Attendances at Priestfield Stadium

[fan_of_mulligan]

Gillingham V Walsall - 5,344
Gillingham V Peterborough United - 4,819
Gillingham V Crewe Alexandra - 4,998
Gillingham V Swindon Town - 5,264
Gillingham V Yeovil Town - 5,173

Today's attendance against Walsall was our highest attendance of the season so is there an explanation for why Gillingham's attendances at Priestfield Stadium are so low this season, especially as Gillingham are unbeaten at home in the 2014 / 2015 season ???

[gillsfan1066]

Well firstly because were a Third Division team, and not a real good one at that.
Secondly were managed by one of the least exciting managers on the planet, who appears to have no plan B when things are going wrong.
Thirdly were owned by one of the least exciting owners on the planet , and the only time anyone outside of the area mentions GFC it's because he is in court getting sued by someone.
We had a great time a couple of years ago, second bit of silver in 50 years, we have one every 10 years or so , but were like some pub on a back street of Gillingham which sells a good pint and a bag of chips but it's the same old same old crowd playing darts and sitting at the bar, Mr. Swindon, George Port Vale, Jimmy Colchester ,I just wish we were The Malta Inn, great view, good food, same good pint but different clientele each day.
Look at this division ,what teams jump out at you and you say I must see that game, ? If I was a "part time fair weather fan",(as in not a season ticket holder living on a working mans salary) and I was going to see a few home games a year at Priestfield, maybe I would look at 8 to 10 games a year, Swindon, Sheffield, MKD, Coventry, Bradford , Peterborough, Orient and PNE , but as for the rest.... yawn, UNLESS were in the top half a dozen, fighting for promotion, having a great cup run (FA not Paint Pot) then here we go ,get me a ticket. We sold out against Newcastle for a midweek game in the Cup, over 10,000, so people do want to see GFC, just not against the same old same old teams.
Just my thoughts, nothing in concrete, just murmuring out loud.

[Robpthegills]

I managed to get to the game yesterday. Because of work and being away on holiday it was my first game of the season.

I would imagine the low attendances are something to do with paying £22.00 to be totally bored to death. Spent the whole game speaking to my friends hoping I would see some of the new players in action.

I know people will throw the peterborough game at me for excitement etc etc, but the problem is for me 90% of the games I have gone to in the last 12 months have bored me to death. Working on average 12 hours a day during the week,
I am seriously questioning whether I do want to give up the good part of a day off spending money to be bored to death.

Really do not care if this makes me a useless supporter or a good time fan (which is laughable bearing in mind all the games I have seen when we were really rubbish). I just think I am starting to think....WHY?

Why take time away from my family. There is no atmosphere inside the ground at all. Nobody really to blame for that, I think TV has ruined that. Youngsters that would have at one time turned up and made noise now probably watch the games on SKY. I will keep going. However it is no longer written in stone that I will go.

So my conclusion is stop charging people top dollar for average football and maybe you might get more people going.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I think the main reason attendances are lower is because the price is too expensive at the moment.Crowds are down all over the Country,so it is not just a Gills thing.I think our Pay on the day prices also put fans off.If you`re a fan that finds out he can make the game at 12:00pm,you may not be able to afford the extra 2-3 pound pay on the day price.

[fan_of_mulligan]

So my conclusion is stop charging people top dollar for average football and maybe you might get more people going.

But if you drop the price but the attendance is still the same as it is now then Gillingham will lose even more money, I went to Stevenage for The First Round Of The Football League Trophy and it was only £5 if you brought your ticket in advance and yet the attendance was 1,613 - Stevenage probably lost more money then they earned on that night by the time, Stewards, Turnstile Operators, Food and Drink Staff and Stevenage Staff all get there wages paid.

Our big chance went when we didn't capitalize on our League Two Title Winning Season, last season, we should of slashed Season Ticket Prices in half providing that 6,000+ supporters brought Season Tickets, this means we would of had 6,000+ Attendances for every home game, more food, drink, merchandise are sold and we would have a better atmosphere inside the stadium - Bradford City do this at The Valley Parade where Season Ticket Prices will remain at £138 providing that 10,000+ supporters sign for Season Tickets.

