by happytorq » 30 Nov 2023, 18:28
culmstockgull wrote: 30 Nov 2023, 16:54
As for the matchday experience ,considering the league we are in and probably the most expensive match day ticket in this league the attendances are amazing, yes, we may increase another 500 over time with a better experience on the day but boring economics again if it is costing him a million a year on top of matchday revenues just to pay the bills then in my simple maths we need roughly another 2500 every home game just to be cost neutral.
Would agree that our attendances have remained surprisingly steady. You've described your maths as 'simple', but what I will say is that 500 extra people on the average gate would bring in more than a simple 500 x £ticket price; you've got money spent while in the ground, you've got drinking in Boots before/after, you've got your merchandise (which we do poorly at) and all that sort of stuff. But that ancillary stuff only happens if people enjoy themselves at the game, and often the result or the quality of play is secondary. If you go to a place (any place; not just football) and feel that you're treated well and had an overall positive experience, you're more likely to come back, even if the activity itself was average.
I was Altrincham last season and it was telling that
the owner of the club was outside the home pub welcoming people, thanking them for coming, etc. I'm not suggesting that Osborne do this, but it's indicative of the disconnect from the supporters that there currently is. It is incredibly easy to make people feel valued, and at no point have the current regime done that, either in word or deed.
It is undoubedly tough going in this division. Away attendance tends to be incredibly low, which limits further your matchday revenue. But I think the main point I want to make regarding this ownership, and the recent interview, is that most of it is irrelevant. They may have a genuine desire to build a new stadium and take Torquay United forward into League 2 (and beyond!) but that is simply not possible as things are now. It's a divided club, and even if we manage to rescue things on the playing side and find ourselves as a decent National League side again next season, the years of fan neglect will simply be washed away by that 'success'.
I could probably pull a list of half a dozen things that could be done relatively cheaply within a week or two to improve the relationships that the club needs to prosper, but I've never got the sense that Osborne
et al particularly care. That may well be very harsh, particularly on Mel and Ian Hayman, but without evidence to the contrary, I (and others) can only go on what we've seen, and what we've seen is very little.
Local politics are always like this, as you also say - so blaming that for a lack of movement on the stadium seems churlish. They needed to have a solid stadium plan ready to go so that when the wind of the politics do blow the correct way, you're ready.
[quote=culmstockgull post_id=276268 time=1701363249 user_id=24376]
As for the matchday experience ,considering the league we are in and probably the most expensive match day ticket in this league the attendances are amazing, yes, we may increase another 500 over time with a better experience on the day but boring economics again if it is costing him a million a year on top of matchday revenues just to pay the bills then in my simple maths we need roughly another 2500 every home game just to be cost neutral.
[/quote]
Would agree that our attendances have remained surprisingly steady. You've described your maths as 'simple', but what I will say is that 500 extra people on the average gate would bring in more than a simple 500 x £ticket price; you've got money spent while in the ground, you've got drinking in Boots before/after, you've got your merchandise (which we do poorly at) and all that sort of stuff. But that ancillary stuff only happens if people enjoy themselves at the game, and often the result or the quality of play is secondary. If you go to a place (any place; not just football) and feel that you're treated well and had an overall positive experience, you're more likely to come back, even if the activity itself was average.
I was Altrincham last season and it was telling that [b]the owner of the club[/b] was outside the home pub welcoming people, thanking them for coming, etc. I'm not suggesting that Osborne do this, but it's indicative of the disconnect from the supporters that there currently is. It is incredibly easy to make people feel valued, and at no point have the current regime done that, either in word or deed.
It is undoubedly tough going in this division. Away attendance tends to be incredibly low, which limits further your matchday revenue. But I think the main point I want to make regarding this ownership, and the recent interview, is that most of it is irrelevant. They may have a genuine desire to build a new stadium and take Torquay United forward into League 2 (and beyond!) but that is simply not possible as things are now. It's a divided club, and even if we manage to rescue things on the playing side and find ourselves as a decent National League side again next season, the years of fan neglect will simply be washed away by that 'success'.
I could probably pull a list of half a dozen things that could be done relatively cheaply within a week or two to improve the relationships that the club needs to prosper, but I've never got the sense that Osborne [i]et al[/i] particularly care. That may well be very harsh, particularly on Mel and Ian Hayman, but without evidence to the contrary, I (and others) can only go on what we've seen, and what we've seen is very little.
Local politics are always like this, as you also say - so blaming that for a lack of movement on the stadium seems churlish. They needed to have a solid stadium plan ready to go so that when the wind of the politics do blow the correct way, you're ready.
