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General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: alty.fc on September 29, 2006, 03:29:37 PM
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The suns gone in for 10 minutes so i was wondering why we struggle with our home attendances, considering our home performances are so good. You could understand if we hadnt won all season but we seem to get a 800 hardcore of home fans come what may. The advertising of the game to the England fans is a great idea. Does anyone think we should get back into the local schools and give tickets free to the under 14s?
This doesnt help!!!
http://gavin.ukgrrls.co.uk/p34449715.html
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was talking with a friend getting into the schools is the way forward thats how i came to alty at first and he was saying that it is the perfect way to spend time with your son, giving the son a free ticket and mabe a allowing one parent in halfprice witht the son will boost entry, and hopefuly hook em in young. plus once your in the ground a programme and a pie add money to the coffers mabe a pint or two (for the parentwe need to keep our license!) personally i try and bring a mate with me to each game i bought two season tickets so they have no excuse really but as it turns out ive got one hooked now but we are both trying to get new people down, if everyone of the hardcore pursuaded a mate to come down as well we'd be on to a winner if onlt 10% stick its gonna help towards the cause,
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The suns gone in for 10 minutes
Barsteward
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The good folk of Altrincham have always been a fickle lot. Even back in the "Glory years" we probably only averaged about 1800 for league games - that was with a very successful team and no live footy on the box.
We always grumble about being on the doorstep of Man U - we just have to accept that. But, as has been said, the youth are the way forward. Get them in young and get them hooked - the links with youth football in the area is the ideal way to do this.
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I suspect in the glory days we were also very bad at counting and had a lot of faulty turnstiles. with hindsight and using 1300 against grays as a yard stick we must have had well over 2,000 for every game. i can remember playing Matlock in the trophy quarter final replay and the golf road was solid with the rest of the ground full attendance given 2,500. That was when the golf road really did have a roar.
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I suspect in the glory days we were also very bad at counting and had a lot of faulty turnstiles. with hindsight and using 1300 against grays as a yard stick we must have had well over 2,000 for every game. i can remember playing Matlock in the trophy quarter final replay and the golf road was solid with the rest of the ground full attendance given 2,500. That was when the golf road really did have a roar.
Ditto the quoted 8000 for the FA cup game at home to Orient. Moss lane was so packed that afternoon you could hardly move. I thought at the time that the real attendance must have been closer to 15,000 - bearing in mind the record attendance at ML is 15,000 for a schoolboy match. Of course my memory does wear red and white tinted glasses.
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Giving tickets to local schools has to be an option. My son came home last week with discounted prices for tomorrow's Stockport game. £18 for 1 adult and 2 juniors. Even though he's a season ticket holder at ML, as his mates are going (and we not going to Aldershot) he going. This must increase SCFC gate and some of the uneducated will be hooked. So he's going in his Alty top with his mother.
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I think it's impossible to over estimate the effect of the Premiership clubs upon our crowds.
I would love to see what would happen to, for instance Stafford's crowds were you to place one of the biggest football clubs in the world not five miles away serviced by excellent transport links, and then chuck in another of the best supported clubs in the country for good measure a bit further away.
Even if were near the top of the Conference on a regular basis I severely doubt we would average a crowd greater than 1800, there will be a natural ceiling concerning the crowds we can attract and unfortunately we will just have to make do.
We can't even rely on the fact that we are a separate, independent town where those who are from the town are going to feel a natural affinity to the area and club whereas clubs such as Woking, Aldershot, Morecambe and even Southport are able to exploit this. As a suburb of Greater Manchester footballing allegiances are consumed by United and City and no matter how much marketing the club undertakes it is unlikely that this will ever change to any significant degree.
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Giving tickets to local schools has to be an option. My son came home last week with discounted prices for tomorrow's Stockport game. £18 for 1 adult and 2 juniors. Even though he's a season ticket holder at ML, as his mates are going (and we not going to Aldershot) he going. This must increase SCFC gate and some of the uneducated will be hooked. So he's going in his Alty top with his mother.
