A question about improving support

[AlwaysFeelinBlue]

Re: A question about improving support

Some German clubs include the cost of public transport to and from the ground in the ticket price.
Doing that might help get a few more people in.

Wasn't there a scheme a few years back where you could buy four or six tickets for different matches at a time for a discount?

Another option would be discounts on bulk (4+) buys for one match so a group of people can come together.

I'd love the first point so much, cost's me £17.50 a return train ticket

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

Pricing is very fair although it should be a blanket price for games, not sure why they bother putting teams in different categories. Just make the starting point for every home game £20.

The ideas mentioned about keeping the club shop open longer on a weeknight etc are , no offence , not going to make any difference. Nor will having better food, it doesn't change anything.

Only three things entices people to the football

- Decent priced tickets (club doing ok on this subject to the above point)
- A winning team playing good football (beyond anyone's control bar Mr Bulut)
- Good atmosphere

The final point is the big sticking point, the atmosphere is awful at the moment and only getting worse, the ground is virtually half empty every game, the acoustics in the ground are awful so you can't even hear the away fans and vice versa. Nothing for each other to feed off apart from a block in the Ninian. It means most people who go on a temporary basis are bored stiff watching the game in a half empty stadium in virtual silence for 90% of the time.

Several friends have come to games over the past few years and virtually all of them have a laugh at how dull the experience is. I don't blame them.

Away games wise - we will always have a hardcore that go regularly but cost of living will hit the ones who are 50/50 or go a few games a season. It it at least 60£ to go to an away game for most people these days before you leave your house

I agree completely

People are not going to turn up to watch Cardiff City because the hot dogs are cheap

Winning team , fair ticket price , good day out

All teams see a drop off in crowds depending on form but teams like Leeds , Wednesday, Norwich have bigger fan bases than us so ours drops away quickly , we don't have a big hardcore loyal support

Trying to get a few hundred students interested is a complete waste of time , they will turn up if they are interested in football and its fair priced , and it is

Anything else is just messing about and won't make any difference , it's pointless

The atmosphere can be fantastic but is generally poor and if the ground restrictions can be changed around that would help but the police are unlikely to agree

[Whisperer]

Re: A question about improving support

Away membership needs looking at - I’m all for having a photo ID and a membership card but £30 every season maybe good value if you go on the busses every week but I would do maybe 6/7 aways a season and I stopped going.

[2b2bdoo]

Re: A question about improving support

It all comes down to cost of tickets in my opinion, yes I think ours are reasonable compared to other clubs but seemingly people still think it’s a lot, it’s an expensive day out.

Travel could be more issue.

A lot also stems from frustration with the club, how often do you hear “same old city”. Hopefully we turn a corner now with Bulut and some professionalism back.

I don’t see how food or drink prices are an issue, maybe because I’ve probably bought a hand full of items ever since it one, generally I can survive without food or drink for a couple of hours. Although a warm team on those very cold nights help.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

I think the hardcore who follow us away are fantastic

Those days are not for me now but I do think our numbers seem to be low ?

If cost , poor transport , covid etc are a reason then why are a lot of teams in the Championship taking large followings away from home and we are not ?

300 at Sunderland?
250 at Middlesborough ?

That's not like Cardiff City

Carlisle United took 4500 to Bolton at the weekend , in league one

[2b2bdoo]

Re: A question about improving support

I think the hardcore who follow us away are fantastic

Those days are not for me now but I do think our numbers seem to be low ?

If cost , poor transport , covid etc are a reason then why are a lot of teams in the Championship taking large followings away from home and we are not ?

300 at Sunderland?
250 at Middlesborough ?

