Attendance!

[SRBlade]

These are commendable figures for the league we were in. No one could ever accuse the fans of being fair weather supporters.

Were there really over 19800 of us in 2015/16?

We must've all been on drugs.

It's baffling to think that the likes of Jagielka, Tonge, Morgan, Brown, Beckett etc regularly played in front of crowds less than the likes Sammon, McEverley, Hammond etc. played in front of.

 

[Harry's Game]

You have to say that's 50,000 Sheffielders at football every fortnight.

Proper football city

 

[leedsblade1982]

It's baffling to think that the likes of Jagielka, Tonge, Morgan, Brown, Beckett etc regularly played in front of crowds less than the likes Sammon, McEverley, Hammond etc. played in front of.

Beckett??! He was probably as poor as Sammon et al. Plus I could be mistaken but I think his United career was even less than John Ebbrell’s.

 

[davidblade]

Great support this season and we've not even played Pigs or Weeds at home yet! So much for the so called Massive!!!

Good support yes but does really matter , let us not get caught banging on about attendances like massively deluded snort beasts from S6.

 

[bromtom]

I thought it looked really full yesterday too, I'd have said at least 28K all day, possibly 29K.

BLUT looked as full as I've seen it in ages, South sold out according to the ticketing site, and I even remarked that the Pukka Pie corner looked pretty populated.

The John Street is does need more bums on seats. It's a family stand and that's fine but maybe they can do some more offers to get the kiddiewinks in, everyone has customer numbers and stuff, maybe more offers like free child ticket on the day with an adult, raffles or something. School trips for PE teachers and local junior football teams.

That bottom corner near the BLLT too, what's the deal with that. I assume it's the projectile risk, but couldn't they erect a wall and net, wouldn't have to be solid, just the stuff that protects the lower tier from the upper tier, then they could sell that. Or is it SYP's doing?

It'd be good too if when you bought tickets it showed you an image of the view you'll be getting. Could even do it over the internet so they wouldn't have to do any work "tweet us the view from your seat and win a signed whatever" if they wanted.
Think it would help for the unpopular seats, like Kop end top corner of the South Stand. I sit there and it's great but it's the last to sell out.

I'm really a big fan of the BLUT Blades thing though, little organised parties of fans will do wonders.

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

Took my four year old grandson yesterday for his first game in the John Street stand. It was £15 for him and in total for him me (senior ticket) and my son it was £66, so I would definitely say the pricing structure needs looking at.

 

[fintious maximus]

Took my four year old grandson yesterday for his first game in the John Street stand. It was £15 for him and in total for him me (senior ticket) and my son it was £66, so I would definitely say the pricing structure needs looking at.

Wow, that was a bargain day out. £66 for an amazing display of football and an incredible atmosphere. UTB

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

Wow, that was a bargain day out. £66 for an amazing display of football and an incredible atmosphere. UTB

For us, the £66 wasn't much of a problem, and yes, it was a great day out and result, but the point I was trying to make was if the John Street stand is not as full as the others, then it may be that some people on limited incomes might not be able to afford these prices, particularly if there was more than one child involved. So I still think the pricing structure could be looked at.

 

[JohnDenver]

My work mate is a Sunderland fan and he reckons they only got 10k for the last home game, fans just had enough.

They need to develop the same sense of morbid curiosity that kept us lot turning up to games under Adkins. Football rubber-necking.

 

[Pinchy]

No chance Sunderland are getting that many. Someone aluded to season tickets being included and they are for all teams.

No, they are not. Certainly not by SUFC.

Why would any business claim greater income than it has, within plain sight of the taxman?

This is an urban football myth, I’m afraid.

 

[Pinchy]

All the big boys still to come to lane also , that will be a lot higher come May

We’ll end up third or fourth highest. Above Pigs, Derby and Wolves.

 

[Pinchy]

Good support yes but does really matter , let us not get caught banging on about attendances like massively deluded snort beasts from S6.

Yes it does. The Pigs don’t. We’re massive.

 

[mancunianblade]

No, they are not. Certainly not by SUFC.

Why would any business claim greater income than it has, within plain sight of the taxman?

