Is the club soon to be at risk of losing some or a sizeable proportion of the fans gained over the last 25 years?

[Lord Eddard Muir]

If you can afford to renew your season ticket, that's the best deal. I think it's £100 more if you want to buy a new season ticket on general sale for a senior ticket.
Money is tight for many people, nearly £400 for a season ticket for me, which is too expensive. I will have to pick the matches I go to. Match day prices are probably going to be£35-£40 for a senior ticket on the Kop, where I have been standing/sitting since 1966. I have Sky Sports that I pay £68 a month for. But nowhere near as good as going to Bramall Lane. Sadly, due to circumstances beyond my control, I will just go to the proper kick-off time, 3 p,m Saturday matches.

For one thing you shouldn't be paying £68 a month for Sky Sports. Ring them up and say you want to cancel and they'll offer you a better deal - and if they don't you can switch to NowTV as a new customer (even though it's basically the same company) and get a special offer price for 12-18 months

 

[Northernsoulblade]

I like a few others on here have followed the blades through 4 divisions and our support never waivered i think the biggest factor is the cost of football but our fanbase is quite solid

 

[MojoMuffin]

The title of the post and the actual question aren't necessarily the same thing. Attendances this season, including Wembley have been very good considering that the vast majority of fans are having to be exceptionally careful with their budgets. For the price of a match day ticket, you could get a decent weekly shop from Aldi, and unfortunately for some, they can't afford both.

I don't think we're in any sort of fanbase decline, in general. If the point is that ticket sales could go drastically down, I'd argue that following an utterly embarrassing season which involved fans walking out half an hour into matches, I've been massively surprised at the ticket sales this season right from the start. I fully expect attendances to be the same or improve next season given it's another year in a league where we compete brilliantly in terms of results. I think if Wembley showed anything, it's that there's plenty of people out there that want to watch Sheffield United in person, but are only able to if there's a way to bypass the points system so they actually can purchase a ticket.

As others have said though, future threats to match day attendances all revolve around the price of tickets, the cost of living, Sky schedules and IPTV.

 

[Pintor75]

The title of the post and the actual question aren't necessarily the same thing. Attendances this season, including Wembley have been very good considering that the vast majority of fans are having to be exceptionally careful with their budgets. For the price of a match day ticket, you could get a decent weekly shop from Aldi, and unfortunately for some, they can't afford both.

I don't think we're in any sort of fanbase decline, in general. If the point is that ticket sales could go drastically down, I'd argue that following an utterly embarrassing season which involved fans walking out half an hour into matches, I've been massively surprised at the ticket sales this season right from the start. I fully expect attendances to be the same or improve next season given it's another year in a league where we compete brilliantly in terms of results. I think if Wembley showed anything, it's that there's plenty of people out there that want to watch Sheffield United in person, but are only able to if there's a way to bypass the points system so they actually can purchase a ticket.

As others have said though, future threats to match day attendances all revolve around the price of tickets, the cost of living, Sky schedules and IPTV.

Good post, Some of us don't live in Sheffield so it's a 60 miles round trip, others have a lot more travelling to do than I do, plus car parking has gone up double in Sheffield this last year, plus being stuck in a league where there are plenty of boring games like Millwall, Preston, Plymouth, Cardiff, Swansea etc which might kick off at 8pm on a weekday takes some motivation to sit in the car for 3 hrs return to go and watch the tippy happy amongst defenders, hopefully the new owners can liven things up, but with the coaches we have now I doubt it. Another thing is season ticket holders like me know friends all around us and if we give our tickets up that's the end of that , lots to consider

 

[reedy63]

The attendance at Bramall Lane has been very good for the last few seasons. But how many times has the ticket office, etc has told us sold out last season, yet you can see empty seats in the TC stand and John Street stand. Does that mean people who are season ticket holders don't attend the match? And don't renew. We will see what the attendance is next season to find out. The playoff home game against Bristol City was a couple of thousand down. Is that the sign of things to come? I hope not.

 

[Sean Thornton]

We've been losing fans for the last few years relative to the league/position we've been in.

Very few sell outs in the prem and ST sales down last year and will be again this year.

Enthusiasm has gone flat since the realisation hit home the top league isn't much fun and we've been there done that. The last promotion was the least celebrated in my lifetime. We started to take fans and attendances for granted and stopped working at it

Why give up on selling ST tickets after the first deadline?

What company doesn't try to sell its key product for three months? Particularly as enthusiasm could return with a few decent signings, maybe a new manager etc but by that point we've effectively stopped selling ST as hardly anybody buys at the higher price.

I'd like to see us announce a relaunch of ST at the early bird price open to anyone.

