Looking at the rain, my previous forecast (which was done in a very optimistic mood for a comprehensive home win) might be well beyond the mark! Still, not too many people will be going to the beach and there will be a need to get the kids out of the house!
Wrong!! Out by 478. I’m sure the weather played a big part in such a disappointingly low attendance plus all the other reasons people have adduced.of course. But a few more performances like those last 40 or so minutes and the numbers should start to build.
Many congratulations @BSE for a very tidy prediction, missing by just 17. Please enjoy the title of Forecaster of the Week.
Pretty nearly everyone overestimated, but nine were pretty close and came within one hundred. Congratulations to @DevC who was close behind and the only other person to have 42 as the first two digits. Congratulations to @93Chairboy and @LDF who tied in third place with the well rounded prediction of 4300. Congratulations to @bookertease who was 5th with the interesting prediction of 4242, the only underestimate of the day - was he amusing us with a subtle hint about formations?
Congratulations to @DJWYC14 and @Alexo who tied in 6th with the countdown prediction of 4321 which missed by 49. To round off the numerate nine - Congratulations too to @ryan_w_kirkby2 and @NewburyWanderer who were the only others with 43xx predictions.
@micra - I feel your pain, put it down to the rain. If it is any consolation you were 21st - 478 away with 4750. While I was there I did think I would be closer than I am, and at the end it certainly sounded like more.
I will ask the club if they have the away attendance figures, the lowest estimate for that was 384 again by @BSE and to me that looked close to the actual figure, maybe it was a bit higher than that.
Happy predicting for the Blackpool away game, any of their fans who made the trip to Cambridge will have seen a goal fest, but probably left feeling somewhat disappointed!
I will make a few points on the low attendance. I intend to write a well thought out letter to the club but I doubt it will get the time of day.
A friend of mine has two boys that love football and their last Wycombe game was the playoff final vs Sunderland. Reason being, my friend bought his son's full kits, at full price - only for his boys to never see them be worn. We announced shortly after that O'Neills would no longer be our kit supplier. The kids were left upset, and my friend rightfully angry. The close season was followed by a random phonecall from the club asking the same friend if he wanted an advertising hoarding for £5k! You can imagine how he feels. That's 4 fans lost.
I had a season ticket subscription a couple of years ago for my son - it was something like £1.67 per month. My intention was to have priority option on away tickets and potential playoff games. Something happened with my Direct Debit and the payments didn't go out for whatever reason. The club kept attempted to fine me, and I recently had a letter saying that I owe £63 in fines!! That's much more what the ticket is even worth!! The club that my son plays for, and that I've supported for 30 years is trying to FINE me! Sour taste in my mouth but I still continue to support my team...
The other day I took my 4 year old to watch his first ever football match. My ticket £28, my 8 year olds ticket £10, and they charged me £10 for a 4 year old!! He loved it but spent most of the game watching YouTube. That's £48 before petrol, parking and food to watch a 3rd division match. I will not be doing the same when the weather gets cold. That's another 4 fans not going.
My point is, out of 8 people that WANT to go every week, 0 of us can.
The club need to give parents an incentive to take their kids. 4 year olds should be £1 or even free. If that were the case, I wouldn't think twice about taking him every week. Give the parents a reason to take the kids. The kids will get the bug for it and when they are 8 - start charging the £10.
or
Season tickets could be £60 for the kids, and you give them a kit (even if it's last seasons').
or
A beer token/burger token with an under 8's ticket.
Just give SOMETHING! It seems like one way traffic - take, take, take. I understand it is a business, but think long term. The gains will be so much bigger.
We complain about low attendances, but these are easy wins and the word would quickly spread at schools and at football clubs. The kids are the future. Get them interested NOW, and in 5 or 6 years our attendances could be up by 500-1000 that want to go every week!
My story involves 2 families (8 people) - I wonder how many more share my views....
I know at least 5 people that had season tickets 2 seasons ago, that don't now. I've banged on before about it being too expensive, but normally just get shouted down and told its not. But it is. Cheaper tickets, then people will spend when they are at the ground. Obvious to me.
I'm contemplating taking my two year old towards the end of the season, he will be nearly three by then.
I'd assumed his ticket would be free...just had a look and it's £13-15 in the FA upper! That's absolutely insane. He likes kicking a ball around, shows an interest in football on TV and happily (ish) sat through an hour of the paint pot trophy final. But realistically he will get bored and need bribing with snacks and a couple of cartoons.