This is an urban football myth, I’m afraid.

They are not claiming a greater income? If you sell 27,000 tickets inclusive of season tickets but only 25,000 attend you have still sold 27,000 tickets

 

[Pinchy]

They are not claiming a greater income? If you sell 27,000 tickets inclusive of season tickets but only 25,000 attend you have still sold 27,000 tickets

That’s not how it works. The season ticket income is in early and accounted for at that time. Otherwise it would straddle tax and/or accounting years. It’s not at match day prices anyway. As I say, it’s a football myth. The crowd recorded is those who attend on the day. That’s why we have to click in at the turnstyles and why they used to issue and collect vouchers when it was on paper.

Still, never stand between a football fan and a daft conspiracy theory. We fabricate transfer offers as well, you know. Tufty’s in on it. No better than the rest.

 

[bromtom]

Took my four year old grandson yesterday for his first game in the John Street stand. It was £15 for him and in total for him me (senior ticket) and my son it was £66, so I would definitely say the pricing structure needs looking at.

That's a lot for a 4 year old. Personally I feel like under fives should be free with an adult ticket but even under 5's a fiver, under 10’s a tenner, make it a proper offer, would be good, and regular quid a kid deals etc

I'd hope there'd be no issue with people abusing it but if needs be that could be sorted if you had to register for the offer, pop in to the ticket office with some birth certificates and it's on your account.

I'd think a full stand with cheaper prices for kids is going to be more profitable for us, and I don't know how much attendances affect the prices we can charge for advertising but it can't hurt can it.

We need to get the yoof in regularly, get them addicted.

 

[Houston_Blade]

That’s not how it works. The season ticket income is in early and accounted for at that time. Otherwise it would straddle tax and/or accounting years. It’s not at match day prices anyway. As I say, it’s a football myth. The crowd recorded is those who attend on the day. That’s why we have to click in at the turnstyles and why they used to issue and collect vouchers when it was on paper.

Still, never stand between a football fan and a daft conspiracy theory. We fabricate transfer offers as well, you know. Tufty’s in on it. No better than the rest.

Season ticket income would be spread over the length of the season Pinchy not accounted for at the start, you receive cash up front but the actual realising of the income is spread over the season, it doesn't matter if it straddles accounting or tax years as the remainder is held on the balance sheet to be released in accordance with financial reporting standards and rules.

If I were auditing the accounts I would want to 'prove' revenue so would ask for a list of ticket sales by match and then would take a sample of season ticket holders and check that these were being accounted for properly and then match day ticket sales and prove that a person had actually paid for the tickets. From an accounting point of view it's much more likely that we would report tickets sold rather than bums on seats, however to maximise actual attendance you would have season tickets sold + match day tickets sold + freebies = total attendance, therefore it is likely that some clubs overstate the actual number of fans in the ground on a weekly basis.

 

[grafikhaus]

Up to 4/11/2017:

 

[finlaytheblade]

I think you need to get large attendances and average attendances in perspective.

Even in the "Tony Currie years" we only averaged over 30k once, and that was in the Year following promotion in 1971. Apart from that we have averaged low to mid 20k at best. You have to go back to the late forties to mid fifties for the halcyon days of large attendances, at that is even before my time.

I too have stood in 40k plus crowds but they were a rarity, and were averaged out by much smaller attendances during any given season. The fluctuation, as I recall, was enormous from match to match.

Apart from the Premier Legue season and the promotion season mentioned above our current average attendances ARE the biggest in living memory (well, most of us!!)

What we have had for the last few seasons is remarkably similar attendances throughout the season and it is this consistency we need to nurture and build on.

As a man of same age group you are spot on Eddie we are now in unknown territory
regarding attendance s.
We are definitely growing and long may it continue

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I think the crowds have held up really well considering the length of time we've spent in the third tier of English football. That's usually enough to drive fans away but ours have been remarkable in sticking with the team and the current levels of 26k are good and I think as more fans begin to realise that this club is in with a serious chance of promotion back to the Prem that average will increase. In fact, I think we'll have sell out games towards the end of the season.

