Growing our Support

[BushBlade]

Bigger does not mean better.

I haven’t said it was. Have a chat with your girlfriend about it.

 

[BladeTillIDie]

It's not what you know its who you know.

I didn't receive any loyalty points as a pal played for the first team in our League 1 days, I went to pretty much every game home and away. Since he's left I've pretty much had to rebuild my points.

Gotta be our Harry.

 

[ThatJa]

I haven’t said it was. Have a chat with your girlfriend about it.

She said Leeds might be bigger but they aren't better

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

Disappointed this thread wasn’t an informative piece about hemp based undergarments ... the design of the most comfortable features and how to construct the final piece.

Not sure we should be whipping ourselves about our support ...

I could be wrong, but I don't think Kenilworth had self-flagellation in mind. Where's LYDON when you need him?

 

[Inter_blade83]

Easiest way to grow the support is to open the ticket sales to more people at an earlier time.

Making the game general sale with 2 days to go is a very shit move by the club. Potential fans will need to plan their trip/day for the game and this allows no time to do so, thus will put people off.

General sale needs to be at least a week from the day of the game to allow for this to help new potential fans.

 

[LS16Blade]

It's difficult not to feel that a few people on this thread are getting a little carried away with how good Leeds' support is. For a little while now (certainly the last couple of seasons) there has been a tendency in the media to talk up Leeds' support in furtherance of the popular agenda that 'the Premier League needs Leeds', and a myth is building.

Leeds' away support is undeniably excellent both in numbers and noise That is partly as a result of factors mentioned by others on this thread, in particular the nationwide support that Leeds' developed in their prolonged glory era under Revie.

The home support is, however, nothing out of the ordinary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is poor. Rather, that it is merely 'alright' for a city of 750,000 with one club. You don't need to go back very far to find regular sub-20,000 gates either, albeit Leeds fans would claim that was due to pricing. Living here in North Leeds, I can assure people that this is not an obvious 'hotbed' of football.

It is stating the obvious, but Sheffield has a smaller population split between 2 clubs but a combined average support for home games that dwarves Leeds' home gates.

Finally, it is interesting to note that in the early 70's, Revie frequently bemoaned the fact that Leeds seemed incapable of increasing their support much beyond 35,000 when clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton were able to regularly pull 40,000 plus or in Man U's case 50,000 plus. This was, of course, at a time when Leeds had the best side in the country and, arguably, Europe.

 

[Dnblade]

Their crowds have been bumped up by the arival of Bielsa,plus it was a tenner for season ticket holders;15 quid for non season ticket holders.
They got quite a lot of sub 20k crowds back in the L1 days,and yes so did we,but not as big a drop off in support as them..and they have a massive catchment area with loads of our of town support...Has to be said though,it was a good crowd Tuesday night.

 

[Kanye]

I haven’t said it was. Have a chat with your girlfriend about it.

She says something about "it's not about the size of the boat, it's the motion in the ocean"

I'm not convinced.

 

[Keen Blade]

It's difficult not to feel that a few people on this thread are getting a little carried away with how good Leeds' support is. For a little while now (certainly the last couple of seasons) there has been a tendency in the media to talk up Leeds' support in furtherance of the popular agenda that 'the Premier League needs Leeds', and a myth is building.

Leeds' away support is undeniably excellent both in numbers and noise That is partly as a result of factors mentioned by others on this thread, in particular the nationwide support that Leeds' developed in their prolonged glory era under Revie.

The home support is, however, nothing out of the ordinary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is poor. Rather, that it is merely 'alright' for a city of 750,000 with one club. You don't need to go back very far to find regular sub-20,000 gates either, albeit Leeds fans would claim that was due to pricing. Living here in North Leeds, I can assure people that this is not an obvious 'hotbed' of football.

It is stating the obvious, but Sheffield has a smaller population split between 2 clubs but a combined average support for home games that dwarves Leeds' home gates.

Finally, it is interesting to note that in the early 70's, Revie frequently bemoaned the fact that Leeds seemed incapable of increasing their support much beyond 35,000 when clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton were able to regularly pull 40,000 plus or in Man U's case 50,000 plus. This was, of course, at a time when Leeds had the best side in the country and, arguably, Europe.

As I keep saying , Leeds is not the issue.
Nor is growing our own undergarments.
Filling the Lane with proper supporters is what the OP was about.
I'm only sorry that I mentioned Leeds , but it was the sudden contrast between 30k & 10k which got me thinking.
I couldn't give a shit about Leeds or Pigs or virtually anyone else , apart from Bury fans just now.
I hope that those who get to chat with Club officials can raise some of the ideas mentioned here , which would tend to grow , rather than limit our support.

