The how will we fill the new ground thread....

[toellandback]

The biggest crowd puller is what is on the pitch. You can charge a quid to get in but if the football is awful then people won't go. Now a team can't just be succesful, it has too entertain.
One advantage you do have if it works is the Blue Voice. Having something interesting and enjoyable to be part of will bring people in when results don't. It just needs to happen and be loud.

 

[OldBlueLady]

The biggest crowd puller is what is on the pitch. You can charge a quid to get in but if the football is awful then people won't go. Now a team can't just be succesful, it has too entertain.
One advantage you do have if it works is the Blue Voice. Having something interesting and enjoyable to be part of will bring people in when results don't. It just needs to happen and be loud.

It sometimes takes an outsider's perspective to tell us what is the absolute truth.

 

[shrimperton]

That means spending money on a team, come Ron spend the bucks!!:)

 

[toellandback]

That means spending money on a team, come Ron spend the bucks!!:)

Maybe, what are you like for bringing kids through? Also does the ground come with updated training facilities?

 

[shrimperton]

Maybe, what are you like for bringing kids through? Also does the ground come with updated training facilities?

It will do and our kids facilities are fairly new, so it will come good in time but our chairmans plans are to get us up in 2 years so kids wont be ready for then, and thats if the bigger club ie West ham and spurs dont nick em first, they like doing that round here.

 

[Beefy]

And Beefy, I mention places like Coventry and Southampton cos the atmosphere for the home fans is rubbish, nearly every home game.

So? Firstly, who gives a ****? Really? Secondly I'd rather have 15,000 people being silent than 10,000 people being very loud.

 

[steveo]

So? Firstly, who gives a ****?

Well, the fans might, and also the team.

 

[Irate Ian]

But we aren't building an identikit soulless bowl, the idea from the start has been to build tight, steep compact stadium with everything geared towards maximising the acoustics. The example to look at here is Blackpool, who with similar sized crowds, and only two sides to their stadium still generated an impressive noise level. Add in the work being put in on Blue Voice and a dedicated singing section at Fossets, and I think your fears are ill-founded.

I am also pleased with the 22k capacity because it underlines Ron's commitment to the club. As for the season ticket price, £100/£50 would be too low - it would enable people to buy, but their investment would be small enough that they could afford to cherry-pick their games, meaning the crowds wouldn't necesarily match the season card sales. I think around the £225-£275 mark would be a bargain but still be enough outlay to encourage fans to turn up for most games.

Cloud cuckoo land to believe that season prices will drop.

Incentives there may be but to be realistic if RM were to peg prices for the first season at no higher than the last at RH might be as much as could be expected.

 

[Irate Ian]

How about ..... Have friendlies against West Ham, Tottenham and Chelsea and allow all under 21's + all season holders from last season at RH in for absolutlely free as a celebration of the opening of the new stadium and convert all the Hammers, Spurs and Chelski, youth who may be Southend resident, over to their home club.

If they like what they see then chances are they will realise they don't have to spend a fortune and travel to London to see entertaining football in a first class environment.

RM has underpinned the youth set-up within the club, now we have to convert the youth support equally as vigourously.

Attract the youth and their parents may follow, over time, even though the old un's may be entrenched in support of their Premier****e clubs.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Some good points raised from both sides.

Lets get the new ground approved first!! Anyone know how the club are getting on with sorting out the 'minor' issues?

If you look back over the past couple of years the following crowds would have been over 15,000 had we been at the new ground -

Yeovil 2004/5
Swansea 2005/6
Bristol City 2005/6
Norwich 2006/7
Ipswich 2006/7
Hull City 2006/7
Man United 2006/7
Leeds United 2006/7

Possibly some of the other Championship games against QPR, Crystal Palace, Derby, Colchester etc would have been pretty close to 15,000 crowds as well.

The Bristol City & Man United games would both have been 20,000+ crowds.