Whats The Future Of Our Club?

[Yoshi-1991]

We're not a town team though mate. We're a 'shire team, with a sizeable proportion of our support coming from outside the town boundary.

I would go as far as to say theres at least as many if not more Well fans from outside Motherwell an from the town.

 

 

Like has been said many times before, get the kids in the gate.

 

Free tickets for schools is the right way to go.

 

An example here is that my step mums nephew was a celtic fan, as are his whole family, he started playing for the Motherwell kids team or whatever its called and now hes a Well fans. Young kids can change at the drop of a hat if you get them hooked.

 

 

[Kmcalpin]

We need a lot more people going thru the turnstyles on a regular basis. 9k for our first ever Champions League game was poor imho

 

I wouldn't worry too much about that big man. Many folk were on holiday and had the game been played at the end of August/Early September then we would have hit the 10,500 mark.

[David]

I'm really surprised that there's been so much discussion about re-signing Faddy on these Boards. Its all been a complete red herring.

I think, and I may be wrong here, that the belief was he probably wouldn't be signing for any club who'll be playing Champions League football this season so would consider playing in our Champions League qualifiers as a sort of short-term deal or something.

 

I don't think anyone expected him to be signing a decent length contract with us, more that he may play for us short-term whilst he has absolutely hee-haw else going on.

[carlukemurray]

Got to agree with this comment.

 

Fact is, Motherwell have a hardcore support of 3,500-4,000. Anything on top of that depends on;

 

1. Opposition
2. How we are playing
3. Weather - quite surprised by the low attendance on Saturday, lovely weather for football
4. Timing - Saturday was the last weekend before the school holidays, so many families would be shopping
5. Price/ the economy - I do think that the price doesn't match the product on the field when it comes to Scottish football

Solutions?

 

Well every idea needs to be looked at as it is an incredibly worrying time for Scottish football. Motherwell's average attendance can't have changed too much in the last 10-15 years, has it?

 

So what can be done to get these floating fans to come more regularly?

 

My idea (which would maybe help a little) would be to offer a 10 game ticket with a decent discount on what you would normally pay. That way you could get people who can't go every week to stump up money in advance, still allowing them to pick and choose their games, but meaning the club get more money up front. Almost like a half-season ticket that the club offer at Christmas, but in advance.

 

We need a lot more people going thru the turnstyles on a regular basis. 9k for our first ever Champions League game was poor imho European football for the 4th season in 5, 2 cup semis and a final in last 2 years and yet our average attendance is one of the lowest in SPL.

 

That for me is the most worrying issue going forward.

 

 

 

 

 

[star sail]

I wouldn't worry too much about that big man. Many folk were on holiday and had the game been played at the end of August/Early September then we would have hit the 10,500 mark.

 

 

I hope you a right but I worry about the likely attendance this time round. I would suspect that for a few people the novelty value of the Euro experience is wearing off already. Add to that a very tough tie against a relatively unknown Euro side and I think the attendance might be down on the Pano game.

 

The attendances have always disappointed me on the whole. I remember the season in the early 90's when with just a few games to go Motherwell played Dundee Utd at FP in a Wednesday night game. Rangers were playing Hibs at Easter Road. I can't remember the details but I think that a Well win and a Rangers loss would have taken the gap at the top to two points with two games to go (somebody can correct me on the exact facts). It was a genuine title influencing clash.

 

I turned up assuming a packed FP and was amazed to see that we only managed about 7000 for that game. I think it affected the players that night too. Such a big game and such little interest.

 

As it turned out Hibs beat Rangers but Well lost 1-0 to Utd.

[fatcalf]

I hope you a right but I worry about the likely attendance this time round. I would suspect that for a few people the novelty value of the Euro experience is wearing off already. Add to that a very tough tie against a relatively unknown Euro side and I think the attendance might be down on the Pano game.

 

The attendances have always disappointed me on the whole. I remember the season in the early 90's when with just a few games to go Motherwell played Dundee Utd at FP in a Wednesday night game. Rangers were playing Hibs at Easter Road. I can't remember the details but I think that a Well win and a Rangers loss would have taken the gap at the top to two points with two games to go (somebody can correct me on the exact facts). It was a genuine title influencing clash.

 

I turned up assuming a packed FP and was amazed to see that we only managed about 7000 for that game. I think it affected the players that night too. Such a big game and such little interest.

 

As it turned out Hibs beat Rangers but Well lost 1-0 to Utd.

 

 

I remember that game and felt the same, think we lost 2-1 though but my feeling was most fans didn't believe we could actually win the league, even though it was obviously very possible if you consider we didn't win any of our last 3 games but only fell short by 5 points. Best chance ever that season and partly responsible for my'realistic' approach since, always hope but expect nothing so I'm not disappointed.

[postiejim]

Spoken to four well supporters on my delivery in Armadale/Bathgate that i know ,all at one time season ticket holders or regularly at games ,none were at the Panathinaikos game.