It is obvious to me after a lifetime of following my Blades , that there is a lot of enjoyment in watching live football. And much satisfaction in following a team through thick & thin , due to the sense of community & belonging which it brings , in this depersonalised digital world.
Those who might become Lane regulars should be greeted with open arms by the club , not dissuaded by complex ticket sales systems & pricing.

 

[Keen Blade]

She says something about "it's not about the size of the boat, it's the motion in the ocean"

I'm not convinced.

Is it ok if you like a tug ?

 

[Shirty Blade]

As pointed out the Leeds City region has a larger population - 3 million and has fewer professional clubs (Leeds Bradford Huddersfield. Meanwhile Wakefield is the largest City without a football team. The Sheffield City region has a population of 1.8 million and there is us Wendesday Rotherham Barnsely Doncaster. Leeds should get a lot more fans than us!

 

[HolmesfieldBlade]

Not e anybody in the upper tier are newbie fans. I moved my season ticket from the South to sit in the corner and I know 2 others that did. I also know a few who get tickets for the upper who have been going years. I sometimes sit there with my wife or mate. I love it up there, best view and leg room in the ground.

I’m a lifelong fan and love BLUT. Fantastic view!

 

[Kenilworth]

It’s pretty easy to grow, essentially it’s like a weed. You just plant the seeds and let it grow. You’re not growing it for ‘medical’ use so no special lights or anything like that is required.

Hemp fabric is made from the long strands of fibre that make up the stalk of the plant. These fibres are separated from the bark through a process called “retting.” These fibres are then spun together to produce a continuous thread that can be woven into a fabric.

The various stages of this process can be done organically through a mechanical process that requires no chemicals. However, many companies now produce hemp fabric chemically, in a process that is much more intensive on the environment, but faster and cheaper to create.

The impact of the fabric doesn’t just stop once it has been woven, either. Once the fabric has been created, it may be dyed, which again can result in various environmental outcomes, depending on the technique used.

All well and good, Bushy but I was interested in how this could be facilitated at home and not on an industrial scale.
Also, your response lets you down in several ways (not an exhaustive list):
1. It is incomplete - no explanation of how the under garment can be constructed and the care needed to offer both support and comfort to the most sensitive areas
2. no fucking pictures!!!!

 

[Kenilworth]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Kenilworth had self-flagellation in mind. Where's LYDON when you need him?

Quite.
No S&M here
Only looking for a natural and comfortable structure to support bill, ted and fred

 

[Keen Blade]

As pointed out the Leeds City region has a larger population - 3 million and has fewer professional clubs (Leeds Bradford Huddersfield. Meanwhile Wakefield is the largest City without a football team. The Sheffield City region has a population of 1.8 million and there is us Wendesday Rotherham Barnsely Doncaster. Leeds should get a lot more fans than us!

Please forget Dirty Weeds - they are not in the title of this thread , nor in its aspirations.
I'd just like to see our club show some ingenuity in the marketing dept & ticket office.
When the inevitable tougher times come (and I include being marooned in mid/lower Prem) , the club needs to have developed its number of habitual attenders if it doesn't want the embarrassment of empty seats on global TV.

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

It's difficult not to feel that a few people on this thread are getting a little carried away with how good Leeds' support is. For a little while now (certainly the last couple of seasons) there has been a tendency in the media to talk up Leeds' support in furtherance of the popular agenda that 'the Premier League needs Leeds', and a myth is building.

Leeds' away support is undeniably excellent both in numbers and noise That is partly as a result of factors mentioned by others on this thread, in particular the nationwide support that Leeds' developed in their prolonged glory era under Revie.

The home support is, however, nothing out of the ordinary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is poor. Rather, that it is merely 'alright' for a city of 750,000 with one club. You don't need to go back very far to find regular sub-20,000 gates either, albeit Leeds fans would claim that was due to pricing. Living here in North Leeds, I can assure people that this is not an obvious 'hotbed' of football.

It is stating the obvious, but Sheffield has a smaller population split between 2 clubs but a combined average support for home games that dwarves Leeds' home gates.

Finally, it is interesting to note that in the early 70's, Revie frequently bemoaned the fact that Leeds seemed incapable of increasing their support much beyond 35,000 when clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton were able to regularly pull 40,000 plus or in Man U's case 50,000 plus. This was, of course, at a time when Leeds had the best side in the country and, arguably, Europe.

