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We'll agree to disagree.
As you know historically football attendances have ebbed and flowed - two World Wars saw increases, football hooliganism saw dramatic falls, and then steady growth for 20 yrs which was as much to do with the media saturation of football as 'the sport for everyone'. There will come a time when the trend starts to change - very slightly at first, but once it starts It'll continue for a long time. I base my comments on what I see on my TV this season compared to last, ie gaps in the stand at PL games and very small gates at Championship games in midweek. ST sales may have held up this year for most clubs but I really do think that next season the evidence may prove more visible..
Gosh no it's the most marketable sport on the planet ,we may not like how it effects our level but all around the world millions watch and support it .
Yesterday's game was badly affected by weather, train cancellations , and the two games in one week costs ,and older folk probably concerned about flu /cold risks .
Obviously I haven't got the breakdown of season ticket holders by age, why the hell would I.
You said "you don't see groups of youngsters at the ground anymore" and I'm telling you there's loads of groups of youngsters in the Canton Stand. It's not exclusively them, of course not, but there's absolutely loads of groups of youngsters there. And that's not an opinion, that's fact because I share the stand with them week in, week out.
You didn't answer the question either - which stand is your ticket in Sludge? It might have a bearing on your take on this
It's not fact its anecdotal , unless next home game you are prepared to do some sort of rudimentary head count
The best way to prove things either way would be to contact the club
As for me this season and in seasons past I have been in the canton , ninian and grandstand
If you think that I care enough about this thread to get in touch with the club and ask for a breakdown of the fanbase age you're off your head
I refer again though to your statement "you don't see groups of youngsters at the ground anymore" - the fact is that I do see groups of youngsters at the ground every game. Unless what you mean is you don't see as many groups of youngsters at the ground anymore, which is a different thing and I don't know if that's true or not. But to my eye there are plenty of youngsters
Late to the discussion but look at the viewing figures for football on sky and BT they are microscopic in terms of % of overall population. There are still lots of foreign viewers so via tv deals the money is coming in.
When football is shown on terrestrial tv it’s watched by millions (England and FA cup games get huge viewing figures on bbc and itv)
I wouldn’t say the bubble is about to burst but unless football on tv gets easier to access the interest in watching live games will decrease too.
Empty stadia make the product a lot less marketable too. Good luck selling “best in the world” matches to Asia when a third of the grounds are empty every week.
In fairness to sludge there is proof that the majority of live football in the U.K. is watched in the over 40 age ranges. Kids are being priced out or aren’t as interested any more due to the lack of free to air games.
If you look at viewing figures and ages of attendees something in football has to change.
The champions league will be the first, no ****er in this country is watching it. Not because of lack of interest but because no one has BT sport.
They’ve had under a million viewers for some games.
I very much doubt it
Our away support is nothing like it used to be
We used to take thousands away , even in division two , under hamamm
I remember being up at oldham and we had 4000 there when Andy Campbell got hit by a pie
Three to four thousand to reading , stoke , 3000 to forest , we dont take those numbers now and there certainly isn't a predominance of youngsters , not according to the people I know who run buses
Nick hornby , in fever pitch , wrote how the age range of supporters was changing and young men were being priced out of the game
David Conn , in searching for the soul of football , also said the arrival of modern stadium, expensive seating and an overall price increase meant young people and those on low incomes .....ie the young and families were also suffering
It's no surprise that our family section is hardly ever full
These are the findings of two authors , one a very well respected writer on the game
Not a few people on a message board who look around them and in the few seats they are able to see from their vantage point decide that cardiff city have loads of youngsters following them , it just isn't the case , we mirror probably every club outside of the premier league top five
I meant we probably have more younger fans at home games than we did then
Our average attendance in our last season in the 4th tier was just under 8,000, our average in our last season in the third tier was 13,000. This season we're averaging 23,000, last season over 30,000. It isn't a huge leap to think that maybe amongst that extra 15,000-20,000 there's going to be some younger fans, particularly when you consider the hit we took over the rebrand
I'm at the top of the Canton and can see hundreds of seats, there's yoof as far as the eye can see.
Also I'm not sure that a fictional novel about Arsenal from 1992 is a better source of evidence about Cardiff City youth attendances than the word of those who go to games every week to be honest, but I admire your sheer balls in trying to use it. Tune in next week when Sludge claims that 50 Shades of Grey indisputably proves that Murphy should start more often.
https://www.football365.com/news/wan...-football-fansThe average age of match-going football supporters has increased dramatically over the last 50 years; that is undeniable. In his magnificent state-of-the-nation book And The Sun Shines Now, Adrian Tempany reports that the age of an average fan in the Stretford End at Old Trafford rose from 17 in 1968 to 40 in 2008. At St James’ Park, the average age rose from 35 to 45 in a decade. Same old faces; no new faces.
This article pretty much shows that. From 2016/17 season so probably even worse now..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44850888