City Fans Leaving Early/Empty seats

[Shaelumstash]

I would probably still renew but my seat for the CL would still be empty for some of the games. Once you get to a point of being able to afford it regardless, whether or not you miss it almost becomes irrelevant financially. That's why we have so many empty seats at home games. Some people cant be arsed pissing about for £20 or whatever it is.

I offered my Newcastle tickets to 3 lots of people for free and no one wanted them because it was on TV. This is the problem. The fans that have been priced out over the years don't suddenly want to go to Lyon on a Wed night at 8pm or even a Prem home game if it is on TV at a time that doesn't suit them. They have become used to not going. We have the fan base in Manchester and surrounding areas but most people who support us no longer go to games or never did. The apathy towards the CL is clear on these threads. Some people just don't like it. I don't mind it but don't like the booing and negativity that surrounds it. The pricing for the PSG game the other year when I was in the cup scheme made me leave it the next year and I just pick and choose now or share my lads ticket as he is still in it. I will probably go to the Shaktar game but cant say the prospect is appealing.

Add to that the horrendous traffic to get there, the now 8pm kick off instead of 7.45 (Another reason some people don't go. Fucks train times up and keeps kids up even later), Shit atmosphere in General and the need to work late sometimes. Next season we may get lumbered with one of these 6pm games. That would rule me out completely as I am not taking holiday to watch football.

Barcelona at home, people might make the effort to travel/book time off/reschedule commitments etc. For the three teams in this group they wont.

It is what it is. I guess the owners and probably even Pep wont like it but I cant see it changing.

I agree with a lot of what is said here. If I had 3 free tickets for last night, I literally could not have given them away to friends and family. The pricing wasn't an issue. I don't think anyone I asked said they were put off by the ticket pricing. They just couldn't be arsed, that's the tall and the short of it.

Attending the match used to be miles better than watching on the TV because of the atmosphere. But the atmosphere is shite now, so what's the incentive? I think safe standing and filling it full of pissed up lads in their 20s is the only way we'll ever get an atmosphere back.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Adding Champions League games to the overall season ticket for peanuts would just make it even worse.

Thousands are willing to wipe their eye now on £20 if it means avoiding a late night and can watch it on the box.

Here's an idea, those people who attend all the discounted group Champions League packaged games, thus receive a £50 discount on their next season ticket or the equivalent on another match ticket if they are not season ticket holders.

Effectively making the group stage package free. A money back guarantee. The club still get their money up front.

I would wager sell-out for the majority of games.

There you go, Colin.

 

[Gordyola]

I probably would, however I guess it may need to be at no price increase to appeal to the masses.

Probably a better option for City is to close off level three in CB and East Stand and create some form of demand AND prevent away fans from buying seats in our core supporter areas. This could mean that if the club offered a season ticket with included CL games, those normally sat in L3 for PL choose a different seat for CL games. If demand dictates, then the club have the option of selling seats in L3 after the rest is sold out.

If they do that they I will stay at home and I know a few others who feel the same

 

[HelloCity]

This isn’t a Champions League problem. It’s a fans culture issue.

I’ve had a season ticket for 25 years and ever since I’ve been going our midweek cup attendances have been poor when compared to our league attendances.

We get far lower crowds than usual for FA Cup replays, League Cup games, Europa League games and Champions League games.

We couldn’t sell out a midweek League Cup Final 2nd leg against Everton a couple of years ago.

A large element of our match going support just don’t do midweek cup games and never have done. They don’t consider them to be part of the package.

I knew when we first qualified for the CL that we would struggle to sell out the games, even in a smaller stadium back then. As it happened, we didn’t sell out for our first ever CL game at home to Napoli either, and I don’t remember any issues with UEFA at that point to point to finger at.

Perhaps years and years of cup failure and heartbreak just led to many fans not going to cup games and in the new world of City they just can’t get out of that habit despite the change in club fortune.

 

[Paulmcfc2703]

As a season ticket holder for almost 25 years I stopped going to the CL games and took myself off the cup scheme a few years ago (Madrid semi my last game).

The simple fact is I don't care or like the competition. I have a 2 hour round trip to make but if that was Fulham in the league last night (or even a game in the LC) I would have gone. If the powers that be decided the CL games are to be played on the weekend I still would not go.

