Ageing fanbase

Them hi viz shirts were brilliant. Bring 'em back.

31 in May. My first game was a 1-1 draw against Preston in January 1998. Free tickets were provided for my primary school - must of cared about getting new fans through then :roll_eyes:

58, born the day the dingles last won the FA cup, so got that low point in my life out the way early. First match Norwich away in the cup ( 66 I think?) Dad used to take me to the laundry end, and first memory a reserve game v. Leicester, Phil Parkes getting a boot in the face.
It was the night games I loved, Bob Wesson with teak oil shining on his legs under the lights, Stan Jones, Frank Gregg, Stan Bennett, Mick Evans…I was hooked. Live far enough away now to make the stay away decision easy

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Born 1980. Started attending games around 1995.

You must have been fairly short sighted,if you could only see the defenders…:grinning:

Well those fellows park lights were pretty crap, couldn’t see the other end :grinning:

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Born in 1965. First game in 1970/71 but not taken again until 1973 and a 3-2 win against Aldershot (I think we came back from 0-2 down to win). I became a Saddler there and then.

The next season we beat Manure and Newcastle and I bloody loved it. The period from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s was littered with big cup games and some fantastic days and nights as a Saddler. Younger supporters now have not had that opportunity and this, combined with a general demise in the value of cup competitions, has not helped the capture of new fans.

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The TV fan line of thinking has gone even further in subsequent years. It used to be just your ManYoos, Liverpools, & Arsenals that West Midlands clubs had to worry about. In 2019, it isn’t unheard of to find a teenager who tells you, with a straight face, they support Barcelona or Bayern.

There’s a lady I work with who joins in with all the football discussion, & asks me at least once a month, “who do you support, again?” We’re not on telly, you see; she genuinely forgets, because to that breed of fan, for whom indoctrination is/was through television, we’re not even remotely on their radar. I’d argue that the ubiquity of televised football is every bit the enemy that bigger clubs in the locale are.

Oh… I’m 38, by the way! Started under Hibbitt, snared for life by Nicholl, forever devoted to Graydon.

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I find this when I work in London, they only seem to know about the Premier League teams. When I mention Walsall from the 3rd tier they look blank. I doubt they know there’s more than one league in England.

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This thread definitely confirms we have an ageing fanbase. Apart from me, I havn’t aged since 1985.

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62, born in 56 on Bloxwich Lane
My dad used to take me to Villa park every home game but my first match at Fellows Park was 1968 and i have been a devotee ever since. Season ticket holder all through the 80s and most of the 90s, pick and choose now.

43 yrs and 43 yrs a saddler. Bloxwich maternity born but raised on the Delves… first games from around 3 yrs of age, with a helping hand from a certain dad ( sid swifty ) to you ! To get me over the turnstile for free…

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My Dad was a Villa fan and tried taking me to Vile Park but i wasnt having it and have been a sadddler since 1969 now aged 56.

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One of the Brownhills Famous 5 :+1:

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Great respect to the guys on here in their early to mid 70s still regularly going to games.

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Does that include JB ?

Born 65 , first game Christmas 1975 - still recovering from the Barnwell years [or at least it seemed like years]

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Because we all love a good graph. From the 70 replies so far:

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Interesting figures those…the split is much more even than I thought it would be except for the teenage figure. Whether that is a reflection of the users of this site or a true reflection of our supporter base is something to think about(I think it is the latter).If I am correct then it emphasises the need for the match day prices for youngsters to be slashed. Lets hope that the meeting that is being held today can help in that regard.

Good work LD, probably a bit more of an even spread than we thought?

I imagine if you did a gender split it would be 98% male.

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