How can we really...

[Myleftfoot]

try and make some difference to the attendance?  Not looking for smart ass answers!    But we need more thru' the door!  8)

[Bostonshire]

Think if results go ok we may balance out around 800-850 for the remainder of the season, its next season that we need to work on in gates wise.

Nowt will work this season with us not really playing for anything

[Ken Fox]

Nothing to play for?

Boston still have a cup final to play against those big spenders! 

Should not think it will get that many extra through the gates though. 

Not like in the 1940s when a Lincs County Cup final would get gates in excess of 8000.

[noughtyforties]

Found any gems in those programmes yet Dr.......?

[Ken Fox]

Found any gems in those programmes yet Dr.......?

A couple in the 1935 programmes about the crowd being particularly rude in their barracking of the manager and players during matches. Nothing changes at Boston in 80 years!

Many thanks for the loan. I just love reading old programmes.

[feelinblue]

Nothing to play for?

Boston still have a cup final to play against those big spenders! 

Should not think it will get that many extra through the gates though. 

Not like in the 1940s when a Lincs County Cup final would get gates in excess of 8000.

Very true Ken, but don't you think the Lincolnshire FA have devalued the whole County Cup competition by creating a "second tier" Shield, and pandering to the Chimps whims?
I remember the 70's county cup matches as very special affairs, unlike today

[Ed Kandi]

Maybe the club could make an effort to get more of the local immigrant population through the gates. I've noticed a few turning up for matches lately 8)

[Lord Cutler Knobhead]

Maybe the club could make an effort to get more of the local immigrant population through the gates. I've noticed a few turning up for matches lately 8)

As they integrate into the community, they'll start to come.  We need to get the town talking about it though, we need to start winning games.

[B Grimes]

According to the stats we are still averaging just over 900 for the season, which all things considered I dont think is too bad at all.

[Myleftfoot]

According to the stats we are still averaging just over 900 for the season, which all things considered I dont think is too bad at all.

Good point. I am certainly going to stepup my efforts and contributions best I can. C'mon you Pilgrims. 

[Ed Kandi]

According to the stats we are still averaging just over 900 for the season, which all things considered I dont think is too bad at all.

It doesn't look too bad, but will the club break even on 900+?

[B Grimes]

If it can't then even though it will prove unpopular to fans and most certainly managment alike, then the cloth unfortunately will have to be cut accordingly which will obviously impact on everything the team does which then may reduce crowds even further

[B Grimes]

Just glanced at the stats and whilst some attendances including those promoted are understandably up, Brackley 49%,Oxford 38%, Vauxhall 33%, the majority and not just in our division but across the board are down, including Chester who whilst still averaging nearly 2500 are still 12% down, Halifax 16% down which is the same as us 16% down

You can try begging, borrowing or even renting a bigger crowd, but it just highlights the fact that not even on pitch success will give a guarantee of it and if you want a reminder of that have a look at our averages from when we were bottom of the Northern Prem, they were consistenty higher then than now

Simple fact of life in these austere times, that many many people simply dont have the money to come, opting understandably to spend it on more important things like food and bills

[Maxross]

try and make some difference to the attendance?  Not looking for smart ass answers!    But we need more thru' the door!  8)

Speaking as a guy with 3 boys who are very keen to come along and watch Boston, I would love to see the club find a cheaper family/child pricing structure.  We have to travel 20 miles to get to the home games, pay for parking and I usually have to buy them a hot dog or burger.  In the current climate, I personally cannot afford to do that every home match due to the gate fee, which is usually approx. £35, even though I have a good job. 

In my opinion, if kids are keen to come to matches, then the Club should be trying everything to get them in every week with cheap tickets and then keep them coming.  Younger kids will inevitbly bring their full paying parents along (if aditional parents come along it could pay for the costs of reducing kids tickets?) and if you can get them in the habbit, they will continue coming for life hopefully which maintains or increases your fanbase.

Speaking personally, none of my family encouraged me to watch football and I moved up to Boston at 9 so had no natural affinity for the club.  I was given a free ticket by my school to watch Boston and so went along. I really enjoyed the match and the fact that I could get in for £2-£3 got me coming regularly.  I carried on as an adult and its something I've done regularly ever since. In addition I got 4 or 5 of my mates interested who began coming regularly, some later became season ticket holders and of those, one or two's of their dads bought season tickets.  It just goes to show that these type of promotions can easily attract new fans, and even have a knock on effect on those who are not the direct beneficaries.

What about a campaign of free tickets for kids handed out at schools, with a cheaper regular gate fee?  Say £1-£3 for under 10's and £5 for 10-16 year olds? I think by doing this the club would attract extra kids/juveniles and also extra parents. Just as an ilustration for those who say it would cost the club too much, if you have for example 10 kids paying £5 it will make you £50, whereas if you have 5 paying £7 it will make you £35.  Its not always as simple as that but I think its well worth a try based on all the other advatages.

[Finchley Tiger]

Agree with much of what you say Maxross, getting kids interested in local clubs is vital. My dad took me to see Worksop before I was school age and I became hooked.

One interesting promotion I read about a couple of years ago was one club charged kids £22 for a season ticket, however, when the child came to the game the club gave them £2 back, so if they went to all 11 home league games the season ticket was then effectively free.

From memory they did this for two reasons:

Firstly, they had considered making them free, but their experience was that kids who had no intention of going to games would still get a season ticket as they were free and not go to games, plus there was still an associated cost with producing and administering the free tickets. They argued that by charging upfront only kids that really had any intention of going to games would then take up the offer and there was an incentive to go to the game as they had already paid.

Secondly, by giving the kids £2 back on entering the game, there was a feel good factor for the kids that they were getting something back, plus kids being kids what do you think they did with the £2 - spent it on sweets/chocolate/crisps, etc. so the club got the money back anyway. As for the kids they were happy as it felt like they had got in for free and the club had given them money for sweets so more likely to come back (and spread the word amongst their friends)

I've no idea how successful it was, but an interesting idea