Appreciate he's too young to be going really. But that's sort of the point - if I have to pay for something he's unlikely to enjoy that much then I just won't take him.
Even when he's a bit older, there's very little going on at the ground to keep him entertained beyond the football itself (which as we know is often pretty dull).
They did offer an incentive that adults could use Junior season tickets for Tuesday night games. I thought it was a fantastic idea but not sure if it still exists. I bought my son the season ticket for £1.67 per month (didn't get myself one), and even if I went to 1 or 2 Tuesday night games using that - it paid for itself. I've not heard anything on it though.
The club really need to put more thought into getting "bums on seats". Since lock-down in particular, people have become a lot more wary of spending. Tonight I bought 4 beers and a bottle of wine for £15. In a pub that costs £20+ and £24 respectively. GUESS WHAT?????.....I'm choosing staying at home over the pub 9 times out of 10 now. The same applies to football.
My 4 year old begged me to buy him the kit. I wanted to but I'm not spending £48 on tickets, then £70 on a kids kit!
If the club said "buy a kid's kit - and they can come to the next 3 home games for free" - guess what that means? I'm buying 3 x £28 tickets so that I can take advantage of that!! They sell a kit for £70 plus 3 x £28 tickets. Instead....they get NOTHING!
I would love to know if the club understands the elasticity of demand for both individual match day & season tickets, then we could have a sensible conversation around pricing.
In the past RC really wasn't interested in that conversation & seemed to assume that as fans we will pay pretty much anything to keep following the club. I am hoping that ML as a clearly astute businessman understands the economics of price modulation to increase/maintain sales & revenues & has a proper look at how we increase the gate. Of course the best way to do that is to play attractive football where we win more often than we dont.
Possibly. But I can't go every week, so why would I buy 2 x season tickets if I can't go? Plus, my point is....surely the club could gain more revenue from what I've suggested above?
@LDF I'd say that's very much a factor, particularly for those who don't live particularly close to Wycombe. You've only got to look at the match day threads on here. Of course, there are some people who stream the matches who are physically unable to go, it's a godsend for them. I do wonder though, how many more people would go if the streaming wasn't available.
@Twizz you have mentioned what I have said before about the family stand so I totally agree. I’ve also said many times that the 2 end blocks of the top tier should be the same price for children as the lower tier. I took one look at the rain on Saturday and decided there was no chance I’d be taking my kids into the family stand to get soaked and kids prices in the top tier are simply too expensive.
For a family of four with a 13 year old and 9 year old the cost difference is £27 for Frank Adams Upper and Family Stand at £89 and £62.
I would make blocks K,L,S and T available for reduced prices at the halfway point between the Upper and Family Stand prices.
We all know some people will move more centrally in to empty seats as they did previously but if we have the empty seats then I don’t see it as a huge issue if it gets people out of the weather and coming to games they possibly wouldn’t.
Yes. I was a but naughty phrasing my comment like that: I mean I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned the woolly mammoth doing a poo in the living room.
I personally think the marketing team should hit south bucks parts of oxon, berks and even west London areas with offers to come along. Also there must be a database of people who don’t come anymore maybe hit them up with offers as well. I remembered when they used to offer tickets to local schools. Maybe invite the Asian family’s down like they did a few years back. There are/were loads of opportunities the club used to do to swell the crowds that has been lost over the years.
I think it will absolutely affect away support, and some home support.
Take Saturday, in the past I would be considering going to this match. This weekend, early kick off, it's on TV. I can sit at home on my own sofa, drinking my own cheaper beer bought from a shop and I'm yards from a loo. I'm staying at home.
Truth be told, going to watch a one off game of football as a family is poor value for money for just 90 minutes of entertainment.
While I understand the arguement that says our prices are competitive against other football clubs, quite frankly they aren't the competition.
Families - and they should be a specific market we target, so as to get the younger fans hooked - won't want to spend £70 to sit in the rain with the kids who might not be engaged anyway.
Odds Farm is often used as a comparison - the cost is again about £70 but includes so much more for the kids to do with both indoor and outdoor activities.
I know where I'd rather spend my £70 (if I wasn't already WWFC till I die).
The real competition is staying at home to watch a film or going to the park both of which cost next to nothing.
