Home Attendances

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Im not talking bol lox though, its a fact. Didn't mean to upset you though. Im just speaking the truth.

 

It's not a fact, it's your opinion ;)

 

That said I think your opinion is right.

[Andy Proctor]

We will only get 4000 against millwall as its a night match and millwall wont bring many perhaps 200. Coventry are bottom and struggling so are likely to only bring around 700 to vale instead of about 2000.

[burslems finest]

I'll probably go about 5/6 games this year, I was a long standing ST holder, but I've been falling out of love with football for a while now.

Once I stopped going I realised how little I missed it.

I do still enjoy the big(!) games like cov, blades etc, but some games I wouldn't go if it was free!

[Mattholl]

I generally think the attendance issue is down to a lack of localised home games yet this year so far. We havent had a game that you look at and think that will be a good atmosphere. What tends to happen is we get a decent gate against a Sheff Utd, Cov, Notts County etc and they bring a few with them and we tend to get a few who catch the bug for a few months and keep coming. Whilst the performances have been ok this year the atmosphere is really poor due to the size of the away crowds and no grudge matches. Whilst crewe going down was quite funny, its two games that used to really galvanize our support gone, same with Notts county and Burton

[nightmare in a damaged bra]

Lots of factors come into a absent supporters.Personally I have moved away from Stoke and live in Edinburgh. I visit VP whenever I can which is becoming now 2 or 3 games a season.

I have seen Vale play on every ground in England bar Stamford Bridge and obviously the new grounds.Had some great days out and some nightmares all the same but great memories non the less.

I then started to miss Vale games and visit all the great European grounds that I wanted to tick off.

I'm now a season ticket holder at Hearts because I live a stones throw away from the ground and still need my football fix.I'm enjoying it tbh and visiting new grounds.But Vale is always the first result I look for wherever I am and the only colours I wear.

[Family Stand Terrier]

Thinking about it, the last time we were going for the top tier, and in the top 4, we played Wolves who were already sure of a Play off place. What did we do? We gave Hamil and the Bycars for away support, so limiting our support to about 10k for the Railway and Lorne St. needless to say we lost.

 

You're getting two different Wolves games mixed up there. The one when we had a chance for the Championship Playoffs was live on Sky and got a crowd of 13,615 (Bill Bell, say no more). Wolves had the Hamil and the Lorne Street Hamil side but not the Bycars. Going off the attendance and number of Wolves fans there that day (7,000), we only had 6,000 Vale fans???? Absolutely no chance in hell.

 

The game when we gave Wolves the Bycars was in 2000, we were already relegated, and at the time of announcing Wolves could have the Bycars they still had a chance of going up automatically. When it came to it they blew the auto chance and were already confirmed in the play offs, so only brought a couple of hundred in the bycars. We lost both those games.

 

People saying they don't remember us getting big attendances back in the glory days need to remember the Bill Bell factor. Simply look at you tube videos of our games and see the way we used to pack the bycars (in comparison to now). Also bear in mind there was always a really good number of fans on both sides of the lorne street. The paddock was still as popular then as it is now, and even the family stand was packed most weeks, especially the terracing. I think it's safe to say we were getting a lot more people through the turnstiles back then compared with now.

 

As for the reason for falling attendances these days, I think a few people have hit the nail on the head. People have simply fallen out of the habit of attending. They will return for the odd game, but only after we've won a few on the bounce and started to show some real chance of success. Unfortunately, the cost of football means that on the back of a defeat or draw every other week with our away form, in the run up to a home game we've lost that excitement we had after a home victory, so people are choosing not to part with their money. Especially when the law of averages suggests that the home form won't last forever.

 

As expected though, the usual lazy comments have come out from the people that lack any kind of empathy. They're so much better than everyone else aren't they. I knew when I saw this thread title it wouldn't be long before I saw the term "so called fans" . I've not been able to attend any matches this season, simply because I've fallen out of the habit of going and I can't afford to part with the money every week. Instead of insulting people like me, the powers that be should be finding ways to entice us back. Despite not attending, I've spent the whole week hurting after a defeat, and dreaming of promotion after a win.

 

Vale have been in my blood since I first persuaded my Dad to take me to a match aged 3 in the mid 80's, after enduring an hour's shopping around Normid, to come out and wonder why so many people were heading towards the big grass bank with the lights on the top. My Dad took me and I've loved the Vale ever since. I can still feel that excitement when I first walked through the entrance to the railway stand and seeing the pitch for the first time. So when I read people such as myself referred to as a "so called fan", it really f*****g p****s me off, pardon my French.

