Growing fan base

[Bris Red]

41 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

 

15,000 STs at the start of the season would be huge. At the start of this season we had just under 13,500, so it would be an 11% increase. Couple that with the rise in prices and we'd have a pretty big bump in ST revenue.

I'd be cautious though as that is a big, big jump. Personally I suspect the Club would be happy to get 14,000 or more, then assuming we shift a few hundred half STs in the winter (although that's very dependent on league position) we'd have a very healthy number of STs this time next season.

Still quite a way off needing to expand the stadium though - remember that the total figures expressed for home attendances include both absent ST holders and away fans. I expect our true realistic average home gate is something around 17,500. Which don't get me wrong is brilliant, but it's a way off the level needed for expansion.

True, but in reality irrespective of if people physically turn up or not those seats are sold and can’t be released back into general sale.

I suppose the club will look at if things do go well next season and we are up around the top 6 (a big if i know!) then that's when the capacity does start to come into question.. 

[Red-Robbo]

Most seats where I sit are occupied by SC holders, but there are a couple that are free near our group, and I sometime chat to the people occupying them.

This season, we've had a Bristol Uni student from Southport who is a Liverpool fan but told me City are becoming his "second team" and his gf (for whom AG was her first visit to a match); a dad and son from Westbury in Wilts who had also never watched live football at this level and who were really enthused; two blokes in IT - one of whom had moved to Bristol from Kent - and who were new City fans, and a guy from Canada who had ancestors in Bristol and decided to watch a match on his visit to the UK.  Toronto FC were his main club, but he said he was going to try to watch City whenever he came to the UK.

A very unscientific sample, but it suggests that better facilities, a safer environment, larger crowds and second tier football is attracting those who've moved to or study in Bristol. We are building that fanbase.

Let's face it, if you were a neutral and you fancy watching a game in Bristol whatcha gonna do? Ashton  Gate or go to a set of embarrassing tents and temporary stands, eat stale crisps and unidentified flat fizzy pop while watching a team of on-loan cloggers, managed by an egotistical psychopath.

[ExiledAjax]

18 minutes ago, Bris Red said:

True, but in reality irrespective of if people physically turn up or not those seats are sold and can’t be released back into general sale.

I suppose the club will look at if things do go well next season and we are up around the top 6 (a big if i know!) then that's when the capacity does start to come into question.. 

If we're top 6 in January 2024 and look reasonably likely to make a play off push then I think you'd see at least 1,000 half STs sold (I'd probably buy one and I live 150 miles from AG). Were we to actually get promoted then (subject to pricing) yeh I expect we'd shift something like 17,500 - everyone would renew and I guess you'd see a decent number of new sign ups.

That first season up in the top flight I think we would see sell outs for all of the "Big 6" home games, and we'd get pretty close for the other 13 games.

I'd just add that personally I would rather we sold out AG as it is than add another 10,000 seats and only fill 80% of it. I went to the King Power the other day (32,000 cap) and it was full

[elhombrecito]

 

 

[Winterstoke toad]

17 hours ago, 2015 said:

I think, talking to a lot of Bristolians (majority of City fans) on matchdays makes me think that a lot of our fanbase don't know the extent that our local support goes to. We have a big following in Somerset and parts of North and West Wiltshire and when I say where i'm from (Wilts) it's always met with surprise from our fans who are actually from Bristol. Bristol is in an area that means that within 20-25 miles we still have a big catchment area for fans. 

There’s a fair few of us here in north Wiltshire. Bristols closer to parts of north Wiltshire than Swindon so around here there’s lots of us city fans but also prem plastics who would end up supporting City if they ever got to the prem .

[Red-Robbo]

I think plastics is just something you have to accept if you get sustained top-flight success.

I love how you get West Country Liverpool fans (who tend to be aged in their 50s and 40s), West Country Man U fans (40s and late 30s) and you are starting to see some West Country schoolkids identifying as Man City fans. Hell, there are even some 60-year-old West Country "Leeds fans" and I know one old-bloke in his 70s who has rarely travelled further north than Radstock, but who supports WBA, the big team when he first got into football in the mid-1950s. 