Stocky need all the help they can get!!! they only open the one stand now! cant wait till next year when we play them!!
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I do believe the excuse of Man Utd and City does not hold to much water. but of course does have an impact.
The Manchester conurbation is huge and per square mile I am sure Alrincham has its quota of people to get attendances up to 1500.
I got hooked by my dad taking me to Alty in the 1970s, now I have got my dad hooked again.
We need to get the kids in, we need to advertise in Altrincham, Sale, Timperley, in youth clubs, Air Cadets, Sea Cadets, Scouts, local football youth leagues etc. the youth leagues especially as they are already interested in football.
The SAM can give away tickets, kids free with an adult will get more people than charging kids £2 and will generate more income.
Promote in more papers eg, the Metro, Manchester Evening News.
If a proper advertising campaign is done the cost of this can be compared to the gate money to see if indeed it is worthwhile. But the numbers HAS to increase somehow.
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free tickets for home games are available from Altrincham Leisure Centre, these are valid with one paying adult
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have these free tickets been advertised? But that is one good place to put them.
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hook em' whilst there yonge i started goin to alty because my form tutor gave me free passes to the games and when they ran out i loved it so much i continued coming .
now i'm a season ticket holder and when people ask me who i support i tell them altrincham whereas before i would have said united so it is not impossible to turn people away from the big clubs for alty we just have to make the effort
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the only poster is in the Leisure Centre itself along with info of next home game
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I do believe the excuse of Man Utd and City does not hold to much water.
Why?
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The suns gone in for 10 minutes
Barsteward
Sorry!! LOL :D ;)
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jenga when u getting your little one hooked lol
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Leave my little one out of it ;D
See you on Saturday Brads - 12.00 in the bar, your buying the beers!
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What about the fact a few pubs are showing 3pm Premier league games on Saturdays? People will stay in the boozer.
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people who would rather be in the boozer obviously don't go to live ames there is no comparison
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Well if United/City are away and it's a 3pm kick off clashing with alty at home I bet they'll stay in the boozer to watch them when they might have gone to alty.
Why do you think the Premier League don't allow 3pm games to be shown live?
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do you think Friday Night football would help the attendances ?
Its worked at Sale Sharks Rugby andat other football clubs but do you think it would work at Altrincham ?
Personally I do not think it would but would be interested to see what others think.
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no nope never i go to sale on a friday, always done sale friday alty saturday and from a few weeks pheonix sunday friday nights are a big fat NO!
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Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that God ordained football to be played at 3pm an a saturday afternoon. All this friday and sunday business might be great for sky revenues but I don't believe it's in the best interests of Alty.
Apart from anything else, there are only half a dozen other clubs in the league in easy striking distance so the away support would probably suffer. Granted this could be overcome if more home fans came (which is your query I think) but I can't see as they would.
Apart from anything else, what else is there to do on saturday apart from watching the Robins?
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I do believe the excuse of Man Utd and City does not hold to much water.
Why?
Well have the attendences ever gone through the roof when City play away on Saturday and United play on a Sunday live on Sky ???
I think the answer would probably be no, but I dont have any stats to prove my arguement. So it is purely an observation.
So I stand by my comment that United and City can not be blamed for poor attendance.
We need to get in front of people. Youth Clubs, Schools, Youth football teams and give them cheap or free tickets to get the attendances up. Give them free for six weeks and then see what happens after this period. If attendances dont go up forget the idea, if the attendances go up then great.
Or alternatively free kids entrance with every paying adult sounds good to me. - No brads, Michael cant come in free if he comes with you!
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We would need volounters to be able to go round to the schools and promote the club. We are part time afterall and I would imagine most peopls time are taken doing the day to day running of the club.
I'm sure this has been tried before ? Did STAR do something like this ??
