1098 FFS, f**Cking joke!

[BoroRedShrimp]

Couldn't agree more. Exciting times now we have Miller & Barkhuizen banging the goals in. If these two carry on it will hopefully get more bums on seats. We just need now for our club to extend Miller's contract to ward off the vultures come Jan to gear us onwards and upwards.

[George Dawes]

cant survive just being a family club, there is not enough club 18 - 30 thats why the atmosphere at home is flat, you look at any club, you dont get OAPs and familys(mainly our support) chanting and having banter, apart from odd stand up if you love Morecambe, its embarrassing.

i can see what Posh is saying, but you can go round the local pubs and still find a hell of a lot of local working lads who like football not attending .

[Posh]

Apologies all. As I stated it wasn't a political point just economic reality. Sadly someone from 280 miles away who never posts about football on this football forum felt the need to hijack it with his own version of the facts.

The point remains that it has had an impact as I know from two or three people who don't attend regularly any more because they have to be selective about games.

RRW makes the point well about the Globe and recent factors like the trouble in the home end won't have helped. Others make a lot of well covered points that are undoubtedly true.

Culturally though a football club has to be at the heart of its community and I still think we struggle to communicate that. Creating a successful business on what is really a social enterprise is a massive challenge. Peter McGuigan, as he enters his 20th year at the club, knows this only too well.

[The Marksman]

And the thing that annoys me is, we have 2 chances of reaching Wembley this season.

If we do make it, all the armchair fans will be queuing for tickets.

A club is for life. Not just the good times.

Maybe for you, it is. Maybe for a fair few others too. However, not for everybody. Up until 1999 I called myself a Man Utd "fan." I go to games when I feel like it and I'm not doing anything else, hoping to have a good day out. My actions don't affect our home attendance - I live in the midlands - but there will be others who think like me. Any club has all different types of fans, all going or not going for their own reasons or priorities, just because they're different to yours doesn't make anyone's reasons any more or less valid. And yes, if we make it to Wembley, I'll be there, should be easy enough to get tickets.

To raise attendances it has to be raised up people's priority lists. That will be a different method for each individual. Some want entertainment; some can't afford it; some can't get there or park anywhere; some can't be doing with getting the kids ready and keeping an eye on them; some just plain forget or don't think about it. There is no "solution," just lots of little incrementals. For me, when I'm around, improving the food distribution would help a lot - it was rubbish last time I went. But that's just me.

[SolentShrimp]

Apologies all. As I stated it wasn't a political point just economic reality.

Read the thread again. It wasn't me who brought politics into it.

Sadly someone from 280 miles away who never posts about football on this football forum...

Shrimps Prediction League. 6th= out of 40-odd, therefore a contribution for every game...

1 Mrs Outsider 22
2 parkyboy 21
3 steve mfc 20
4 Seasider9601 19
5 halfwayprawn 18
6 Dan.Campbell 17
6 Keith 17
6 SolentShrimp 17

Have a look at the full prediction table, see who's contributions are absent.

[mrpotatohead]

posh is right about the football club having to be part of the community, and to be fair, since the move, some people at the club have tried hard to push this, and others haven't, the whole dynamic changes when any team moves into a new stadium, Bolton wanderers is a classic example, they try everything to increase fan numbers but its never happened for them, I think a sense of home,and history is always important to a town team, its too late to go back to christie park, but the club need to address the sterile atmosphere at rhe globe for working class fans ,in tandem with providing the corporate aspect in the W&L, sadly this has not happened, various plans have been heralded at AGM"s and nver materialised, so for many everyday fans the sense of family or community club spirit simply is not there.

[George Dawes]

still feel the free under 14 deals, needs extending, some clubs go up to 18, but think 16 is suffice.

its only going to help breed younger fans who become drilled in to turning up for every home game. you could say its an investment for the club.

[Trevor]

George makes a good point. Loads of 'lads' in Morecambe who are football fans but never come near a Morecambe game they rather be in the pub with their betfred tickets cheering both sides cos they have a goals galore ACCA. Only interested in Prem.

[SolentShrimp]

Concessions for those more mature of age aren't consistent.

