Club are looking to extend the stadium

[Football Dinosaur]

This, since the ground was extended the highest we've finished is 10th.
We've been relegated 4 times (twice with record low points), (back to back relegations)
We often wouldn't win a game until October.
We once went a full year without a home win.
We've struggled in league one for 4 years.
Lost any decent players we've had and largely replaced them with lower league shite.
We're currently sitting in the dizzy heights of 11-12th in the championship.

Despite all of the above we are still averaging 38k and can draw crouds in excess of 40k.

Our grounds not to big for us, give us a successful SAFC and it would be to small.

Shocked no ones mentioned that the first statement isn't correct. We've finished 7th twice under Reid. Should have been higher too if we had slight amount of ambition. Much of what you said is spot on though.

Our attendances are also set to sore with all of the injured players sitting in the stands during the coming weeks.

 

[Sea to Shining Sea]

Shocked no ones mentioned that the first statement isn't correct. We've finished 7th twice under Reid. Should have been higher too if we had slight amount of ambition. Much of what you said is spot on though.

Our attendances are also set to sore with all of the injured players sitting in the stands during the coming weeks.

We finished 7th once under Reid post extension.

 

[Football Dinosaur]

We finished 7th once under Reid post extension.

I read it as since Stadium opened but if its since extension then once is still more than none.

 

[Northumberland Rocks]

This, since the ground was extended the highest we've finished is 10th.
We've been relegated 4 times (twice with record low points), (back to back relegations)
We often wouldn't win a game until October.
We once went a full year without a home win.
We've struggled in league one for 4 years.
Lost any decent players we've had and largely replaced them with lower league shite.
We're currently sitting in the dizzy heights of 11-12th in the championship.

Despite all of the above we are still averaging 38k and can draw crouds in excess of 40k.

Our grounds not to big for us, give us a successful SAFC and it would be to small.

Exactly

 

[Pick Nickering]

This, since the ground was extended the highest we've finished is 10th.
We've been relegated 4 times (twice with record low points), (back to back relegations)
We often wouldn't win a game until October.
We once went a full year without a home win.
We've struggled in league one for 4 years.
Lost any decent players we've had and largely replaced them with lower league shite.
We're currently sitting in the dizzy heights of 11-12th in the championship.

Despite all of the above we are still averaging 38k and can draw crouds in excess of 40k.

Our grounds not to big for us, give us a successful SAFC and it would be to small.

I never thought anyone could put those depressing stats in front of me and make me feel proud. Great post mate.

 

[seaham ftm]

Build it and they will come. .

Its already built and they don't 10k empty seats on average this season but why not have 16k empty instead ey.

 

[Mowgli]

28 pages of complete guff after believing a bullshit merchant

 

[lurker]

They’re looking into other avenues such as Rugby games, so if they can get big capacity stuff then why not.

We have a great catchment area for a big rugby team. No idea why it couldn’t succeed here as a sport.

 

[Wrenthorpe Mackem]

28 pages of complete guff after believing a bullshit merchant

Bit of fun I suppose with the empty speculation.....perhaps the club should consider putting more boxes and other commercial facilities in North stand upper to drive more revenue. We won't miss the seats and put away fans elsewhere.

 

[riffraff]

I could hardly get one for brum at home never mind a champions league final. abysmal choice. My cousins decision to have an end of season ‘blow out’, he only lives in Blackhall!

Aye. No matter how hard posters try to explain the reality of football there’s still others on here think it’s about what happens lnsude the stadiums…..

 

[Mackemansj1]

Are they regularly selling out? I'm not particularly fussed about what they're up to TBH.

And TBH I'm not particularly fussed about us having empty seats - that's not going to change, as our stadium is built now and it's too big (opinion). As I've posted before people are free to come and go or attend or not attend as they please.

I don't know why you're focusing on this 10 years.

My original question was when did we last sell out 3 in a row (just a random example). I know I put 10 years with a question mark in there, but it might have been longer, or shorter.

One poster says likely 1999-2000. That's almost a quarter of a century ago.

I think our stadium is too big, you think it isn't.

Our attendance and support is phenomenal, but it doesn't alter my opinion that the Stadium is too big.