Don’t fall for that 750,000 population nonsense, the population of the city is only about 490,000. It’s the metropolitan borough which is the higher figure which I think includes places such as Aberford, Swillington and Wetherby which are not in leeds. They just love to big themselves up.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Why as a fan base do we beat ourselves up about our crowds and always bring up Leeds as a comparison. Leeds are a freak club who have the luxury of being the only club in a huge city. If you also consider that despite 16years outside the top flight, they’ve been quite successful in the “colour tv era” and have been a beacon for headbangers from up and down the country (like Millwall with silverware) because of their off field shenanigans. But If you consider all this I actually think they’re not as well supported as they should be.
If you compare them to Newcastle (smaller city) who before they expanded their ground used to have a 10k waiting list for tickets in the second tier when St James’s was a similar size to Elland Road.
But going back to us, I think we have done very favourably for crowds if you compare us to other more recently successful or more decorated clubs like Forest, Derby, Leicester, Wolves, Southampton, Ipswich, Coventry, Portsmouth and even them cunts up the road have won a cup in my life time.
Success creates interest and crowd numbers will grow and grow if we can sustain a place at the top table.

 

[Inter_blade83]

Easiest way to grow the support is to open the ticket sales to more people at an earlier time.

Making the game general sale with 2 days to go is a very shit move by the club. Potential fans will need to plan their trip/day for the game and this allows no time to do so, thus will put people off.

General sale needs to be at least a week from the day of the game to allow for this to help new potential fans.

Just seen the release of tickets for Liverpool and general sale is 8 days before the game. Excellent. This should be the standard now

 

[Barry Butlin]

We can’t grow our fan base, if you ain’t got points, you’re not getting in!!!

 

[Shirty Blade]

Don’t fall for that 750,000 population nonsense, the population of the city is only about 490,000. It’s the metropolitan borough which is the higher figure which I think includes places such as Aberford, Swillington and Wetherby which are not in leeds. They just love to big themselves up.

Agree with this. The 784 850 often toted as the population of Leeds is largely the Primary Urban Area. The population of Sheffield's Primary Urban area 841 150. However we have three teams to the one in Leeds.

Account Suspended

 

[blade67]

It's not what you know its who you know.

I didn't receive any loyalty points as a pal played for the first team in our League 1 days, I went to pretty much every game home and away. Since he's left I've pretty much had to rebuild my points.

I'm not saying this for sympathy as I was fortunate to get guaranteed/ complimentary tickets for a while, but I'm screwed now for away games and I don't get near the first week of release.

I do agree that the loyal fans should be rewarded for the away days and this minimum 500 points for home games is a joke. Especially if we've not sold out!

How is George doing these days?

 

[Rodley]

We’ve had multiple threads saying that new fans can’t get tickets. Then fans bemoaning low crowds. We get 30,000 plus. That’s it. Might get 40k if we are established for 10,years and successful.

 

[HD8 Blades]

Before we went up in '06, what were our crowds? I seem to remember was a big deal if we got 22k. When we came down from the Premier league, 25k was the norm. Even in L1 20k average with 27k for a big crowd and about 30k v Stevenage! I haven't researched these figures so correct me if I'm wrong as just from memory. The point is that whilst we're up here let's open up and get the students, the part timers, the casual fans, new fans etc. As has been said before we were all casual fans once.

I can't help but look at the 1000 + empty seats and I know that fans of other clubs will wrongly think that we "can't" fill these seats. I want a waiting list. It's a weird pride thing I have!

 

[metalblade]

Don't forget Leeds scum will have a few thousand fans returning from their year at Huddersfield.

 

[Going t lane]

For a start, when comparing a L**ds attendance with that of either Sheffield side, your 1st step should be to halve it. They are the only football club in a similar sized city to ours. I don't care how fucking impressive their crowds are, they are at a massive advantage in that regards, and the same goes for Newcastle and their fabled support. If you want to compare apples and apples, you have to adjust accordingly.
So, 15k. Still quite impressive I'll grant you, but they've had a strong start to the season and are very much giving off shit or bust vibes, onto which their fans seem to have grabbed. If they fail again this season Bielsa will walk as will half their squad and they'll be fucked. The fans sense this and, to their credit it must be said, are backing the bid so to speak.

Fuck Leeds, hate Wednesday.

 

[GVBlade]

Our 10k gate last night , compared to Leeds 30k , prompted me to post this on a badly titled thread from a pork OP :

I am a typical Leeds-hating Blade , ever since our loss of Mick Jones + through countless years in between. But after their agony of losing out on an auto spot to us , then promotion in the POs (tee-hee) , I am forced to grudgingly admire the size & loyalty of their support , in turning out 30k for a midweek cup game , when we turn out 10k. If our positions had been reversed at the end of last season , I reckon we'd have got 5k + they'd have filled Elland Road (the bastards).

I have posted in other threads that we should forget expanding the Lane until we've used the £ to establish the team in the Prem and the Lane actually sells out consistently.
We are so fortunate that our newbie "potential fans" can roll-up + grab the great view in the BLUT.

We could improve the catering facilities on the Kop as an interim measure which would itself generate more income.