Free Tickets to the local schools would be something to try again if someone had the time to do such a thing, and of course if the club would allow it. Even if just for 2 or 3 games.
Whats the situation on how the tax is worked out with free tickets, can you just declare them as free and not pay or do you still have to pay a contribution as they are added to the attendance ?
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Its about credibility. Its very easy for a secondary school kid to say, when asked who he supports, United or City. You'll get no comeback and people will accept it. They may never have even been near either of the grounds. It is a lot harder to say Alty.
I had it right through school. People always ask who you support really, or who do you support in proper football.
I'm happy to say I am seeing more and more kids in Alty tops so I think the tide is turning.
I was also blessed with the fact that when I went into fifth year (none of the year 11 sh*te), Alty nearly won the league and we had the Barnet game when the whole school went. Suddenly everyone was an Alty fan and I was held in very high esteem.
For about three weeks until we made a balls of it and then I was mocked again.
I don't know.....
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We would need volounters to be able to go round to the schools and promote the club. We are part time afterall and I would imagine most peopls time are taken doing the day to day running of the club.
Nope, make the tickets, phone the schools and post them to the schools. Job Done.
This was done when I was at school over 20 years ago, Worked then.
Issue 100 tickets per school. Cheap format, dont spend loads of money.
Issue to 10 local schools (if there are that many) = 1000 free tickets = 200 turn up = 30 new fans.
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Have always enjoyed the ignorance of people, eg:
"Ha ha, so you're Alty's only fan then are you?"
"Who do you REALLY support?"
"That's no better pub football"
I was in Piccadilly train station yesterday afternoon and it was full of Man Utd fans (lots of whom were boarding the 18.45 service to London Euston). I honestly thought they had lost judging by the depressed look on their faces. If you can say one thing about watching Alty, irrespective of what league we're in, we always enjoy it and (where possible) enjoy celebrating good results.
Proper football? You're having a laugh!
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I think because of all the trouble with STAR over the summer,we were unable to do penalty shoot outs with Rocky Robin at school fairs and give out free tickets.This is what had been happening over the past couple of years,and it was successful in that kids went to the pre season games.Hopefully we will be able to do this again,I wouldn't mind taking some time off work and go around local schools during the week!!!
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Nope, make the tickets, phone the schools and post them to the schools. Job Done.
Jenga are you volountering then ?
I can ask the club on your behalf (or you can) and see if its something that can be done
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I do believe the excuse of Man Utd and City does not hold to much water.
Why?
Well have the attendences ever gone through the roof when City play away on Saturday and United play on a Sunday live on Sky ???
I think the answer would probably be no, but I dont have any stats to prove my arguement. So it is purely an observation.
So I stand by my comment that United and City can not be blamed for poor attendance.
I don't think that really proves your point at all.
I'm not suggesting that we're missing out on all those that attend matches at United or City; otherwise as you say when either of them isn’t playing at home on a Saturday afternoon we would get much larger attendances.
The whole point is that even those that don't go to the matches still feel that they support either City or United, and as such they simply aren't arsed about Alty. As Ecky says even in local schools, children from Altrincham take the piss and this is because we are right in the centre of United or City support, Altrincham doesn't even cross their minds as in that tired old phrase it just isn't 'proper' football.
Moss Lane and Altrincham is so far removed from the Premiership idea that some people believe encompasses what football actually is, that many of those people that profess to support City or United simply don't recognise it as somewhere they want to go, it just doesn't fit in with their concept of what football is about. As such because they support City or United the chances of them suddenly deciding to come and watch Alty is far diminished.
I realise that all smaller clubs have to compete with the Premiership, however much fewer clubs are in our position where (being in South Manchester) we are slap bang in the middle of, in the main, United territory with a fair proportion of City thrown in. Grays have a comparable problem, they have a similar population but are in the shadow of West Ham and as such, even though they play excellent football only attract crowds in the region of 1200.