You get a concession at 60 at some clubs, while it's 65 at others. Morecambe it's 65.

Offering the concession at 60 is a nice way for the club to say thanks for supporting us for all those years, and if the concession is set at 60 it's an enticement for any casual young old codger to become a regular.

[mrpotatohead]

why?

If you have retired at 60, presumeably you have taken early retirement, so without going into means testing everybody, this is a non starter, I fully support concessions for kids and pensioners, but sorry, this is not worth considering.

[SolentShrimp]

still feel the free under 14 deals, needs extending, some clubs go up to 18, but think 16 is suffice.

its only going to help breed younger fans who become drilled in to turning up for every home game. you could say its an investment for the club.

Gets said on SV year after year George, but has it worked at Morecambe?
My eldest grandson is 15, his brother 10. Neither have an ounce of interest in football, nor have any of their mates.
The eldest spends all his spare time on the BMX track, and has a bedroom filling up with trophies. His brother locks himself in his bedroom staring at a screen.

[Seasider9601]

George makes a good point. Loads of 'lads' in Morecambe who are football fans but never come near a Morecambe game they rather be in the pub with their betfred tickets cheering both sides cos they have a goals galore ACCA. Only interested in Prem.

Another good point raised.

Too many football fans of the new generation are only interested in the Premier League due to the media's obsession with it. I stopped listening to TalkSport as they only ever harp on about the Premier. It doesn't interest me one jot.

As I've said before, the vast majority of our fanbase only support Morecambe as their "second" club, I'm sure of it. In years gone by, youngsters were brought up to follow their local clubs and attend games in their locale.

Nowadays, its a case of follow the herds and support the "glamourous" clubs, sadly.

[KenH]

The kids can't come if their parents aren't interested. One of my son's friends would come down every game if he could. His father has no interest in Morecambe and instead travels to Anfield every home game. He sometimes persuades his mother to bring him, but she's not really interested so it's out of sufferance.

We have season tickets in C so he'd have to pay if he came with us. We bring him for cup matches but then we have to sit in E instead so we lose out if we bring him, as do the club who get less money as they only get one seat cost in E instead of 2 higher priced seats in C. We've tried to "swap" our seats in C for seats in E for league games so we can bring him, but the club shop staff clearly don't want to do it as they huff and puff - they did it once, fair enough, but it was someone different the next time we asked and they refused.

Sometimes, they do make it hard for the fans, and the discounts/offers aren't really very flexible.

[marky No.1]

George makes a good point. Loads of 'lads' in Morecambe who are football fans but never come near a Morecambe game they rather be in the pub with their betfred tickets cheering both sides cos they have a goals galore ACCA. Only interested in Prem.

Another good point raised.

Too many football fans of the new generation are only interested in the Premier League due to the media's obsession with it. I stopped listening to TalkSport as they only ever harp on about the Premier. It doesn't interest me one jot.

The Ranch House was busy last night with lots of Manchester fans all enjoying themselves (till the penalty ) 4G screens showing City, Utd and SSN and at £2.20 a pint was almost a BOGOF deal compared with a live football match.

As soon as the whistles went, the room was virtually empty.

[marky No.1]

Despite the Globe Arena having a capacity of 6,476, Morecambe's average league attendance this season is 1,551.
"I'm a bit disappointed with the attendance", Bentley told BBC Radio Lancashire after the Shrimps' 3-1 victory over Crawley on Tuesday.
"This club needs its community behind it, without them it's going to be hard to sustain a Football League club."
He added: "1,098 for a home game when you're two points off the play-offs and the country's leading goalscorers, what more can you do?
"I can't get someone in the road and put them in a headlock and drag them through the turnstiles, it's down to them."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34604256

[mrpotatohead]

That is scary 1500 and odd fans, is a major concern, It must be devastating for the manager who eats ,sleeps and breathes Morecambe FC.

[Seasider9601]

That is scary 1500 and odd fans, is a major concern, It must be devastating for the manager who eats ,sleeps and breathes Morecambe FC.

Agreed entirely.

