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Fanbase

Discussion in 'Sunderland' started by Roker Lad, Dec 7, 2020.

  1. Roker Lad

    Roker Lad New Member

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    How big is our catchment area in the North East? South Shields, County Durham etc
     
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  2. Nads

    Nads Well-Known Member

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    In theory up to 360k approx, although there will be Mags in those areas to lower it.

    Same applies though, Gateshead, Jarrow, Felling etc you get Sunderland fans from Tyneside.

    350k is a good estimate.
     
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  3. safc-noggieland

    safc-noggieland Well-Known Member

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    I think you are little on the consevative side with 350 k.
    I’ve seen SAFC paraphanalia in pubs and bars all the way up to & including Berwick as well as the whole of the old Durhan County.
    Not saying all - but a goodly splattering all over. Of course the more the club achieves the more will stick their heads up over the parapets.
    KTF
     
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  4. Nads

    Nads Well-Known Member

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    Oh aye could certainly be more mate, up to the borders, but then I’m also calculating some parts of Wearside that are mixed,
     
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  5. safcycharlie

    safcycharlie Active Member

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    Harrogate, Ripon and around there used to have a strong Sunderland following even with Leeds close by
     
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  6. Millfield Maestro 1879

    Millfield Maestro 1879 Well-Known Member

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    I done a piece of work on almost exactly this when I was at university many years ago (late 90s). 350k is arguably Conservative for now and id edge toward the 500k mark. In the 90s it was double that despite our turmoil and Newcastle riding high on the keegan wave. I know back then our world wide sphere of influence was one of the largest in the UK only behind Man utd, Liverpool, Tottenham, arsenal, celtic and rangers. Some might not believe that and may even scoff at it but it was true.

    There is huge untapped potential within our fanbase if we start getting things right at the club
     
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  7. safc-noggieland

    safc-noggieland Well-Known Member

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    Many moons ago 70’s 80’s even later there was an active scandinavian (Sweden + Norway) supporters club that was only bettered by Liverpool.
    Sadly that broke up - but there is still a vociferous group still active in Norway.
    Keeping T F
     
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  8. Nads

    Nads Well-Known Member

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    I remember reading a few year back somewhere similar, around the Reid time.

    Supposedly that was how we got the Nike deal (that was an ACTUAL Nike deal in the Reid years)
     
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  9. 6inarow

    6inarow Well-Known Member

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    Im pretty sure that Sunderland has the second biggest London supporters branch members after Man Utd...long time ago I read that mind
     
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  10. Nordic

    Nordic Well-Known Member

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    Still a few of us about....
     
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  11. polyphemus

    polyphemus Well-Known Member

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    With our current performances, I wouldn't even claim a Fanbase of ONE in my house.:emoticon-0184-tmi:<grr>
     
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  12. cumbrianmackem

    cumbrianmackem Well-Known Member

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    My family come from Felling and there were seven of us who went regularly in the 60a & 70s, there were many more than us in the area but mostly died off by now.
    there has always been fans travelled into Sunderland for match days from all over the North East, whether that's true today I don't know.
    even when we moved over to Cumbria in the late 90a a favourite stop off was Kirkby Stephen there was always fans queuing at the chippy on the way home from games.
     
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  13. SAFC man

    SAFC man New Member

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    I read the SOL can be extended to 66,000.

    If we were a top team, playing in the Champions League etc , could we fill that?
     
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  14. Evil Jimmy Krankie

    Evil Jimmy Krankie Well-Known Member

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    We probably could but we’d have to have been playing at that level for quite a few years beforehand.
     
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  15. Smug in Boots

    Smug in Boots Well-Known Member

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    We could now and again but it's pointless tbh. The stadium looks good now, we can fill it and the extra gate revenue wouldn't be worth the bother.

    We'd be much better off improving the area around the ground, facilities, access and transport.

    The Champions League, in my opinion, isn't what it was and I'd only really be interested for the away games.

    After Covid has finished cheap flights may be harder to some by and the NE will be economically hit.

    Sunderland and Newcastle get the crowds they do because its relatively cheap, sometimes free.

    Newcastle are stuck forever in a crumbling stadium at a ground they don't even own.
     
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    Last edited: Jan 24, 2021
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  16. Oliver's Army

    Oliver's Army Well-Known Member

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    I'd be surprised if it ever got to it's max potential capacity which is around that figure I believe. I think Bob Murray is on record saying he only put the north stand extension on because the council would have refused permission if the aquatic center was built, so he got in their first with that one.
     
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  17. rb92

    rb92 Well-Known Member

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    You could make an argument that we should never have expanded it to 48k, 42k feels about right. Sir Bob got a bit ahead of himself after the 7th placed finishes and I think felt we had to match Newcastle’s redevelopment of their own ground. He should have invested in the squad rather than spending £6m or whatever it was to increase the capacity.

    Even when we were established in the top flight under Short for 10 years our average attendance hovered around 40k most of the time. Okay we might fill it for a big game now and again but up against the likes of Wigan or Bolton there’d be thousands of empty seats.

    If the club were consistently competing at the top of the Prem I think we would fill the SoL but that’s not happening anytime soon if ever.
     
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  18. Comfy

    Comfy Well-Known Member

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    Think the extension wasn’t a necessity for us but it does give us a chance to get massive crowds for home games, it also gave us a good chance to get some international tournaments matches
     
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  19. Oliver's Army

    Oliver's Army Well-Known Member

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    Aye, it would be class for gigs and boost non football income. We might get an NFL game or that rugby weekend thing that they do. Big boxing fights etc.
     
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  20. Smug in Boots

    Smug in Boots Well-Known Member

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    This obsession with crowd sizes is usually something the Mags are famous for, perhaps it's all they have. I mean, the endless boasting about the size of their famous waiting list <doh>

    I don't often hear Leicester supporters going on about extending their ground.
     
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