12000 average

[Wardy]

The NIMBYs don't get any say in the discharge of planning conditions; it is purely a matter for the Council

They are not even Brighton residents they come under Lewes.

 

[Spearritt of the Albion]

What was our average during the last season at the Goldstone? I'm sure we were regulary getting 9000+ while way adrift at the bottom of the 3rd Div.

Not hard to think of averages above 12,000 if mid to bottom of the Championship or fighting promotion in league 1.

Just got back online and was reading this interesting thread. I know this point was made a lot earlier but just wanted to respond.

Happy, it seems such a long time ago now but me and my mates were convinced that, for the last 3 or 4 years at the Goldstone, the gates were being fiddled - we couldn't understand why until we learnt more about the changing of the clubs Articles of Association and the inevitable sale of the ground.

Every time the gate was announced at the Goldstone it always appeared 2-3000 less than what you could see. Gasps of astonishment could often be heard in the North Stand when they announced 'Today's attendnace is 7,500' and we were standing there like sardines. The capacity of the North Stand alone was around 3,500! Of course, we could never prove it but the figures just didn't seem to add up. However, where we stood, the attendance was often the subject of conversation and we even used to have a competition to 'Guess the Crowd'.

In those days and in the 70's and 80's we were always amongst the highest attendances in what is now Div 1 and we were well above average for teams in the league above. There is no reason why we cannot achieve this from the start at Falmer and, if we are relatively successful I would hope we can maintain gates of close to 20,000. Dick Knight, however, needs to take the cautious view. It is no good presenting a business plan saying gates will average 20,000 then going on another 12 game losing streak and finding only 10,000 turning up. Any funds loaned would soon be called in and we would be in trouble again.

All things beiing good our gates will be well above the projected figure and the Club's bank balance should be healthy.

 

[burrish gull]

1978 was our highest ever average attendance of 25,264 which makes the capacity of Falmer a bit below this figure. If you take every single league game we played you'll come up with a figure of around 12,000, obviously the Gillingham and Withdean years have dented this figure alot. One off games in the past have produced crowds in excess of 30,000 which is really up there with some big clubs, the trouble is the potential of the Albion has never truly been tapped into and I suspect with the new stadium a whole new type of supporter will arrive.

Can someone have this link permanently posted from now on, it saves arguments!!

http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attnclub/bha.htm

 

[The Large One]

One simply cannot compare 1978 with today.

For a start, the price of getting in to a match was disproportionately cheaper.

Secondly, society was different then. People - especially blokes, were expected to go to football as there was nothing else, save going to the shop with your missus. Nowadays, you have plenty more things competing for your hard-earned dosh. And if you didn't go to the shops on Saturday, kids are happy enough on the PlayStations or not bothering their arses to go out.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

looking at our attendances of the earliy eighties and trying to compare is foolhardy. you have to remember the overall scene back then. Crowd trouble was a regular event and many people stopped going especially after we were in the 1st div. due to the increase in season ticket prices. Also football was not "fasionable" as it is now. When we get into Falmer, for the 1st season we'll be a sell out 4 every game.

The only real concen I have is the premeirship attendances are way down. Whereas a few years ago you could not get a ticket for any game now you're seeing empty stands. There has to be a reality check, supporters can only afford so much and Brighton have to be sympathetic to the average person in their price structure. I always believed its better to play in front of 20000 paying low enterance fees to 10000 paying high. Some premiership clubs do not apreciate this concept.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The point about the Travel Plan and selling tickets on the day is that parking will be much more strictly controlled at Falmer than it is at Withdean.

At Withdean, you're not supposed to park in the exclusion zone - but it's legal to do so.

At Falmer, the ONLY legal parking within walking distance of the ground will be the car parks at Sussex University and Falmer High School, where the Travel Plan will require pre-payment (ie buy your tickets in advance), a stiff car parking fee, AND cars to have at least three ticket-holding passengers before they are allowed in.

Everywhere else will be double yellow lines (the A27 and the Falmer - Woodingdean road) or controlled pay parking (Falmer Village). The Falmer Village parking scheme is about to be introduced in the next few weeks - to control parking by University users. At match times, all Falmer Village parking is likely to be residents only.

In other words, if you park where you shouldn't, your vehicle will be towed away (unlike at Withdean).

Converting all this into the question of whether tickets will be sold on the day leads to the inevitable conclusion that the ONLY outlets will be places where fans will have to use public transport or park & ride. In other words, no sales at the ground - but ticket offices at railway stations, in the city centre or at the park & ride sites would be perfectly feasible. And the Club is already committed to this.

Conclusion - lots of tickets will be sold on the day, but none will be sold at the ground.

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Every time the gate was announced at the Goldstone it always appeared 2-3000 less than what you could see. Gasps of astonishment could often be heard in the North Stand when they announced 'Today's attendnace is 7,500' and we were standing there like sardines. The capacity of the North Stand alone was around 3,500! Of course, we could never prove it but the figures just didn't seem to add up. However, where we stood, the attendance was often the subject of conversation and we even used to have a competition to 'Guess the Crowd'.

No way did the North Stand hold only 3,500 - think it was over 5,000 in those days. I take, and agree with, the point though!

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

One simply cannot compare 1978 with today.