Comments
4,500 (500 away)
4,847 with 595 most welcome merry Millers.
Looking at the rain, my previous forecast (which was done in a very optimistic mood for a comprehensive home win) might be well beyond the mark! Still, not too many people will be going to the beach and there will be a need to get the kids out of the house!
4424 with 542 Millers
4524 with 574 Millers
Any news on the attendance, can’t find it anywhere and it’s not on the BBC.
Frustrating. I’m sure I was well within 400.
4272 now showing on the BBC
Thanks - @Commoner
Wrong!! Out by 478. I’m sure the weather played a big part in such a disappointingly low attendance plus all the other reasons people have adduced.of course. But a few more performances like those last 40 or so minutes and the numbers should start to build.
Top Twenty for the Total Crowd: [Actual 4272]
Many congratulations @BSE for a very tidy prediction, missing by just 17. Please enjoy the title of Forecaster of the Week.
Pretty nearly everyone overestimated, but nine were pretty close and came within one hundred. Congratulations to @DevC who was close behind and the only other person to have 42 as the first two digits. Congratulations to @93Chairboy and @LDF who tied in third place with the well rounded prediction of 4300. Congratulations to @bookertease who was 5th with the interesting prediction of 4242, the only underestimate of the day - was he amusing us with a subtle hint about formations?
Congratulations to @DJWYC14 and @Alexo who tied in 6th with the countdown prediction of 4321 which missed by 49. To round off the numerate nine - Congratulations too to @ryan_w_kirkby2 and @NewburyWanderer who were the only others with 43xx predictions.
@micra - I feel your pain, put it down to the rain. If it is any consolation you were 21st - 478 away with 4750. While I was there I did think I would be closer than I am, and at the end it certainly sounded like more.
I will ask the club if they have the away attendance figures, the lowest estimate for that was 384 again by @BSE and to me that looked close to the actual figure, maybe it was a bit higher than that.
Happy predicting for the Blackpool away game, any of their fans who made the trip to Cambridge will have seen a goal fest, but probably left feeling somewhat disappointed!
Rotherham posted they had sold I think it was 526 on Friday with more sales on the day.
Only around 3600 home fans which is a very poor showing.
Or is it a reflection of the first two results?
I will make a few points on the low attendance. I intend to write a well thought out letter to the club but I doubt it will get the time of day.
My point is, out of 8 people that WANT to go every week, 0 of us can.
The club need to give parents an incentive to take their kids. 4 year olds should be £1 or even free. If that were the case, I wouldn't think twice about taking him every week. Give the parents a reason to take the kids. The kids will get the bug for it and when they are 8 - start charging the £10.
or
Season tickets could be £60 for the kids, and you give them a kit (even if it's last seasons').
or
A beer token/burger token with an under 8's ticket.
Just give SOMETHING! It seems like one way traffic - take, take, take. I understand it is a business, but think long term. The gains will be so much bigger.
We complain about low attendances, but these are easy wins and the word would quickly spread at schools and at football clubs. The kids are the future. Get them interested NOW, and in 5 or 6 years our attendances could be up by 500-1000 that want to go every week!
My story involves 2 families (8 people) - I wonder how many more share my views....
I know at least 5 people that had season tickets 2 seasons ago, that don't now. I've banged on before about it being too expensive, but normally just get shouted down and told its not. But it is. Cheaper tickets, then people will spend when they are at the ground. Obvious to me.
I'm contemplating taking my two year old towards the end of the season, he will be nearly three by then.
I'd assumed his ticket would be free...just had a look and it's £13-15 in the FA upper! That's absolutely insane. He likes kicking a ball around, shows an interest in football on TV and happily (ish) sat through an hour of the paint pot trophy final. But realistically he will get bored and need bribing with snacks and a couple of cartoons.
Appreciate he's too young to be going really. But that's sort of the point - if I have to pay for something he's unlikely to enjoy that much then I just won't take him.
Even when he's a bit older, there's very little going on at the ground to keep him entertained beyond the football itself (which as we know is often pretty dull).
They did offer an incentive that adults could use Junior season tickets for Tuesday night games. I thought it was a fantastic idea but not sure if it still exists. I bought my son the season ticket for £1.67 per month (didn't get myself one), and even if I went to 1 or 2 Tuesday night games using that - it paid for itself. I've not heard anything on it though.