And my biggest fear and worry is that one day Jim may get fed up of the constant struggle financially we face day after day and will speak to one of these "bigger" clubs whose fans mention Jim on their forums as being a potential decent manager for their clubs.

If Jim ever does leave - which, by the nature of football he will one day - we'll be b*ll*cksed. Big time.

[Phil Anderer]

As long as Jim can keep this team together till the end of the season, and we can be in and around the playoffs then, the crowds will increase. On the off chance we get promoted, the 'part-timers' will want to say 'I was there'. We can sit there smugly knowing we sat through all the shit, and some good stuff, while they couldn't be bothered. 'Build it (the team), and they will come.'

[Loyalsupporter]

The Ranch House was busy last night with lots of Manchester fans all enjoying themselves (till the penalty ) 4G screens showing City, Utd and SSN and at £2.20 a pint was almost a BOGOF deal compared with a live football match.

As soon as the whistles went, the room was virtually empty.

You hit the nail on the head....

Why would you want to spend a minimum of £15 to get in and then a minimum of £3 a pint

when you can walk in the Ranch for free, and then get a pint for £2.20 EVERY Saturday or when ever there is football or other sport on.

forget your kids go free bollox, it is the adults who you need to be convincing

them seats in the PMG should be £10 adult and £2.50 child.

get bums on seats FFS


pub trade is supposedly down, but Ranch house still pulls more punters than MFC

no point us fans worrying, if MFC were bothered the directors would surely sort something..........

also no point JB going to the media whinging - the people read it and don't care, or already go to the game and can't do any more than they already are doing.

end of the day, it is down to cost

M F C need to bite the bullet and if that means lowering admission so be it

here is an idea, fill the open terrace with free admission - when they realise the atmosphere comes from the MBW they may be willing to pay a little and come into the home end

chances are, your usual rabble will be the only takers for the free entry.


Rant over - it is so difficult to support a club which seems to lack ideas

[George Dawes]

You hit the nail on the head....

Why would you want to spend a minimum of £15 to get in and then a minimum of £3 a pint

forget your kids go free bollox, it is the adults who you need to be convincing

them seats in the PMG should be £10 adult and £2.50 a child

M F C need to bite the bullet and if that means lowering admission so be it.

regular fans complain about being the forgotten ones, compared to fans in the PMG stand , and being told countless times the club are working on facilities behind the goal.


one answer to balance things out, would be something along these figures, a juggling tactic
adjusting the prices to reflect the facilities


£10 terrace and upping the seating near to £30


wont please everyone, but might seem fair for those on the terrace and facilties, some fans have stopped coming because of this issue, so it will attract more fans who think it pricy.

[mrpotatohead]

then the terrace would be full generating roughly the same income as it does half empty, and the pmg would be even emptier because no one will pay 30 quid when there is the 10 quid option, so things would be even worse.

[Loyalsupporter]

We all know that life in general you can never please everybody.

basic business is to surely look at local economy / wealth and price accordingly.

It doesnt matter how good the scores are etc, if the price is too much then they wont come through the gates

it doesnt matter if we are one of the cheapest admissions in L2 - it is still more than the locals want to pay - so they do the next best think and turn out in the 100's in the Ranch house

£15 entry equates to almost 7 pints which incidently is about 2 pints more than if MFC was free entry.






did we not attract over 4000 home fans when PMG gambled on a free admission day - He then claimed he broke even after the bar and merchandise sales

[morecambegeek]

£10 entrance is still 4 pints at the ranch.

If people aren't interested in Morecambe, or L2 football, they're not going to pay £10 any more than they are £17.

People know where we are and who we're playing - if we draw a big club in the FA Cup, they know where to find us.

One off promotions and discounts don't work - otherwise we wouldn't be having these threads season after season after throwing the doors open for free.

[Kendalshrimp]

If we get a big cup tie an make the 3rd round of the FA cup no doubt everyone will jump back on the wagon then. Also if we did make it to Wembley in the JPT would be interesting to see how many we took down there. Winning football matches will soon get the crowds back in !

[sandgrown]

I have said this before, the D/R free entrance pulled in 4000 on a cold winter night proof that the interest is there, it's up to the club to get their pricing structure right for this area !