[ONeils40yarder]

I reckon I could fill a double decker bus with folk who used to go to games but dont bother anymore

[carlukemurray]

I reckon I could fill a double decker bus with folk who used to go to games but dont bother anymore

 

 

Why do you think they don't go to games?

[GazzyB]

Serious question, if it was free entry, would Fir Park be full every week?

 

My opinion is no, not even close, keen to hear what others think.

[andalg]

John Boyle 1st time around brought "big" name players to the club and reduced ticket prices but attendences didn.t go up enough if at all to cover the wages, so we know thats not the answer.

 

The future for Motherwell, as someone posted above, has to be with the kids. We need a way of getting kids in and trying to keep them when they become adults maybe we could offer free seson tickets for under 18s and when they become 18 move on to a reduced season ticket price betwwen 18and 21.

 

I agree with the letting kids in free perhaps the Junior Steel club could be given a section of the ground where kids could be supervised.

[David]

Serious question, if it was free entry, would Fir Park be full every week?

No.

 

We can be playing a home game in the Champions League qualifiers, a home game in the Europa League, an SPL match against Rangers or Celtic, or even be challenging for third spot in the table and we still won't sell out Fir Park.

 

I don't see us getting a crowd of almost 14,000 at home again. There simply isn't enough Motherwell fans to fill the place.

[Special aka]

Maybe this is just where Scottish football is. Look at the record attendances for Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, Partick, St Mirren, Dundee ............... 40,000-50,000, and look what they get now.

In 1900, Scotland, (Glasgow), had 3 football stadiums with 100,000+ capacities.

 

The boom years of the 1950's were taken for granted by Club chairmen, and little if any investment was made to secure the future of the game. Pre the Taylor Report only Ibrox and Pittodrie saw any development to make the match day experience a more comfortable one. However I believe there was over-reaction to the Taylor Report north of the border. Great white elephants have been created which instantly killed atmosphere and created a sterile generation of football fan. All that was required at Fir Park was to cover the end terraces and build better toilet/kiosk facilities ....................... not the multi-million pound monster that lies empty 363 days of the year at the south end of FP.

 

And now I just don't think we are a football mad country anymore.

[Haggischomper]

Taylor Report and Bosman were a boot in the baws for clubs our size especially as they were so close together. Undersoil heating was another

[David]

And now I just don't think we are a football mad country anymore.

I disagree. I just think that fans nowadays have easier access to the English Premier League, La Liga and so forth. Many of them don't see the point in paying £20 to watch Motherwell vs St Mirren when that money could pay a months subscription to Sky Sports.

[Rory Bellows]

Some good points

 

Bottom line is that we will attract 3000 to 9000 punters depending on what is on offer (and what it's priced at)

 

I started going in the 70's.... if you take the OF out, how do the crowds we had then compare with today?

[Wellfan1984]

Scotland, even if you take the OF out of it still has some of the best attendances in the world per head of population.

[Motherwell89]

and stupid amounts of clubs

[ixi the patriot]

I have posted this in the steelnen forever thread what do you think?

 

after the first home match i expected a bigger crowd because of the success of the previous season and the fact it was the first home match upon speaking to people who didnt go its the same problem cost of course cutting prices isnt an option when the club is trying to raise extra money but the more people you get through the gate means a bigger fanbase to target for the money raising ideas but here is an idea that has been suggested on these forums last year it was done by hartlepool in 2011 http://www.dailymail...--just-100.html if successful it will increase home support without losing money which would increase the database of fans to target with all the money raising ideas also the idea can be tweaked and can be applied to an all ticket matches the more people who commit the cheaper it gets if the gates are around the same average as the past couple of seasons then the club has nothing to lose

 

 

 

i had to use rough figures and average season ticket prices but dont worry about the figures in to much details they are just a guide to show how it could work there may be mistakes but its the idea im trying to get across.

[Noah Dosser]

Big problem across the board here is that football is no longer the only show in town.

 

There are far more attractions away from football available to punters so spending aprrox £40( travel, ticket, refreshment etc) on a day out to watch a fairly mundane product really just isn't a viable prospect for a lot of folks.

 

Throw in the saturation tv coverage of the top leagues throughout Europe and it's easy to see why kids' heads are turned watching the top players night in night out then trying to persuade them the SPL or SFL is great entertainment.

 

The Scottish game has been stagnating for years and the one good thing, maybe, to come out of the Rangers fiasco is that the authorities and sports bodies will have to look seriously at improving and rationalising the game.

[sbcmfc]

There's a variety of factors at work here.

 

The old firms domination of Scottish football is a double hit for Motherwell, it makes Motherwell less attractive to potential fans, and given our proximity to Glasgow, it's perfectly acceptable for a kid from Lanarkshire to support rangers or Celtic. The whole religious element probably plays a part too, as kids are brainwashed into following one or other by family or peers.

 

The cost of football in Scotland has continued rising, but at the same time the standard is dropping, every other year a pound goes on a ticket or £10-20 on a season, while the playing budget is decreased and the facilities continue to deteriorate.

