Any restricted view seats for the same price?
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Fair one, I’d forgotten about that. Il not included it in my email.
Any feedback from the ideas?
My Uncle is now a Villa fan, I think he has supported most the Midlands teams over the years, but anyway. He isn’t a season ticket holder, just a member, pun intended, and he goes virtually every home game.
I know I could get tickets to the Albion every game if I wanted to. No idea about the Dingles though, I don’t mix with that kind 
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My Brother is a Villa fan, my Sister a Wolves Fan. At school (Beacon) I was one of 6 in my year group who was a Walsall fan.
I was taken to Wolves and Villa but my Dad was forced to take me to Walsall games because for some reason the club just clicked for me. My first games as an 8yo were in 98.
Reason for telling you this, it’s absolutely not the case that if you go to the bigger neighbours you will automatically enjoy that more, equally my brother hates going to Villa now… he thinks VAR, tourists, ticket prices and all the corporate robbery has ruined the experience. He is more excited to watch Carlisle away with me in a few weeks!
He only goes now to take my niece. My Dad only went to take me really, and this is where we grow the fan base.
Make the trip to the match a good day out and value to for money in as many inventive ways as possible but also make it easier to come back… reward regular attendance.
Finally if the obstructed views are a sticking point for some make them dirty cheap to sit in!
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I think we and in fact all clubs have fans that only turn up for big games. They have no interest in going every other Saturday to watch us in League 2 or even 1. I have some stereo type in mind of blokes that spend their Saturday’s with a full English to try and combat the Friday night hangover, a walk down the bookies, then an afternoon with a few cans in front of Soccer Saturday Seriously though, people can find all kinds of things to do on a Saturday these days. It’s very difficult.
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And that’s a big question to me.
Whilst @Andy_Petterson is right that there are hundreds of unrestricted views available in the upper, not everybody wants to watch their lower league football from the gods. The alternative is the lower which is open to the elements and you may have to stand all game. Also both of those options are behind the goal. Many people much prefer a side on view. I certainly did at Fellows Park where we had the choice.
Chesterfield, like Shrewsbury, Doncaster, Rotherham etc can genuinely say “not a bad seat in the house”. We have literally thousands of bad seats and hundreds of bloody awful seats.
And those “new” fans who we are trying to lure away from alternative things to do on a Saturday will have an expectation level greater than traditional fans. Many of those who now attend the Keppmoat, New Meadow and New York just wouldn’t have considered spending a Saturday at Belle Vue, Gay Meadow or Millmoor. Which marks them as different to me and many other traditional fans and probably marks the reason why their clubs have a far smaller percentage of away followers. But their attendance at games have helped their clubs transcend Walsall in terms of fan base from starting point in say the 80’s of miles behind us.
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I agree with that. If I could go back in time, knowing everything I know now, all the pain that would be ahead with a few good times sprinkled in. I’d still choose to follow Walsall over anyone else. It’s a huge part of who I am. That is why I have worked so hard to get my kids to follow Walsall. It is very difficult to explain why following Walsall is more rewarding, I have always said to them, you will thank me when you are older. I do believe that too.
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I agree and the family stand would be the target of stanchion removals. There could be grants available from the government or FA.
A solution from an engineering perspective would be to have two supporting towers in either corner and suspend the roof from there?
Could we not do what was done in the main stand and just cut down two of the pillars or was that done unsafely to satisfy Bonser’s view?
Ridiculous but amusing. Have you got a pontificating response that adds any sort of detail to your latest suggestion ? Or is it right because you say it is like everything else.
What was the perception when we were in the Championship then ? Attendances mainly grew because of away followings, there was an improvement but not to the point of selling out, close to selling out in the home end. How is this going to change in Andy Pettersons world ?
There’s a million and one reasons we seem to be stuck on a fan base of about 5000, and many have been mentioned loads of times over the 60+ years I have followed the club.
I developed a ‘love’ for the club when I was 16, after first watching them lose at Fellows Park to Millwall!
So why did I return? This is my town, and the fans are people I can relate to. I just loved the banter, and when we won I was on cloud 9!
Fellows Park was falling down, and freezing cold, but it was a second home to me, so the poor state of our current stadium shouldn’t matter if you really love your club and want to see the team win.
