IF we were challenging for the third div title?

[Smiffy]

The recent form has sent a buzz of optimism for next season around the hall which hasnt been evident for many a year, Which got me thinking, IF and a big IF we was challenging for the title next year what do you think we could realisticly see at RH week in week out attendance wise??...

 

[BENFLEET BLUE!]

6'000 Max!

 

[Andy_S]

Not more than 6,000. We'd get the odd 9,000 or so every so often though no doubt.

 

[Smiffy]

could we challenge the big boys, if they were up there of course, ala swansea, brizzle, poxford and the likes

 

[canada shrimper]

you lot are to young to remember some of our promotion battles where we were getting 9000-11000 a game i am sure that if we were up there in 1st or 2nd we could easily get 10000 +.just remember all those glory seekers at Cardiff a month ago.It is amazing how quickly they come out of the woodwork when we are doing well.

 

[fbm]

If we have a good season next year, then we will start off in the 4000-4500 mark, increasing to 5000 at Xmas, then building to a crescendo of 9000-10000 at the end.

 

[South Bank Hank]

Anyone know what our average attendance was during our first year in the First Division? That should no doubt tell a story.

 

[Westcliff Shrimper]

I think our average gate would be around the 6500 - 7000 mark, with certain midweek games pulling the average down, and games against Borient and Wycombe, for instance, going well over the 8000 mark.

 

[overseas shrimper]

Quote[/b] (canada shrimper @ April 21 2004,22:10)]you lot are to young to remember some of our promotion battles where we were getting 9000-11000 a game i am sure that if we were up there in 1st or 2nd we could easily get 10000 +.just remember all those glory seekers at Cardiff a month ago.It is amazing how quickly they come out of the woodwork when we are doing well.

Last time we were going for promotion and a possible title (which we didn't get) in the old 4th division, I'm sure we didn't get an average of 9 - 11,000.

However, although I am old enough to remember... I am also old enough to have forgotten.

I think we'd average 6,003.576 and we'd get perhaps 7,500 - 8,500 for an Orient game or such like.

 

[steveh1510]

Averages attedances in the first division years were only about 6000 weren't they? I think we are kidding ourselves if we think we may get an average of much more than we get now.

5000 average if we were pushing for promotion, with 8000 turning up for 1 or 2 of the big games (Orient for example).

The only way we'd fill Roots Hall every week would be to be in the premiership.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Yup, pretty much with the consensus here. If we're going for an average for the whole season, we'll open with maybe 5,500, dip to about 4,000 during Sept/Oct/Nov - and then if, by Christmas, we're still in the mixer, we'll see average gates rise to over 5,000; and have bumper gates for the big local derbies - Borient, Cambridge, Wycombe - those could get up to 8,000 or so.

It would give a season average of, maybe, 5,200 in a promotion season, I reckon.

Matt

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (steveh1510 @ April 22 2004,09:38)]Averages attedances in the first division years were only about 6000 weren't they? I think we are kidding ourselves if we think we may get an average of much more than we get now.

Here's a snap-shot:

1989-90 (Div 4): 3,829
1990-91 (Div 3): 6,184

1991-92 (Div 2): 6,729
1992-93 (Div 1): 5,353
1993-94 (Div 1): 6,109
1994-95 (Div 1): 5,154
1995-96 (Div 1): 5,915
1996-97 (Div 1): 5,267
1997-98 (Div 2): 4,198
1998-99 (Div 3): 4,317

1999-2000 (Div 3): 4,138
2000-01 (Div 3): 4,322
2001-02 (Div 3): 3,982

2002-03 (Div 3): 3,951
2003-04 (Div 3): 4,273

(All courtesy of European Football Stats - Southend - bar the last, which was taken from Statmail - attendances)

Backs up what Steve says - other than in our Div 3 promotion season, and a couple of seasons in Div 1, we've never had more than 6,000 as an average gate at Roots Hall - and that was when we had the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle, Birmingham and West Ham bringing their sizeable away contingents.