Being part of Greater Manchester any town loses some of its identity as it is consumed by the wider conurbation, and just in the way that urban sprawl occurs so too does the football side of things, with allegiances also easily consumed. I have no doubt that if Altrincham was fifteen rather than five miles away from the centre of Manchester the effect of the Premiership clubs would not be as great, as a more solid identity would be formed concerning the town and its football team.
If United and City didn't exist or Altrincham was much further away from where it is now, would the crowds increase? I myself can see no argument to suggest they would not.
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i'd get in some of the local schools ive got friday and thursday afternoons to get in and spread the word if the club were happy for it to happen. go in talk to the headteacher then see what happens, i know the head teacher at alty C of E quite well as my mum works there and i'm sure theres still a teacher at my old primary school. free kid with ticket halfprice adult with kid (with ticket) methinks
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Hitting schools is a great idea and is how me and alot of mates first went to Alty back in 1993 where free vouchers were given out. Also an FA cup run could help.
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I first attended Alty after our school (Stamford Park) went on a tour of the ground and I saw the FA Trophy.
I got to go in the dressing room and thought that was amazing. I didn't expect to be emulsioning it ten years later!
We got some free tickets that day, I got hooked and here I am. Bastards.
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I didn't expect to be emulsioning it ten years later!
We got some free tickets that day, I got hooked and here I am. Bastards.
On Emulsion? or alty because to be fair both can be bad for your health!
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It would have been far less damaging to be hooked on emulsion I reckon, after some of the ups and downs of following the robins
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lol good reply
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You don't need to send any tickets out. Send a letter with a form attched 2 wks before anyone wanting to take up the offer reply's with payment to the club. Tickets sent out or left at a turnstile.
You could go a step further do a draw for all the juniors that take up the offer and the winner gets to be mascot for the game.
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Nope, make the tickets, phone the schools and post them to the schools. Job Done.
Jenga are you volountering then ?
I can ask the club on your behalf (or you can) and see if its something that can be done
I will speak to you at the next match and see what is to be done. If there is something to be done here I will gladly help.
See you on Saturday then.
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I first attended Alty after our school (Stamford Park) went on a tour of the ground and I saw the FA Trophy.
I got to go in the dressing room and thought that was amazing. I didn't expect to be emulsioning it ten years later!
We got some free tickets that day, I got hooked and here I am. Bastards.
Mark i was exactly the same thats why i suggested the tickets to schools its definatley a winner.. I got given one during my sports lesson at Welly Road ( pah Green lane!) and loved it to bits . Tell you something people its Fin cold back in Broadheath!!
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Mark i was exactly the same thats why i suggested the tickets to schools its definatley a winner.. I got given one during my sports lesson at Welly Road ( pah Green lane!) and loved it to bits . Tell you something people its Fin cold back in Broadheath!!
me too both on the ticket from school and the Fin freezin bit!
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Anybody who doesn't think that Alty being within a 20 minute drive of 2 grounds who in total draw over 100,000 people a week is quite frankly deluding themselves.
On top of that, and within a similar distance are other lower LEAGUE clubs, and then there are other Non-League outfits as well. Don't go looking for a loyal fan-base all of your own that is little more than you already have.
I would suggest that the circumstances, given the size of the connurbation and the number of clubs locally, is fairly unique in the UK. I'm not even sure that London compares. In fact I recall some figures recently which suggested that as a proportion of the City's population more people attended sporting events in Manchester than any other City in the world with the exception of Melbourne.
If you want to increase your piece of the action a completely new outlook is going to be needed.
First and foremost, as has already been suggested.... GET THE KIDS. You might not ever become their first club of choice, but those that don't will prefer to be at Moss Lane watchin, than (at best) sat in a beer garden while Dad watches it in the pub. They will enjoy the involvment. Though they might prefer to wear a more "peer friendly" shirt on the school footy pitch.
Now the kids aren't likely to be allowed to come on their own. Combine that with huge amount of growing disillusionment amongst once regular Prem fans and you should also get a few of those interested too. They'll enjoy the atmosphere, the reasonable admission prices and the commitment of the players. And also the lack of detachment from the action.
