Notts: Attracting a new generation of support

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Question: PON follower 'Wayne Merrin' has raised an opinion on attracting younger fans to Meadow Lane.

"Wouldn't it make sense that to generate a larger crowd AND revenue, that children under the age of say 10 years old are let in free (with paying adult)?

This could generate the next generation of supporters at Notts."

What do you think? Should children under 10 be allowed to watch ‪#‎Notts‬ for free - accompanied by a paying adult? What ideas do you have to attract fans, bar what happens on the field? Let us know...

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[super_pie]

My sister would have to pay on the day or the cost of a season ticket now, i do think childrens under a certain age should be free. If they made it free for those who pay tickets, it should be free to season ticket holders. Notts should try it for a few years

[themightymagpies]

It wouldn't happen because its not cost effective.

[liampie]

i think the school tickets have worked to a degree, was it @weymouthPIE who also started going after getting free tickets?

it might not pay off in the first few years but eventually, i am sure it would. reward families and loyal fans, do some sort of free ticket sweep stake and cut out the people who tout the tickets.

[Fozzy]

At the end of the day, the one thing that attracts fans more than any other is a winning side and until we can produce one that can consistently win games over several seasons, we will always struggle to raise support.

Once we do have a good season (Got to happen sometime surely?), we should try letting fans in for a tenner over several games and this might retain a few to come back regularly.

[weymouthPIE]

I did indeed become a County fan for my sins after being given free tickets to a home game at school. 

It's something I'd like to see all clubs doing a lot more of, particularly clubs in our situation. Let's be right, we're never going to attract new supporters through having lots of success or being the bigger club in the city, so we need to lure them in with offers like under 10s getting in for free with a paying adult, ids for a quid, and I'm sure there's plenty of other things we can do.

[liampie]

i know the club have to be careful what they do, i also agree with @Fozzy but we seem to lose support like flys drop dead.

do we still have one of the oldest followings? that must concern fans.

[Northants Pie]

Stiff necks last a lifetime. The only way to attract kids from what they see on the telly is to offer a comparable product, not give them a stiff neck for life

[upthepies]

It crops up each season in one form or another, nothing ever changes. The years I had spent investing before the Munto problems, regularly sponsoring players etc and nothing in the process has been learned. I am afraid it wont be, its not that simple as giving free tickets.

[Turkey_Twizzler]

I think the atmosphere at meadow lane is a problem as well, I am quite a new fan I must admit, only been going down for the past two seasons but I love chanting and singing and that initially drew me in, but many fans don't sing and the drummer isn't always present these days.

In short, to attract younger fans, admittedly I'm 17, but fans my age and younger love a good atmosphere, yes we aren't in a good place but I would say that is all the more reason to sing and chant

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[Modern Notts Fan 🔥]

Germany are the best for atmosphere cheap season ticket and tickets there stadiums are always litreally full cause they don't pay like 350 euros etc 

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

It's all about pulling together and attracting support, during the great escape Notts promoted the fact we perform better under high gates - I know it hasn't quite worked out this season so far but just think if we and the club could draw higher attendances.

Yes it's a pipe dream whilst we remain in the basement division.

Yet if we are to move forward, we need support, we need to play a brand of football people respect and appreciate - we to offer value.

Teams like Portsmouth who seem to do a lot planning, whilst some may have struggled under their circumstances - they remain strong. I do believe Notts can replicate similar fortune but I only think it will happen when we start to give back.

[Modern Notts Fan 🔥]

Portsmouth have always had a strong fan base tho due to them bein a ex premier league side same as Sheffield United 

Oxford have never been massively followed but are playing good football same as Northamphton town.

i Rember when we went Oldham and sold out the stand that game was electric when we scored 

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

On 1/28/2016 at 16:44, themightymagpies said:

It wouldn't happen because its not cost effective.

@Modern Fan 1862 👍 The real issue is to how we identify ourselves sufficiently different to those that follow the Temple of Sin. Harking back to the 70's, there was some real affinity with the players/ supporters , in the bar after the match. It does require a strength of mind being a Notts supporter, rather than "following the flow" across the Trent

[Modern Notts Fan 🔥]

teams in our league Portsmouth big fan base Oxford decent fan base Northampton have never been huge but becuase there playing good football.

And have a plan and structure set there reaping the rewards and taking large amounts away from home etc we need a structure plan our  style of football to bring people in etc I'm no expert tho 

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

I hear what you say @Modern Fan 1862 👍. I think Jamie will bring structure but am unsure on setting up a team at home creativily to bring in the punters.