[Topper 123]

21 hours ago, Street red said:

Our season ticket for championship football is very good I know a regular season ticket at Weymouth is £320 to put that into perspective, So by our prices the fan base continues to increase.

Well today we’ve passed through the 13000 at pace but I think there’s still a trick missed and that’s the half season ticket , obviously you’ve fans that cannot afford to commit to £40 p/m for a season ticket or pull out £380 in one hit but a half ticket at £180 could entice a few more or even a 8 game batch it can’t be hard to load a card up with 8 passes on usable whenever, handy for people who can’t commit due to work commitment, just a thought for the club to get money up front and fans to get a decent match ticket price and ease of entry

[Davefevs]

48 minutes ago, Magger1 said:

Well today we’ve passed through the 13000 at pace but I think there’s still a trick missed and that’s the half season ticket , obviously you’ve fans that cannot afford to commit to £40 p/m for a season ticket or pull out £380 in one hit but a half ticket at £180 could entice a few more or even a 8 game batch it can’t be hard to load a card up with 8 passes on usable whenever, handy for people who can’t commit due to work commitment, just a thought for the club to get money up front and fans to get a decent match ticket price and ease of entry

Think recruitment will help drive ST sales too (or do the complete opposite)!

[Sleepy1968]

1 hour ago, Magger1 said:

Well today we’ve passed through the 13000 at pace but I think there’s still a trick missed and that’s the half season ticket , obviously you’ve fans that cannot afford to commit to £40 p/m for a season ticket or pull out £380 in one hit but a half ticket at £180 could entice a few more or even a 8 game batch it can’t be hard to load a card up with 8 passes on usable whenever, handy for people who can’t commit due to work commitment, just a thought for the club to get money up front and fans to get a decent match ticket price and ease of entry

Re half season tickets - might cannibalise the full season ticket sales a bit.

But if they offer this and similar to your suggestions nearer the start of the season to members, then I think it could drive some extra sales.

[CyderInACan]

5 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Let's face it, if you were a neutral and you fancy watching a game in Bristol whatcha gonna do? Ashton  Gate or go to a set of embarrassing tents and temporary stands, eat stale crisps and unidentified flat fizzy pop while watching a team of on-loan cloggers, managed by an egotistical psychopath.

Yeah but they do have Babestation on in the bar at half time, so, you know, swings and roundabouts eh. 

[George Rs]

4 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

If we're top 6 in January 2024 and look reasonably likely to make a play off push then I think you'd see at least 1,000 half STs sold (I'd probably buy one and I live 150 miles from AG). Were we to actually get promoted then (subject to pricing) yeh I expect we'd shift something like 17,500 - everyone would renew and I guess you'd see a decent number of new sign ups.

That first season up in the top flight I think we would see sell outs for all of the "Big 6" home games, and we'd get pretty close for the other 13 games.

I'd just add that personally I would rather we sold out AG as it is than add another 10,000 seats and only fill 80% of it. I went to the King Power the other day (32,000 cap) and it was full

Agreed. Would much rather a sold out 28k stadium then a 80% 32-35 or what ever it would be. Even if there were more people having a sold out ground does something to an atmosphere 

[Red-Robbo]

18 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

Yeah but they do have Babestation on in the bar at half time, so, you know, swings and roundabouts eh. 

 

Fewer fans but more w*****s  

[Davefevs]

34 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

Yeah but they do have Babestation on in the bar at half time, so, you know, swings and roundabouts eh. 

So something for the young and old?

[CyderInACan]

53 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

So something for the young and old?

Depends on your preferences I guess!

[handsofclay]

23 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

Do the kids really need to feed and drink at a match? It's usually played between lunch and dinner time ( in old money, dinner and tea) so if they are stuffing calories down. No wonder that many of the young of today are overweight. I've survived to a month away from 80th without a pot belly from eating or drinking even water at a City match when I was growing up!

