We were regularly getting 30,000+ in the Third Division North. But that was in the 1940s. We had one 30,000+ crowd against Millwall in Division 3. The last time we had over 30,000 for a league game was 1967. In Terry Neill's day when I saw you on the South Stand regularly and at away games we never had a crowd over 27,000 and only 3 times did we get over 25,000. We could get a sudden increase for a cup game, the reverse of what happens nowadays.
But we could be thousands up if the pricing was structured better and the ground was bigger. Hull City and football in general has lost thousands of fans because of ticket prices. These fans have mainly been replaced by those with disposable income, generally the middle classes, who some would call plastic.
Except we haven't lost thousands of fans. In the last 50 years last season's average was only beaten by our first two seasons in the PLand in 1967. And all it those were by less than 200. So in fact we have gained fans on all but 3 seasons in the last 50 years. If you don't believe me have a look at the link. Interesting to look at other clubs attendances in the past as well. Some are not as good as you might expect. Others, including some who our fans think we are bigger than, are more than you might expect. http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm
BTW, the attendances in the top flight last season were the highest since 1950. The attendances in the other 3 divisions and the FA Cup were the highest since the early 1960s. The statement football has lost thousands of fans is completely wrong. It may be attracting a different sort of fan, and a type which in my opinion spoil the game and the atmosphere but crowd numbers are the highest for decades.
3,000 season ticket holders didn't renew for this season, obviously we didn't lose them all, some are still attending on match day tickets, but we've certainly lost a significant amount.
The internet doesn't seem to show individual attendances back in the 1960s. I can't find my Hull City history book which might show them. I do know that in the mid 1960s there were lots of matches hovering around the 30k mark. Millwall had an official attendance of 40k but many climbed over the fences. £50 is a lot to pay for a ticket now and if you want to take your children to matches it could easily cost all your disposable weekly income.
Sure, but how many new season ticket holders did we gain? Half the story is pointless, tell it all or tell nowt.
We got another 2,500, but that's not relevant to the point being made about lost fans. If we'd have got the new fans in addition to keeping the old one's, we could have 2,500 more season ticket holders than last season, rather than 500 less.
Well it is relevant, because the net loss was 500, not 3000 as it could appear. Besides as you stated yourself, a good chunk of the 2500 who didnt renew will still go to games buying tickets. I agree we need the stadium situation sorted, and we need it expanded, we can't grow until it is and yes, I believe we could expand our fan base with continued success and a bigger ground.
Chris Elton's book shows all the individual attendances. There was three crowds over 30,000, in 1965/1966. The Millwall one, Oxford withn32,000 and the last game against Southend 30,371. The 1966/1967 season saw 3 games over 30,000. The Boxing Day game against Huddersfield of 35,000 was the last time we got over 30,000 for a league game.
Six in two seasons but I suppose there were a lot of attendances over 25k. I wonder how many FA Cup matches there's been with over 25k. Chris Elton's book is a hard back and I am sure it's in my office somewhere.
I found Chris Elton's book in my garage! Over 25k: 1965-66 League 9 FA Cup 4 (NB Wagstaff, Chilton and Houghton all got over 20 goals) 1966-67 League 10 FA Cup 1
It was before my time supporting City but on 12/12/60 City drew 1-1 in a second replay against Darlington at Elland Road and it was abandoned after 90 minutes. Does anybody know why? We won the 4th replay 3-0.
In 1950-51 we got several attendances over 40k: Barnsley 40,890, Doncaster 40,218, Leeds 46,701 and Rotherham (FA Cup) 50,040 We finished 10th in Division 2.
Which is hardly relevant to today. Around that time Brentford were getting up to 40,000 and Charlton had crowds of over 70,000.
Brentford's highest attendance ever was 38,678 in the FA Cup and they were in the First Division in 1946-47 Charlton's highest league attendance was 68,160 against Arsenal in 1936 although they did get 75,031 in the FA Cup in 1938. In the late 1930s Charlton finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the First Division. The clubs you referred to were in the First Division with their high attendances when around the time we are discussing Hull City were either in the Third or Second Division.
Let's get this into context. City were in Division 3 in 1965/66 playing the likes of York, Scunthorpe and Rotherham, and we were getting regular crowds of way over 20,000 when all the other clubs were lucky to get 5,000. We broke crowds records all over the country. This was for a club who had won nothing. Div 3 runners up in 59 and then relegated and Div 3 North winners in 48. No other club in the country would have attracted the crowds we did in 65/66 at that level with a pedigree like ours. The 40,000 plus crowd on Boxing Day v Millwall ( the day after actually) was the biggest crowd in the country on the day. Fans turned up because the team were winning and scoring goals and every one knew that no-one would be turned away at the turnstiles. Expectations were sky high. The fans stuck with us for a while during 66/67 and returned briefly during 70/71, then tapered off. The ground fell to bits and the capacity was drastically cut which saw the chances of City ever getting a decent crowd lost forever. So why is this do you think? In 65/66 on the back of the Needler money and England winning the World Cup there was an air of optimism around the city and everyone thought, as they did during Carter's reign ( another period of massive crowds for Third Division football) that Hull City were finally going to go places. By mid 66/67 most people realised that it was another false dawn. Ditto Terry Neil's reign of 70/71. It was almost folk lore in Hull that Hull City 'do not want first division football' for all kinds of reasons and the clubs lack of success on the field and the boardroom lack of ambition fuelled that belief. Why would we attract huge crowds with that belief in a ground that only held 12,000? Hull City were virtually re-born when the KC opened and every since then crowds have been restricted to under 25,000. In football terms we are only just starting. Of course we could attract bigger crowds IF we had a bigger stadium. We are almost at maximum now and we are still in our infancy.
