So.... why IS our support so good?

[|BA 0]

At least in numbers if not volume. No different to any other club... so why?Nothing else to do in Norwich? Hardly a convincing argument these days.Good stadium and facilities? Maybe, but lots of clubs have as good and better.Catchment area? The area might be large but population isnot all that?Good football? Not for 15 years....Or is it the whole package, good pricing, facilities, the never a dull moment factor (for better or worse)For all the criticism by the minority the crowd is hardly leaving in droves....something must be right.....Thoughts please....

[thebigfeller 200]

Andrew Cullen. At least he''s still here, eh? Oh.

[Romantic 0]

I think the memory of good footy is more recent than 15 years to be fair. Promo season saw some cracking games with fluid attacking fayre.

But the main point is that attending football matches isn''t exclusively about the political and fiscal stuff that seems to dominate these pages. The good folk of Norwich and surrounding area are right into it, and I''m not someone who subscribes to the argument that attendees are ''letting the side down'' by ''willingly expressing their undying love for the board / impotent managerial incumbants / heartless loanees etc''.

What''s sad to me is that ''the club'' (translate that how you will) has failed to capitalise on this. I''d say the strongest selling point for investors, sponsors, media and prospective staff is that Norwich''s population are football people; determined, involved and loyal. To the yellow swathes who attend every game - which I regret to say I cannot - I salute you!

[Mr.Carrow 376]

The population of Norfolk and North Suffolk is over a million people.  Norwich is a great City and very much the cultural centre of the region, and if people are brought up with Norwich as the nearest exciting City for a day out/shopping/cinema/museum etc then their loyalties will generally lie with that City.  Couple that with improved transport links, improved disposable income and a complete lack of other top-class sports to compete with, the club has amazing potential.

[thebigfeller 200]

[quote user="Mr.Carrow"]The population of Norfolk and North Suffolk is over a million people.  Norwich is a great City and very much the cultural centre of the region, and if people are brought up with Norwich as the nearest exciting City for a day out/shopping/cinema/museum etc then their loyalties will generally lie with that City.  Couple that with improved transport links, improved disposable income and a complete lack of other top-class sports to compete with, the club has amazing potential.[/quote]

Shush! Don''t tell the club that! We''re small and can''t compete, remember? ;)

[Puzzy magnet 0]

[quote user="Mr.Carrow"]The population of Norfolk and North Suffolk is over a million people.  Norwich is a great City and very much the cultural centre of the region, and if people are brought up with Norwich as the nearest exciting City for a day out/shopping/cinema/museum etc then their loyalties will generally lie with that City.  Couple that with improved transport links, improved disposable income and a complete lack of other top-class sports to compete with, the club has amazing potential.[/quote]

Smack on your bottom for that!

We are a small, provincial club lucky to even have a football team.

Ambition is for others.

[First Wizard 0]

In two words? mass insanity!

[singing canary 0]

and a lovely castle !!!

[Shaun Tilly Lace 0]

I think geographical isolation helps a lot, inasmuch as there are few rival clubs in the area; although Plymouth surely enjoy the same advantage there and yet the good people of Devon/Cornwall and Dorset hardly show much enthusiasm for league football. The football club which has the most impressive attendances of all - considerably superior to ours - is Derby County. They have several league clubs nearby, but still manage to pull in over 30,000 fans for every home match. How?? Have they drastically reduced their ticket prices or what? I don''t think we could compete with their support, even if we had a larger stadium capacity.

[Beauseant 0]

Don''t you read the Smudgemeister? We''re all mindless sheep. BAAAH!

[CANARY CHARGE 0]

Doomcasters vision was to fill the ground, as we discovered on monday night, there are many people there for a day out, which is fair enough!! but the when they defend the board and there actions its a sad day! cheap  tickets is always going to be a winner...... and Norwich have discovered that!It was only a few seasons ago when we had 14000 every game!

[Mr.Carrow 376]

quote user="Pablo''s pubic perm" 

"I think geographical isolation helps a lot, inasmuch as there are few rival clubs in the area; although Plymouth surely enjoy the same advantage there and yet the good people of Devon/Cornwall and Dorset hardly show much enthusiasm for league football. The football club which has the most impressive attendances of all - considerably superior to ours - is Derby County. They have several league clubs nearby, but still manage to pull in over 30,000 fans for every home match. How?? Have they drastically reduced their ticket prices or what? I don''t think we could compete with their support, even if we had a larger stadium capacity."

 

We were told there was demand for 35,000 a week in the promotion and Prem seasons.  I remember the club saying there were 75,000 enquiries for tickets when we played Chelsea at home in the cup about 6 years ago.  We still had amazing demand for seats during the parachute payment seasons, despite being crap and watching our best players leaving for millions to be replaced by cheapies and freebies and being told by the club "all money received in transfers is re-invested in the team".

If Derby can sell 18,000 season tickets after four years of dross and fighting against relegation i`ll agree they`ve got better support.  I doubt it though.

[Lord Horn 0]

[img]http://www.smiliegenerator.de/smiley-flag1/smiley-6074.png[/img]

[RetroBlue 0]

If I may offer my opinons on your question - Obviously I am an Ipswich fan, but I stress, "I come in peace" !

IMHO : Apart from your fiercest rivals  (who would obviously never seriously consider watching you anyway) - norwich city dont have any real "competition" for it''s fan base.

