Br 1st ol Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 As fans we all have a responsiblity to contribute to the club by not only attending ourselves but also taking with us the uninititated. There are 490,000 people in Bristol alone, 2.9 million within 1 hours drive and we only have 10,000 fans.... That is hopeless. It is not just the turnstile revenue ether, shirts, sponsorshipe etc etc all increase with the attendance. 40,000 fans at the millenium? What have each of us done to bring them all down to the gate since? If we want to get the club promoted, lets contribute. I for one will pledge here and now to take 6 'new' supporters with me to the Barnsley game. Any other pledges? If the following week, 3 come again and they each bring a couple of mates we can and should be getting 17,000 every match. Div 1 we should get 25,000 Prem we should get 35,000 (all be it in a new stadium) Any views?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazred Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I will just add to your post that although Bristols population is large, not all are native Bristolians. Lots work for large corporations so they have been relocated here and also we have a very large number of Students whom i guess will be supporting there home town team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Percy Parrot Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 we SHOULD DEFINITELY in my view have FAR FAR more fans. Club need to do everything in their power to increase number of fans. Club need current fans' support in doing this. The higher you aim, the higher you get and ambition should never cease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br 1st ol Posted November 6, 2003 Author Share Posted November 6, 2003 I take that on board, but i can speak for myself when i say that when at Uni in Exeter, if BCFC were away, i would go to ECFC. So would expect any new bristol resident footy fans form other cities to still come to the gate from time to time... (incdientaly ECFC won the Div4, as was, championship when i was there with BCFC stamped all over the team....Stevie Neville, Clever Trevor Morgan, Mark Cooper, Terry Coper, Lee Rodgers etc etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neo Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I have answered a similar post recently and will answer in the same way. No, I will not be bringing anybody to a game. I choose along with my daughter, my best mate and his Brother-In-Law to come and watch Bristol City every home game and some away. I have far too many important things in life to worry about without trying to burden myself with convincing others that they should come to a City game. It is bad enough for us die-hards to witness such pathetic rubbish on the pitch without asking my relatives and friends to waste £15+ doing the same; I would be embarrassed and feel like I should contribute something for their ticket. They know a professional football team plays in Ashton and they know I go to every game. If they want to come along, they will contact me and i'll gladly help sort them out a ticket, seat near me, transport etc. However, it is for them to come to me, not vice-versa IMO. :Costumed19: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WillsbridgeRed Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 Neo you are so spot on with that. I take the mrs to the big games, bring mates to the local games - But i'm not forcing Div 2 boring football on mates. It's not like and say "come down, its a good laugh" because its not, the footballs shocking, and you can't have a good laugh in the stands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolminator Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I totally agree with the comment, that its a disgarce that our average attendence is 10,000. You have to remember that BRISTOL CITY attracts alot of Part Time supporters. You only have to rember the Southampton game, they all came out of the woodwork then, and I am sure that if we get a half decent team in the F.A cup then they will be back. Being a TRUE city fan means watching city play Colchester United at 3pm on a cold Saturday afternoon, not snapping up millenium stadium tickets a going to Cardiff drinking 10 pints, fighting and singing "CITY TILL I DIE" :Party12: :Party12: :Party12: :Party12: Lets get behind the lads throughout the season!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akira Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 It's not like and say "come down, its a good laugh" because its not, the footballs shocking, and you can't have a good laugh in the stands your right,'cos if you TRY to have a laugh,you probably get some stewards on to you within a flash :Rage: :Rage: :Rage: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazred Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I take that on board, but i can speak for myself when i say that when at Uni in Exeter, if BCFC were away, i would go to ECFC. So would expect any new bristol resident footy fans form other cities to still come to the gate from time to time... (incdientaly ECFC won the Div4, as was, championship when i was there with BCFC stamped all over the team....Stevie Neville, Clever Trevor Morgan, Mark Cooper, Terry Coper, Lee Rodgers etc etc) Yep your probably right, i think i could see myself going to watch another team if i was living in another city if they were worth watching. That is the problem we have at the moment, its not pretty to watch so its very hard to attract new support. When we are playing better again and challenging for promotion, then is the time to start a recruitment drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br 1st ol Posted November 6, 2003 Author Share Posted November 6, 2003 remeber that a crowd draws a crowd....if tickets were suddenly hard to come by, it increases the desire to have one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtrojan Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 If the team were playing attractive football against the best teams in the country(i.e in the Premier League)we would sell out every game ,even in a new 30,000 seater stadium.I remember 37,000 at the gate against liverpool in the old div 