The club really need to put more thought into getting "bums on seats". Since lock-down in particular, people have become a lot more wary of spending. Tonight I bought 4 beers and a bottle of wine for £15. In a pub that costs £20+ and £24 respectively. GUESS WHAT?????.....I'm choosing staying at home over the pub 9 times out of 10 now. The same applies to football.
My 4 year old begged me to buy him the kit. I wanted to but I'm not spending £48 on tickets, then £70 on a kids kit!
If the club said "buy a kid's kit - and they can come to the next 3 home games for free" - guess what that means? I'm buying 3 x £28 tickets so that I can take advantage of that!! They sell a kit for £70 plus 3 x £28 tickets. Instead....they get NOTHING!
I would love to know if the club understands the elasticity of demand for both individual match day & season tickets, then we could have a sensible conversation around pricing.
In the past RC really wasn't interested in that conversation & seemed to assume that as fans we will pay pretty much anything to keep following the club. I am hoping that ML as a clearly astute businessman understands the economics of price modulation to increase/maintain sales & revenues & has a proper look at how we increase the gate. Of course the best way to do that is to play attractive football where we win more often than we dont.
Just checking the website. It says kids (u11) price is £5 per match or £39 for a season ticket (£1.67 per match). Is this not the case?
Possibly. But I can't go every week, so why would I buy 2 x season tickets if I can't go? Plus, my point is....surely the club could gain more revenue from what I've suggested above?
It might be in the family stand. However ...
You are subject to the elements as the roof doesn't cover that far. In fact it's very exposed at times.
The view is low down so isn't particularly good.
It's harder to buy a seat on an occasional basis than it should because unaccompanied adults sit in the better located seats.
The choice and availability of food/drink/sweets is often less than ideal (sometimes sold out well before halftime).
I wonder if the ability to live stream matches might affect attendances.
@LDF I'd say that's very much a factor, particularly for those who don't live particularly close to Wycombe. You've only got to look at the match day threads on here. Of course, there are some people who stream the matches who are physically unable to go, it's a godsend for them. I do wonder though, how many more people would go if the streaming wasn't available.
@Twizz you have mentioned what I have said before about the family stand so I totally agree. I’ve also said many times that the 2 end blocks of the top tier should be the same price for children as the lower tier. I took one look at the rain on Saturday and decided there was no chance I’d be taking my kids into the family stand to get soaked and kids prices in the top tier are simply too expensive.
For a family of four with a 13 year old and 9 year old the cost difference is £27 for Frank Adams Upper and Family Stand at £89 and £62.
I would make blocks K,L,S and T available for reduced prices at the halfway point between the Upper and Family Stand prices.
We all know some people will move more centrally in to empty seats as they did previously but if we have the empty seats then I don’t see it as a huge issue if it gets people out of the weather and coming to games they possibly wouldn’t.
Yes. I was a but naughty phrasing my comment like that: I mean I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned the woolly mammoth doing a poo in the living room.
I personally think the marketing team should hit south bucks parts of oxon, berks and even west London areas with offers to come along. Also there must be a database of people who don’t come anymore maybe hit them up with offers as well. I remembered when they used to offer tickets to local schools. Maybe invite the Asian family’s down like they did a few years back. There are/were loads of opportunities the club used to do to swell the crowds that has been lost over the years.
I think it will absolutely affect away support, and some home support.
Take Saturday, in the past I would be considering going to this match. This weekend, early kick off, it's on TV. I can sit at home on my own sofa, drinking my own cheaper beer bought from a shop and I'm yards from a loo. I'm staying at home.
Truth be told, going to watch a one off game of football as a family is poor value for money for just 90 minutes of entertainment.
While I understand the arguement that says our prices are competitive against other football clubs, quite frankly they aren't the competition.
Families - and they should be a specific market we target, so as to get the younger fans hooked - won't want to spend £70 to sit in the rain with the kids who might not be engaged anyway.
Odds Farm is often used as a comparison - the cost is again about £70 but includes so much more for the kids to do with both indoor and outdoor activities.
I know where I'd rather spend my £70 (if I wasn't already WWFC till I die).
The real competition is staying at home to watch a film or going to the park both of which cost next to nothing.
I've just been working with an 18 year old Ipswich fan who paid £100 for his season ticket for this season. We are not good value for money.