A few years ago I was leaving Mangotsfield United's ground and put Radio Bristol on. Geoff Twentyman was talking to a young Rovers fan called iirc Ollie. He seemed to be on rather a lot at the time offering his observations on the Gas. They had beaten Swindon one-nil in an early kick off and Ollie was waxing lyrical about the match and how well Rovers had played.

'And what did you think of the goal?' Twentyman asked, realising there was no explanation of this event.

'Oh, I didn't see that, Geoff,' he replied. 'I was queuing to get a pie.'

I couldn't believe it. I was literally shouting at the radio as I was driving and shaking my head and saying that one can go to Gregg's any day of the week and get a bloody pie!

[Ska Junkie]

Talk of ground expansion but how the hell do we expand? Aren't we on height / space limits already?

[sglosbcfc]

7 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

I think plastics is just something you have to accept if you get sustained top-flight success.

I love how you get West Country Liverpool fans (who tend to be aged in their 50s and 40s), West Country Man U fans (40s and late 30s) and you are starting to see some West Country schoolkids identifying as Man City fans. Hell, there are even some 60-year-old West Country "Leeds fans" and I know one old-bloke in his 70s who has rarely travelled further north than Radstock, but who supports WBA, the big team when he first got into football in the mid-1950s. 

Spot on, just in my extended family I have an Uncle in his 60s who supports City and has Leeds as his second team, a brother in law in his 40s who supports Liverpool and has the Gas as his second team and 2 brothers (40s and 30s) who support City but have Man Utd as their second team.

[AshtonGreat]

On 04/05/2023 at 13:47, 2015 said:

I remember the days of 10k in League 1 being generally the average. Our support has grown exponentially since those days. I think Football clubs across the UK that are not traditionally 'big' clubs are seeing a recent surge in supporter growth in recent seasons. 

The chance to watch live football is far more worth the money than a sky tv package to most families. The matchday experience is massive for this demographic.

I also think regarding City, we've always had a fairly large following, not necessarily attendees though. 

I'm not sure about that. A month of Sky Sports only costs £33 and you can get loads of games for that

[MelksRed]

9 hours ago, Winterstoke toad said:

There’s a fair few of us here in north Wiltshire. Bristols closer to parts of north Wiltshire than Swindon so around here there’s lots of us city fans but also prem plastics who would end up supporting City if they ever got to the prem .

Melksham, Wilts here. Plenty of City Fans here  and growing.

[Davefevs]

3 hours ago, handsofclay said:

A few years ago I was leaving Mangotsfield United's ground and put Radio Bristol on. Geoff Twentyman was talking to a young Rovers fan called iirc Ollie. He seemed to be on rather a lot at the time offering his observations on the Gas. They had beaten Swindon one-nil in an early kick off and Ollie was waxing lyrical about the match and how well Rovers had played.

'And what did you think of the goal?' Twentyman asked, realising there was no explanation of this event.

'Oh, I didn't see that, Geoff,' he replied. 'I was queuing to get a pie.'

I couldn't believe it. I was literally shouting at the radio as I was driving and shaking my head and saying that one can go to Gregg's any day of the week and get a bloody pie!

Ollie Louch, son of Downend CC’s Jason Louch (Louchy) if any of you locals know him.  Gashead - like father like son.  Louchy is a lovely guy though.

[semblar]

3 hours ago, handsofclay said:

A few years ago I was leaving Mangotsfield United's ground and put Radio Bristol on. Geoff Twentyman was talking to a young Rovers fan called iirc Ollie. He seemed to be on rather a lot at the time offering his observations on the Gas. They had beaten Swindon one-nil in an early kick off and Ollie was waxing lyrical about the match and how well Rovers had played.

'And what did you think of the goal?' Twentyman asked, realising there was no explanation of this event.

'Oh, I didn't see that, Geoff,' he replied. 'I was queuing to get a pie.'

I couldn't believe it. I was literally shouting at the radio as I was driving and shaking my head and saying that one can go to Gregg's any day of the week and get a bloody pie!

 

Tell that to all the people who disappear at 40 minutes or so to get their half time pie/pint...

