Our fanbase from the City of Cardiff (again)

[horse_face]

Afternoon all

I know it's posted every year but I'm genuinely intrigued as to why there's a lack of support for the club in the City of Cardiff itself? Wandering around you'd never know there was a match on and that's reflected in the attendances. Can't think of any other cities of a similar size which struggle as much as we do. Is it a lack of identity? Are the people of Cardiff not arsed?

I do understand the generational element of people moving out (I left Cathays 20 years ago) but I still can't put my finger on it, particularly as people travel from further afield to the games?

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts..?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Very poor crowd again last night

I could understand it we were near the basement

Our fans are incredibly fickle and that's the ones that go

Whole sections of the cardiff and south wales public are not interested or would rather watch united on the TV

It's absolutely pathetic

The fans that support us home and away are fantastic and up there among the best

The problem is there simply isn't enough of them

The football club , the trust , the fans have all tried to increase the gates but its a waste of time and always has been

South Wales will support Cardiff City if we are doing well but these days that means being in the Premier league

We are capable of huge support but not on a regular basis and that's why we are where we are

One week the excuse is Xmas shopping , the weather , boring football , the next is its too expensive despite us being very cheap to watch compared to others

Or there's more to do in Cardiff on a Wednesday night than in Stoke or Plymouth

[horse_face]

The same issues apply to most clubs with more games on TV than ever and there's definitely an identity and connection issue after years of Dalman meddling after the f*cking rebrand.

However Ipswich averaged 26k last year in League one, now around 28K. Last night was piss poor, I don't understand why it's such a vacuum in the city itself? Last season our average was less than the Wurzels and Stoke.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

South Wales will support Cardiff City if we are doing well but these days that means being in the Premier league

Finally the penny drops. Look at clubs who have kept similar crowds in the Championship when they've been relegated from the top flight and you'll find that they're all massive clubs with many years spent at that level.

What do you expect, similar crowds in the Prem and Championship? Really?

[horse_face]

Finally the penny drops. Look at clubs who have kept similar crowds in the Championship when they've been relegated from the top flight and you'll find that they're all massive clubs with many years spent at that level.

What do you expect, similar crowds in the Prem and Championship? Really?

Bristol city and Stoke have bigger average attendances than us.Ipswich had bigger in league one as did Derby.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Bristol city and Stoke have bigger average attendances than us.Ipswich had bigger in league one as did Derby.

And?

We've spent 2 seasons staving off relegation battles yet our average this season is over 1.5k bigger than last season and higher than when we won promotion under Warnock.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

And?

We've spent 2 seasons staving off relegation battles yet our average this season is over 1.5k bigger than last season and higher than when we won promotion under Warnock.

Excuses

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

The same issues apply to most clubs with more games on TV than ever and there's definitely an identity and connection issue after years of Dalman meddling after the f*cking rebrand.

However Ipswich averaged 26k last year in League one, now around 28K. Last night was piss poor, I don't understand why it's such a vacuum in the city itself? Last season our average was less than the Wurzels and Stoke.

The support for Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues isn't what it should be let's be honest

[horse_face]

I agree Sludge, but I don't understand the reasons why .

One of the best sociological university faculties in Europe in the City and I don't think any work has ever been done?

The Capital City, no teams nearby, yet the city of Cardiff and it's boroughs are dead on a match day.

[D. Advocaat]

The support for Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues isn't what it should be let's be honest

I've never lived in Cardiff or South Wales so speak as an outsider but it appears to me that the club is not embedded in the local psyche as in some other cities, and never has been. There is also very little football culture in Cardiff as a city. Our yo-yo crowds go back as long as the club has been around as far as I'm aware.

There is certainly an 'event' culture in Cardiff hence big matches in either rugby or football will always be well attended, but for the most part these are interested spectators rather than committed supporters.

[horse_face]

Agree, it's definitely not culturally rooted in the nearby areas in Grange or Canton. Never mind further out.

The event culture is definitely a broader social attraction in Wales, an excuse to have a jolly.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

The same issues apply to most clubs with more games on TV than ever and there's definitely an identity and connection issue after years of Dalman meddling after the f*cking rebrand.

However Ipswich averaged 26k last year in League one, now around 28K. Last night was piss poor, I don't understand why it's such a vacuum in the city itself? Last season our average was less than the Wurzels and Stoke.

My view is the truth is identity means nothing

If Cardiff City were in the Premier league people would be climbing over each other to get into the ground

Until that happens and we stay there for a long time that's the way it is

Xmas shopping , it's too expensive , I don't like the style of football and all that other excuses crap will be forgotten about

[horse_face]

True, but there's teams in the French second division with higher attendances.