You also have a captive fan base via the large student population that migrates to norwich each year to live and study at the UEA and whom are offered concession student prices(Ive seen the NCFC posters at UEA offering very cheap, match day prices ) 

Your Club''s pricing policy has also been favourable for a few years. By offering  a large proportion of your fan base very good concessions, & "easy payment" terms that ordinary  fans can cope with , rather than stumping up nigh on £450 all at once or via three cheque payments (that ITFC has traditionally requested) and your ST prices are on average £150 cheaper than those of ITFC.

You were in the Premiership only four years ago and the Club still has (until this season) a relatively high "feel good" factor.

Your support is remarkable , it is true. But Town also had a very good average gates (arouynd the 27,000 mark) long after we were relegated - but since that relegation we have been through administration, had the equvilant of two decent squads "given away" as a result, and have now effectively been in the second tier of English football , almost twice as long as you. It must also be said, that post administration days , Town fans have had to watch some pretty poor football as the only players we could afford were journeyman and twighlight careered players most of whom could give a flying F@@@ about the Club that paid their wages. Little wonder the "Blue support" has dwindled. Town fans have been short changed for a good few years now.

However, Football is cyclical & for the moment Norwich now find themseleves in a similar position to that of Ipswich Town only a few years ago.

IF you get relegated tommorrow (and that''s by no means a "dead cert" - I  for one, can see you escaping on GD), the re build of your Club (as this is what IMO is required, from the "top down") will probably take your nigh on ten years - unless you can achieve a wealthy owner (as we have been lucky enough to do).

Will your good support continue ? I dont know that it will, especially in these tough financial times and with people losing their jobs - season tickets can over night become a luxary item and non essential. Also  having to watch poor teams (league one?) or (a your own team may be poor,  if you are unable to attract decent players yourself) is hardly conducive to parting with in excess of £400 each season. So it would be totally understandable if your fan base dwindled.

 

As a true football fan of my Club & despite all rivalry, I sincerely DO wish you well tommorrow at Charlton - the derby games are special and certainly as fierce as any "big club" derbies (those outside East Anglia have''nt got a bloody clue OUR derby tbh) and both sets of fans would want them to continue Im sure - so for that fact alone I hope you stay up.

COYB !

[Rupethebear 0]

[quote user="RetroBlue"]

If I may offer my opinons on your question - Obviously I am an Ipswich fan, but I stress, "I come in peace" !

IMHO : Apart from your fiercest rivals  (who would obviously never seriously consider watching you anyway) - norwich city dont have any real "competition" for it''s fan base.

You also have a captive fan base via the large student population that migrates to norwich each year to live and study at the UEA and whom are offered concession student prices(Ive seen the NCFC posters at UEA offering very cheap, match day prices ) 

Your Club''s pricing policy has also been favourable for a few years. By offering  a large proportion of your fan base very good concessions, & "easy payment" terms that ordinary  fans can cope with , rather than stumping up nigh on £450 all at once or via three cheque payments (that ITFC has traditionally requested) and your ST prices are on average £150 cheaper than those of ITFC.

You were in the Premiership only four years ago and the Club still has (until this season) a relatively high "feel good" factor.

Your support is remarkable , it is true. But Town also had a very good average gates (arouynd the 27,000 mark) long after we were relegated - but since that relegation we have been through administration, had the equvilant of two decent squads "given away" as a result, and have now effectively been in the second tier of English football , almost twice as long as you. It must also be said, that post administration days , Town fans have had to watch some pretty poor football as the only players we could afford were journeyman and twighlight careered players most of whom could give a flying F@@@ about the Club that paid their wages. Little wonder the "Blue support" has dwindled. Town fans have been short changed for a good few years now.

However, Football is cyclical & for the moment Norwich now find themseleves in a similar position to that of Ipswich Town only a few years ago.

IF you get relegated tommorrow (and that''s by no means a "dead cert" - I  for one, can see you escaping on GD), the re build of your Club (as this is what IMO is required, from the "top down") will probably take your nigh on ten years - unless you can achieve a wealthy owner (as we have been lucky enough to do).

Will your good support continue ? I dont know that it will, especially in these tough financial times and with people losing their jobs - season tickets can over night become a luxary item and non essential. Also  having to watch poor teams (league one?) or (a your own team may be poor,  if you are unable to attract decent players yourself) is hardly conducive to parting with in excess of £400 each season. So it would be totally understandable if your fan base dwindled.

 

As a true football fan of my Club & despite all rivalry, I sincerely DO wish you well tommorrow at Charlton - the derby games are special and certainly as fierce as any "big club" derbies (those outside East Anglia have''nt got a bloody clue OUR derby tbh) and both sets of fans would want them to continue Im sure - so for that fact alone I hope you stay up.

COYB !

[/quote]

Thanks mate, I hope we survive and so does your board, as the local derby puts a good 6000/8000 fans on your average gate so its worth circa £250K to your finances!

Hope to see you next year!

[Shyster 0]

|BA - [quote]Nothing else to do in Norwich? Hardly a convincing argument these days.[/quote]

So what has the city got now that it didn''t have in yesteryear? Too many eateries and a couple of superfluous malls that killed the spirit of the ''Back of The Inns'' and the market? I recall a day when Norwich had Greyhound Racing & Speedway as well as a decent football team that drew crowds of well over 20,000 when it was performing well.