1.The problem is ,many people and buisnesses etc are just not interested in lower league football.Allthe more reason why we need to sort out things both on and off the pitch asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooter Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 In total, I think I've brought 8 different people with me to the Gate in the past, who have never been before and although only half of them still attend matches, I think it has worked out quite well. Especially as they were all North Bristolians as I am. Got them to support City instead of the Gas was the main thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cider red Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 It is pathetic , but people are coming into bristol from other cities all the time , this cant help support , surely at least 150,000-250,000 are from bristol. If you count the surrounding area and put that with the population of bristol it is just under 2 million people , you have to question the clubs promotion of its self?? :Confused13: :Confused13: :Confused13: :Confused13: :Confused13: :Confused13: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spanish fly Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 bottom line is that as long as the club churn out rubbish football - and no-one can deny that is what we have been watching for a very long time, and we are languishing in the middle of a poor second division and the investment of the board is in football terms minimal then crowds are unlikely to bother to turn out in any numbers. City are very lucky to have 8,000 season ticket holders which is more than the majority of 2nd and 1st division clubs so the board cannot criticise the supporters and should look to their own investment levels instead of "only" financing the current debt with loans rather than real investment. Bristolians will turn out only when they see success on the pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TB Mutiny Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 The true supporters will be there no matter what. Those part timers will begen to attend once the club puts together a good run of wins. By the way it about that time. Look at the last two years. At about this time City string together 10+ matches without a defeat and DW is mgr of the month. When this happen, the casual supporter will appear. But just because the area's population is 500,000 doesn't mean people will attend. Having been in Mexico City, population 20 million, I have seen matches in Estadio Azteca with less than 1000 people! That is about 119,000 EMPTY seats!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolminator Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 :Sleep15: :Costumed19: :sport5: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Red_Rat Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I no what your saying,how we can get 40,000+ for a cup final and sometimes barely reach 9,000 for a league game is beyond me.It's very frustrating thinking of the possible crowds we could attract if we were in division1 or the Premier League,but these fans that are waiting for us to get there, have to start making an effort and support us whilst in division2 then maybe ashton gate will create the kind of atmosphere to spur the lads onto division1 and beyond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cyprus_Red Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 attendances have definately dropped since last season. are fans aint loyal enough if we lose people dont come back the nxt week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cyprus_Red Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 40,000 in cardiff barely 10,000 in bristol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weepywall Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 i reckon we have a possible crowd of around 25,000 max, many who went too cardiff are football fans but not city fans, i know loads of people who went to cardiff who havent watched city for years. When we were in the old 1st division our gates were towards the bottom of the average attendances and our last visit to the new div 1 hardly broke attendance records ! There are plenty of football fans in the Bristol, Bath etc area but the blind loyalty, comitment, passion etc just isnt there in enough people, never has been and never will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Old Dazzler Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I remember our average gate in the old Division 1 being around the 22,000- 24,000 mark and were certainly better than the like of Clubs such as Bolton, QPR, Ipswich, Southampton, Coventry, Leicester, Derby, Crystal Palace and quite a few others who were in the top flight over that 4 year period. With the profile of the Premier League at the moment , I reckon that if we had a Stadium like Southampton's (33,000) we would fill it nearly every game. The last season in Divison One was blighted by the total lack of success on the field, which meant that the top crowd v Swindon 16,000+ was quite a bit lower than the top crowd in Div 2 the previous season - Watford 19,000. I do agree that crowds are poor for the size of the city, even taken into account the current lacklustre performances - I think that too many people have just got brassed off after years of false dawns. Another very important issue is that whatever population we have, this city has two league clubs and we have a competitor in the north of the city where the majority of the population (especially if you include South Gloucestershire) live. And lets not delude ourselves - the Gas would also take around 40,000 to Cardiff, they have the same problem as us - a whole colony of ghost supporters who come out for the big occassion When all is said and done our average crowd is only a few thousand above theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotusman Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Unfortunately the diet of football available to the long suffering Bristol public has been 2nd,3rd,or 4th rate for so long the number of fans that do turn up is really remarkable. Football is entertainment and in truth our club does not offer much by way of interest or