I have posted in other threads about some of the anomalies of our ticketing policy
It is a challenge to grow our support but I hope the marketing & ticket systems will make it easier than they currently do.

Just to clarify , it is obvious the OP of "Our Shit Fans" is pork , but there is a decent point emerges about how we can grow the ardent percentage of our support - no sense in pretending we don't have the population potential to do it - but the Club needs to tap into the recent upsurge.

And I am not sure whether they understand how to do this.

What about ST holders going for free last night , if £ is the problem in Sheffield ?
An average ticket cost of £10 from 10k supporters is £100k , the weekly wage of 3 players - buttons in £ Prem finance terms.
But in PR terms ?
How many ST holders might have taken a friend and shared the cost of his £10 ticket - for the chance to sit together , which they could never do at Prem game .
Even in Sheffield , £5 each to attend a match can't be too much !
And then that friend gets to like attending a game , and he goes again , and again.

I don't think the Club show the foresight or ingenuity required to develop a fanbase in the most positive era for our Club in my lifetime.

What about doing multi-match deals for the upcoming Liverpool & Man Utd games ?

Let's say it's £40 to get in - make it £60 for Liverpool & Burnley (or even Arsenal since it's Monday night TV).

Make it £60 for Man Utd & Newcastle , since the latter is a Tuesday night in December when families are scrimping for Christmas ?

We all know that Sheffield is not the richest place , but have a look at the gates in the North-East compared to their catchment areas - there is potential here.

I'm retired now , but there couldn't be a better time to be the marketing manager at the Lane.

I am desperate for the Blades to harvest the goodwill they have worked hard to create.

And football fortunes change fast , so make hay while the sun shines - not by charging high prices (which are unnecessary with TV money flowing in) - but by growing support.

Leeds is a big city, only one club, only the rugby for competition; and they've got the whole of North Yorks to draw support from.
Dirty gits.

 

[Keen Blade]

This thread , intended as a place for positive ideas about improving our own Club , has been hijacked by unnecessary obsessions with and jealousy/hatred of Leeds.
I thought we Blades had a little more class than that.

 

[JayGreen17]

Just accept that Leeds are a bigger club and have been since the Revie days.

But his point was how do we grow our support..
The answer is sustained success, we will attract a few k. Ore like we have done over the last 10 years but to substantially inflate our support will take winning a trophy or year in year progression in this league, that’s really is the only way.

This club should be congratualtated with ticket prices keeping them relatively low regardless of division we’ve been in, we have steadily overtaken the pigs ave attendances in this city over the last 20 years with cup runs and 2 promotions to the top tier, walk around the city and kids either wear blades shirts or shirts from the top 6. Would love to know the average age of both sets of supporters.

 

[Keen Blade]

Just seen the release of tickets for Liverpool and general sale is 8 days before the game. Excellent. This should be the standard now

I agree this is a significant improvement.

It looks like the club has listened to requests that there should be more thresholds at the lower end of the points scale , such as 1500, 1000, 500 & 300.

The issue of having to purchase membership for points to be valid/activated has been addressed by the removal of a membership requirement in the last 2 categories ie :
the 2nd day of 500 points &
the only day for 300 points.

Some questions remain :

1. As a ST holder , and therefore automatically a current "member" (with thousands of points) , do I have the right to purchase an extra ticket ? I can see pros & cons of this - the ticket info doesn't make this clear.

2. If I were a "newbie" supporter , with less than 300 points , what is the means by which I can get a ticket ? Obviously I would not have purchased membership , since I would need 500 points to make this purchase worthwhile.

3. Why not offer a discount deal for those with less than 300 points who buy a Liverpool ticket and in the same transaction buy a Burnley (H) ticket ?
This would boost the Burnley gate with newbie fans , who get a second & discounted chance to attend.
It would also deter away fans (who obviously have no points) from trying to get in the home areas , since they won't want to buy a Burnley ticket.

4. Do posters think that the system for Liverpool tickets has maximised this golden opportunity of acquiring new supporters who might become regulars ?

 

[S64 Blade]

Easiest way to grow the support is to open the ticket sales to more people at an earlier time.

Making the game general sale with 2 days to go is a very shit move by the club. Potential fans will need to plan their trip/day for the game and this allows no time to do so, thus will put people off.

General sale needs to be at least a week from the day of the game to allow for this to help new potential fans.

I'm not sure why they have such a long lead time on the sales, to be honest. Likewise, why there's such a long drawn out loyalty points, day-by-day process for the home tickets. The majority don't seem to be sold until it hits the lowest brackets (500 points or less).

For the Southampton game, there's 8 business days before it hits the 500 point/no membership bracket. Looking at the current sales, there have barely been any sold yet and it's now at 5,000 points - so not many at all.