10/15 years ago when we were sneaking into the uefa cup through the fair play rules and playing the likes of Lokeren, Groclin, Twente, Streymur etc. I went to every home game. Loved the idea of playing in Europe. However all that has gone on with UEFA since the takeover has left me cold. The introduction of the FFP system in an attempt to stop us entering, the bullshit draws, the ridiculous fines, the 'unlucky' ref decisions and the bending of the rules to suit the old guard are all factors in my attitude to it.

If City decided to add CL games into the Seasoncard prices I would either try and flog the CL ticket, or if I couldn't get rid of it then I simply would not go anyway.

The owners and Pep want to win the CL and good luck to them, however as far as I'm concerned the whole competition can fuck off.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

If they do that they I will stay at home and I know a few others who feel the same

It's a suggestion only. The issue appears to be that regular supporters are not buying into the CL, and this is in part due to the change of atmosphere when compared to PL games, caused by too many visitors and fans of the opposition. If demand is increased by reducing the number of tickets available, then it reduces the need to sell tickets to non City fans and might make it more appealing to those not currently attending.

 

[Manchester33]

Genuine question do you think that would encourage people from all over britain to travel on a wednesday to watch the champs league ?
Im not so sure myself

Of course it would. If having a ticket to the game wasn't a big enough incentive, you'd expect mid-week prem games to be similar attendances to cup games. They are rarely below 50k. Sure there will be a few empty seats, but it would be far less prevalent.

 

[Danamy]

It's certainly a weird one, one of the best atmospheres i've experienced at the Etihad was against Hamburg in 2009 and all the excuses were bringing up now were blown out of the water that night, it was midweek, kids at school the next day etc.....

Yeah i know it was a quarter final that night but what made that night so different in regards to atmosphere than all the other European games we've had at the Etihad, the place was bouncing?

 

[Fred_Quimby]

Some of the problem is,of course, the time of KO. In years gone by midweek games Kicked off at 7.30 finish at 9.15 and you could be home quite easily by 10. Now it is 8pm in tier 3 at least 15 min just to get out of the stadium, if you are lucky you might be home by 11 even if you live reasonably close by. Some one like me, who goes anyway, will not be home much before 1am. People are just saying f..kit and watching on the tv instead.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Can't win with ko times, if its moved to an earlier time fans will be saying they can't get there in time due to work/traffic.

 

[Gordyola]

It's a suggestion only. The issue appears to be that regular supporters are not buying into the CL, and this is in part due to the change of atmosphere when compared to PL games, caused by too many visitors and fans of the opposition. If demand is increased by reducing the number of tickets available, then it reduces the need to sell tickets to non City fans and might make it more appealing to those not currently attending.

I hate having to move seats separating me from match-day mates it's not the same and I don't like the view from the lower tiers or from behind the goals. Then if my seat is subsequently sold it would piss me off even more. So, I would stay at home. Reducing seats available to none City fans is wrong as they may become fans. Another issue with atmosphere is that foreign fans are there in general to sing and dance which they do throughout the game, I doubt they see much of the actual football, being all together standing up the home fans don't stand a chance, this is even rue at the much fabled Anfield

 

[paulchapo]

Live football is in danger of being killed off in this country in spite of reports to the contrary saying it is booming for a number of reasons. I will stick to just ourselves but a lot will apply to other clubs too.

1: Live coverage on tv, internet streams etcetera. Anyone with a decent broadband speed and some know how can probably watch almost any game live legally or illegally. Failing that they can keep up to date with websites like the BBC on match days which gives scores updates and live reporting from every game, so you are always in touch no matter where you are.

2: Atmosphere. All seated stadiums, over zealous stewarding, nannying and intermingling of different demographic of fans. All of these are slowly strangling it to death. I am in the south stand, the stand being championed as our most vocal and housing our most fanatical fans. On Saturday I thought I was in a creche. There were families near me with kids under the age of five, at least three different groups. At half time I saw a man carrying a baby who must have been 18 months old if it was a day. Why are they not in the often half empty family stand?? There should be an age limit of 16+ to buy a ticket for this stand. We have a full area behind one goal given over to families, until we make it no kids in one end we will never make it more raucous.