[Fosse69]

You're getting two different Wolves games mixed up there. The one when we had a chance for the Championship Playoffs was live on Sky and got a crowd of 13,615 (Bill Bell, say no more). Wolves had the Hamil and the Lorne Street Hamil side but not the Bycars. Going off the attendance and number of Wolves fans there that day (7,000), we only had 6,000 Vale fans???? Absolutely no chance in hell.

 

The game when we gave Wolves the Bycars was in 2000, we were already relegated, and at the time of announcing Wolves could have the Bycars they still had a chance of going up automatically. When it came to it they blew the auto chance and were already confirmed in the play offs, so only brought a couple of hundred in the bycars. We lost both those games.

 

People saying they don't remember us getting big attendances back in the glory days need to remember the Bill Bell factor. Simply look at you tube videos of our games and see the way we used to pack the bycars (in comparison to now). Also bear in mind there was always a really good number of fans on both sides of the lorne street. The paddock was still as popular then as it is now, and even the family stand was packed most weeks, especially the terracing. I think it's safe to say we were getting a lot more people through the turnstiles back then compared with now.

 

As for the reason for falling attendances these days, I think a few people have hit the nail on the head. People have simply fallen out of the habit of attending. They will return for the odd game, but only after we've won a few on the bounce and started to show some real chance of success. Unfortunately, the cost of football means that on the back of a defeat or draw every other week with our away form, in the run up to a home game we've lost that excitement we had after a home victory, so people are choosing not to part with their money. Especially when the law of averages suggests that the home form won't last forever.

 

As expected though, the usual lazy comments have come out from the people that lack any kind of empathy. They're so much better than everyone else aren't they. I knew when I saw this thread title it wouldn't be long before I saw the term "so called fans" . I've not been able to attend any matches this season, simply because I've fallen out of the habit of going and I can't afford to part with the money every week. Instead of insulting people like me, the powers that be should be finding ways to entice us back. Despite not attending, I've spent the whole week hurting after a defeat, and dreaming of promotion after a win.

 

Vale have been in my blood since I first persuaded my Dad to take me to a match aged 3 in the mid 80's, after enduring an hour's shopping around Normid, to come out and wonder why so many people were heading towards the big grass bank with the lights on the top. My Dad took me and I've loved the Vale ever since. I can still feel that excitement when I first walked through the entrance to the railway stand and seeing the pitch for the first time. So when I read people such as myself referred to as a "so called fan", it really f*****g p****s me off, pardon my French.

Quite right, I could only remember one game when I posted, so they got merged. Fans come in all shapes and sizes, just because for various reasons they cannot make it doesn't make them lesser fans, losing interest is a different matter. Keep the faith.

[smithie]

I've not been able to attend any matches this season, simply because I've fallen out of the habit of going and I can't afford to part with the money every week. .

 

Falling out of the habit of going is a choice, whereas not having the money probably isn't.

 

I'm not knocking you or anyone else for not going, but one of those reasons given is surely a matter of will.

 

I think that Vale would be wasting their time to convince stayaways to return via dropping prices. The 10-match tickets are a decent option for most people, and quite honestly if people don't want to watch us after winning all our home games then they never will.

 

You can lead a horse to water etc.

[Family Stand Terrier]

Falling out of the habit of going is a choice, whereas not having the money probably isn't.

 

I'm not knocking you or anyone else for not going, but one of those reasons given is surely a matter of will.

 

I think that Vale would be wasting their time to convince stayaways to return via dropping prices. The 10-match tickets are a decent option for most people, and quite honestly if people don't want to watch us after winning all our home games then they never will.

 

You can lead a horse to water etc.

 

So that's it then, give up? Resign ourselves to ever decreasing attendances? I'm not necessarily saying that dropping the prices is the answer, although it would help some people of course. My circumstances currently mean that family comes first, as such that's where I direct my money and time. As and when those circumstances change, like when my daughter grows up and leaves home for example, then there's a chance I'll return regularly. Until then I pick and choose games. I'd probably attend more though, if the club did more to attract stay away fans.

 

My major concern though is that this issue is only going to get worse as the effect of Stoke being in the Prem grows. With their resource, they can pump millions into the business of attracting new fans. Where as when I was a kid in the 90's and all of the schools around the North of the City had a good number of Vale tops, all you see these days is Stoke tops. They've invested massively into customer profiling, understanding their existing and potential new customers of the future. They're run like a business, with the potential and ambition to grow. Unfortunately, our approach is very short term. We expect fans to turn up, and ridicule them on social media if they don't.

