Sleeping Giant?

[valleys caveman]

If we were a successful team - ie finishing in the top four with Champions League football for a few seasons (yes I know) What sort of crowds would we attract in our new 75,000 capacity stadium? (yes I know again)
Just had a look a this seasons premiership attendances and we are 11th with an average of 31,096 which isn't bad for a team that's only won one out of ten of their games.
Seven teams average more than 50,000 - Newcastle 51, Liverpool 52, Citeh 53, West Ham 56 (how did they manage that?) Spurs and Arsenal 59, Man U 74.
I'd say we'd match and beat a few of those.
So my question is - sleeping giant, yes or no.
PS yes I've been drinking... hic

[Maxim]

If we were a successful team - ie finishing in the top four with Champions League football for a few seasons (yes I know) What sort of crowds would we attract in our new 75,000 capacity stadium? (yes I know again)
Just had a look a this seasons premiership attendances and we are 11th with an average of 31,096 which isn't bad for a team that's only won one out of ten of their games.
Seven teams average more than 50,000 - Newcastle 51, Liverpool 52, Citeh 53, West Ham 56 (how did they manage that?) Spurs and Arsenal 59, Man U 74.
I'd say we'd match and beat a few of those.
So my question is - sleeping giant, yes or no.
PS yes I've been drinking... hic

3, 2, 1, you're back in the room

[valleys caveman]

3, 2, 1, you're back in the room

[Eric the Half a Bee]

If we were a successful team - ie finishing in the top four with Champions League football for a few seasons (yes I know) What sort of crowds would we attract in our new 75,000 capacity stadium? (yes I know again)
Just had a look a this seasons premiership attendances and we are 11th with an average of 31,096 which isn't bad for a team that's only won one out of ten of their games.
Seven teams average more than 50,000 - Newcastle 51, Liverpool 52, Citeh 53, West Ham 56 (how did they manage that?) Spurs and Arsenal 59, Man U 74.
I'd say we'd match and beat a few of those.
So my question is - sleeping giant, yes or no.
PS yes I've been drinking... hic

The bigger test is what would our crowds do if we were relegated? A decade or so of 30k attendances would give us more of a fan base if we went down. It's noticeable that teams that have historically had large crowds continue to do so after relegation, where teams that fluctuate or have no regular history of high crowds dip dramatically, especially if promotion doesn't happen at the first attempt.

[life on mars]

I don't think we can draw the big crowds that Man U , Liverpool pull week in and out.

[cardiff55]

Giant? - No
Sleeping? - Yes

[Father Dougal]

The bigger test is what would our crowds do if we were relegated? A decade or so of 30k attendances would give us more of a fan base if we went down. It's noticeable that teams that have historically had large crowds continue to do so after relegation, where teams that fluctuate or have no regular history of high crowds dip dramatically, especially if promotion doesn't happen at the first attempt.

I maybe wrong. But if got a feeling our support would almost half if we go down this year. It would take a few more years here to . consolidate. However, let's just enjoy it while it lasts.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I maybe wrong. But if got a feeling our support would almost half if we go down this year. It would take a few more years here to . consolidate. However, let's just enjoy it while it lasts.

It wouldn't halve. Season ticket sales would be 20k if we had any chance of survival.

[Divine Wright]

In fairness, I think it’s probably only Newcastle, Sunderland, Villa , Leeds and Man C that have been clubs with big support that have been in the lower divisions.

When you consider that the population of england is 50 odd million, it makes sense that sides like that have a big following. We can’t really compete with that. I imagine that the border has an impact on drawing fans from the more populous areas of england and within wales, either due to travel links or local rivalry/loyalty the possibilities are limited somewhat. Chuck in the fact that rugby takes up another chunk and the potential is further diminished. In most parts of england, the second sports don’t really have much of an effect. Soccer is definitely king. Same goes for Scotland.

Were we to stay in the premier league and establish ourselves as a mid-bottom league side, It wouldn’t surprise me if gates eventually went down slightly compared to this season.

If we got to around about the euro spots, developing a nice brand of football with an exciting young manager (who knows, maybe some local lads in the squad) then I could see us getting 40k plus for big matches.

If we got into the top 4 , like any other side and with the influx of big names, big money, big marketing, we could probably get big crowds (50/60/70). I think any side in the top four of the most hyped league in the world, regardless of name or potential, would max out a big capacity stadium. Games become spectacles at that point and the masses flock.

I think that our core support would top out somewhere around 40k. Not a giant, but a modest club with good numbers of vocal supporters.

[NYCBlue]

The Sleeping Giant thing was bandied about a lot during the 1980s, when we were in the 4th division and getting crowds less than 3000. Now, we're in the top division and getting crowds 10 times bigger. Not the 40,000 that some (including myself) thought we could achieve but still, not too shabby. Also, don't forget, things were different back then, besides derby games involving the the big 5 (Liverpool, Everton, Man U, Arsenal & Spurs) you could pretty much get into any game you wanted to just by showing up on the day with enough cash to cover the admisson fee. (Probably about 3 quid)

[BLUETIT]

If we were a successful team - ie finishing in the top four with Champions League football for a few seasons (yes I know) What sort of crowds would we attract in our new 75,000 capacity stadium? (yes I know again)
Just had a look a this seasons premiership attendances and we are 11th with an average of 31,096 which isn't bad for a team that's only won one out of ten of their games.
Seven teams average more than 50,000 - Newcastle 51, Liverpool 52, Citeh 53, West Ham 56 (how did they manage that?) Spurs and Arsenal 59, Man U 74.
I'd say we'd match and beat a few of those.
So my question is - sleeping giant, yes or no.
PS yes I've been drinking... hic

Cardiff's crowds (fans) are as fickle as f uck, a few bad results and crowd numbers would go down quicker than a prostitutes knickers.

[B. Oddie]

Cardiff's crowds (fans) are as fickle as f uck, a few bad results and crowd numbers would go down quicker than a prostitutes knickers.

Amusingly true.

[splott parker]

I don't think we can draw the big crowds that Man U , Liverpool pull week in and out.

Perhaps we could match their ‘local’ support we just wouldn’t have the ‘tourist’ trade that they have.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

City have never been a giant in the fifty years that I have been watching them so to describe them as a sleeping one is not an accurate description.

[mazadona10]

I wonder what percentage of the Cardiff fans have another big club they follow?

I think the problem is Cardiff were so bad for so long locals stopped having any interest in them and instead picked bigger teams then the next generation often then follows the same club. A long period of success could bring in big crowds but not sure if it would be sustainable as even more true supporters seemed to give up easy once we had a season in the pl.