How do we grow our fan base?

[Snake]

We encourage young fans to come to games but please note that all children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Feel sorry for the kid under 14 Blade that does not have the adult to take them.

I first started going with my mates when I was 7 back in the late 60s There was a group of about 6 of us. The oldest would have been about 10. We stood at the bottom of the kop behind the goal. Sometimes we paid, sometimes we sneaked in under peoples legs and other times we were lifted over the turnstile.

 

[bromtom]

Me too. Used to be a regular Blade but then I started a family. Have used my Dad’s season ticket to buy tickets for the few games I was able to attend recently. My son is now old enough to be showing a genuine interest, so off to the Fylde match we will go. Not sure why Sean Thornton is being so disparaging about Mums and little boys wanting to watch a match? Are we not worthy of a seat at the table? I would say we’re the future of the club. Odd.

Of course, but the point is, you're no more worthy than the people already sitting in the seats who've been there for years or got there first, and until we have a bigger table with more seats around it, there's not much the club can do no matter how many people say the ticketing system is "ridiculous" (it's not, a tad cautious at first maybe, but that's it).

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I know it's probably been done to death, but how do we grow our fan base with the ridiculous policies we have around selling home tickets?

If you need at least 150 loyalty points to get a ticket, how do you get those points if you have never been to a game before? How does the non-Blade (yet) football supporter get to go to a game, sample the atmosphere, feel the excitement then grow into being a Blade and a regular attender? Ok I know you could buy cup tickets, but this type of person isn't interested in going to see Fylde.

Then fuck ‘em, you want a ticket you take your opportunity and turn up to watch a FA Cup game featuring our first team squad. It’ll immediately get you enough points to pick tickets for other game this season.

At this stage there really is no excuse if you wanted to watch us this year but didn’t have the points. Start of the season my nephew (aged 8) had no points having never been to a game and not really being bothered preferring Liverpool, Man City and the like. He’s now got 450, having watched us play Palace, Burnley, Man Utd, Vila watched us vs Newcastle on the tele (because it was a night game and therefore he couldn’t go), signing GCB and has even asked about thr possibility of a season tickets next year.
Once the Fylde points are in he’ll have 600 and will probably be eligible for tickets to every game for the rest of the season if he likes. That said he still doesn’t want a shirt for Christmas as he doesn’t really like the kit colours and he’s clear that doesn’t support us 100% but the very simple point is, if anyone really wants to get a ticket to see us regularly this season they can.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

The games as good as sell out every week and just go to a midweek cup game for the loyalty points. Where are the new fanbase going to fit in? Add 10 000 to the capacity? Not for me, I reckon there's a ceiling on our attendance and we're not far off it. Just my feelings on it, not claiming to be right.

If you were judging the ceiling by attendances then in the mid 90’s you have said 20,000. In the mid 60’s you have said 50,000 or more. I’ve been at Bramall Lane with almost 50,000 in there. I was there when we struggled to get 13,000.

So what is the ceiling?

I think the answer is, we don’t know. But I think it’s beyond where we are now - providing we stay in the Prem and play the kind of football we are playing.

I agree with the OP. We should be maximising the opportunity to bring more people in. And if your capacity is lower than the demand, or the potential demand, then you are missing out on revenues.

There’s a hardcore of fans and then there’s a huge potential “transient” or “neutral” group beyond that. If you only do what you’ve always done, then (at best) you’ll only get what you currently have.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Not sure why Sean Thornton is being so disparaging about Mums and little boys wanting to watch a match? Are we not worthy of a seat at the table? I would say we’re the future of the club. Odd.

Think you’re doing a fair bit of reading into what he actually posted, as I didn’t get anywhere close to your conclusions from the actual words he submitted.

I agree with the OP. We should be maximising the opportunity to bring more people in. And if your capacity is lower than the demand, or the potential demand, then you are missing out on revenues.

Are we though? I’d argue that we’re pretty much at capacity for most of the games if you remove the restricted view seats and those we can’t sell due to safety restrictions.
I’d like to see the capacity increase on the South Stand or Kop so long as it involved no loss of available seats while they did it to give us 5-6000 more and/or remove the posts and if that was done then more tickets would be available. But spare tickets shouldn’t be open to general sale especially as it’s so easy to get points if you want them by attending the lesser games like the FA and League cup matches.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Open up every seat for score, it will sell. Stop the points system for home games, ID and cash will do.