My disappointment is the number of seats that are unavailable due to being netted off. It never used to be like this at one time, it's really gone absolutely stupid and it seems like it's just another example of Health & Safety nonsense. It's not the seats that are the problem, it's the people that sit in them. Therefore, it's the segregation of opposing fans that is the problem, not the seats. And you can achieve that through increased police and stewarding presence - or - change the ticket allocation so fans are not close to each other, or change the structure of the ground so that segregation is reinforced.

I think this last point about the structure of the ground is something that would really be worth the club thinking long and hard about. We know there are plans afoot to expand the ground and I think that's great. But it's not just about increasing the capacity, it's about having an increased capacity that fans can access safely. No point putting another 5,000 seats in there for example, if 1000 of them aren't going to be available to sit in. So the segregation bit is really important. I also think "safe-standing" is really important as well. I'd like to see safe standing on Bramall Lane lower and a two-tier kop with safe standing below. This offers much better use of the space available than seats and helps to increase capacity. The 40,000 attendances that some of the older folks on here refer to were back in the days of standing areas, not since then. (I've been at Bramall Lane in a 49,000 crowd before now and it was amazing).

I think United need to think ambitiously about the future for our club. Looking back at what's been achieved in the past is not necessarily the right blue-print for what to expect of the future. If this club can get to the Premiership and compete then that suddenly opens up a new audience from a much wider radius. We should be looking at the Manchester clubs, in particular Man City, and expecting we could achieve similar attendances if we get things right, on and off the field. A stadium that can hold 50,000 is not unreasonable.

 

[Sean Thornton]

For a real difference to be made, there must be a hell of a lot of people not turning up despite having a season ticket or after paying for a match ticket.

 

[bornablade]

I thought it looked really full yesterday too, I'd have said at least 28K all day, possibly 29K.

BLUT looked as full as I've seen it in ages, South sold out according to the ticketing site, and I even remarked that the Pukka Pie corner looked pretty populated.

The John Street is does need more bums on seats. It's a family stand and that's fine but maybe they can do some more offers to get the kiddiewinks in, everyone has customer numbers and stuff, maybe more offers like free child ticket on the day with an adult, raffles or something. School trips for PE teachers and local junior football teams.

That bottom corner near the BLLT too, what's the deal with that. I assume it's the projectile risk, but couldn't they erect a wall and net, wouldn't have to be solid, just the stuff that protects the lower tier from the upper tier, then they could sell that. Or is it SYP's doing?

It'd be good too if when you bought tickets it showed you an image of the view you'll be getting. Could even do it over the internet so they wouldn't have to do any work "tweet us the view from your seat and win a signed whatever" if they wanted.
Think it would help for the unpopular seats, like Kop end top corner of the South Stand. I sit there and it's great but it's the last to sell out.

I'm really a big fan of the BLUT Blades thing though, little organised parties of fans will do wonders.

Agree about the John Street stand. It's too big an area to use solely as a 'Family Stand' under it's present guise. Either needs splitting so families in one area and another area for others or as you quite rightly point out the marketing team being a little more creative in attracting youngsters from a group sector on a one-off basis.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I thought it looked really full yesterday too, I'd have said at least 28K all day, possibly 29K.

BLUT looked as full as I've seen it in ages, South sold out according to the ticketing site, and I even remarked that the Pukka Pie corner looked pretty populated.

The John Street is does need more bums on seats. It's a family stand and that's fine but maybe they can do some more offers to get the kiddiewinks in, everyone has customer numbers and stuff, maybe more offers like free child ticket on the day with an adult, raffles or something. School trips for PE teachers and local junior football teams.

That bottom corner near the BLLT too, what's the deal with that. I assume it's the projectile risk, but couldn't they erect a wall and net, wouldn't have to be solid, just the stuff that protects the lower tier from the upper tier, then they could sell that. Or is it SYP's doing?

It'd be good too if when you bought tickets it showed you an image of the view you'll be getting. Could even do it over the internet so they wouldn't have to do any work "tweet us the view from your seat and win a signed whatever" if they wanted.
Think it would help for the unpopular seats, like Kop end top corner of the South Stand. I sit there and it's great but it's the last to sell out.

