Coventry City have seen a long slow decline in attendance. Last night’s crowd of 12,822 for the game against Blackpool could be one of the smallest in a league game the club has seen for some time. Poor performances on the pitch, the struggling local economy and discontent with the owners could all play their part.
Coventry City have seen a long slow decline in attendance. Last night’s crowd of 12,822 for the game against Blackpool could be one of the smallest in a league game the club has seen for some time. Poor performances on the pitch, the struggling local economy and discontent with the owners could all play their part.
Following the number of empty seats seen at Arsenal’s home game against Bolton, Arsene Wenger has suggested that the state of the global economy may hit attendances generally. However, the (quite small) drop in the crowd at the Emirates might reflect Arsenal’s early season form and the lack of a glamorous opponent. Fans might become more selective in the matches they attend.
This would suggest that clubs should continue to develop flexible pricing stratgies for less attractive games. There is a difficult trade off between filling fewer seats at a higher price and more at a lower one, although one also has to take account of food and drink and merchandise sales (programmes are not big earners).
Charlton boosted their crowd against Chesterfield last Saturday through a ‘football for a fiver’ offer. The calculation there was to entice back fans who had drifted away from The Valley or to bring in new fans.