[Robpthegills]

It is an issue across the country I agree. Most teams seem to be suffering other than the few rich premiership teams.

However, I do think that a lot of fans have given up on the chairman and therefore the club. No one really believes he is looking for an investor, to get us a new ground, to finance a push for the championship. Its not good enough just to talk about it. For a few seasons after our championship escapades fans still believed him, but not anymore.

2 of peter taylors recent interviews have talked about how we are competing against clubs with great budgets and squads and how its going to be difficult. No problem with that, its seeing the truth, but if Scally really does want to back up his statement of being in the championship quickly you either have to invest or just stop talking.

I think we have some real potential in the side this season. I do not think we will achieve anything this season but that maybe the year after we may have a decent team.

Seriously though, does anybody really believe a word that comes out of mr Scallys mouth anymore. I am not slating him or digging at him, just pointing out fact. He has lost the confidence of the local fans. Perception (whether its right or wrong) is everything nowadays. People with very little money see themselves paying high prices to watch average football. The facilities are deteriorating as we no longer have football leauge hand outs to service them. They see a chairman supposedly living the high life in dubai from the money he gets from the club. People have just stopped being daft that is all.

Even at the bottom of the old division 4 you would dream that one day maybe one day. Now there is no dream. No dream means no desire means no effort.

I am one of the Nerds (for want of a better word) because I go. Not because I want to go, but simply because I always have done. There my team etc etc etc.....If you take the social element away from it then I have no desire at all anymore.

Well that is not me judging all fans, but its where I am at, where a lot of other people I know are at, and we have all been going for donkeys years through all the division 4 stuff fighting to stay out of the conferance.

[Elgrande]

We lost our big chance of high gates and a bigger ground when the club didn't kick on when we were challenging for promotion under Summers and Peacock. We had the chance of a new stadium at the then Garrison ground, but the board had no vision. In those days we could get 10,000 + for big league games and 16,000 for cup games and we had a working class fan base who had jobs.
As for now a lot of the problem was / is caused by the knee jerk, over zealous stewarding. Lift half a cheek off your seat and they are in your face. All seater stadiums where everyone is actually seated struggle to create an atmosphere of the singing and chanting kind. I agree with 1066 more could be done, but having been to Fenway a couple of time and to see the Patriots I can say the atmosphere is good, but not in an English football way. Even the new Wembley struggles compared to the old stadium. The football hierarchy in England don't want rowdy fans they want to sell to corporate, no real allegiance type fans and to the happy clappy families.
I think we have to accept that going to football is losing even its social aspect as fans now just turn up, sit down, wait to be entertained, watch social media and go home. You very seldom get the groups of lads / men / fans meeting up for a few beers pre-match and then going to the ground together to have a bit of banter. Even if they do meet when they get to the ground they scatter to their seats in different areas so the banter is not there.

[Garawa]

I think FOM makes a great point about prices and we spoke about it before a game. Reducing prices just doesn't work, 5,000 x £250 is far better than 7,000 x £150 and suggesting halving the ticket prices would get twice the number of supporters in naive and has proven not to work in previous attempts. If the marketing guys pushed and said that providing we hit sales of 9,000 or so we would half the price perhaps some of that banter would return if many more thought it an offer too good to miss. It has to be prudent though as more fans mean more stewards and higher policing costs so twice the amount paying half the amount generating the same revenue gives the club some revenue issues. Bradford are lucky, they can afford to do it as they have a huge stadium that needs filling!

Attendances are always low and increase as the cold weather comes and in reality there are more factors than you can shake a stick at! To most fans match prices are the be all and end all but to seasoned supporters like Rob disillusioned by the chairman it will have a major impact on ST sales if youngsters don't replace them (and we know they don't). I prefer to park all these prejudices and look at the club as my club as I can have no connection to Chelsea and the like, what other alternative do I have? Whilst I disagree with a lot I also look at lots of other clubs and find myself saying I am glad that isn't me.

[Rimshot]

I agree with every word of 1066's post…I must make that appointment with the doctor in the morning.

[Elgrande]

Apart from the food at the Malta Inn!