variety.Some clubs seem to be always involved with highs and lows:Man City,West Ham,Sunderland,Leicester,Bolton.We just seem to plod along in the league never ever quite achieving the level of our expectation.Indeed over the last 20 years we seem to have enjoyed more cup success than league. The Fan potential is of course there,illustrated not least by LDV final days out,quite what Prem. football would bring probably is only limited by the size of the stadium. Rightly or wrongly the situation that Bristol finds itself in would not exist here in the States,for the market potential could not be ignored and one of the franchises would obviously be positioned in Bristol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Ian M Posted November 7, 2003 Admin Share Posted November 7, 2003 I agree with both sides of the argument put forward on this thread. Firstly, those who view coming to Ashton Gate every second Saturday as a vestibule (sp?) for releasing 2 weeks worth of exasperation of working life/mortgages/relationships etc etc have every right to view coming to the Gate as a (fairly) relaxing experience and choose not to go out of their way to bring extra people with them are perfectly within their rights not to do so. The vast majority of this group will have 'supported' City for years and will continue to do so undoubtedly so are contributing well to the City cause anyway. However, at the same time there will be another group of people who do try to bring more forward to watch City play and as long as this percentage of fans, whilst being a minority, isn't too small, it can have a large effect on the crowds. For instance, if just 20% of the average crowd averaged bringing a couple of extra people to a City game, attendances would rise to about 14000 which in turn would allow the board to sanction signings like Mark Robins which in turn 'could' improve this 'mediocre second division side' and hence lead to more fans coming. Myself I seem to fit in somewhere between the two. This season I have introduced a new Season Ticket Holder who hadn't been to a match at Ashton Gate 'as a City fan' before and have brought one extra fan to games this season but on the vast majority of games I have just wanted to relax and not have the extra hassle of trying to find extra people to come. Going back to the Cardiff attendance, 3 of the people I took there have only been to Ashton Gate for City matches about 3 or 4 times before, strangely enough only for LDV games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucksred Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I've brought Stockport, Rangers, and Motherwell fans down, and City promptly played so badly, that none have come back. The team has to be worth watching, to increase gates... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22A Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 It's not just football. Bristol is also knowbn for it's apathy. It's claimed that if SS Great Britain had gone to London, she would have been fully restored 20 years ago. The Avon Valley Railway is still only approx 5 miles after 30 years of existance. There have been repeated calls for an aviation museum at Filton, nothing comes of it though. It's the Bristol disease. On the other hand, given, the car parking, catering, stewarding and so on, would you want to be part of a 30,000 crowd trying to get into AG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riaz Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I totally agree with the comment, that its a disgarce that our average attendence is 10,000. You have to remember that BRISTOL CITY attracts alot of Part Time supporters. You only have to rember the Southampton game, they all came out of the woodwork then, and I am sure that if we get a half decent team in the F.A cup then they will be back. Being a TRUE city fan means watching city play Colchester United at 3pm on a cold Saturday afternoon, not snapping up millenium stadium tickets a going to Cardiff drinking 10 pints, fighting and singing "CITY TILL I DIE" :Party12: :Party12: :Party12: :Party12: Lets get behind the lads throughout the season!!!!!!!!! just REMBER how to spell cos that was DISGARCE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br 1st ol Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 And another thing.... Yeovil population 10,000, crowds at almost 6,000....and we get only 3,000 more!! A disgrace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bristol_Babe Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 I understand the fact that only 10,000 people are there on a saturday afternoon and I truly wish I could be there too. But you have to understand that some people, like myself, are busy with work/studies and being a student, HAVE NO MONEY! Plus if you had parents like mine, you will understand my predicament (I can't go anywhere without my mother being convinced I am going to be attacked or raped). I try to get to the games when I can and I always make an effort for big games like I did for Cardiff. So please, I know what you want but relax a bit. When I am a qualified teacher with buckets rolling in, I will be down the gate with my season ticket and then I will drag along my wide barrage of mates and entice them to the beautiful game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br 1st ol Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 "qualified teacher with buckets rolling in" ?? sorry to disappoint but teachers are paid peanuts!! Good luck with your studies though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22A Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Bristol is the same size as Sheffield, which also has 2 teams. Wednesday generally attract a bigger crowd, so what size crowd did Sheff U get when they were in this div? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thetruecitytillidiefan Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 With u all the way it makes me angry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br 1st ol Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 but we did get 5,000 to see england u17's....not bad at all.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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