 

Lowering prices might not help, it's probably too late, as folk have found other things to do on a Saturday afternoon, probably cheaper and more enjoyable.

 

I've always said, although the reduced prices John Boyle tried didn't really work, I always felt the scatter gun approach was part of the problem, with prices changing week in, week out. If Motherwell set a consistent well publicised low price, it might attract folk along, possibly not even Motherwell fans, but away fans, who could bring more money to the club than currently if we targeted them, it's a market some clubs (including ours) are only now starting to realise is important.

 

Another factor is a big change in lifestyles in the last 20+ years. For starters, far more folk than ever DON'T work Monday-Friday 9-5 or anything of the sort, there's nothing that can be done about that, but Im sure there's plenty folk who can't go to games due to working shifts that cover weekends and evenings.

 

There's also been a change in home life. In the olden days men (who are still the majority in football crowds) used to wear the trousers and do whatever they liked, they could work all week, then go out with the boys all day on Saturday for the football etc. I'd say there's been a shift to a bit more equality in that that will no longer cut it with modern woman. They've often worked hard all week to, and expect you to spend some time with them and/or your kids at the weekend, which takes us back to price, product and surroundings, good luck convincing my wife that paying £20+ to spend her day off freezing and miserable watching often dreadful football played by mediocre players at rugby park or in the east stand is a good day out.

[Al B]

There's a Scottish apathy these days that will never change. People here would never be seen to be excited enough about something like football for there to be huge regular attendances.

 

For example, if the Bears quarterback was seen out for a meal in Chicago on any given night, people would be flocking from all around and be really excited, and people all over the city would be telling "Oh my god, I saw Jay Cutler last night!!!"

 

If he walked down the street in San Fransisco, even in a city other than the one he plays for, he would still be mobbed for autographs etc and even 49ers fans would be telling people "I just saw Jay Cutler, just walking down the street!!".

 

In this country, Michael Higdon out for a meal with his wife would generate a post on here along the lines of "Seen Michael Higdon out for a meal last night. c**t should be having a salad then maybe he could fuckin jump" "Autograph? Did I fuck...I pay the c**t's wages, he should be asking me for mine"

 

Or "Seen Scott Brown swanning up Buchanan Street with his Gucci carrier bags...dunno who the wee prick thinks he is"

 

There's a Scottish mentality of not wanting people to think they are any better than you that result's in a need to try bring them down a peg or two, rather then glorifying them. As a result of that, a regular football match will never be a huge occasion in this country, because there's no hype surrounding it from it's customer base.

[StipeIsGod]

The above is a good point actually. Last couple of times I've been at the Vue in Hamilton, there have been four or five of our first team there, as a group, and no-one has went anywhere near them to say anything, or get a photo, or anything like that, and that was over the course of two Champions League games.

[weeyin]

There's a Scottish apathy these days that will never change. People here would never be seen to be excited enough about something like football for there to be huge regular attendances.

 

For example, if the Bears quarterback was seen out for a meal in Chicago on any given night, people would be flocking from all around and be really excited, and people all over the city would be telling "Oh my god, I saw Jay Cutler last night!!!"

 

If he walked down the street in San Fransisco, even in a city other than the one he plays for, he would still be mobbed for autographs etc and even 49ers fans would be telling people "I just saw Jay Cutler, just walking down the street!!".

 

In this country, Michael Higdon out for a meal with his wife would generate a post on here along the lines of "Seen Michael Higdon out for a meal last night. c**t should be having a salad then maybe he could fuckin jump" "Autograph? Did I fuck...I pay the c**t's wages, he should be asking me for mine"

 

Or "Seen Scott Brown swanning up Buchanan Street with his Gucci carrier bags...dunno who the wee prick thinks he is"

 

There's a Scottish mentality of not wanting people to think they are any better than you that result's in a need to try bring them down a peg or two, rather then glorifying them. As a result of that, a regular football match will never be a huge occasion in this country, because there's no hype surrounding it from it's customer base.

 

I think that is a huge generalization of a population (and something that certainly doesn't happen in the North East, at least). If you are a Yankees player and brave enough to be walking down Lexington Avenue, you better be prepared for some stick!

 

Of course there are exceptions in certain parts of the country - particularly where there towns with only one professional team, but the majority of newspapers and sports talk shows are dedicated to slagging off A-Rod, K-Rod, Tebow, Bay etc.

 

American Football and baseball crowds have been dropping in recent years too as value for money becomes a priority. When I moved over here in 1997, there was a 10 year waiting list for season tickets for the New York Jets, for example, and no new applications were being taken.

 

In the last 3 years, not only have they burned through that waiting list, they now can't sell the remainder. They actually have commercials on TV now trying to offload them.

[Haggischomper]

Jay Cutler's burd just had a baby last week and that's what led the local news here. Bursting my tits.

 

Sport here is a household thing, not just the dominion of fans and, generally, people want their guys to do well. A whole world of difference to Scotland, as Al B pointed out.