It would seem to suggest that there is a hard-core of Shrimpers fans of approx 3,500, who will come regardless; a further (up to) 1,000 who will come and watch us when we're doing well, and the rest made up of away fans, and perhaps as many as another 1,000 who are "glory-seekers" - i.e. will only see us towards the end of a promotion season.

And that that hardcore hasn't changed in size since 1990-91... funnily enough, the time I started to watch the Shrimpers...

Matt

 

[Wessex Blue]

What about the 15,000? You've forgotten to mention them.  

 

[Guest]

There are more people around Basildon in a Southend Utd Shirt than W@nk-Ham nowday - the different that when we was in 1st Div, the away team bring fans of 600+ or 1000+ or more to Root-Hall, while we get 4000 or 4500+ fans at home every week. The true is that we are getting more fans than we get in 1989 to 1998 (expect 1991/92).

If we fight for top three for nearly whole season and playing good football (tues night Vs Hull is a great example) we would get nearly 6000 fans coming & 4500+ in a midweek - the keys is to make a great start to season.

We will find out how many fans next season through the season ticket sale, if we beat 1500+ then we know how many will be coming to Root-Hall.

 

[* ORM *]

Quote[/b] (Guest @ April 22 2004,14:02)]There are more people around Basildon in a Southend Utd Shirt than W@nk-Ham nowday

Have you tried shopping in Southend High Street recently ?

I'm still waiting for Luke's 10,000+ predictions by the way.

6,000-6,500 average. Still the odd 4,500 crowd for non-entity games (like Orient).

 

[footymad13]

haha,

We are pulling in 5000 at the moment, with continous form and something to play for is 2,000-3,000 extra on the gate that unrealistic. Surely there would be 2-3k out of that 15k from Cardiff.

I think too many people are looking at the past look around you more.

I think we would pull in 10,000 for the big games, however average attendence id say 7,000 perhaps 8,000 at a push. But 7000.

 

[Guest]

Our attendances in recent years have bucked a general trend in that they have pretty much stayed constant. Look around the other teams in Division Three and you will notice many of their average gates have increased significantly in recent years.

A few years back it was a fairly common sight in the basement league to see attendances of sub 2,000. This now happens only ever at a midweek game at Macclesfield or Bury. I've noticed as well the club seems to enjoy more of a favourable stance in the town than it did under Jobson, who was a PR nightmare.

Still reckon it would be no more than 6,000, but our recent games have seen us pull in nearly 5,000 home fans against Darlo and Scunny with effectively nothing to play for.

 

[fbm]

Of course, there is always the point that the capacity of the stadium is supposedly 12,343 yet even for the Canvey cup game 3 years ago when there wasn't a seat to be seen anywhere and in the West there were about 500 standing at the back and in the aisles due to a ticketing ****-up and yet the official attendance was 11402 so there was supposedly another 950-odd people that we could accomodate...

Yeah, right.

I'm not accusing anyone of anything and I know the Directors, sponsors and comps don't count in the official figures... just making a point...

 

[tommytwoholes]

I have to dissagree. Firstly when we played in the first division the average attendance for that league was about 12,000 and now its probably more like 20,000. The premier league has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and as a result there is better football in the lesser leagues and bigger teams. There are alot of lower league players who maybe would have got a shot in the prem 5 years ago but wouldn't now. These are the players that are improving the crowds in the nationwide leagues. I think with the PR and the right team we could and should get between 6-8000 for every match. If we were to ever get back in the first division theres no way we would average 6000. We would be looking at 8-11000 every game with a few sell outs. The new stadium is must. Darlo apart a new stadium generates alot of interest and im sure that in itself would bump the gate 2000 to a 7000 average. I think if tilly and brushy get the job then season tickets will break the 2000 mark and that would be very good. I am going to by my first if they get the job, so come on Ron do the right thing for a change

 

[Westcliff Shrimper]

Same here - season ticket from me as well as soon as Tilly and Brush are confirmed as the new management team.

Unfortunately it will be next to Tommytwoholes....