Hull City gradually losing the battle for hearts and minds at the KCOM Stadium Roughly 12,000 home fans were in attendance for the season opener against Aston Villa on Monday night please log in to view this image Hull City – or its marketing arm, at least – can justifiably claim to have recorded a number of little victories in between one Championship season ending and another getting underway. BBC Radio Humberside have returned, as has the use of the club’s name in all commercial branding. There was also the launch of an “exciting new live streaming service” allowing overseas fans to watch every kick of this new campaign. PR battles are being won, pleasing plenty of supporters with natty social media treatment during the summer months, but the season opener at home to Aston Villa underlined how the war for hearts and minds is gradually being lost. An official crowd of 14,071 was there to see Nigel Adkins’ side stumble to a 3-1 defeat in front of live TV audience on Monday night. Roughly 2,000 travelling fans were included in that number but not even their presence could prevent City from recording their lowest gate for a season opener in almost 16 years at the KCOM Stadium please log in to view this image Not since the days of Boothferry Park and a very different life in the bottom tier had so few been lured through the turnstiles for the first home fixture of a new campaign and most in attendance will have suspected the actual gate was lower still. The banks of empty seats, gleefully pointed out by the visiting fans housed in the north-east corner, were another clear indication that apathy is on the rise among City fans. Numbers are markedly down and are surely yet to bottom out. None would be surprised if figures were to dip below 11,308 – the KCOM’s current lowest league crowd – at some stage this season. please log in to view this image The Mail understands City’s pool of pass holders has shrunk to roughly 8,500 for 2018-19. Three years ago, the last campaign before the membership scheme was introduced without concessions, that figure was just shy of 14,000. Put another way, four out of every 10 fans have been lost in the last three seasons. City’s business model might not rely on those numbers so long as the parachute payments keep coming from the Premier League, but haemorrhaging supporters at the current rate cannot possibly be beneficial to the club’s long-term health. Each supporter watching on from home on Monday will have had their own reasons. Some have vowed to stay away so long as the Allam family are in charge, while some will cite the absence of concessions as their greatest gripe. Then there are those – and a significant number – not nearly as interested in following City in the Championship as they are during the Premier League years. Such is life at any football club but without addressing the causes of this ongoing disenchantment, the Tigers will forever struggle to arrest the slide. please log in to view this image City appeared willing to listen to fans’ views back in the spring. A softening stance on the club’s branding strategy accompanied a supporter ballot over a revised ticketing model for 2018-19. Not once but twice they asked if concessions should be reintroduced but neither vote drew a turnout to satisfy the club’s owners. “As a club we have a responsibility to represent and consider the wider fan base,” said a statement back in early May. City’s next step was to “liaise with the Football Supporters’ Federation... in order to help us move forward with making this decision” but three months have come and gone without anything changing. And that’s the point: something’s got to give if City are to entice fans back. please log in to view this image The numbers speak for themselves. No matter the reasons and no matter the cause, this is now a football club unable to attract its supporters like it used to. Ignoring that fact will not make it go away. Without making prices more appealing and balanced and without showing the necessary ambition and intent, City’s owners are making it a harder call for supporters to leap back on board. Plenty are still here and ready to drum up the type of atmosphere that helped City to trade blows with Villa for an hour on Monday night, but for a new season to begin with less than 12,000 home supporters present illustrated the bridges that desperately need rebuilding. The KCOM Stadium is not the home it used to be. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/hull-city-gradually-losing-battle-1872147
The 8500 mentioned. I wonder if that includes those running down the three months notice? That attendance could yet be the highest this season
I wonder if that 8,500 is actually members, or also includes people who've signed up for the match cards?
Mention it yesterday in a post, Phil Buckingham and the HDM are heading for the naughty step at the KCOM, nobody tell them how to run the best club in the league. p.s. its a very good read.
Was it ever a long game? I am convinced it was a quick in and out, the sale of the KC being key. Several tantrums later and here we are wondering just exactly what comprises the remaining 8500.
I've already had my comment removed from the paper - mention anything anti-Allam - and it disappears after a few minutes
I think 8500 season ticket holders would be about right to be honest EDIT Not 'right' as in what it should be if the club was run differently, just roughly accurate as the numbers seem now
It's a crying shame. It really is..The club's value is dropping like a stone because the dynamic duo have made it the least attractive purchase option in the EFL due to their mismanagement or their business plan. Once the final parachute payment is rinsed it will be anyone's for a £1.
There's no leadership No statement of intent No ambition Our childish, vindictive, bastard owners have ****ed the club over.
Who expected anything less. What was wrong with the ticketing system anyway. Worried about a couple sneaking in on pensioners passes has led to this **** up. Moving people out of seats they had since the stadium opened. Losing friends you saw every game and cheered the team on with. Destroying sections of the support with stupid assed policies to try and save a few quid. Well ****ing done to you both. Like I say who expected anything less.
Everyone knows the off field problems we have had for a few seasons now and that,along with pricing is deffo a major,if not overall factor in the current falsified attendance figures at the KC. What’s disturbing me is the apparent return of what looks like complete Apathy amongst some of our ranks. Perfect example is over the last few seasons,scores of longer term supporters some who I have know since the 70s (some further back) are now simply drifting away from the Saturday afternoon scene all together. Whilst I Totally understand the stay away protests and respect them,these lads,some of whom I keep in touch via amateur local football have become so disillusioned with game in general,they “don’t miss Pro football at all” apparently,and that’s coming from some City lads who went home and away for years. Just saying like..
It will be very difficult if not impossible to get these fans back. It’s pretty much how I feel really. Only I’m still going through some misguided hope that this will be the season that they’ll **** off.
Quite right. It’s always harder to get people back through the door. I can’t attend now for geographical reasons but I respect those that still go and understand those that choose not to attend. My old seat in the East stand has gone and I don’t know how I would feel about that. Badly I suspect. It may be we will need a bit of euphoria such as a of a play off run to attract everyone back but with this investment level hard to see that happening for a long time, if ever.
Joint the queue to crack a bottle of bubbly when that day comes. In the meantime it’s a catch 22 situation again at City. No real investment,club up for sale,players and fans pissed off and more,this message goes out to the football world so little wonder players agents won’t allow real talent to run the risk of ridicule.
When the owners go there will be a turnaround, its just a case of when this is going to be. Anybody who hasn't got a pass who goes at the moment isn't encouraged to go back because of the lack of atmosphere and things to do with the team and manager but all that gets resolved if only the bastard owners would do one