You might never completely win the hearts of many of these fans but you will benefit from their wallets and the knock-on benefits of the exposure in their subsequent pub discussions when asked ..."why didn't you go to the away game at Spurs last week"
Accept the idea, initially at least, that being somebody's second club isn't a crime against humanity. I can understand why it might hurt you pride a little but look at it as a 2 stage process.
Get the kids and their parents so Moss Lane is a thousand Alty through and through + a similar number of kids with parents partially under sufference. Several years down the line you might find those allegiences have shifted somewhat.
I'm not lecturing here, just offering a "slightly" detached view from somebody who once use to go Prem home and away. I have other mates who now prefer to spend Saturdays at Glossop, Fleetwood, Hyde, Stalybridge and Bury rather that spending £100 for a day sat on the M1.
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Well said
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The simple quick soluton is Big FA Cup run and then a winning team ;D If only that simple.
The good thing about what happened last season (and why CP should be thanked a little, only a little) is that it put Altrincham back in the public eye. We had been missing media coverage without FA Cup runs and the farce helped bring Altrincham FC to everyones attention.
Also the England match ticket idea is also doing likewise and reminding people that Altrincham FC do have a football club that plays at a reasonable level. The more media coverage the better and if we only got one more regular fan its more than we had before.
Only 2hrs before my lift comes to take me to Cambridge.
PS:
Imagine how much room this topic would have took up on the old forum ...
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makes it easy for you an hour drive to the game! loleven if i left work now i wouldn't make it!
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Ah. but imagine what its like for me for Tuesday home games ! come to think of it Saturday home games. :P
We can't get relegated ... We simply can't .. I'd have to move back up North. Conference National does me nicely.
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We shouldn't forget that 2 seasons ago our average home attendance was around the 650 mark. We are now up around the 1000 mark. That is a massive percentage increase in a very short period of time.
Granted, some of the rise is due to larger away followings, but I would suggest we have added 100-150 relatively regular alty supporters in this period. We need to consolodate in this league for this to continue. I am sure we will do and it won;t be long before we have 1000 alty as the norm with any away support whacked on top of that taking us to a 1200-1300 average attendance.
As they say on the Grolsch advert: "you can't rush these things, guys" ::)
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Heres a question is this know the longest thread ever on the new look forum?
Hah thats dragged it out for another 2 posts at least :o
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jenga going to help the club now i am getting scared lol :D
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not seen this link before and i know its from ages ago but o well.
i totally agree about hitting the schools and about hitting the kids young (not literally).
first of all i used to go with my mum and dad and my brother fairly regularly, home and away.
then we just stopped for no real reason and i sort of forgot about alty *smacks own hand in disappointment at self*.
then a couple of years ago my dad saw some free tickets for kids in the messenger so i rang round a few friends and asked if they wanted to go. and i now go with the same people and we have got more people coming.
at school people ask me who i support and i tell them alty. most of them laugh, but there was a few that asked how to get to the ground when the next home game was and a fair few people have come to watch them and go regularly now.
someone that lives down my road sold his season ticket at united just so he could go to alty matches more regularly so that must tell you something. i've always been a united fan *waits for abuse and karma bashing* and try to get to as many home games as possible but the atmosphere just isnt as gd.
my mum and dad asked me if i wanted a united season ticket for my birthday this year but i told them i would miss too many alty games and didnt want to.
anyway. end of random rant thingy and
P.S. if anybody has the explosion in a paint factory shirt they would be willing to sell 2 me thn pm me with a price and i'll get back to you.
:)
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I didn't expect to be emulsioning it ten years later!
We got some free tickets that day, I got hooked and here I am. Bastards.
On Emulsion? or alty because to be fair both can be bad for your health!
Leave Ecky alone, he's clearly just a bit tired and emulsional :D :D