Barrow v Walsall, match thread

[mall]

So we can’t go down and we can’t go up. And it’s the Easter break. And times are tight for most families.

People make decisions based on their priorities not how well we are playing. Our supporters have had two halves of two seasons where our performances have been pretty miserable. Since Xmas 2023 our stats have been poor as have many of our performances. Even this season we’ve peaked too early and then too late.

This does not create a great advertisement for pulling in crowds or building support though old lags like me are happy to revel in the current form. There are many things the club is doing to make the club an attractive proposition but security and consistency on the pitch is a pretty basic pre-requisite.

Think carlisle fans have had alot more to put up with than ours, look at there fan base home and away.

So, what do you think the crowd would have been roughly if we had needed the points yesterday to stay up?

[Tomo]

Think carlisle fans have had alot more to put up with than ours, look at there fan base home and away.

So, what do you think the crowd would have been roughly if we had needed the points yesterday to stay up?

Come on, you've got to admit our home crowds are pretty shocking, even the times we were in the playoffs we were only around 3500 and were not exactly close to other league clubs to compete against, crowd wise.

[John_Bucks]

So, what do you think the crowd would have been roughly if we had needed the points yesterday to stay up?

Come on, you've got to admit our home crowds are pretty shocking, even the times we were in the playoffs we were only around 3500 and were not exactly close to other league clubs to compete against, crowd wise.

Salford spent millions on a new stadium with a smaller capacity than ours. Sometimes you just have to cut your cloth to suit. It was a small crowd yesterday. Hopefully a one off, but we are where we are as a club/fanbase. Nothing much to get overly dramatic about.

[Jonty]

Bradford’s recent home game v Colchester, all advance adult tickets were £5. Boosted the attendance to 23 381.

We could try something like this for the last home game v Bromley and have that game as an inventive for 25/26 ST”s. Maybe something like Bromley ticket = guaranteed early bird 25/26 ST price. Or Bromley matchday ticket = prize draw entry for a 25/26 ST.

Club got to try new things, ST sales need more than an initial push on social media only for it to drop off after a week

[AFC Blue]

Bradford’s recent home game v Colchester, all advance adult tickets were £5. Boosted the attendance to 23 381.

We could try something like this for the last home game v Bromley and have that game as an inventive for 25/26 ST”s. Maybe something like Bromley ticket = guaranteed early bird 25/26 ST price. Or Bromley matchday ticket = prize draw entry for a 25/26 ST.

Club got to try new things, ST sales need more than an initial push on social media only for it to drop off after a week

Jonty your full of great ideas. There is a vacancy at the club that would allow you to implement these ideas.

[Tomo]

Come on, you've got to admit our home crowds are pretty shocking, even the times we were in the playoffs we were only around 3500 and were not exactly close to other league clubs to compete against, crowd wise.

Salford spent millions on a new stadium with a smaller capacity than ours. Sometimes you just have to cut your cloth to suit. It was a small crowd yesterday. Hopefully a one off, but we are where we are as a club/fanbase. Nothing much to get overly dramatic about.

Just read a Walsall fans comment, which said, how can we lose against a club with such small crowds, its embarrassing and such a shame for all the hard work being put in by the owners, management and players, the owners must be thinking what the hell are we bothering putting all this cash into a club who's fans can't be bothered to get off their arses and support us, well I hope the locals don't moan if the owners just say enoughs enough and give it up as a bad job. Obviously I'm not having a go at all the loyal supporters, it's these armchair fans I can't abide.

[Bingo]

There is no structure at the club and less stake holders. Having some structure other than just the first team brings out more supporters.

The club needs to be better on the marketing front and commercially you've a small window to make money they need to make the most of it.

I do think our crowds are not that bad. We don't benefit from large away followings like others do. If you looked at home fans only there would be lots bellow us. If you then compared it to size of population / crowd etc.

Add into the factor our facilities / history / and current league position then it's comparable with others

[Cromwell58]

I agree the crowds should be better when we reached the dizzy heights before the Chelsea game our gates were not great the surprising thing is our away support has been good.

[Griffin]

I don't know if it has been tried, but how about targeting the schools before the new season starts?
If the players and the management went into the local schools and talked to the pupils it would almost certainly get some new fans (and of course the parents who would have to take younger children to the games)
If as well, the Club offered "a quid a kid" for the first home game of the season, it would boost the attendance and get some lifelong fans.
The biggest problem to overcome is the media. It is now easier to find out on the BBC how Real Madrid got on than any lower league clubs
I realise that Barrow is never going to be a fashionable club to support but there are no other clubs nearby, so trying to tap into potential local support could work.

