Home Attendances

[pjg1876]

People like to have an excuse not to attend, the club needs to make it difficult for them to find excuses, I only mentioned cash turnstiles as one example.

 

I have never had an excuse not to attend the Vale nor understood some of the excuses that people come up with. However, for some reason when you think that things could be looking up with great home form, the club do its utmost to put you off ever attending again. First we get a message saying that the ticket office is having problems so arrive at the office before 2pm, then it pours down with rain while you are queuing up so you get soaked. You then walk round to the Bycars in the pouring rain to find that they have started physically searching home fans.

I could understand it if the away end was sold out so they expected visiting fans in the home areas but that ain't gonna happen. To top it all, the team don't appear to turn up. Anymore searching and I think I'll call it a day after 52 years.

[SuperValiant1876]

I have never had an excuse not to attend the Vale nor understood some of the excuses that people come up with. However, for some reason when you think that things could be looking up with great home form, the club do its utmost to put you off ever attending again. First we get a message saying that the ticket office is having problems so arrive at the office before 2pm, then it pours down with rain while you are queuing up so you get soaked. You then walk round to the Bycars in the pouring rain to find that they have started physically searching home fans.

I could understand it if the away end was sold out so they expected visiting fans in the home areas but that ain't gonna happen. To top it all, the team don't appear to turn up. Anymore searching and I think I'll call it a day after 52 years.

 

They are searching for safety reasons because of the world we live in today.

[pjg1876]

They are searching for safety reasons because of the world we live in today.

 

Like in supermarkets, hospitals, railway stations. For goodness sake, this is a football ground in Stoke on Trent with a few thousand people out to enjoy a game, not really a terrorist threat are we. Best of it is with no female stewards, women and kids don't get searched.

[pjg1876]

When was the last incident in the Bycars or any other part of the ground for that matter? If you're happy with it, that's fine but sorry I find it degrading unless there is intelligence to suggest that it is warranted. In addition, more expense for the club when there is already stewarding.

[beasty77]

Today proves our attendances are about right for Port Vale, and why we'll only always get 5-6k home fans through the gate. Chance to go 2nd top with a win, playing bottom of the table team, won 5 home games on the bounce in the league, but yet still only get 5k home fans.

[Loggerheads Sage]

In a way i'm surprised our gates have held up as well as they have. Just consider what we are up against. Prem club down the road, awash with cash so can keep prices low, so so many negatives at our club over the last few years,( i still think Bratt & co killed it for a lot of fans, i know i don't have the passion i used to have although still a ST holder, not to mention admin, chairman's rants, yobbo problems etc etc etc,) Also work patterns have altered dramatically in the last ten years or so. So many people work shifts now that they just can't justify a ST - then it's a case of "shall i go and pay £22/£23 today". Once you get out of the habit of regularly going, it becomes easier not to attend. I also think that the way that the world has changed people expect, no demand, success and just won't put up with not having it and so seem to say "sod it". I don't have the answers sadly, even initiatives like the 10 game ST don't seem to work. Success has always had an effect in the past but even that doesn't seem to help now. maybe the abuse on hear doesn't help either. I know both FairportNick and Rayzer and can tell you that whatever you may think they have been vale fanatics for many a long year, now although I don't agree with their reasons for not attending home games anymore, clearly a line has been crossed for them to take that decision and abuse on here will not change their minds. I believe that all the reasons/excuses whatever you want to call them are a sympton of the problem not the cure. UTV.

[ELDERBEZZA]

I have never had an excuse not to attend the Vale nor understood some of the excuses that people come up with. However, for some reason when you think that things could be looking up with great home form, the club do its utmost to put you off ever attending again. First we get a message saying that the ticket office is having problems so arrive at the office before 2pm, then it pours down with rain while you are queuing up so you get soaked. You then walk round to the Bycars in the pouring rain to find that they have started physically searching home fans.

I could understand it if the away end was sold out so they expected visiting fans in the home areas but that ain't gonna happen. To top it all, the team don't appear to turn up. Anymore searching and I think I'll call it a day after 52 years.

I was astonished to see all the searching as we walked around Bycars to Lorne St ,where NO searching was in progress.It must be the owd yobs in Bycars!!!Joking really

[pjg1876]

I was astonished to see all the searching as we walked around Bycars to Lorne St ,where NO searching was in progress.It must be the owd yobs in Bycars!!!Joking really

 

Perhaps Smurf should explain this change of policy at the club as quite a few of the owd yobs as you lovingly call us were quite annoyed by it all. Won't do anything to help attendances.

[Rampant Zebra]

Did you stay until the final whistle yesterday? I did..

[Conrad]

Did you stay until the final whistle yesterday? I did..

 

Well done.

[beasty77]

Perhaps Smurf should explain this change of policy at the club as quite a few of the owd yobs as you lovingly call us were quite annoyed by it all. Won't do anything to help attendances.

 

Last home game a female steward searched my 15 year old son, whilst he wasn't to bothered, i was, and i thought they weren't allowed to search anyone under 16? I said to her he's only 15, and she just continued searching him, and said shes allowed.

[ollyandpatch]

Last home game a female steward searched my 15 year old son, whilst he wasn't to bothered, i was, and i thought they weren't allowed to search anyone under 16? I said to her he's only 15, and she just continued searching him, and said shes allowed.

 

Didn't know that. My 10 year old gets searched every week and he did at Bury?

[beasty77]

Didn't know that. My 10 year old gets searched every week and he did at Bury?

 

Im not 100% sure my self, but im sure when we went west brom last year, one of the stewards told me, theyre not allowed to search anyone under 16, they just ask them what they got in their pockets etc.

[windsorvale4ever]

its starting to get boring now, you either support the club every single game whatever the performance whatever the score whoevers in charge if you cant say you can do this then the prices aren't going to change. the only other way of getting in cheaper is purchase a season ticket which a lot of people decided not to do this season. smurf wont change the prices unless he sees the gates go up alot