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Early leavers and final whistle on Sunday

Randy Savage said:
I know for a fact from personal experience (nothing bad!) that the club monitor this forum closely.

As such, if they’re really serious about trying to encourage people to stay until the end, they first need to get to the bottom of why folk are leaving.

They need to put in some hard yards here and contact all SC holders and people on the ticket database about this just to establish some facts. Nothing confrontational, just a fact finding mission to see if those who leave early do so all the time or some of the time?

If the former, is it habitual, due to concerns over getting out of the stadium (perhaps if with young children or due to mobility issues), to go to the pub/for food, for transport/traffic reasons, or a combination of the above.

If the latter, is this due to personal circumstances on the day or due to the match situation.

In either scenario, is there anything the clubs could to that would help.
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Lock the doors...health and safety
People leave early because of seen it over and over results orientated...and lack of infrastructure in Sunderland reading...I left in 1995 guess I could find my way round 30 years later..
 

redandwhiterob said:
Ultimately for a lot it's just habit and no matter what you do once people are in that habit its extremely difficult to get them to start breaking it. Fwiw I noticed a turn in fans attitudes at the Leeds game. People round me going off it a team they deemed inferior had the temerity to play well against us
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This. People sre focusing hugely on the leaving early but the atittude of loads of our fans is absolutely shocking and has been for a few months.
 
I went to sheepfolds for food after the game on Saturday, by the time I got going, Wessington Way was still rammed at 6pm to get out.
 
As has been mentioned getting out of the ground, certainly from higher up is a massive issue. I’m at the back of the south stand and I start making my way down to the access a minute or two before the final whistle so when the whistle goes I can give them a quick clap off if they’ve deserved one, nip for a piss and be straight out. I get a supporters bus that parks at the stadium, I’m sure others that do the same know once they raise those barriers the bus pretty much has to leave and it’s not a great length of time after the full time whistle. If I stay in my seat till the whistle it’ll be half way down KHW before I get out the ground. The traffic is incredible these days as well like, takes us anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes usually to get back to Ferryhill. Which is absolutely mental
 
nelford_safc said:
It’s always boggles my mind because these people have made a reasoned decision to be there. Nobody has forced them to come. They’ve decided they want to come to the stadium, knowing fine well the challenges getting in, getting out, grabbing a pint and getting to the bog.

If your intention is to take your seat 10 mins in, leave at 38 mins for a pint or the bog, return at 50 mins and leave at 80 mins played; give it up. What’s the point?

If you want to actually support the club then accept that being stuck in traffic or waiting for a metro is currently one of the challenges. Nobody cared about traffic during the Coventry game, or mags game.

It’s never going to change like and I wish it would cos it looks shite.
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Exactly this. We're at the back of the East Stand, row 43. We know it takes 15 minutes to get out the ground at full time, we know we won't get to Boldon for maybe an hour after that, so we make plans for the rest of the afternoon/evening etc accordingly. It's not rocket science. I do feel for those that travel a lot further mind, I also know there are some people who have to leave for work etc on occasion, but you see the same people week in week out, no matter the time/day of kick off still leaving on 80 minutes (oh, apart from the Coventry and Mags match when every pub and business must have been closed)
 
More people leave early when the team look devoid of attacking intent and never look like getting back into a match after conceding.

It doesn't really need a full investigation. If the team can pick up the intensity again more people will have the belief back and stay longer in the hope something happens.
 
There will be a small percentage who have a genuine reason, care of a disabled child or elderly relative kind of thing. Most just have a lack of patience. Just accept it will take a bit longer to get home. Chat more to those you go to the match with, put your favourite radio station or playlist on when you get back to the car and relax. If you are rushing to get to the pub first then just skip a pint. Its worth it for those late goals and celebrating with the team and others at the end of the game. Those last minute goals are some of the best experiences you get going to a match.

Go to bed 30mins later or get up the next day a bit earlier and you have gained that time back.
 
Leaving early has always been a thing in football....
It was the same at Roker Park. Ten mins before full time there would be a fair few leaving to get away.

It can save people an hour or so stuck in traffic.
 
Move the bus stop near the roundabout that’s also next to two traffic islands once the bus stops traffic can’t move
 
RedandWhiteRebel said:
More people leave early when the team look devoid of attacking intent and never look like getting back into a match after conceding.

It doesn't really need a full investigation. If the team can pick up the intensity again more people will have the belief back and stay longer in the hope something happens.
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agree. just have a look at the start of the season, there were very nearly no early leavers and the stands were full to applaud the players

compare those games to Saturdays and a massive difference.

In my opinion at the start we always looked like a piece of magic would happen and we would score. On saturday we looked totally bereft of ideas and when a chance opened up we fluffed it. we need a proper striker.

for others information, the tunnel at the SWC is used when leaving the ground. However there is still a massive build up of fans at the dog leg en route to the pedestrian bridge just before the sheepfolds. when passed the dog leg it is relatively clear (considering). one very annoying feature, is people looking at their phones, slowing down and even stopping to look at their phone.
 
Kumbuka said:
If people are at the back of the stand, I can sort of understand leaving your seat a minute or 2 before full time, meaning you don’t actually miss any action, and you’re probably at the exit for the full time whistle.

What I don’t get is leaving with 10+ minutes to go, which often happens when you consider how much injury time we now get on average.
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The problem with this is that you block the view for those who do stay.
 
soapster said:
However there is still a massive build up of fans at the dog leg en route to the pedestrian bridge just before the sheepfolds. when passed the dog leg it is relatively clear (considering). one very annoying feature, is people looking at their phones, slowing down and even stopping to look at their phone.
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that should be resolved soon when the new culvert crossing bridge thingy opens from the west stand car park directly to the new footbridge (or it will move the bottleneck further down)
soapster said:
for others information, the tunnel at the SWC is used when leaving the ground.
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would be handy if they opened both the tunnels completely for 20 mins, and encouraged all fans in the lower blocks of the SWC and NWC areas to flood towards those. they are massive and could get 1000s out through there pretty quickly, freeing up space around the central access path for the fans in the upper blocks
 
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I think we should install fireman's poles at the top of each flight of stairs for those wanting to make a swift exit.



In seriousness, the stairways have always been problematic. You can stand there friggin' ages without getting anywhere.
 
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