 

[Dkc]

Open up every seat for score, it will sell. Stop the points system for home games, ID and cash will do.

Plenty of Man U and Liverpool fans living in Sheffield who will have ID with a Sheffield address. You can buy very good fake ID online.

 

[Tony Currie]

Only two matches sold out in our first season back and the best United team most of us have ever seen and surely one of the smallest increases in home support of a promoted team that has been out of the league for a while (excluding such as Norwich who don't have the capacity).

Can we really not sell any half season tickets and so reduce the number of match day tickets which we seem incapable of selling - did we rally max out our allowed ST sales? The number of empty seats in SS, Kop and BLUT against Villa was stark considering our form and supposed size.

If it's not the ticketing policy and just our support then we need to seriously consider giving the BL end back to away fans and filling the ground.

Are you kidding! The BL Upper Tier was close to full for the Villa game. There were a few seats on the Kop(restricted) and South Stand empty, however 30,300 on a Saturday close to Christmas (where money is tight) is a very good turn out.

 

[blade67]

Yes, this ridiculous policy that only lets us sell tickets up to capacity. Bloody bureaucratic nonsense!

We'd have a far bigger fanbase if we sold 60,000 tickets at a tenner each.

Yours

A Nutter

Health and safety gone mad. Top half of the kop should be unallocated seating and let as many pay on day punters get in for a tenner

 

[blade67]

I know it's probably been done to death, but how do we grow our fan base with the ridiculous policies we have around selling home tickets?

If you need at least 150 loyalty points to get a ticket, how do you get those points if you have never been to a game before? How does the non-Blade (yet) football supporter get to go to a game, sample the atmosphere, feel the excitement then grow into being a Blade and a regular attender? Ok I know you could buy cup tickets, but this type of person isn't interested in going to see Fylde.

I can't for the life of me believe that we that stupid that we are not cashing in on our premier league status to attract new fans - so how are we doing it? Does anybody know?

Given that we currently at around 97% fill, I think the answer is to build more seats as 98/99% seems to be as high as any teams go. For us that is another 600 seats sold and I imagine the club isn't really focussed by that.

It seems that another question you are asking is "how do kids get to watch the blades" and the answer is pester your parents to buy tickets to cup games. There is a great opportunity in 3 weeks.

When United extend the stadium has to be on the agenda as I'm sure demand for season tickets will probably go up next season, based on current performances

 

[finlaytheblade]

The key is sustained success for a decade or more , we havnt had that since our 1st relegation in the 30s
We have flirted with it but usually it ends when a good team gets past it's best we will have that situation this time when the present team reaches its zenith and improvements and replacements are needed.
We arnt there yet but it will come.
Wilder if he sticks around will be charged with that , he will be well aware of it.
It's an on going situation ! stand still and you go backwoods and that is what's happened historically, can Wilder break with history ?
Yes if he gets support from owners.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Most of the 1,300 seats are restricted view and difficult to sell anyway.

If the desire is to grow the fan base, then offering tickets up to general sale for whoever wants one will not grow it much at all. Those tickets would be snapped up by away fans and football tourists with no interest in attending on a regular basis. The way to gain the necessary loyalty points isn't difficult, attend a cup game or two.

The days of just rolling up to the ground and getting in whatever the game are gone. So popular is the game now at the top level that simply buying a ticket for any game you want to attend isn't possible. I think SUFC make it easier than most in the PL.

Cup game or two?

What if we lose?

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

But your 2.5 year old was born into a big Blade family - who have indoctrinated him/her (like I did with my kids btw lol) into being a Blade. Not every kid is brought up this way.

That's what social services are for.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I can assure you that our increased exposure has resulted into increased interest in us as a club. I was at my wife's Christmas do in Washington DC last night and talked to a number of people who have seen our matches on tv and could talk about us in a relatively informed way. There's no particular reason that some of them won't end up following us more closely.

The more we can demonstrate a global audience to potential sponsors, the more money we can demand to stick their names on our shirts, stands, etc etc. Look at the massive revenue streams that the top clubs are bringing in from sponsorship deals--we're not in a position to compete with that just yet, but I'm sure the club has ambitions in that direction. And it's important for us as we've got one of the least wealthy owners in the league: we can't rely on TV money alone to compete.

So how many people in Washington DC fancied a new door?

I know that is so last season.

 

[Klanger]

How things change over time without you noticing........