For a start, the price of getting in to a match was disproportionately cheaper.

Secondly, society was different then. People - especially blokes, were expected to go to football as there was nothing else, save going to the shop with your missus. Nowadays, you have plenty more things competing for your hard-earned dosh. And if you didn't go to the shops on Saturday, kids are happy enough on the PlayStations or not bothering their arses to go out.

This is very true but the unfortuante situation Brighton find themselves in is that because they have been out in the wilderness for over 10 years the new breed of football fan in and around Brighton will now support the likes of ManUre, Arsenal and Chelsea they have probably been lost to Brighton for good unfortunately

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Not entirely true, AJ, we took 30,000 to Cardiff remember. I think that people have just got out of the habit, they don't support other teams, as such, so it will be easier to get them back as regulars.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

Not entirely true, AJ, we took 30,000 to Cardiff remember. I think that people have just got out of the habit, they don't support other teams, as such, so it will be easier to get them back as regulars.

I hope this is true Tommy

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

Not entirely true, AJ, we took 30,000 to Cardiff remember. I think that people have just got out of the habit, they don't support other teams, as such, so it will be easier to get them back as regulars.

On the other hand were all the 30,000 at Cardiff dyed in the wool Brighton fans? If they were then the future is looking pretty good

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Looking at them and hearing them, AJ, you would have thought so, but clearly not. But then, it is a huge area - with no competition to the North of the area (tee hee) and only the Fratton Park pigs to the West (and no one in their right mind from Sussex would support them) so I think the future is pretty bright.

 

[Wilka]

This is very true but the unfortuante situation Brighton find themselves in is that because they have been out in the wilderness for over 10 years the new breed of football fan in and around Brighton will now support the likes of ManUre, Arsenal and Chelsea they have probably been lost to Brighton for good unfortunately

I disagree with that....

10 years ago when we were down the bottom of Division three and coming to the end of the goldstone you could walk around Brighton town center and not notice ONE Brighton shirt or if you did it was a surprise nearly. But after the Withdean years where on the pitch we have been very successful to an extent you walk around and see load of kid in their Albion shirts. I can hardly go out in my car these days without noticing a car with Albion stickers in ect.

I think in the past supporting the Albion was very unfashionable for not only kids but most people but that doesn't seam to be the case anymore.

Its hard to say what the crowds will be until we know what Division were playing in but i'm sure we would be able to get at least 12,000 for most games.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

- with no competition to the North of the area (tee hee)



Sussex is red and blue

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

I disagree with that....

10 years ago when we were down the bottom of Division three and coming to the end of the goldstone you could walk around Brighton town center and not notice ONE Brighton shirt or if you did it was a surprise nearly. But after the Withdean years where on the pitch we have been very successful to an extent you walk around and see load of kid in their Albion shirts. I can hardly go out in my car these days without noticing a car with Albion stickers in ect.

I think in the past supporting the Albion was very unfashionable for not only kids but most people but that doesn't seam to be the case anymore.

Its hard to say what the crowds will be until we know what Division were playing in but i'm sure we would be able to get at least 12,000 for most games.

I wasnt being argumentative with that post Wilka but you know what kids are like regarding following football unless it has been drilled into them from their old man, brothers, uncles etc they will follow the next big thing. Brighton have a big catchment area i am sure you will get 12,000 pretty comfortably

 

[CHAPPERS]

I think a huge number of people have got out of the habit of going. If you think about it there really hasn't been that much reason to go to home games in the last 10 years apart fro mthe two Championship years at Withersand arguably the play off year. The final few years at the Goldstone were SHIT, Gillingham was SHIT, Withers IS shit. Hopefully when the ground goes up a lot of people will get back into the habit of going along week in, wekk out (me included) a gatse should easily reach at least 10,000 with out a problem and if the club is successful we can hope for a lot more than that. One thing that we must do is to ensure we are playing at this level at the time the stadium opens. Teams like Millwall, Plalace, Leeds, Plymouth, QPR Derby etc etc will bring thousands were the like of Hartlepool, MK Dons and Swindon will not travel in such numbers.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

I think a huge number of people have got out of the habit of going. If you think about it there really hasn't been that much reason to go to home games in the last 10 years apart fro mthe two Championship years at Withersand arguably the play off year. The final few years at the Goldstone were SHIT, Gillingham was SHIT, Withers IS shit. Hopefully when the ground goes up a lot of people will get back into the habit of going along week in, wekk out (me included) a gatse should easily reach at least 10,000 with out a problem and if the club is successful we can hope for a lot more than that. One thing that we must do is to ensure we are playing at this level at the time the stadium opens. Teams like Millwall, Plalace, Leeds, Plymouth, QPR Derby etc etc will bring thousands were the like of Hartlepool, MK Dons and Swindon will not travel in such numbers.

I dont know about QPR bringing thousands Chappers a couple of hundred maybe!

 

[CHAPPERS]

I'd have thought they could muster two or three thousand?

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

I'd have thought they could muster two or three thousand?

If they are 20 points clear at the top maybe!!

 

[zefarelly]

if the project is well managed, all these issues will be dealt with as the build progresses. it shouldn't delay the glorious season opener where we tonk Palarse 6-0 in a Mansfield stylee