we were top of the old Div 1 back in the glory years and we would attract 22-23,000 for top games and 15,000-18,000 for the rest, that averages out at about what we are getting now so as far as I'm concerned the stadium is spot on. We need to stay in the premiership for a few more years yet before we even think about seeing if it will be worth the expense of expanding, I'm not convinced that apart from 3 or 4 games we would fill a 25,000 seater,..We couldn't last time when it was cheaper and more convenient so why would we regularly get these extra fans from knowing its very expensive to follow the swans......A white elephant if ever there was one......
The only thing with that dai is that comparing 30 years ago with today is that now the game is considered family entertainment, so we are by definition attracting the whole family to the game, so the demand is there. Also as we are in the premier league and it's vastly different to the old div1 , we should capitalise on that now, I don't understand the wait a few years scenario , in a few years we could get relegated so would have wasted an opportunity, in business you strike while the iron is hot. We are selling out now, we have met the first criteria of stadium expansion set by Jenkins , the second criteria is to stay in the league, we will know in due course that, but the board will make a decision before the guarantee of staying up, thereby a calculated risk. Besides all the waiting or going ahead debate, it's out of our hands anyway the board will decide what is best, and I trust their judgement.
You can't be serious , I see far more families and women at our games than the vetch ever, I loved the place but family friendly it most certainly wasn't .
jager all thats changed is its more comfortable and better facilities, there was as many families going then as there are today, it was cheaper in them days and more convenient too......there is no change today as yesteryear....
There's a whole load of people that'd disagree with you on that Dai. I've just spent ages translating Angel's latest blog so I can't be bothered to dig, but I'd say there's cast iron statistical proof there's been a huge correlation between football becoming all seater and more of a branded "product", and more families (in particular women and children) attending games than ever before.
i was going in them days and anyone else who was there would know that the north bank was primarily lads and a few lasses but the rest of the ground was families and school trips and the like, there is no real change today apart from a more friendly ground where families can sit anywhere,,,,why should there be, football was as popular then as it is now and much more easier on the wallet then to take your whole family than it is today.....
there's always been a few women and girls, but not like it is nowadays, football s more family friendly these days.
Dai there is a huge difference from the vetch to the liberty, the facilities have changed massively and that is attracting families and the kids, there is a huge uptake of families now. And our support has more than doubled since we left the vetch, and one of the reasons is the fact that football in Swansea is more to do with an entertainment than the lads in the north bank, I would say its gone from the 80%~90% lads going to games to about 60%-70% now.--and the rest made up of kids and families.
I've got to agree with more family attending (or so it would appear),I used to stand on the North Bank and with the exception of a few wannebe hoolys kids the majority were made up of males, looking at the Liberty where ever you look there are groups of familys , I know quite a few who now attend as family groups including my own who sit in the west stand (I'm in the East you've got to have own own space sometimes don't you know)
Its a no brainer that there are more families now compared to the heady days of the Vetch. Agreed there were some wives in the the South stand and West Upper but the North Bank was 90% + male. Far more wives and daughters go today and ask any lady who went to the Vetch how the facilities for women have changed and you will get a ringing endorsement for the Liberty.
Why would there be more families today and not before, most of you were not born?? if the older ones on here were going with their dads when they were young then you would know. take it from us old geezers who went with our families at the time....you youngsters would not have a clue anyway and why would you....Families were as popular then as they are today......and that is a fact........I was there.... It may seem like more now because we have an all seater stadium and full houses and in the early days we would have crowds that would fluctuate between 2,000 - 32,000 (arsenal cup) so the proportional family attendance is the same as today.....no more no less....
Dai I have been watching the swans since the 70s , so used the thing that tells me what I say is the fact of the matter, and that is my eyes and memory! I know that kids and families were a rare thing down the vetch as I was one of them and there was hardly any women or kids there!
jager your memory is fading pal, as a kid who did you go with. it was very popular with families that they built a brand new Family stand... even the disabled had their own part of the ground. only the north bank was void of families, the rest of the ground was littered with mums,dads cousins, uncles and boys and some girls, there was groups of scouts from time to time who would have a tour of the ground and meet some of the players, there was all sorts to attract the young and old into the vetch which is much the same as what happens today.....nothing has changed...
Dai a huge amount has changed I went with my elder brother and a few friends, we went mostly to the north bank but did go to the double decker on quite a few times, but there was nowhere near the amount of families there than there is now. I am sorry mate but everyone else is seeing it but you, yes kids and families went to the vetch, but far more percentage wise and any other wise go to the liberty, it's fact and I have seen articles backing this up, when I get home from work I'll dig them out and post links to it, and these are club links not from the media, or media links quoting the club directly.
Sorry Dai I must agree with Jager and I speak as a young kid who was at the Arsenal cup game, its true that there were familes going but mainly sons and fathers. In terms of wives and daughters there was nothing like the numbers of today both in actual terms or percentage and if you just focused on daughters, girlfriends or bits on the side then it would blow the Vetch numbers for those well out of the water,
why would you notice whether there was just dads with there sons, if thats the case what would you say today. its exactly the same today as when we were at the vetch, there are more boys than girls, nothing has changed its just you are more than likely be sitting near or next to families today than you were in the north bank and that would tell your brain that there are more than at the vetch, but that is not true, in proportion due to different attendances they are roughly the same, it is bound to look more but in reality there is not much difference if any at all,
Its not just the North Bank I spent a lot of time behind the goals on the East Bank admiring Tony Millington's acrobatics and cant remember too many families there. I think we will agree to disagree on this one, lets just focus on the excellent progress being made both on and off the pitch.
i know i stood there many a time, but what happened the built a new family stand and that is what it was called and that was due to the fact that the club wanted an enclosed stand for families......i wonder what happened to that stand anyway ...