I go in The Sheaf View pre-match, on the weekend of the Manu game they had been having a small beer festival and had a temporary bar in the back room with several exotic brews.

One guy was holding forth about our chances against the mancs who were a couple of places below us in the league.

I asked him to think back just 5 or 6 years and could he have imagined himself, in 2019, pontificating about our realistic chances of beating Manchester United, below us in the Premier League........whilst drinking a pint of Rosehip and Strawberry cider

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

I know it's probably been done to death, but how do we grow our fan base with the ridiculous policies we have around selling home tickets?

If you need at least 150 loyalty points to get a ticket, how do you get those points if you have never been to a game before? How does the non-Blade (yet) football supporter get to go to a game, sample the atmosphere, feel the excitement then grow into being a Blade and a regular attender? Ok I know you could buy cup tickets, but this type of person isn't interested in going to see Fylde.

I can't for the life of me believe that we that stupid that we are not cashing in on our premier league status to attract new fans - so how are we doing it? Does anybody know?

We're selling out lots of matches, and a tiny amount left when we don't.
Didn't Watfordnon boxing day go on general sale?
What's your suggestion? How would you do it to stop away fans buyng them?

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Cup game or two?

What if we lose?

If they’d attended just one of the cup games this season they’d already have enough to buy a West Ham ticket right now with no membership.

 

[BushBlade]

Cup game or two?

What if we lose?

We’ve played two already.

 

[shorehamview]

Health and safety gone mad. Top half of the kop should be unallocated seating and let as many pay on day punters get in for a tenner

Why? Should people who’ve been in those seats for years be told to fuck off just so someone can roll up on the day and get a seat for the part of the ground with the best atmosphere? I’m presuming your post was tongue-in-cheek....

 

[Sean Thornton]

Me too. Used to be a regular Blade but then I started a family. Have used my Dad’s season ticket to buy tickets for the few games I was able to attend recently. My son is now old enough to be showing a genuine interest, so off to the Fylde match we will go. Not sure why Sean Thornton is being so disparaging about Mums and little boys wanting to watch a match? Are we not worthy of a seat at the table? I would say we’re the future of the club. Odd.

Due to people moaning that their wife/child or indeed themselves should be able to get tickets with no loyalty points whatsoever, and blaming the club.

 

[blade67]

Why? Should people who’ve been in those seats for years be told to fuck off just so someone can roll up on the day and get a seat for the part of the ground with the best atmosphere? I’m presuming your post was tongue-in-cheek....

I'd let people fight for the seat with existing season ticket holders given an advantage. Perhaps a weapon of some sort

 

[Cerberus Blade]

how do we grow our fan base?

Keep 'em in the dark and feed them shit?

 

[AnonBear]

Of course, but the point is, you're no more worthy than the people already sitting in the seats who've been there for years or got there first, and until we have a bigger table with more seats around it, there's not much the club can do no matter how many people say the ticketing system is "ridiculous" (it's not, a tad cautious at first maybe, but that's it).

Appreciate that, I don’t opine that it’s ridiculous; I was responding to a specific comment, about Mums & little boys. We weren’t able to go to the other cup matches, as they were evening kick offs. We’ll be at the Fylde game though. Looking forward to catching a few league games thereafter.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

There seem to be an unusually high number of people who haven't been able to go to matches because of family / working away etc , who suddenly can now.
I can't explain it.

 

[Booker4]

There is the opportunity to attend a match - against Fylde in the world's oldest cup competition for which they will have no difficulty obtaining tickets and thus, 250 loyalty points so that they have the opportunity to attend future games. If these brand new "football not Blades" fans can't be bothered to earn their place in the queue, I'm not entirely sure we should be bending over backwards to accommodate them.

I'd also point out that matches such as Boxing Day v. Watford went to general sale and season ticket holders could purchase three extras for the Burnley and Villa games.

I'm taking my young un to the Flyde game which is his first ever Blades game, mine was v Man U, bit of a difference!

But from now on he'll be able to get Blades tickets unless they sell out before general sale. I've heard that the reason we have the Loyalty points isn't actually of our own making but was specified by the South Yorkshire safety thing that Wednesday fans are always slagging off because their capacity should be about 60,000 but is in fact 30,000 because half of the ground is not capable of taking a full capacity, outside and in. Not sure if anyone can confirm that the SAG group are responsible to the loyalty points, as a deterrent to away fans getting in of course and making the South Yorkshire Police numbers harder.