I have said for years at countless meetings with fellow blues and even officials of Manchester City in the past. If this club lowered the prices of attending football match's and started winning trophies we would attract over 70,000 week in week out.
Many fellow City fans will not believe in my words and i fully understand so let me give you some foundation on my theory.
Manchester City still hold the record attendence for a domestic game in this country. It was a long time ago that game against Stoke City but we pulled in 83,000 fans at Maine Road.
In the 1980's we played Charlton in the old division 2 and the attendance was 50,000. If you ask anyone who was their they will bear witness it was nearly 60,000 with about 500 Charlton fans. This was the time when jibbing in the kippax was as easy as taking toffee off a baby. Peter Swales was legendary for blagging attendances in those days and blues would laugh week in week out at the attendence registered in Pink Final when they returned home.
Manchester City is and always will be a working class club with working class fans. In 1998 a survey was carried out amongst MCFC fans that found the average income was £15,000 a year compared to MUFC fans whose was £28,000.
Over the years since the 60's MCFC have been trophyless with little to cheer about yet the fans still stagger the world of football with their faithfull loyalty rising over the last 10 years.
Like all blues i can name over 5 City fans i know who no longer attend due to family commitments and the fact that they cannot afford to take their kids. The potential of this market for the club is absoloutley huge and something i believe the club are aware of.
Manchester City have over 300,000 registered members on their records. These include fans of all ages from all over the place.
If... or should i say when we start being succesfull and we extend the stadium and lower the prices i believe within the next 10 years Gods own club will be competing with every club in Europe for the highest attendance.
I have been led to believe that the club have discussed the purchase of the ground within the next 24 months with MCR City Council and if this does not happen i am led to believe they are prepared to build a new stadium on the Clayton Analine Site.
I personally belief this is a game of call my bluff that the council cannot afford to take a gamble on.
If the purchase does come threw i am led to believe that MCFC will look at extending the stadiums capacity to 75,000 within 5 years.
Just like the move to Maine Road people doubted we would fill 48,000. Well with Kevin Keegan we did, and as you only know to well gates dropped when Pearce and the nazi Stewards got involved at coms.
Do your own little survey and write down how many blues you know who do not attend and why. If we have 40,000 blues with the same answers as you then we can all see the potential clear as day.
Many of you may think this is a load of tosh but you only have to see the way our new owners work to see they are building an empire and they want to be the kings. They want a stadium that holds big crowds and fits the bill, and be rest assured you will see this develop right before your very eyes soon.
CTID.