[Modern Notts Fan 🔥]

it's all about balance you find the balance what works what works at home and eventually players will know what there role is.

 

And when that structure happens and wins come more often people will flock through the gates ul see this next year.

Northamphton in my view if they lose wilder they will massively struggle next year and the gates won't be as big now when there winning 

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

Thing is, a lot of youths nowadays support PL clubs. When they grow up a bit, and decide they want to watch local football, they have 2 choices Nottingham wise.

The price difference really isn't that great, so really you have a choice between The Championship and League Two. The reality is, many of our younger fans will be because their family or friends have an affinity with Notts County. For entertainment to price ratio, as much as it pains me to admit it, you would probably go across the bridge. 

[Modern Notts Fan 🔥]

pricing is massive 350 quid I paid last season to sit in the kop my mate pays 400-500 at the villa my other mate pays less to watch wolves.

And I know a stoke fan who pays less he says I think we have one of the most expensive season tickets in league two and one 

[AmericanPie]

There is much that can be done to attract support.

The problem is finding ways to execute it, as whatever is done it will take years before it bares impact. I am afraid until we reach the Championship, Notts will always been seen as a local club.

[DangerousSausage]

Clubs like Oxford and Plymouth have an advantage that we don't - they are their city's club, the automatic choice for people who want to see live football there. Clubs like that have far more latent support, translating into bigger crowds when they're doing well. Our crowds, on the other hand, go up by 1000 if we're lucky.

It should be as cheap and easy (no trips to the ticket office in midweek) for people to bring their kids to matches as possible.

Obviously nothing gets bums on seats like success, but success is fleeting, especially for clubs like us. Another way to attract young fans and boost the atmopshere would be to make the club a bit of a "scene" where young people can get involved and enjoy themselves regardless of how the team is doing. The Holmesdale Ultras at Palace show how it could be done. We touched on the subject in this thread a while back. Obviously the initiative would have to come from the fans and not the club.

[Turkey_Twizzler]

I think something that we are missing that would boost the atmosphere is a song, alot of teams have them at the start for example Sheffield United have the greasy chip butty, forest have one but I can't remember the name, as I have mentioned I feel a good atmosphere will bring in younger fans, if they have fun and enjoy the atmosphere then they will come back win, lose or draw.

And I have to admit in my younger days I supported a premier league team because the media force these big teams on you and its uncool to support a team like notts because we don't spend millions and win every week, so we have to make it fun and enjoyable, at times even the drummer hasn't turned up this season, but a group of ultras would definitely help

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[liampie]

21 hours ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

Thing is, a lot of youths nowadays support PL clubs. When they grow up a bit, and decide they want to watch local football, they have 2 choices Nottingham wise.

The price difference really isn't that great, so really you have a choice between The Championship and League Two. The reality is, many of our younger fans will be because their family or friends have an affinity with Notts County. For entertainment to price ratio, as much as it pains me to admit it, you would probably go across the bridge. 

i have tried getting my friends down but they do not want to watch league one football.

most support one of the top six premiership teams but until the price goes down, i do think it will limit what support we get at home. i hope the club get involved in community projects and give out tickets even if its at a reduced rate.

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

2 minutes ago, liampie said:

i have tried getting my friends down but they do not want to watch league one football.

most support one of the top six premiership teams but until the price goes down, i do think it will limit what support we get at home. i hope the club get involved in community projects and give out tickets even if its at a reduced rate.

I think the club has a pretty good presence and does a fair amount in the community.

The ideal scenario would be for an owner to bankroll a club, allowing the club to lower prices significantly. Even so, such a policy would take many years to gain more support for the club. However, under FFP I don't know if this is even possible, even with a rich owner bankrolling everything. Clubs of our size rely heavily on those gate receipts and I would guess that lowering those ticket prices would lower how much we can spend under FFP, and eventually, the quality on the pitch, which would lead to decrease in attendance.. vicious circle.

Even the countries top clubs, whose reliance on gate receipts is a lot less due to TV and sponsorships, are still in the news for increasing prices. The PL gets a bew TV deal worth x million to each club, and the clubs then increase the cost of tickets! It's a complete p***-take. 

[liampie]

im not saying they dont have a good presence but that is not enough to attract people.

just because your kind or helpful does not mean people will reciprocate it by attending games. i just think notts need to be more direct with their marketing and challenge youngsters to back a local team.