That was the last time we were good? We've been average to absolutely soul destroyingly shite since. With most clubs if your doing well you attract more Fairweather fans, the fact we've had crowds of 43k plus while being a mid table championship side after years and years of third teir football shows should the better times roll around like those few seasons under reidy the potential is there to fill those seats. I don't think we should be building on the stadium till we are cemented in the top division as 48k is just the right size for what I'm guessing the natural potential of the club is barring oil money, a top ten challenge.

 

[Wrenthorpe Mackem]

That was the last time we were good? We've been average to absolutely soul destroyingly shite since. With most clubs if your doing well you attract more Fairweather fans, the fact we've had crowds of 43k plus while being a mid table championship side after years and years of third teir football shows should the better times roll around like those few seasons under reidy the potential is there to fill those seats. I don't think we should be building on the stadium till we are cemented in the top division as 48k is just the right size for what I'm guessing the natural potential of the club is barring oil money, a top ten challenge.

I just don't see us pushing beyond a 45K average even under best of times. I know it happened under Reid so suppose it is possible but the new stadium novelty factor helped and that was a cracking side. We had a spell under Bruce, shortlived mind, when we were top 6 for a time and crowds were under 40K. The time when Quinn was blaming local bars showing the game.

 

[Zimba]

We have a great catchment area for a big rugby team. No idea why it couldn’t succeed here as a sport.

Because Rugby is crap. It's not popular hence Newcastle Falcons can't pull any form of gate. We're a football area.

 

[ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK]

I just don't see us pushing beyond a 45K average even under best of times. I know it happened under Reid so suppose it is possible but the new stadium novelty factor helped and that was a cracking side. We had a spell under Bruce, shortlived mind, when we were top 6 for a time and crowds were under 40K. The time when Quinn was blaming local bars showing the game.

I was just about to say, it's far easier to watch the match at home these days compared to 20 odd years ago. I remember the dodgy chipped cable boxes even in the late 90's. Was it this one?

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You could get to watch the games as SAFC had it's own channel as it was the one used to show the game around the TVs in the ground. I don't think many had access to it as you needed someone to sort out your Telewest (NTL) box as it unscrambles every channel. If not you'd see this and I'm sure you could still hear the sound

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Then the dodgy satellites came about also but this wasn't a simple install. There were online ways to subscribe to Premier League in early 2010s but that's not as easy an option now. It's only in recent years that IPTV has come about due to ease of use on the Firestick and there's no doubt it knocks a few numbers off the gates.

It's also the price of tickets and availability that help our crowds and long may it continue. There's plenty of money in the game for those at the top that they don't need to fleece the match day fans but some greedy clubs like Arsenal and now Spurs do it. Even some other clubs with 10,000 less average attendances generate more ticket revenue than us, Southampton for example. If we increased our ticket prices and charged similar then again this would have an effect on the attendance.

 

[shadowplay]

We have a great catchment area for a big rugby team. No idea why it couldn’t succeed here as a sport.

The town has a rugby team in the local leagues that's older than the football club. They get pub league crowds. No-one's bothered with rugby here.

 

[deodrant2]

Imagine this is true, we refuse to expand a squad that was needed, but want to expand the stadium what isn’t needed. Would be very Sunderland.

 

[JAZMAN2]

Imagine this is true, we refuse to expand a squad that was needed, but want to expand the stadium what isn’t needed. Would be very Sunderland.

But
We are expanding the squad.
Overall getting stronger every window.
Apart from a striker short because of an injury late in the window.
No doubt that is being addressed right now

KTF HTL FTM

 

[Pete the Pirate]

It’s a no from me.

We don't want the SoL to fall behind as one of this country's best and largest Stadiums.

In addition, the mags are looking to expand St. James' Park further.

If it becomes a full bowl shape I'm very concerned we could lose the concerts.

 

[zidanny]

No one is saying that and our ground is not half empty.

It’s on the first bloody page man and our stadium does lol empty despite having 30 odd thousand there, it will look horrific if it’s even bigger and still only getting 30k

 

[Binxy]

It’s on the first bloody page man and our stadium does lol empty despite having 30 odd thousand there, it will look horrific if it’s even bigger and still only getting 30k

It's not half empty ffs.