An offer made by the Americans to mark the fresh start under their ownership and a new era.

Pump it up, shout about it get some imaginative social media campaigns etc but try and sell some STs.

We could be 10 points clear playing like PSG and we'll hardly sell any match day tickets. Games are on telly and ticket prices are high.

It's all about STs stupid.

You don’t know why season ticket sales were initially halted?

They are (were) back on sale now.

 

[robbiez666]

For one thing you shouldn't be paying £68 a month for Sky Sports. Ring them up and say you want to cancel and they'll offer you a better deal - and if they don't you can switch to NowTV as a new customer (even though it's basically the same company) and get a special offer price for 12-18 months

I think NOW TV Sports is about £34 full price but you'll get it for half of that at the moment as people cancel over summer. I've been a member off and on for a while and when I tried to cancel they gave me it for £17.99 until December.

 

[utd4ever]

I went from season ticket holder to part timer to watching at home to now listening to the radio.
Radio is proper old school.

 

[Pegster]

The attendance at Bramall Lane has been very good for the last few seasons. But how many times has the ticket office, etc has told us sold out last season, yet you can see empty seats in the TC stand and John Street stand. Does that mean people who are season ticket holders don't attend the match? And don't renew. We will see what the attendance is next season to find out. The playoff home game against Bristol City was a couple of thousand down. Is that the sign of things to come? I hope not.

Just had a quick count up , shows only 90 single seats available for new season ticket holders in the South Stand .

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

I think NOW TV Sports is about £34 full price but you'll get it for half of that at the moment as people cancel over summer. I've been a member off and on for a while and when I tried to cancel they gave me it for £17.99 until December.

Unfortunately they've stopped doing that for me, I'm assuming because their data reveals how much F1 I watch and that's on year-round

 

[HillStreet Blade]

For one thing you shouldn't be paying £68 a month for Sky Sports. Ring them up and say you want to cancel and they'll offer you a better deal - and if they don't you can switch to NowTV as a new customer (even though it's basically the same company) and get a special offer price for 12-18 months

Absolutely this. Now emailed me a deal on Sky Sports for £20 a month for the season just before the season started.

 

[metalblade]

I was a ST holder until fairly recently - stopped renewing when my lad was a couple of years old as I realised I hadn't been making it to enough games to justify the cost. Now that Wembley has got him interested again I had a look at the general sale prices and for the two of us on the family stand (he's been on the Kop and didn't like it - and who can blame him tbf) - we'd be looking around £800. So unfortunately it's going to be another season of picking and choosing our games.

It's not until you lose the early bird renewal discounts that you realise how high the prices have got for someone coming to it fresh.

True I didn't renew my season ticket last season so to get one for next season it has cost me an extra £80+ as a senior on the kop but if we still play the turgid score and see the game out by passing across the back for a hour then it will be my last. I don't consider £384 for an OAP cheap especially now Starmer is at war with pensioners, gotta watch the pennies more than ever now.

 

[reedy63]

It will get to the stage when most games are on Sky/TNT, etc, cover most games live, not only the Premier League but EFL as well.
They must come up with discounts for tickets, or the stadiums will be half empty, and sadly, it will ruin the game for supporters.
So, something must be done about this. We all know the big clubs do not care as long as the cash rolls in, they are happy.
If the promoted clubs keep getting relegated from the Premier League, it will show the gulf between the FA and the EFL Championship.
Ruining Football.

 

[S64 Blade]

I would look to some better deals for young kids and students. If we get that right, we could add another 5,000-10,000 on the core support over a decade or so.

I did see quite a few Chinese (I’m assuming) at Wembley with Blades gear on. I’m guessing they came to Sheffield as students and stuck around. Was nice to see we can attract people from a diverse background to the games.

 

[reedy63]

I have tried to quit Sky, but I was told to pay off my contract, and then I can leave. The problem for me is that the contract does not run out until August 2026.

 

[Rodley]

I'm not sure we lose the fanbase any time soon, but something has to be done to encourage youngsters, or it will inevitably not hold up long term.

The ticket prices now are ridiculous, even at the Lane where it's generally always been fairly priced. Add to that the cost of going to away games which is even worse, and the young uns can't get tickets half the time anyway.

I think a young un in our away support is an under-40.

 

[metalblade]

I have tried to quit Sky, but I was told to pay off my contract, and then I can leave. The problem for me is that the contract does not run out until August 2026.

Get a dodgy Firestick and never miss a game whoever you support I f**ked Sky off as soon I could.

 

[Working Class Hero]

I think a young un in our away support is an under-40.

You're right, I'm just about under 40 and I now go to away games mainly to feel young.

