Time to move the family stand

[Tim of the Oak]

Missed the lad in 209 (yesterday) who sings, “You’re fooking shit”, at the away end, 10 times a game. Hope he is back for the Chelski match. I don’t like us in 209 to be down an ultra for the big games.

 

[fathellensbellend]

Looking at the empty seats at all the stadium yesterday I don't think it was just our fans that stayed at home

it's a fair shout just over 40000 at Tottenham's new stadium, 21000 empty seats, bloody hell Talksport would dedicate a week's radio to that if it was City

 

[radcliffe1309]

That’s also very true, but there are lots of people around the stadium who don’t sit in SSL1 who always join in with every song who would move to a proper singing end if we had one.

But pricing it better would also entice back the better fans for atmosphere.

My son and myself pay £750 to sit on the front row of CB 3 whilst the view is very good the atmosphere is not , nobody sings at all and we long for the day to be in with the singing section in our own end some day....and would pay more to do it

 

[jrb]

Looking at the empty seats at all the stadium yesterday I don't think it was just our fans that stayed at home

Brighton was less than half full.
Villa had loads of empty seats all around the ground.
Didn't watch the other games.
The Scousers had empty seats against Leicester in the Carabao Cup.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Give the stand to 1894 group, have it as the semi-organized European "ultra" part of the ground with standing, flags, inflatables and any other experiments that the group want to try. If it doesn't work out so be it, but it can't hurt.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Correct.

But the club will argue they've just reduced capacity and we still aren't filling the ground.

And the club will definitley argue Level 2 are premium seats, with another new corporate area on level 2 of any future expanded North stand.

As I posted yesterday, keep the kids in NSL1 and relocate them to the two corner blocks of NSL1?

As we’ve both said previously. The club can argue that all they want. But one of the main reason we aren’t always selling out/ filling seats is because of their poor choices. Expensive tickets, areas of the ground/ seats that are unavailable. If they made tickets more accessible and affordable we’d always sell out

the level 2 premium areas are some of the emptiest areas in the ground and we really struggle to sell tickets in those areas. Seems to be away fans who are filling those seats

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

Is that based on club information?

If it’s not next season then I’m sure it will happen in the next few years.

Apparently a lot of people in the Family Stand these days aren’t actually eligible for it anymore but the club just keeps the tickets rolling off since the stand is so big for a family area that they might not be able to fill all the seats with more families if they were to move everyone on.

Its what I was told ,and unlikely to be wrong

 

[Brewster's millions]

I think there are actually two separate issues here, namely (i) whether the layout of the ground would be improved if a family section was located elsewhere and (ii) why the attendance levels seem to be poorer in the family stand than elsewhere (although clearly the problem is by no means exclusive to the family stand). Even if we moved the family stand, we’d still get lots of arguing on here if the relocated section was particularly poorly attended.

On the first issue, I think there’s a case for a smaller family section to be accommodated in a few blocks of the North Stand, concentrated at one side of the stand, and for the criteria in this section to be enforced more strictly enforced (I.e. your kids actually have to be below a certain age). This would require more moves around the stadium over time, but the resulting family section would probably be improved as a result, with people having to behave (and knowing this) in an area that’s clearly earmarked for kids.

The other issue (attendance) is harder to solve as there are probably lots of valid reasons as to why many season ticket holders in the family stand currently can’t make all the games. Some of this may be due to travel or family reasons (I.e. divorces and access issues etc), and this is always going to be a problem around Xmas. The ticket exchange scheme will struggle here as the supply available (presumably clusters of 2/3 seats together) may not suit the demand for 5/6 seats together from larger family groups wanting to attend a few games a season.

Not an easy one to solve but there could be a case for half season tickets or for a block in a re jigged family stand to be non-season ticket only.

 

[blueloon]

It isn’t needed in the 2020s. The idea of a family stand was needed up until the 1990s, but not anymore.

All that needs to happen is child tickets are priced well (not £30 for match day tickets!) and they can be spread around the stadium, like so many kids already are. Going to the game is like going to a kid’s theme park, the whole matchday experience is aimed at children and fanboys (as is the whole culture around football, full stop, these days), and every stand bar SSL1 is like a family stand so it’s not like the North Stand is required to be one.

That end of the ground is needed for the atmosphere in our stadium now. Simple as that. We need to move away from the away fans, we need a much much bigger area than we have now, ideally that would be along the side of the pitch like the Kippax was but that’ll never happen so it has to be the North Stand.

Apologies to anyone who doesn’t like that idea, but we need that end of the ground now.

How many of you need it?

 

[chaddblue]

South Stand level 3 was probably 60% full yesterday and that’s being generous

but it’s not the right time to be calling out any club for empty seats when half the country is quarantining !!!

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

Currently on the ticket website.

Brentford at home.

Match day tickets currently priced at and remaining in 136.

Whats the point your making there are hundreds of seats available in kippax corner ?

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

South Stand level 3 was probably 60% full yesterday and that’s being generous

but it’s not the right time to be calling out any club for empty seats when half the country is quarantining !!!

The south stand think anytime is a good time to moan about the north stand

 

[Beaker]

South Stand level 3 was probably 60% full yesterday and that’s being generous

but it’s not the right time to be calling out any club for empty seats when half the country is quarantining !!!

South Stand Level 3 has the double edged sword of cheap season tickets coupled with extraordinarily expensive match day tickets. So not only do you have unsold match day seats you also have a lot of season ticket holders up there who don’t attend the majority of matches but keep the season tickets because they’re cheap. What they do with those tickets when they don’t attend is anybody’s guess.

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

South Stand Level 3 has the double edged sword of cheap season tickets coupled with extraordinarily expensive match day tickets. So not only do you have unsold match day seats you also have a lot of season ticket holders up there who don’t attend the majority of matches but keep the season tickets because they’re cheap. What they do with those tickets when they don’t attend is anybody’s guess.

So basically like the north stand then ? £30 for a 5 year old

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

The family stand is just too big and kills the energy in the stadium, it's time it was shifted to the upper tier wings, that end needs to dedicating to younger supporters,and made affordable, no disrespect to the regulars in there, but it just looks shite with the hundreds of no shows, a little bit of vision would work wonders for the whole atmosphere

Genuine question why do you call it the family stand when anyone can buy a ticket in there ?

 

[There is a Light]

Correct.

But the club will argue they've just reduced capacity and we still aren't filling the ground.

And the club will definitley argue Level 2 are premium seats with another new corporate area on level 2 of any future expanded North stand.

As I posted yesterday, keep the kids in NSL1 and relocate them to the two corner blocks of NSL1?

The club would be 100% right

 

[Beaker]

So basically like the north stand then ? £30 for a 5 year old

Yep, and kids season tickets in those areas range from between £135 and £165 which is between just over £7 and just under £9 per game. You can see why so many season ticket holders keep those season tickets even though they might only want to attend a handful of games.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Said it for years.

it’s shocking when we attack that end and the empties it always has.

 

[fathellensbellend]

Genuine question why do you call it the family stand when anyone can buy a ticket in there ?

Because it's the family stand

 

[jrb]

People will slate me for this. It won’t happen, but the PL and the club owners need to look at the festive calender. It’s obvious people are now voting with their wallets, minds, and feet. What once was a must do thing and go to a match on Boxing Day is no longer the case. Times have changed, and so has the mindset of supporters, old and young. With the cost of everything going up, food, utilities, etc, and the added cost of Christmas and the New Year, people can longer afford to do 9 home and away matches in Decemeber. But when have the PL, club owners, and TV companies ever listened to the fans and used common sense? The relentless pursuit of money always wins out in the end.