I'm really a big fan of the BLUT Blades thing though, little organised parties of fans will do wonders.

The South certainly wasn't sold out.

 

[metalblade]

I think the crowds have held up really well considering the length of time we've spent in the third tier of English football. That's usually enough to drive fans away but ours have been remarkable in sticking with the team and the current levels of 26k are good and I think as more fans begin to realise that this club is in with a serious chance of promotion back to the Prem that average will increase. In fact, I think we'll have sell out games towards the end of the season.

My disappointment is the number of seats that are unavailable due to being netted off. It never used to be like this at one time, it's really gone absolutely stupid and it seems like it's just another example of Health & Safety nonsense. It's not the seats that are the problem, it's the people that sit in them. Therefore, it's the segregation of opposing fans that is the problem, not the seats. And you can achieve that through increased police and stewarding presence - or - change the ticket allocation so fans are not close to each other, or change the structure of the ground so that segregation is reinforced.

I think this last point about the structure of the ground is something that would really be worth the club thinking long and hard about. We know there are plans afoot to expand the ground and I think that's great. But it's not just about increasing the capacity, it's about having an increased capacity that fans can access safely. No point putting another 5,000 seats in there for example, if 1000 of them aren't going to be available to sit in. So the segregation bit is really important. I also think "safe-standing" is really important as well. I'd like to see safe standing on Bramall Lane lower and a two-tier kop with safe standing below. This offers much better use of the space available than seats and helps to increase capacity. The 40,000 attendances that some of the older folks on here refer to were back in the days of standing areas, not since then. (I've been at Bramall Lane in a 49,000 crowd before now and it was amazing).

I think United need to think ambitiously about the future for our club. Looking back at what's been achieved in the past is not necessarily the right blue-print for what to expect of the future. If this club can get to the Premiership and compete then that suddenly opens up a new audience from a much wider radius. We should be looking at the Manchester clubs, in particular Man City, and expecting we could achieve similar attendances if we get things right, on and off the field. A stadium that can hold 50,000 is not unreasonable.

Ah the old urban myth that safe standing will increase the stadium capacity somehow , for every standing place you have to have one of the rail seats so how on earth will this increase capacity?

 

[bromtom]

The South certainly wasn't sold out.

I know, there were 10+ empty seats in my vicinity, near the side wall at the back but online it was showing unavailable I'm led to believe.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I know, there were 10+ empty seats in my vicinity, near the side wall at the back but online it was showing unavailable I'm led to believe.

I counted ten near me near the front.

 

[S64 Blade]

The South certainly wasn't sold out.

There's always loads near me that are free, despite it being sold out and mainly season tickets.

You find out the reason why if you go for a wee during the game. Everyone's downstairs boozing.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Not that I like Hull, but i'm going to defend them on the basis that they are being shafted pretty badly from their owner.

Imagine if United only sold top price tickets to all adults, OAPs, Children, Students etc, I'd anticipate that we would only be getting 15k a week too

Aye, fair point. Just got a beef with them right now cos I thought their protest the other night was unbelievably crass.

They use the opportunity of the televised game with Florist to "take advantage of the public forum offered by the live Sky match". Like poor little Coventry did. But this comes just a season after them having a whole year's worth of similar "publicity opportunities" to advertise their cause in a more prominent way. When of course they didn't.

Full respect though to their hardcore of proper fans who've always been anti-the Allams and their nonsense.

 

[Sheffsteel]

The South certainly wasn't sold out.

The South was officially sold.
My friend tried to buy a ticket their on Friday and was told “all gone”, so he had to go in the BLUT instead.

 

[Sean Thornton]

The South was officially sold.
My friend tried to buy a ticket their on Friday and was told “all gone”, so he had to go in the BLUT instead.

That's something to take up with the ticket office. Four seats near me haven't been used all season.

 

[snootyfenooty]

That's something to take up with the ticket office. Four seats near me haven't been used all season.

The bottom corner of H block is always free, part of the segregation policy. It's used for miscellaneous freebies such as those who supported the Remembrance Day display on Saturday.