 

[Sean Thornton]

You're right, I'm just about under 40 and I now go to away games mainly to feel young.

So all the coked up Chavs have senior tickets not kids ones?

 

[ThatJa]

If you are a lad or lass growing up in Sheffield with a passion for footy, which side would you pick?

You certainly wouldn't be choosing Wednesday, unless you had a relative that supported them.

 

[jt64]

IPTV a bigger threat to dropping attendances , know quite a few who were regulars who pick there games nowadays

I don't know of a single person who declines to go to matches because they're pirating games instead.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

I don't know of a single person who declines to go to matches because they're pirating games instead.

well I know more than a few mate .. more so when money is tight & the cost of taking kids & grandkids comes into it .. they’ll still go to some games but no longer buy season tickets

 

[Tom Bott]

Unless our owners have very very deep pockets I can't see much changing for us.

Having money is not the same as spending money (sorry I meant investment as some like to see the spending of other peoples money).

See Stoke City, QPR, Barnsley (owners all exceptionally wealthy).

Things may not change, each Saturday it's a game with both teams hoping to win.

 

[Working Class Hero]

I don't know of a single person who declines to go to matches because they're pirating games instead.

well I know more than a few mate .. more so when money is tight & the cost of taking kids & grandkids comes into it .. they’ll still go to some games but no longer buy season tickets

Several of the group I have always gone to matches with home and away, no longer do because they can watch every game on the old dodgy stick. Some of these had season tickets for years but now only go to a handful of home games per season.

There's a chance that would have happened anyway with age, but the stick was what stopped them going.

 

[Not_a_Cheat]

Could we potentially start to lose them or would you say that the club has properly established them (barring going back down to L1 or worse)?

In the potential scenario that the club doesn't do anything in the next few years (i.e. not just return to the PL but finally establish or reach/win a cup final) because if we don't then you could argue the club hasn't progressed during this whole time (haven't progressed in that we're still a second tier club that has few and very brief spells in the top flight so no real difference from what the club was back in the late 90's). Weren't our average home attendances back then around 16k - 18k? You can add another 10k - 12k which rounds off the current average and its these fans I'm more specifically talking about.

No real progress after a substantial amount of time (quarter of a century) = lose 'em eventually, or the club has most likely sustained them despite everything - which one is it?

For me, a big factor in this is whether our new owners can finally push the club on from underachieving for the vast majority of the last 50 years. Although it's still very early in their tenure they may and hopefully turn out to be the wealthiest/astute owners (albeit collectively at least) this club has ever had, although previous club owners wealth isn't a particularly high bar to begin with.

Massively no. But Wrexham

 

[54yrblade]

Had a season ticket until he walked out last time, and been paying to go to the odd game, 5 last season. Minimal atmosphere, poor quality, turgid football, just not a great experience for me. I'm just bored with it and the Wilder 'noise'.
Love United, but not in love with them. The club needs a wake up, not 'just' a rinse and repeat, on the fingers crossed off chance that it will all click into place.

Let's hope we know soonest which way the wind is blowing in terms of the management. Right now it's first and last home game and one over Christmas, dependant on how we're doing.

Far from lost me, but my heart's not in it to be brutally honest.

 

[robbiez666]

It will get to the stage when most games are on Sky/TNT, etc, cover most games live, not only the Premier League but EFL as well.
They must come up with discounts for tickets, or the stadiums will be half empty, and sadly, it will ruin the game for supporters.
So, something must be done about this. We all know the big clubs do not care as long as the cash rolls in, they are happy.
If the promoted clubs keep getting relegated from the Premier League, it will show the gulf between the FA and the EFL Championship.
Ruining Football.

I watched every away game last season either on Now TV or SUTV. £10 per game on the latter. Which I hope largely goes back to the club. That would be a better model, Cheaper tickets to get full stadiums but with a club TV channel for away games and people who can't go.

 

[Benitachel]

To answer the original question about attendances; when I was a teenager back in the 60s the home attendances varied between 13000 to 19000 in the equivalent of the now Championship. Unless of course we were having a very good season. I think the attendances now are much better. Let’s celebrate that and continue to support our beloved United.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Several of the group I have always gone to matches with home and away, no longer do because they can watch every game on the old dodgy stick. Some of these had season tickets for years but now only go to a handful of home games per season.

There's a chance that would have happened anyway with age, but the stick was what stopped them going.

Ditto

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

What a load of drivel.
Over half the clubs in the division don't even have a chance of a playoff position.
3 are relegated. A good bunch struggling to avoid relegation.
Our biggest problem is a growing number of entitled fans. Starting to outgrown S6 in that department.