Cost is a massive factor these days, and puts me off regularly attending as I used to do. Parking issues and travel in general are a further hindrance.
I believe to get new fans in we have to make it easier for folks to buy their tickets. Making it a cashless stadium doesn’t help.
I could go on, but there’s no point. I’m already addicted, so the club has to find ways of getting others on board as well!
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I took my daughter to an Argyle game in league one and have been pestered to go back on a few occasions. Had I lived in Walsall it may well have been the exact same situation but geography and work mean I don’t live at ‘home’ anymore.
I took her because it was a deal for £2 Under 15s and adults £20, she got to wave a flag etc. When I brought her to a Walsall game a season ago we sat in the family stand it cost more and she didn’t enjoy it as much (still did enjoy it overall).
In another life we wouldn’t necessarily go back to Walsall games, and If I wasn’t such a tight git and Argyle didn’t have a waiting list I’d probably have to sit through lower mid table championship games checking UTS relentlessly at Home park and it would cost me less overall!
I think the biggest lever is smart ticket pricing, incentives and making the place an attractive destination to visit… So stadium move ?
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I was thinking to myself, where would I like to see us in 12 months time. Optimistic answer would be top 10 in League 1 with an average attendance of 8,000 (which I think we’d need to attain such a position).
Is this attainable or pie in the sky?
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It shouldn’t be forgotten either that when we were in the Championship and had our highest average attendance in the time we were up there, Bonser put the season ticket prices down to a ridiculous low. I can’t remember the exact price, but it was significantly cheaper than anyone else in our division or the one below. That was his attempt at growing the fanbase, with nothing else to back it up.
To be fair, if we had a run of success like those years, I think we would be close to selling out the home end most weeks, our gates now are as good as when Graydon was manager and we are in League 2.
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Here’s a list of reasons why attendances could increase compared to 20 years ago
- Uk population has increased so all else being equal would expect some growth in attendance just from this
- There’s been a clear effort to broaden the game further from its traditional white male working class demographic base to other groups in society. Most obviously women, which potentially could double crowds just in itself, but also ethnic groups too.
- an increase to leisure time which allows more folk to attend
Walsall FC specific reasons
- a board who need to grow the club if they are to achieve their stated aim of making a return on their investment
- An effort to improve the matchday experience as a whole so people come for more than just the football (e.g. the Locker)
- Appointing a CEO with a record of increasing attendances at his previous teams Harrogate and Morecambe. On another thread there is talk of players giving tickets to certain groups
- as has been pointed out on other threads other football clubs have already achieved growth in their fanbase so Walsall fc are probably behind the curve anyway
- hopefully some overspill fans from the likes of Villa and Wolves who have season ticket waiting lists.
- hopefully some benefit from the improved public transport in the offing, (though I wouldn’t hold my breath on this)
For balance I will say there is a greater choice of football available than 20 years ago, so this would work against increase in attendances
A bit like how you couldn’t see Sadler was developing the team last season. All the dots for increasing attendances are there. You just have to join them up.
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Concentrate on those straws you are grasping here rather than the management.
So there is no potential then ? Make your mind up. You’re wasting people’s time reading what you put.
Not sure that’s factually correct ! Look at the size of the pyramid, the combination , mfl, WMRL etc I think you’ll find they’ve shrunk. Go do a fact check. Don’t forget a citation.
Ok we’re into clear trolling territory now again so I’ll bid farewell 
Well done on your role of posting idiotic things and being proven wrong repeatedly. Must be a great use of your life 
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That’s not the reply this thread deserves. Not from a man of your stature.
If that’s the end, the claims of potential are a bit wishful ? Dreamy ? Etc
I would also add that as football as a whole has cleaned up its act we are now more likely to attract fans from ‘non white’ demographics.
Obviously with Walsall being very much a multicultural town there is potential to broaden our fan base
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I think this season the board have realised the club needs to increase its match day support and have tried different schemes which on the whole have worked
Ben Sadler is no fool , he will identify ways of increasing our support
The average has already increased this season
Work in progress guys
Gates have been up for the FA Cup games when they’ve done cheap tickets it could work but we’ll never fill the stadium unless we get in the Premier League at some point.