Well I for one only attended the last 2 home games & the away game at Swinton. I am a die hard fan every season for 63 years & I would not attend until the very end. I did have a season ticket & I do not think I am the only elderly supporter who stayed away for so long. I intend to be back next year & hopefully others will be too.
Only the club know how many season tickets were sold last year but no doubt they have partly based their financial estimates for next year on the last one.
I would expect 2,000 - 2,300 home supporters for the first home game. If we start winning consistently it will increase hopefully to 2, 800 -3,000. It will depend on performances.
As regards cost I personally do not think £22 is too much for a game. With a season ticket that amounts to £15.38 each. I think the early phased attending times last year & the bars closing at half time were a disaster affecting attendances.The club hopefully will have spoken to those responsible to ensure similar things are not repeated. As regards making the afternoon a spectacle I am content with the game alone. I am not aware other championship clubs doing much extra either. A junior match at half time & something game related like a goal kicking competition prior to the game may help if can be organised.
These conditions are set by the local council not the club.
Fan Zones etc won't do any harm but the core problem IMHO is that many people have got out of the habit and as has been mentioned may never bother again
Also, I honestly think that some people have given up on the club as a club aiming to get back into SL and don't have the stomach to watch a 2nd tier team not really in contention or not looking close to being in contention.
This has been exacerbated by the closing of the academy....
Agree with the comments , and believe a warm up game may help - the Widnes amateur cup could be played - don’t think there are 8 teams to compete so that would make it easier , give the amateur clubs some free tickets for them to sell and they make a few Bob
Some suggestions. 1. Put a Widnes women's game on prior to the match. 2. Encourage the council to have a fanzone. on Leigh Rec. Bouncy castle, beer tent, meet past players, band stage. 3. I know there are financial constraints, but , advertising & promoting games needs to increase. Pocket fixture lists through as many doors as possible, posters in pubs & around town, players walking through town on a Saturday handing out leaflets etc. Pub night promotion drives. I always have a season tkt, but tried, unsuccessfully, 3 times to buy one last season.Hopefully I’ll have better luck this year.
Who would pay for it Mick ? We have no money and I’m not sure it would be an easy sell to the council who would expect a return on their outlay.
@jdgsport Maybe an NFL Tailgate type of experience in the club parking area would be something to try? Encourage people to come to the stadium early and have some lunch(BBQ) Maybe even put a live band on,it must be worth considering.
Who would pay for it Mick ? We have no money and I’m not sure it would be an easy sell to the council who would expect a return on their outlay.
Cost would be minimum all it needs is a few portable kegs n pumps, even Halifax managed to get one up the top of the terracing for the Widnes fans. The club need to play hardball with the council and at least try to do something. Why cannot VIQI fund it after all it's the fans money?
The main thing is a winning team playing entertaining rugby, everyone is aware of that and its something we have sadly lacked in recent years. However it's not enough, the world has changed, like it or not. People have more that they can do and expect more these days. It needs to be an entertaining experience and a bit more polished and professional in the way the match day is presented.
Having an amateur kids game before the match is not for the entertainment of those watching, it gets local kids involved and brings in parents that maybe don't go the games. I used to love playing at the stadium when I was a kid. If you have a few different teams over the course of a season, that's a lot of kids/parents who could become hooked and start going the games as new fans.
I also think in terms of fan engagement we need to get the social club back at the front of the stadium and offer interviews after the game with the coach and MOM. It would be much easier with a winning team and would take say 20 mins after the game. Free entry at first to gauge popularity, if its really busy maybe £1 or £2 entry with a cheap pint at the bar?
Have something outside the reception area or where the club shop used to be before the game, kemik mascot, Vikings beer/hot dog stand, Vikings face painting, souvenir stall with flags, scarfs and Viking hats and a competition/raffle to win a signed Vikings shirt or ball. Call it the Viking Zone, paint the Tarmac around the reception area black with Viking Zone logo in white on it. Promote it on facebook/instagram and on the mic before the game for the following week.
All these suggestions are things to implement when the team is top of the table, not below 8th place and conceding 60 point hidings.
I’d agree with that on some level Sinbad, but easier to get to the top of the table if we can get initiatives going that genuinely increase attendances. I think some of the “lost” fans wrote off last season after the shocking early performances and will come back if we start the season well. Think everyone would agree results and performances on the pitch will always be the thing that makes most difference to crowd figures.
All these suggestions are things to implement when the team is top of the table, not below 8th place and conceding 60 point hidings.
So how does a club raise the funds to climb from 8th to the top, if there's not really anything they can do to improve the experience (ergo improve revenue) before then?
We don't need to be top of the table. Better than last year yes. We have signed 11 new players. We need to build momentum and get the feel good factor back. A good game day experience and increased fan involvement and participation is all part of that. For me it's a dual approach both on and off the field.
We don't have a Degsy to bank roll the team regardless so realistically we won't be top of the table next year. Teams like Batley and Halifax aren't top either but have a good go at it.
The only difference on the "Game Day Experience" between now, the 70's,89's, 90's is that then we had a Winning team which created a winning mentality with the supporters. It probably cost the same % of earnings then as it does now. The Players, Board, Back room Staff and everybody involved in the club have to up their game to accomplish this if we want the club and the town to flourish again.
I agree with much of what has been said, a lot of the ideas suggested to improve the fan experience are really good, but I think they help to retain fans and grow a fan base once the team is performing rather than bringing in fans when the team is struggling. I hope through the pre season the club keeps us all well informed through its social media channels and really promotes the new (hopefully improved) squad and generates some interest for the start of the season. If the team starts well then crowds should build, some incentives and a couple of gameday experiences might help that but ultimately the match itself has to be the major incentive to go along.