That's not like Cardiff City

Carlisle United took 4500 to Bolton at the weekend , in league one

It’s not to say people can’t afford it, let’s be honest a big cup game and we would sell out, I just think people at the moment are being careful with money (well I am) and picking and choosing what they want to spend money on, what’s value, what gives the most enjoyment etc. I don’t think I could afford an away game these days.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

Kids for a quid , student deals , cheap burgers

It's messing about really

In terms of prices to watch us you could let people in for free and they wouldn't turn up , especially if Man United are playing on TV

Of course if we get a decent team then the gates would increase and these sort of fans would complain they couldn't get a seat with a decent view for the 2 or 3 games a season they can be bothered to come

I think concentrating on continuing to offer regular fans decent prices to watch city is the key , the club can hit the occasional fan with incentives when the time is right

[BLUETIT]

Re: A question about improving support

I think the hardcore who follow us away are fantastic

Those days are not for me now but I do think our numbers seem to be low ?

If cost , poor transport , covid etc are a reason then why are a lot of teams in the Championship taking large followings away from home and we are not ?

300 at Sunderland?
250 at Middlesborough ?

That's not like Cardiff City

Carlisle United took 4500 to Bolton at the weekend , in league one

Cardiff to Sunderland 308 miles
Cardiff to Middlesbrough 284 miles
Carlisle to Bolton 110 miles

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

It’s not to say people can’t afford it, let’s be honest a big cup game and we would sell out, I just think people at the moment are being careful with money (well I am) and picking and choosing what they want to spend money on, what’s value, what gives the most enjoyment etc. I don’t think I could afford an away game these days.

Why can clubs from other less well off areas attend games, home and away in bigger numbers than us ?

It's tough for a lot of fans at lots of clubs

I thought bulut would kick the inertia a bit but it's still there

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

Cardiff to Sunderland 308 miles
Cardiff to Middlesbrough 284 miles
Carlisle to Bolton 110 miles

You can't argue that the support at Sunderland and Middlesbrough was poor , it looked terrible

Those that went were great fans but simply not enough

Swansea took 1000 to Millwall 2 weeks back despite being hopeless

Somethings not right

[2b2bdoo]

Re: A question about improving support

Why can clubs from other less well off areas attend games, home and away in bigger numbers than us ?

It's tough for a lot of fans at lots of clubs

I thought bulut would kick the inertia a bit but it's still there

I don’t know, maybe we just don’t have the hard core following anymore. Maybe our fans have been to most these grounds several times now and don’t want to go again. I don’t think there are many I haven’t done in the championship now, I think just Preston and Rotherham. Who knows.

Trip to Millwall not really the same as boro or Sunderland is it.

I think this is more about home attendance tho.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

I don’t know, maybe we just don’t have the hard core following anymore. Maybe our fans have been to most these grounds several times now and don’t want to go again. I don’t think there are many I haven’t done in the championship now, I think just Preston and Rotherham. Who knows.

Trip to Millwall not really the same as boro or Sunderland is it.

I think this is more about home attendance tho.

Well that arguement can be made by lots of clubs fans , it's not particular to us

We will be very lucky to take 1000 to Millwall

Swansea City took more fans to Sunderland last season than we did

Our home and away support is not what it should be and that's the point of the thread

[RichardM]

Re: A question about improving support

Our home and away support is not what it should be and that's the point of the thread

Do you have any constructive ideas for how attendances could be improved?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: A question about improving support

Do you have any constructive ideas for how attendances could be improved?

Well there aren't any really apart from those mentioned

Maybe a change around of the family stand to improve the atmosphere

Apart from the team higher in the table and realistic prices .....we can't be certain of the first but we already have the second .....can you think of any ?

[PontBlue]

Re: A question about improving support

Our family stand is very sparsely populated. We need to get the kids early so they become fans for life. We should also be targeting under represented groups to grow our fan base.

Whatever happened to the community area where community groups used to get discounted/free tickets?

As others have mentioned a discount after buying x number of matches may help. I also don't get the dynamic pricing, I think QPR were in the top tier this season despite being near certs for relegation.

Finally, I know some have said pricing is fair but is it really when compared to competing forms of entertainment? For match day pricing £20s plenty as it isn't about finances with the bulk of club incoming coming from other sources and they should also do away with the extra pricing charges when buying digital tickets.