaking for myself, having been watching Wycombe since the mid 80's, I went through several seasons where much as I wanted to go, I just didn't have the money and was only getting to perhaps half a dozen games a season for a few years. I missed it desperately, even though we were struggling at the time. Thankfully my situation has improved and I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy season tickets for myself and my daughter this time around. I am very aware however that many fans are not in a position to be going week in week out.
That said, there's no doubting Saturday's attendance was poor, but probably something of a freak low. I actually think providing we're competing towards the top of the table, crowds will be averaging something towards 6k as they were during our promotion season. The interest around town in the team is the highest it's been for quite some time. It was just a shame we couldn't cash in on that last season in the Championship.
Thanks for the feedback and I can promise you that the club is taking steps to ensure that your complaints and suggestions are not ignored, but please give them time.
@glasshalffull said:
So can anyone explain why we have lost between 1,000-1,500 fans over the last two decades despite an improvement in playing standards, facilities etc? I am genuinely intrigued to know why we can’t attract bigger crowds.
Sky and the Premier League
Do you think many Wycombe fans have ‘defected’ to PL clubs? Don’t forget that Sky can’t show live games at 3pm on Saturdays.
Likewise, I'm reasonably confident our average crowd won't be far off 6,000. Accrington isn't a big crowd puller in the middle of August and many regulars (myself included) were unable to attend for the various reasons discussed in the thread above.
What does intrigue me is why this particularly seems to affect Wycombe (low August crowds)? I know there's loads of local cricketers who can't attend games due to club commitments. Perhaps this isn't such an issue for some clubs (City teams?) where club/village cricket isn't so prevalent? Hard to put a finger on it really. Holidays are an excuse of course, but that would be the same anywhere.
@glasshalffull said:
Thanks for the feedback and I can promise you that the club is taking steps to ensure that your complaints and suggestions are not ignored, but please give them time.
It's appreciated .
Also I read that the 50/50 ticket sellers are upset they are not needed, maybe an idea to reintroduce them and allow cash for these tickets.
And the proceeds can go into a pool that maybe can allow Struggling fans or potential fans to gain access to half price or heavily discounted tickets.
Great PR for the club as well.
My wife showed me a tweet from a former 50/50 seller who said he hadn’t had any comms from the club to tell him he was no longer needed.
It’s a shame they couldn’t have thanked them for their years of service at least.
I’d buy at least 4 or 5 each week as my extra ‘donation’ to the club coffers. My kids did enjoy buying the ticket from the old fella too, he used to help them with their maths when they were nippers.
Maybe that’s where some of the disappointment over the ‘new experience’ comes from. My match day routine was grab some 50/50s, maybe a programme then a few swift ales before the game.
Now there’s no 50/50, programme sellers are nowhere to be found and there’s no ale!
We are creatures of habit and such sweeping changes together with the price hikes came as a bit of a shock to be honest.
@Alexo said:
Well if the WiFi is so good now, why can't the club invest in a load of handheld pdq machines and continue such raffles?? Or am I missing the point?
They want to go paperless - but surely a paperless raffle is completely doable.
And as far I could tell, there was nowhere dedicated to get a programme. They had people going around handing out the freebies at the Leicester game, so surely they could arm them with card readers?
Comments
Also, surely we want people who are going to improve the atmosphere and become committed supporters longer term - not just people coming down for the occasional day out? I know you've got to start somewhere, but are people who need enticing with gourmet food or whatever really those people? It's a football club, ffs.
So can anyone explain why we have lost between 1,000-1,500 fans over the last two decades despite an improvement in playing standards, facilities etc? I am genuinely intrigued to know why we can’t attract bigger crowds.
How have ticket prices changed since then? Relatively. They were dirt cheap under the Trust but seem expensive now.
Relatively speaking I don’t think ticket prices are much higher than they were when we were attracting bigger crowds. I am not moaning as RITM suggests, just trying to get feedback.
Did anyone also notice the boxes on Saturday ? Half of them look empty, I've heard a few rumours of massive price hikes over there. If that is the reason wouldn't it make more sense to keep prices a bit lower, then the people that fill them will at least be eating and drinking ?
Only last week the national media highlighted the so called 'suprise' fact that Wycombe suffers from large swathes of poverty.
For those who live in or close to the many urban estates, this will come as no shock.
But I'm afraid the current pricing policy pretty much excludes those that are struggling financially.
The inclusive message that is regularly banged out, regarding colour,gender and sexual orientation, sadly doesn't seem to include the poor.
I get where you are coming from Chas on the cost of food and drinks, but would you say this also applies to the price of tickets?
I read somewhere that we are the 4th dearest in league 1. That may not be right though.
However, I don’t think that is the main cause but it is rather the fact that we are in a difficult catchment area as stated earlier.
All very difficult but we need to concentrate on getting new young fans through the doors and the free tickets handed out at schools was a great policy as that ensured parents would attend with them and would also spend in the club shop and kiosks etc.
I got two tickets given to me by a work colleague for the second part of the Adams Park inaugural games (Southampton), in 1990. I brought my eldest son to that game and we were completely sold on Wycombe Wanderers from that point and my other two younger sons then joined us and we have had family season tickets ever since.
