In all honesty, lower league football is screwed as the big business it wants to be long term.
The Sky machine is ramping up even more opportunities to watch the only league that matters from the comfort of your own home, while making attending lower league fixtures in person even more onerous.
How many kids in a Sky household are going to pick Wycombe v Burton over Arsenal v Man City?
Then there’s the growing lobby to make the WSL a Saturday afternoon televised event, no doubt filling the sport-starved schedules of our free to air channels.
IF the EPL sling a bucketload of cash at the EFL then in can probably bob along with diminishing crowds and even greater inequity between the divisions, meaning any promotion is almost surely followed by relegation.
I agree with a lot of your sentiment, however crowds for the 3 EFL divisions were at their highest in about 50 years last year, therefore not having a detrimental impact yet.
Ours have dropped off this season, however this is more likely driven by losing Saturdays to international football, price and a dull standard of football. The last two seasons have been the highest since the year after our FA Cup run.
Local lower league football is completely different from going to premier League games. It needs to remain friendly, fun and affordable to do so. Players need to be approachable and it has to be a notably good day out and a unique experience with less faff, last minute availability and convenience. Robs original ideas about match day experience aren't wide of the mark he has just struggled to implement them and has an inflated view of what is affordable based on his own wealth and what other people charge for similar leisure pursuits, the thing about a cinema or theatre visit or bowling is that you might only go on an occasion or even do it once a year, convincing families to come out 20 plus times a season is more difficult.
I think it is harder to develop a fan base, the kind of guys and gals that will come regardless of how rubbish the football is, the weather, the league position etc. Which means your business model is very much linked to the league position and the opposition (and maybe the quality of football). In any business if that is your income profile building your cost base so high it needs millions added regularly to support it is financial suicide.
Rob fails to understand that we need to have a sustainable business on the fans we have. Not the ones we want.
Lower League football for smaller clubs (like ours) is unsustainable in its current form. To compete player salaries have to be on a parity with rival teams at that level. Affordable wages are predicated on either sizeable gate receipts (think Sunderland or Sheff Wed.) or a benefactor willing to loose money for whatever reason. We have neither whilst a club like Wrexham have, for now, both. There is every reason to believe that they will be pushing League One playoff in a few seasons time and we in their current position.
We have enjoyed wonderful times over the past few years but arguably, given the above, our natural position is yoyo between One and Two at best.
The last sentence isn't necessarily an issue for most but some of Robs statements may have raised expectations and he has to deal with that.
In any single game, and it is still technically a game or sport and not just a willy waving contests for rich people and Wannabees, the best team should win but if we're better organised and first into tackles anything is possible, similarly big clubs can buy badly, if we're careful and lucky and well run the odd jump into the championship or cup run isn't impossible but is a bit above our ranking.
Got to agree with @NiceCarrots about the coffee thing...I have no experience in retail or hospitality but most places have a coffee machine with a youngster manning it...I know that's not always a casual staff member once a fortnight or odd week night but still...the powdered stuff is terrible and somehow even putting hot water on a teabag does not seem to result in a drinkable beverage...even on the coldest nights.
@perfidious_albion is also right, surely if anyone is going to get irate about us being a mid-table League One team (albeit with higher aspirations, of course) they are in for a lot of disappointment.
Tbh with our current average attendance probably more mid league 2 lvl and most of our support are old boomers anyway so when they die off our fanbase will shrink with little interest from young new fans.
2022-23's EFL season had the "highest League attendances for 70 years as nearly 22 million attend EFL competitions. Over 21.7 million supporters passed through the turnstiles of an EFL competition in 2022-23, with the highest cumulative attendances recorded for league matches since 1953-54"
Lower league football is doing just fine in terms of attendances. It's just the entire thing is a financial basketcase.
Comments
Even better if Venezuelan Bolivar - just over £1
Think it was 4.5 million times he's ever so slightly over estated the deliverable.
Best in class toilets, food, road, Marlow training ground etc
Ticketing system!
Delicious foodstuffs delivered to your seat by app.
In all honesty, lower league football is screwed as the big business it wants to be long term.
The Sky machine is ramping up even more opportunities to watch the only league that matters from the comfort of your own home, while making attending lower league fixtures in person even more onerous.
How many kids in a Sky household are going to pick Wycombe v Burton over Arsenal v Man City?
Then there’s the growing lobby to make the WSL a Saturday afternoon televised event, no doubt filling the sport-starved schedules of our free to air channels.
IF the EPL sling a bucketload of cash at the EFL then in can probably bob along with diminishing crowds and even greater inequity between the divisions, meaning any promotion is almost surely followed by relegation.
If I was Rob Couhig, I’d get out quick.
Rob says he will come to the Trust gazebo/stall at 1.30pm on Saturday and will be happy to talk to fans then and answer questions.