The national sport, the capital city, no connection. General apathy.

[Robin Friday's Ghost]

I agree Sludge, but I don't understand the reasons why .

One of the best sociological university faculties in Europe in the City and I don't think any work has ever been done?

The Capital City, no teams nearby, yet the city of Cardiff and it's boroughs are dead on a match day.

There's no interest in sport in the social science department of Cardiff University. Martin Johnes at Swansea University has written some really good stuff. He's a Jack but he has written about City too. A very good bloke and a superb historian.

[horse_face]

He seems like a good bloke, is the piece about Cardiff online? As I mentioned would love to know why the city of Cardiff seems non plussed about CCFC

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

I agree Sludge, but I don't understand the reasons why .

One of the best sociological university faculties in Europe in the City and I don't think any work has ever been done?

The Capital City, no teams nearby, yet the city of Cardiff and it's boroughs are dead on a match day.

I don't think the capital city status means we should have good support but we should have bigger crowds than we do

It's more to do with the population which is easily big enough to sustain a top flight football club

The main reason is a lack of success over the years but even then people would find some excuse not to bother

I think the word bullshitters describes them

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Sometimes, certainly in the Championship, it isn't just a question of where you are in the league. I think the general perception of the club at present amongst our large fanbase is that despite reaching the heady heights of 6th place, we are a struggling club. No money for players, a squad full of non-league signings, players with no previous league experience, players from lower leagues, and one over-rated 'starlet'. I certainly feel like that I'm following a club that has ceased to be 'on the up'..

[Robin Friday's Ghost]

He seems like a good bloke, is the piece about Cardiff online? As I mentioned would love to know why the city of Cardiff seems non plussed about CCFC

He has a book called Soccer and Society which is a history of football in Wales. It's not exclusively about City. He apologies for calling it soccer and for focusing on us more than the Jacks 😁 He did a very good two part (I think) series too called Wales:England's Last Colony. Not football related but well worth a watch and I'm sure available online.

[horse_face]

Thanks.

Makes you wonder why the marketing team at the club have never cracked it or made efforts to affect the people who live in the city itself.

[jimmyscoular]

He has a book called Soccer and Society which is a history of football in Wales. It's not exclusively about City. He apologies for calling it soccer and for focusing on us more than the Jacks �� He did a very good two part (I think) series too called Wales:England's Last Colony. Not football related but well worth a watch and I'm sure available online.

What's he apologizing for? It's been called 'soccer' for as long as I can remember:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPaYry5XOMQ

[horse_face]

Good point but even in our first promotion we were getting about 22k average. When we were on the up so to speak.

For a City of over 360k people it's mind blowing.

[NYCBlue]

Good point but even in our first promotion we were getting about 22k average. When we were on the up so to speak.

For a City of over 360k people it's mind blowing.

Bristol is a city of over 460k with an "urban area" of over 700k. Its two teams get about 25k between them.

[horse_face]

Bristol is a city of over 460k with an "urban area" of over 700k. Its two teams get about 25k between them.

Bristol City have a higher average than us and that’s with Rovers a few miles away. Public transport in the Bristol area makes TFW look progressive.

I doubt they attract fans as far away as we do from some of the valleys

[NYCBlue]

Bristol City have a higher average than us and that’s with Rovers a few miles away. Public transport in the Bristol area makes TFW look progressive.

I doubt they attract fans as far away as we do from some of the valleys

So not mind blowing then? Because to me it seems like exactly the same thing. Bristol City's attendance average was about 6% higher than ours last season

[olderblue]

Biggest surprise for me reading this thread is the news that we have a marketing department

**** knows what they do???
Fans like me are always going to be going and my sons are the same, what the club should be doing is employing a real marketing strategy to attract the next generation of fans so that it becomes part of their DNA
In reality it’s easy to understand why some fans stayed in the warm, watching on the red button on Wednesday night
Saturday was hard to watch, but against Brum we were awful and there’s no point trying to put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig!
As it stands I think we have a decent manager, but he’s inherited a squad of shite players or players who are half arsed.
I’m saying he won’t make mistakes in selection and tactics, but you can only deal with the hand you have.
He needs two transfer windows to get the players he wants in and get rid of the dross.

A successful winning team will bring the crowds back
Hopefully if we ever get promoted again into the Premier League, they’ll be a plan in place to actually stay there and build the support on