Hate to state the obvious but comparing a one off attendance in August (during a pandemic) with hardly any away fans vs an average attendance across the course of an entire season and then using that comparison to state that "we have lost between 1,000 and 1,500 fans" is an absolutely pointless thing to do
If we keep winning they will come...
That reminds me, how was the 'in the tunnel' experience that the club was trumpeting during lockdown, with the new lounge built there? I did wonder at the time whether it would be quite the draw here that it is at Tottenham. I'm surprised not to have seen more comms on that or the new lounge in the Frank Adams over the last week or so... Are they struggling for subscribers?
Sky and the Premier League
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that by the end of the season our average attendance will be higher than Saturday’s figure, but do you think it will reach the dizzy heights of 6,000-6,500?
Our average is likely to be between 5,000 and 5,500
I can’t imagine that our financial models are built on more than that.
I'm not sure we have lost 1000 - 1500 fans Alan.
If you compare the first home game in 2001/2(record average attendance year) to Saturday attendance we are 874 down. Though only about 700 home fans down due to Accringtons low attendance compared to Wrexhams 316.
In the 2019/20 season we only had four home games left that would have lifted our average attendance up to 5800'ish for the season. Around 800 down on 2001/2.
We have a squad that will entertain and push us towards the top of Lge1 this season. I think many people are concerned we have a pricing structure for tickets, food, merchandise etc that is undoubtedly also at the very top of Lge1, if not in 1st place.
Many will happily pay top dollar for a season ticket because of the quality of the squad, management, improved stadium and feel good factor. Occasional visitors will not put up with traffic issues and sky high catering prices.
With a high League position this year I can quite easily seeing us getting very close to that 6621 record attendance if it wasn't for the International breaks.
I think we might get up near the 6,000 mark, yes
They are certainly not cheap, when you don't have a lot of spare cash.
Whilst I admire a lot of things the Couhigs are trying to do, including making it a real day out. I don't think their is anyone batting for those struggling, and have been our core fan base for many years.
You shouldn't be made to feel alienated or out priced when you just want to continue your passion for association football and the Wanderers, but simply don't have the resources.
I think @ChasHarps brings up a very valid point. There is a large part of the local population that simply can't afford to attend matches on a regular basis. Speaking for myself, having been watching Wycombe since the mid 80's, I went through several seasons where much as I wanted to go, I just didn't have the money and was only getting to perhaps half a dozen games a season for a few years. I missed it desperately, even though we were struggling at the time. Thankfully my situation has improved and I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy season tickets for myself and my daughter this time around. I am very aware however that many fans are not in a position to be going week in week out.
That said, there's no doubting Saturday's attendance was poor, but probably something of a freak low. I actually think providing we're competing towards the top of the table, crowds will be averaging something towards 6k as they were during our promotion season. The interest around town in the team is the highest it's been for quite some time. It was just a shame we couldn't cash in on that last season in the Championship.
Thanks for the feedback and I can promise you that the club is taking steps to ensure that your complaints and suggestions are not ignored, but please give them time.
Do you think many Wycombe fans have ‘defected’ to PL clubs? Don’t forget that Sky can’t show live games at 3pm on Saturdays.
@eric_plant Interesting.
Likewise, I'm reasonably confident our average crowd won't be far off 6,000. Accrington isn't a big crowd puller in the middle of August and many regulars (myself included) were unable to attend for the various reasons discussed in the thread above.
What does intrigue me is why this particularly seems to affect Wycombe (low August crowds)? I know there's loads of local cricketers who can't attend games due to club commitments. Perhaps this isn't such an issue for some clubs (City teams?) where club/village cricket isn't so prevalent? Hard to put a finger on it really. Holidays are an excuse of course, but that would be the same anywhere.
It's appreciated .
Also I read that the 50/50 ticket sellers are upset they are not needed, maybe an idea to reintroduce them and allow cash for these tickets.
And the proceeds can go into a pool that maybe can allow Struggling fans or potential fans to gain access to half price or heavily discounted tickets.
Great PR for the club as well.
My wife showed me a tweet from a former 50/50 seller who said he hadn’t had any comms from the club to tell him he was no longer needed.
It’s a shame they couldn’t have thanked them for their years of service at least.
I’d buy at least 4 or 5 each week as my extra ‘donation’ to the club coffers. My kids did enjoy buying the ticket from the old fella too, he used to help them with their maths when they were nippers.
Maybe that’s where some of the disappointment over the ‘new experience’ comes from. My match day routine was grab some 50/50s, maybe a programme then a few swift ales before the game.
Now there’s no 50/50, programme sellers are nowhere to be found and there’s no ale!
We are creatures of habit and such sweeping changes together with the price hikes came as a bit of a shock to be honest.
Well if the WiFi is so good now, why can't the club invest in a load of handheld pdq machines and continue such raffles?? Or am I missing the point?
They want to go paperless - but surely a paperless raffle is completely doable.
And as far I could tell, there was nowhere dedicated to get a programme. They had people going around handing out the freebies at the Leicester game, so surely they could arm them with card readers?