W 2-1 vs Mansfield Town (H) - League Two - Sat 17th Feb, 3pm

Great example, thanks. Not just throwing money at the football team has grown the club and tripled the fanbase there, either.

There doing something right

Attendance

2013/14 3,385
2023/24 7,384

All the time being in division 4

Big increase post covid. what are they doing in sleepy Mansfield

Walsall attendance

2013/14 4,807
2023/24 5,503

and just to make another comparison - Oldham a club I consider similar to us despite there flirtatious nature with the top flight due to Joe Royle and current status .

2013 / 14 4,415 (Division 3)
2023 / 24 6,623 ( conference)

How in a decade of demise , real demise have they grown there supporter, base. It shows these clubs are doing something right that were only just beginning to get right if we’re getting right at all.

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Have you written to the SLO and explained your predicament ? I know Whittless don’t give a toss but apparantly the emails are read by someone at @ Trivela ( who also perhaps may not give a toss ). Perhaps addressing the email direct to BB may get through the cobwebs

Im sure if they are savvy business people and you explain the loss of revenue involved ( from you and perhaps a life time from your young daughter ) that such petiness is costing from yoursellf and probably others in the same predicament.

I assume it is a 1888 membership involved and losing a few of those will start to hurt over the seasons to come.

Comparison based on Radcliffe being owner since 2010 and having a very low avg attendance to increase. There attendances have slowly risen over 14 year period the first few seasons seeing minimal rise. I admire that Radcliffe is willing to plough lorry loads of money into the club to achieve success and better attendances but you can’t say having a massive wage budget for the league hasnt helped bump up the numbers.

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Increasing your fanbase is helped massively by the optimism around the clubs upcoming season. Though they have up to now failed to get promoted Mansfield fans will have expected that they would be challenging and rarely been disappointed in that. That is why relegated clubs often get an increase in fan base. Their supporters expect to bounce back immediately aa well as rallying around their club in times of despair.
Us Walsall fans however and in particular the floating fairweather fans just see no optimism on the horizon come the end of a season so the fanbase just withers away over time.

If I were Sadler I would be adopting something of a belt and braces approach tomorrow.

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Usually takes a drop into non-league to see such huge increases in support. Football fans must see it as some kind of promotion. Lincoln and Salop have seen similar rises.

If I was sadler I’d stay in Bed

Good luck to walsall fc tomorrow were going to need it. 4 .0 mansfield. Knowles to have 4 corners and get 1 passed the 6 yard line and all directly to manfield players. Saddler to bring on 5 defensive players if we get near there goal. Im full of confidence.

Completely agree, we’ve been pretty positive about attendances in recent years, but look at what other clubs are doing and ours really aren’t that great. Chesterfield, Oldham and Southend all pulling in significantly more than us in the Conference.

If Mansfield can get more than 7,000 we absolutely should be able to as well. I guess having seasons that last beyond mid-February would help in that regard :sweat_smile:

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I’d rather be playing Mansfield than Harrogate. Will be good for the young fans to see what it is like supporting a team going for promotion.

I could write an essay about what a palava trying to attend with my daughter since her birth has been. First was Stefan Gamble explaining that she couldn’t come in till she was 18. I kindly explained that meant they should tell any 1888 member joining that if they have a child they’ll be banned for 18 years. He then said why can’t she stay home with the wife? Think they forgot what era we’re in. Thankfully kids are now allowed in there.

But on this particular issue, it’s been discussed many times and the club keep switching their position between it’s ok and not ok. This time it’s permanent. I’m tired of fighting tbh. If my daughter isn’t welcome than that’s fine I ain’t gonna bother. When Pomlett brought his granddaughter to a game he had the exact same problem. He looked at Dan Mole and said ā€œwhere can I watch itā€ and DM said something along the lines of that he’s had this issue with his kids so go outside in the freezing cold with your newborn Mr Chairman.

If it ain’t gonna change for Pomlett, it ain’t going to change for me. Look at that, I could write an essay :sweat_smile:

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Well, well, welllll!

Apparently, Dan Mole and Steffan Gamble were always operating under the evil tyranny of Bonser and their hands were completely tied. The same was said of Pomlette’s reign. Poor old Steff and Dan getting stick from some quarters!

It looks like it was the absolute bollocks I always thought it was and the pair of them had a bloody huge say in what went on.

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I’ll just put a quick edit to say the staff and everyone are wonderful with her so much so she was actually excited to go to the games. The season had been going fine and then they just stick up this panel where we usually watch it to block the area off with no communication. It was so disheartening and now she doesn’t want to go after a couple of attempts outside. If it had been better communicated maybe I could have swallowed it but it’s just typical Walsall decision making tbh no foresight about anything.

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I think it may have something to do with Efl rules mate, im sure you’re not allowed to watch the match from where alcohol is served.

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I know mate trust me I’ve heard this line a million times. It’s not the rule I have an issue with it’s the constant changing of positions by the club, the area was originally sold as an area you could watch the game indoors hence why my parents went in there and I joined them many years ago. If it’s an EFL rule then it’s a bad design of the space in the first place. Then again it changes mid season in my instance. It’s more the communication rather than the action.

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Yeah annoying, i see what you mean.

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Never mind someone will come on here and defend it mate .

not much doing around the ground in terms of a decent place to drink sadly. I think a new place opened but charges a fiver entry. My advice would be to drink in Birmingham and stay there until as late as you can. Trains from New St to Bescot every 15 mins. There’s a few decent pubs up Temple Street, near the station and there’s also a massive new Wetherspoons at New St. Think I’m heading for Head of Steam on Temple Street. Trocadero opposite too.

Edit - friend at work just told me ā€œThe Lockerā€ is a new bar recently opened at the ground, but it’s a Ā£5 entry. If you’re on the train via New St, I’d still recommend exploring the bars there.
From a Mansfield fan.

Think if I was a Stag with a change at New St, the London & Western Wetherspoons in the station is an easy place to go

Always busy but never packed. Most people in there are in transit and only pop in to kill a bit of time whilst waiting for their train

If they arrive early enough the Wellington on Bennets Hill has a good range of quaffable ales and a 10 minute walk from New St

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