He will also be speaking with the Wycombe Sound guys.
I agree with a lot of your sentiment, however crowds for the 3 EFL divisions were at their highest in about 50 years last year, therefore not having a detrimental impact yet.
Ours have dropped off this season, however this is more likely driven by losing Saturdays to international football, price and a dull standard of football. The last two seasons have been the highest since the year after our FA Cup run.
Local lower league football is completely different from going to premier League games. It needs to remain friendly, fun and affordable to do so. Players need to be approachable and it has to be a notably good day out and a unique experience with less faff, last minute availability and convenience. Robs original ideas about match day experience aren't wide of the mark he has just struggled to implement them and has an inflated view of what is affordable based on his own wealth and what other people charge for similar leisure pursuits, the thing about a cinema or theatre visit or bowling is that you might only go on an occasion or even do it once a year, convincing families to come out 20 plus times a season is more difficult.
I think it is harder to develop a fan base, the kind of guys and gals that will come regardless of how rubbish the football is, the weather, the league position etc. Which means your business model is very much linked to the league position and the opposition (and maybe the quality of football). In any business if that is your income profile building your cost base so high it needs millions added regularly to support it is financial suicide.
Rob fails to understand that we need to have a sustainable business on the fans we have. Not the ones we want.
Lower League football for smaller clubs (like ours) is unsustainable in its current form. To compete player salaries have to be on a parity with rival teams at that level. Affordable wages are predicated on either sizeable gate receipts (think Sunderland or Sheff Wed.) or a benefactor willing to loose money for whatever reason. We have neither whilst a club like Wrexham have, for now, both. There is every reason to believe that they will be pushing League One playoff in a few seasons time and we in their current position.
We have enjoyed wonderful times over the past few years but arguably, given the above, our natural position is yoyo between One and Two at best.
The last sentence isn't necessarily an issue for most but some of Robs statements may have raised expectations and he has to deal with that.
In any single game, and it is still technically a game or sport and not just a willy waving contests for rich people and Wannabees, the best team should win but if we're better organised and first into tackles anything is possible, similarly big clubs can buy badly, if we're careful and lucky and well run the odd jump into the championship or cup run isn't impossible but is a bit above our ranking.
I'd love to know the financial impact of games sometimes available on Wanderers TV has on match day income.
Most matches theoretically on Saturday, but a Look, Duck and Vanish tie on a cold Tuesday, must confess it's an easy option.
This must also influence number of travelling fans which also affects match day income.
Every high street full of me-too coffee shops, can't buy a decent hot drink in the winter still at the ground, why not?
The road building malarkey well, as someone who knocked down my house and re-built on the same plot took best part of five years.
A replacement residential like for like is nothing like as complex as a new road.
Wtf is a 'me-too coffee shop'?
Also confused how a tiny straight road is less complicated than a whole residential rebuild.
it won't happen, but its not that complicated is it? Once permission and funds are available.
Your last sentence is exactly right.
Got to agree with @NiceCarrots about the coffee thing...I have no experience in retail or hospitality but most places have a coffee machine with a youngster manning it...I know that's not always a casual staff member once a fortnight or odd week night but still...the powdered stuff is terrible and somehow even putting hot water on a teabag does not seem to result in a drinkable beverage...even on the coldest nights.
@perfidious_albion is also right, surely if anyone is going to get irate about us being a mid-table League One team (albeit with higher aspirations, of course) they are in for a lot of disappointment.
Having seen the relative riches of the Championship, some people may struggle to live with the relative poverty of League One.
🎵oh sit down, oh sit down, oh sit down, sit down next to me...🎶
A level of football we have played at for one year of our 136 year existence.
Yes, I know a fan who says our natural position is "a League 1.5 club".
One person got the reference at least!
One where you don't make eye contact or talk to the young woman serving you
Tbh with our current average attendance probably more mid league 2 lvl and most of our support are old boomers anyway so when they die off our fanbase will shrink with little interest from young new fans.
Your most cheerful post yet Trev! (I actually kinda agree)
It does feel like there is a time of reckoning coming for the lower leagues, which is only being put off by sugar daddy owners.
If that's trev being cheerful...
I suspect that could be an issue across a lot of L1/L2 clubs that are not Wrexham or Salford...
POTD
Reading that I was think "Hey, at least I'm still a young fan!", but then realised that I haven't been one of those for at least 15 years now.
2022-23's EFL season had the "highest League attendances for 70 years as nearly 22 million attend EFL competitions. Over 21.7 million supporters passed through the turnstiles of an EFL competition in 2022-23, with the highest cumulative attendances recorded for league matches since 1953-54"
Lower league football is doing just fine in terms of attendances. It's just the entire thing is a financial basketcase.
This tweet pretty much backs this up... https://twitter.com/wwfcofficial/status/1733166992247410781