[smithie]

To be fair and honest I don't think a couple of pillocks on a forum would keep anyone away (and they need to get a grip if it would!).

 

We've put out a very reasonable season ticket in recent years and other initiatives that just haven't worked. Season tickets can be paid for over several months too.

 

But I agree that football in general is far too expensive at pay on the day prices.

[Like Vale I Do]

Well after last nights terrific home win, I'm bizarrely dreading Saturday.

 

Probably the Highest gate of the season so far, people who haven't been yet will turn out to witness the superb football on offer, our best home form ever, playing bottom of the table.

 

It's a disaster waiting to happen??

 

Don't do it boys, don't mess this Saturday up, most important game of the season so far, come on Vale, a resounding win on Saturday will really fire things up!!

[Row L]

You're getting two different Wolves games mixed up there. The one when we had a chance for the Championship Playoffs was live on Sky and got a crowd of 13,615 (Bill Bell, say no more). Wolves had the Hamil and the Lorne Street Hamil side but not the Bycars. Going off the attendance and number of Wolves fans there that day (7,000), we only had 6,000 Vale fans???? Absolutely no chance in hell.

 

The game when we gave Wolves the Bycars was in 2000, we were already relegated, and at the time of announcing Wolves could have the Bycars they still had a chance of going up automatically. When it came to it they blew the auto chance and were already confirmed in the play offs, so only brought a couple of hundred in the bycars. We lost both those games.

 

People saying they don't remember us getting big attendances back in the glory days need to remember the Bill Bell factor. Simply look at you tube videos of our games and see the way we used to pack the bycars (in comparison to now). Also bear in mind there was always a really good number of fans on both sides of the lorne street. The paddock was still as popular then as it is now, and even the family stand was packed most weeks, especially the terracing. I think it's safe to say we were getting a lot more people through the turnstiles back then compared with now.

 

As for the reason for falling attendances these days, I think a few people have hit the nail on the head. People have simply fallen out of the habit of attending. They will return for the odd game, but only after we've won a few on the bounce and started to show some real chance of success. Unfortunately, the cost of football means that on the back of a defeat or draw every other week with our away form, in the run up to a home game we've lost that excitement we had after a home victory, so people are choosing not to part with their money. Especially when the law of averages suggests that the home form won't last forever.

 

As expected though, the usual lazy comments have come out from the people that lack any kind of empathy. They're so much better than everyone else aren't they. I knew when I saw this thread title it wouldn't be long before I saw the term "so called fans" . I've not been able to attend any matches this season, simply because I've fallen out of the habit of going and I can't afford to part with the money every week. Instead of insulting people like me, the powers that be should be finding ways to entice us back. Despite not attending, I've spent the whole week hurting after a defeat, and dreaming of promotion after a win.

 

Vale have been in my blood since I first persuaded my Dad to take me to a match aged 3 in the mid 80's, after enduring an hour's shopping around Normid, to come out and wonder why so many people were heading towards the big grass bank with the lights on the top. My Dad took me and I've loved the Vale ever since. I can still feel that excitement when I first walked through the entrance to the railway stand and seeing the pitch for the first time. So when I read people such as myself referred to as a "so called fan", it really f*****g p****s me off, pardon my French.

 

I would agree with all of that - but I would say "get back in the habit and get down there". The football that we are seeing at the moment is worth the money and IMO, the best that we have seen since we were promoted.

[PV1973]

Obviously Coventrys away following is going to boost Saturdays gate, but I'm surprised that with us doing so well at home that our gates haven't increased.

[Yukon]

I'll probably go about 5/6 games this year, I was a long standing ST holder, but I've been falling out of love with football for a while now.

Once I stopped going I realised how little I missed it.

I do still enjoy the big(!) games like cov, blades etc, but some games I wouldn't go if it was free!

 

If it's the entire sport you're bored off then that's fair enough but if it's just the Vale, I'd seriously reconsider. Get yourself to the Coventry game on Saturday and have a look at how the team are performing

[For Us All]

Obviously Coventrys away following is going to boost Saturdays gate, but I'm surprised that with us doing so well at home that our gates haven't increased.

 

We had the lowest League One attendance on Tuesday night,which hasn't happened for a good while?