What exactly do we mean by a ‘big’ club? There are even some clubs who claim that their club is ‘massive’. Presumably it has something to do with attendances and with away followings, although the latter is a measure of fans’ passion as much as anything.
What exactly do we mean by a ‘big’ club? There are even some clubs who claim that their club is ‘massive’. Presumably it has something to do with attendances and with away followings, although the latter is a measure of fans’ passion as much as anything.
One time Premiership side Bradford City has the potential to be a ‘big’ football club. In one of the other clichés of football it could be termed a ‘sleeping giant’. They have a 25,000-seater stadium and a catchment area of 293,717, although its ethnic composition may be a factor. At one time Bradford supported two league clubs and Bradford City is able to regularly attract gates of 10,000 even in League 2.
However, the crowds are not generating much revenue. In 2001 then chairman Geoffrey Richmond created 25-year season tickets. The idea was that you paid a one-off fee and received a guaranteed discounted season ticket for 25 years.
When the club was brought out of administration in 2004 the new owners pledged to honour the deal. This means that this season those with 25-year tickets paid just £110 for the season. Moreover, following relegation to League 2 in 2007, the price of all season tickets was cut to just £138. Gates went up from an average of 8,694 to 13,756 in a single season.
Attendances have dropped by 1,000 each year, yet ticket prices have only gone up to £150. The result is a playing budget that is not particularly large by the standards of the division and a lack of progress on the pitch.