Date: 8th November 2011 at 3:00 pm
Written by Brad Pinard
Football Fancast
In an era of modern stadia, 3D television and soaring petrol prices,
attendances in English football are stuttering as fans are becoming more
suited to walking up to the pub than using public transport or driving to
their preferred ground. Away fans are also finding that it is getting
tougher and tougher to continuously follow their side around the country due
to the FA, clubs and television rights.
It seems that smaller Premier League clubs are far too hasty about moving
into large, modern stadiums without thinking it through in the long run.
Wigan Athletic may share their ground with a well supported Rugby League
team but there aren't 25,000 people that want to go and watch a Wigan
Athletic home game. In their five home games this season the Latics are
averaging 17,000 which is just 68% of the capacity, and there are usually
4,000 away fans from better supported clubs filling one end.
Another relatively new stadium, the Reebok Stadium in Bolton is another
victim of the 'eyes too big for your belly' syndrome. Fairing slightly
better than their North West rivals Wigan with their percentage, just 81% of
their ground is filled on average for a home game, still depressing as empty
seats are becoming far too common in the majority of Premier League grounds.
The English attendances are still far superior to Italy and Spain with the
lowly clubs in Italy averaging anywhere between 25% and 40% and in Spain
between 40% – 60%, a tough reality check for foreign supporters but
television rights and cost are equally high abroad. The attendance drop all
around Europe is a worry for clubs and supporters alike.
Television rights are a constant area of discussion in football and more and
more games are being shown live, rearranging kick off times making it harder
and harder for fans to make it to the games. With a game at 12.45pm on a
Saturday followed by a 5.30pm game the same day both on television, with two
games on Sunday and another on Monday night, travel and cost are becoming a
major issue for supporters getting to their ground around work and family
commitments.
The League currently sells only 138 of its 380 live games per season to Sky
and ESPN because it tries to restrict disruption to the traditional 3pm
Saturday kick-offs. However, the fear is more televised games shown at 3pm
would impact on attendances at clubs across the Premier and Football
Leagues.
But all 380 of the League's live games are already sold to overseas
broadcasters and if all matches, including those at 3pm on a Saturday, are
allowed to be shown in the UK, then a tradition already under threat is
likely to be damaged further.
The prices of tickets are also soaring and as a follower of my club home and
away I have felt the pinch of ticket prices; but now West Ham are a
Championship side the prices have fallen for me. That may be the only
positive aspect of Championship football but it does make it bearable. I
purchased a ticket for Reading away yesterday for £18 and a train ticket of
£11 which means I have spent under £30 on an away game in the Championship
compared to a visit to Chelsea and Tottenham that cost around £50 just for
the ticket or a journey up to the north that has a train ticket of over £40
on its own.
Following West Ham has given me a clear indication of how finances are
negatively affecting attendances and atmosphere's around the country; as
there were 5,000 away supporters at Hull last Saturday as part of a
moderately small crowd and there will be 7,400 Hammers travelling to
Coventry next weekend, a staggering support but showing the lack of interest
from the home end by giving away such a large portion of the ground. This
could be due to the lack of Coventry support but the fact that the club
knows it is a chance to make some money off the back of West Ham to pay off
a stadium that is far to big and expensive for it's tenants.
That with the price of petrol now-days and the cost of following your side
around the country is extortionate. So, if your side are on Sky or ESPN you
can't say that you are not tempted to wander down to the pub to save the
travel, cost and in my case disappointment.
The more games on Sky, the more empty seats that will feature in the Premier
League and the FA and television companies must think about that before the
average football supporter is priced out of following their club. The 3D
football has not really taken off in England and that could be a good thing
for football clubs but pubs are still packed out while the big games are on
the television with empty seats in the ground.
There are of course some exceptions to the rule but the majority of
attendances have fallen with prices rising and the amount of games of Sky
and ESPN have made it possible to watch the majority of games without
leaving your front room. Perhaps there should be less games on television
but that would then harm the fans who genuinely cant get to the ground and
so there must be a happy medium that we; the supporters; and the big wigs
can find.
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