[mightyreds89]

It always baffles me that people think AG is difficult to get to and from and park at. I live in BS16 and have been going to Ashton Gate for over 30 years never once had any issues parking, had to pay for parking or walk more than 10-15 mins and that’s arriving in bs3 around 140/145pm.

i don’t get the bus but from what I am told bus services and bus routes to AG have never been more available or regular.

As a regular at away games I always think how much worse traffic & parking seems to be on an away day compared to a home game. Away parking at most grounds is a million times worse unless you pay. 
 

can’t be alone surely? Always baffles me this talking point. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by mightyreds89

[Rocking Red Cyril]

On 04/05/2023 at 13:47, 2015 said:

I remember the days of 10k in League 1 being generally the average. Our support has grown exponentially since those days. I think Football clubs across the UK that are not traditionally 'big' clubs are seeing a recent surge in supporter growth in recent seasons. 

The chance to watch live football is far more worth the money than a sky tv package to most families. The matchday experience is massive for this demographic.

I also think regarding City, we've always had a fairly large following, not necessarily attendees though. 

Can remember 4000 ish home gates and couple of coaches to away games back in Div. 4. But seems a long time gone now.

COYR

[W-S-M Seagull]

4 hours ago, Ska Junkie said:

Talk of ground expansion but how the hell do we expand? Aren't we on height / space limits already?

The SS has been designed so that another tier can easily be added. 

I think you add that, and then knock down the Atyeo (so then we don't suffer a drop in capacity) and then look at doing the Dolman. 

[Kodjias Wrist]

46 minutes ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Can remember 4000 ish home gates and couple of coaches to away games back in Div. 4. But seems a long time gone now.

COYR

After three consecutive relegations in all fairness

[bcfc01]

23 minutes ago, Kodjias Wrist said:

After three consecutive relegations in all fairness

Wolves did the same just after us.

Averaged 4.020 in division 3 and 5,700 in division 4.

We never stooped that low.

Edited May 5, 2023 by bcfc01

[Ska Junkie]

46 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

The SS has been designed so that another tier can easily be added. 

I think you add that, and then knock down the Atyeo (so then we don't suffer a drop in capacity) and then look at doing the Dolman. 

Surely the SS, if higher, will be negated by the 'right to light' of the houses behind?

Same for a bigger Atyeo I should think?

[Red-Robbo]

20 minutes ago, Ska Junkie said:

Surely the SS, if higher, will be negated by the 'right to light' of the houses behind?

Same for a bigger Atyeo I should think?

 

That isn't as set-in-stone as many believe. The right to light act doesn't apply to gardens or outbuildings and regarding the windows of your home: "rights of light is not a right to direct sunlight. Rather, it entitles the beneficiary to a minimum level of natural illumination, not the sun’s direct rays."

Why do I know this? From bitter personal experience.  

I understand the club is involved in purchasing such properties as and when they become vacant in Ashton Road. Can anyone confirm this?

[Bris Red]

1 hour ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

I understand the club is involved in purchasing such properties as and when they become vacant in Ashton Road. Can anyone confirm this?

Allegedly, but no solid confirmation, only rumours... SL being the businessman that he is though, it wouldn’t surprise me if he has plans in place to purchase the houses on Ashton road or at least put the proposal to the potential investor that are looking at the club.

 Just looking at general house pieces around the BS3 area estimates to buy the row of houses would be circa £10 million ish.. Personally i feel that any potential investor would look at the Atyeo stand more from a vanity point of view more than anything else would want to purchase that row of houses to properly complete the stadium. Only time will tell…

Edited May 6, 2023 by Bris Red

[Eddie Hitler]

20 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Let's face it, if you were a neutral and you fancy watching a game in Bristol whatcha gonna do? Ashton  Gate or go to a set of embarrassing tents and temporary stands, eat stale crisps and unidentified flat fizzy pop while watching a team of on-loan cloggers, managed by an egotistical psychopath.

 

Tbh as a neutral with a nostalgia for the old football experience I'd be down the Rovers for the old style ground and general air of being ramshackle. That's how I like my football.

I'm not however a neutral when it comes to Bristol football.