[Methuselah]

Having supported Barrow since the early 1960s I have seen crowds much lower than the ones we are currently getting.The 48 yrs outside the Football League didn,t do us any favours when all the grants were being given out to a lot of other clubs,something which is hard to come by nowadays.

Our current ownership have done a fantastic job in such a short period of time and the constant criticism doesn,t reflect well on some of our so called supporters

We have had to start again from such a low base and it will take time for the club to grow again..You now have a younger generation wearing Barrow shirts something that was unheard of a few years back.

The club will grow and the seeds are now being put in place to.make it happen and as we as a club become more successful the crowds will grow so patience is needed.
During the last few games people have been on holiday plus you now have people on shifts which means there are less people off at the weekends.

I.for one believe our club will go from strength to strength as rsults improve so keep the faith people.

[SKIPPER]

Bradford’s recent home game v Colchester, all advance adult tickets were £5. Boosted the attendance to 23 381.

We could try something like this for the last home game v Bromley and have that game as an inventive for 25/26 ST”s. Maybe something like Bromley ticket = guaranteed early bird 25/26 ST price. Or Bromley matchday ticket = prize draw entry for a 25/26 ST.

Club got to try new things, ST sales need more than an initial push on social media only for it to drop off after a week

If I remember correctly several seasons ago Bradford offered season tickets on a BOGOF deal. The thinking behind it was the 'free' ticket holders would spend on programmes,merchandise,refreshments and raffles. Not only that but would become 'hooked' and as regulars actually buy an ST the following season. Five-figure attendances they get now would suggest it just might have worked.

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

Bradford’s recent home game v Colchester, all advance adult tickets were £5. Boosted the attendance to 23 381.

We could try something like this for the last home game v Bromley and have that game as an inventive for 25/26 ST”s. Maybe something like Bromley ticket = guaranteed early bird 25/26 ST price. Or Bromley matchday ticket = prize draw entry for a 25/26 ST.

Club got to try new things, ST sales need more than an initial push on social media only for it to drop off after a week

If I remember correctly several seasons ago Bradford offered season tickets on a BOGOF deal. The thinking behind it was the 'free' ticket holders would spend on programmes,merchandise,refreshments and raffles. Not only that but would become 'hooked' and as regulars actually buy an ST the following season. Five-figure attendances they get now would suggest it just might have worked.

Bradford massively cut their season ticket prices a few years ago and iirc they sold around 18000 season tickets. Even next seasons tickets are cheap irrespective of which league they are in. It’s something that’s very do able with such a big fan base. Info in link below

https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/ticketi ... on-tickets

[Wintergreen]

We need to preach to the unconverted. I think the town generally is in a good position with government investment and an influx of workers into the area. I read somewhere that as well as their ongoing recruitment, BAE are looking for over 1000 trainees of one type or another. So once these youngsters get a bit of cash in their pockets they're going to come and watch the soccer obviously.

Some of our traditional contemporaries are in post-industrial areas whereas we are kind of the opposite of that l think. The trick is to make the match day experience a good one for the curious - which l think it is but l am old school and know a Holker St golden era when l see one. Whether the current set-up would be attractive to the next generation l couldn't really say but l think l heard Paul Hornby MBE mention that the club has had consultants in to look at this sort of thing. One poor attendance figure doesn't make a summer and to be honest l don't think we have ever had it so good. Just don't go building any speedway tracks.

[HenneysKnee]

I don't know if it has been tried, but how about targeting the schools before the new season starts?
If the players and the management went into the local schools and talked to the pupils it would almost certainly get some new fans (and of course the parents who would have to take younger children to the games)

Can’t remember many weekends where we’ve been at home this season where some of the players haven’t visited a school or a local youth team or whatever on a Friday; obviously only going off the subsequent social media coverage but they seem to have done that very well this season

[BarrowLad71]

I don't know if it has been tried, but how about targeting the schools before the new season starts?
If the players and the management went into the local schools and talked to the pupils it would almost certainly get some new fans (and of course the parents who would have to take younger children to the games)

Can’t remember many weekends where we’ve been at home this season where some of the players haven’t visited a school or a local youth team or whatever on a Friday; obviously only going off the subsequent social media coverage but they seem to have done that very well this season

Id say we do most than many other clubs in regard to that game & looking at the Lancashire cup and how we used that it was vey good.