Being searched on Saturday a bloke in front of me wasn't allowed to take a partially drunk bottle of a soft drink in. Why not? It is ridiculous. On the tram going down I spoke to a group of lads who take hip flasks in full of booze that never get picked up by the scanners. The whole system is an irritating joke. Why can't fans take their own an bloody food and drink in anymore?? Do they really think they will queue to buy the overpriced crap on offer inside as a result?

Shit transport system in Manchester. We all know the problems associated with getting to and from the ground but for many the transport problems are more local before getting anywhere near the ground. Buses being cut to one an hour on weekends meaning you have to leave earlier than you would like to try and avoid the crush/queues near the ground. The same going home. If you miss a local bus to get you to your house it means waiting another hour in the cold. If by beating the traffic problems and not enduring that hour wait at the end of your journey means leaving the ground early you can see why many do.

The bloody mindedness of metrolink to not run trams direct to the stadium on match days from.certain destinations
. All of these trams are running into Piccadilly station so for a two hour window before and after the game can they not just do the extra few stops to and from the ground? Sure a few shoppers might have to wait an extra five minutes but if they can't understand there is a major sporting event taking place and allow for that then that is down to them.

At least on weekends I can get home by public transport on night games I cannot so adding £10 for a taxi to my costs or a 2 mile walk home in often bad weather and running the risk of bumping into a gang of yobs and/or a mugger in the process.

All of these things combined are the reason we are seeing more and more empty seats and early leavers. As a season ticket holder I didn't even touch on ticket prices but if I wasn't no way would I pay £50-60 a game. I just wouldn't do it and my budget wouldn't allow it except for the odd big game.

All in all when the buzz and atmosphere of going to live games is killed off and you then add all the other inconveniences in attending to the mix you can see why people are starting to sack it off.

 

[levets]

FA Cup games are the ones for me where crowds have rocketed over recent years. We've sold out every home FA Cup tie that has played at a weekend in the past 5 or 6 years. We get 54,000 sell outs for 3rd round matches these days but 10 or 15 years ago there would've been 20,000-25,000 less than that in the ground even if it was a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday.

28k v Liverpool at MR. FA Cup on a Saturday.

 

[stirlingblue]

Loved the idea of playing in Europe. However all that has gone on with UEFA since the takeover has left me cold. The introduction of the FFP system in an attempt to stop us entering, the bullshit draws, the ridiculous fines, the 'unlucky' ref decisions and the bending of the rules to suit the old guard are all factors in my attitude to it.

My own sentiments exactly. Been a season ticket holder for over 40 years but the scouse QF episode was the final straw for me. An eight hour round trip to get mugged off like we did killed any enthusiasm I ever had for the CL. At least four or five match changing decisions against the red scouse over the two legs, all wrongly decided in favour of the opposition. Some odds those I would say!

 

[CityPar]

Can't win with ko times, if its moved to an earlier time fans will be saying they can't get there in time due to work/traffic.

Agreed. What I can't get my head past is the fact that ManUre, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea.....all seem to manage to get sellouts or pretty much close to on CL nights. Regardless of times or transport or anything else for that matter. This looks to me like it's an issue for us only. But if we're being honest even on a Saturday the Etihad resembles a picnic outing. Can't remember the last time we really had the place totally full and rocking.

 

[waspish]

Agreed. What I can't get my head past is the fact that ManUre, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea.....all seem to manage to get sellouts or pretty much close to on CL nights. Regardless of times or transport or anything else for that matter. This looks to me like it's an issue for us only. But if we're being honest even on a Saturday the Etihad resembles a picnic outing. Can't remember the last time we really had the place totally full and rocking.

What’s Chelsea’s capacity?

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Does anyone know the official crowd for last night?

 

[worsleyweb]

Does anyone know the official crowd for last night?

I have been looking for it tim - I had a guess yesterday pre match at 42,089. I wont have been far out I don't think.

 

[levets]

We should get Colin who has just been elected to bring this attendance issue up with the club. Give discounted CL tickets to Seasoncard holders is maybe an option.

Or even a seperate champions league scheme or something like that

He stopped going himself, so he understands the apathy

 

[bluestevei]

I cannot belive that our owners want a full house for these games, price it right and bingo
all tickets say £20 for 1st and 3rd tier and 2nd tier £30, in best seats charge £45 charge kids go for £5