I spotted this on the BBC website earlier and our drop in attendances is mentioned. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21142999 However I was a bit bored last week and decided to check our attendances compared to last year and found that after 14 home league games we are slightly better than last season. Both of the figures below have x4 Tuesday night matches. 2011/12 = 12627 average attendance over 14 home games. 2012/13 = 12742 average attendance over 14 home games. Not a big improvement but at least its not a drop. I also think that our attendances will increase due to our standing in the league table so we might see a better figure at the end of the season. Does anyone know what our maximum capacity currently is, and what else we could do to get it to that level every match (not including away fans)?
Don't know the maximum attendance possible, probably about 15,000 but what I will say as it is pretty clear what watford need to do to reach the maximum and that's keep doing what they are doing, people are now showing an interest, at the start of the season watford were poor at home and the attendance and atmos was clearly low but watford have really turned it on from that early season results (remember losing 5 in a row including conceding 5 against Derby!!!) the attendance will steadily increase now.
I've found the full attendance records now: 02/03 = 13404 03/04 = 14879 04/05 = 14289 05/06 = 15449 06/07 = *18750* (Premier League) 07/08 = 16876 08/09 = 14858 09/10 = 14344 10/11 = 13108 11/12 = 12710 12/13 = 12742....so far
Its interesting, but they do compared the 07/08 season figure, which was when we were at the top of the league, and had expectations to get promoted for most of the season. It is very disappointing to see the figures to have tumbled to under a 13,000 average, I wonder how the ticket prices compare during the same period (cant remember off the top of my head). Is that the reason for falling attendances? Or that our expectations have been low until this campaign?
It is why they say "lies, damned lies and statistics" - they compare our first season back from the Premiership when we were runaway leaders till October with now
The currenct capacity is about 17.5k I think the recession has hit us a bit, so people do have to think twice about what they are spending their money on Hopefully success and a new style of football will bring back more fans, and attract a new generation. The day out does need to be more affordable, and it seems the club is trying to address this with certain offers - is it a family ticket (2 adults, 2 kids) for £40? Deals like this will help...
I'm pretty sure that full capacity is 21,000 presently. There are a number of factors that affect attendance and I'm sure that with success they will grow again. Overall football has been affected by the long reccesion, cost of tickets, TV, other obligations or other activities. Also (and this includes Watford) the ability to identify with your local team.
17,477 is the official capacity according to the football league. Not sure if that counts the seats that are covered in the Vicarage Road end.
I believe that there were around 20,000 seats in the ground after the development of the Rookery End in the mid 90s but over 3,500 of these are "unusable" due to a number of reasons: * closure of the "Main Stand" and the "Bonser Extension" * segregation of fans in the Vicarage Road Stand * bottom seats of the Lower Rous at the Vicarage Road End have no view of the ground because of the slope of the pitch (which was going to be removed when the pitch was next renewed - but hasn't been up to now) * "Gene Kelly stand"/old Family Enclosure seats removed So I think we're down around the 16,500 mark (which is below the average attendance in 2007-8!)
I'm hoping to get a season ticket next year for my birthday, which will be my first That'll increase the attendance by 1. I turn 16 on the day the Championship Season starts, but if we're in the prem, i think we start a week later. Can i get an under 16 season ticket, if i buy it before i'm 16?
I suspect you could buy an under-16 season ticket before you are 16 (I don't know how rigorous the age checking is in the ticket office), but I'm pretty sure the rules stipulate that you need to be under 16 when you attend the match, not when you buy the ticket - but then who's going to check on each match day?
This article is showing just how expensive football has become and what some would like to see happen. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21181709 To take a quote from it; " In October, the BBC's Price of Football survey revealed that the average cost of the cheapest adult ticket in the top four divisions of English football had risen by 11.7% in 12 months - more than five times the rate of inflation." I was reading earlier that Arsenal are now reduced to putting some of their tickets on general sale at an economic price of £60
The fall in attendances since I last went (Oct 09) has bothered me somewhat. I get all the economic arguments, but even when the playing side of things picks up there doesn't seem to be that much of an increase in the gates. I wonder how much the state of the ground puts people off? I live deep in Northampton Saints rugby territory here, and several friends who travel to watch them away from home have expressed a severe dislike of the Vic. 'Horrible place'. Not sure how much of that stems from their innate dislike of Sarries anyway, but it gave me a new perspective on somewhere that I regard as a home from home.
Trouble is whilst we are playing good football £25 is still a lot for somebody who maybe cannot afford to come or has other options...like sitting at home watching a Premiership match in the comfort of their home.
Many potential fans have been priced out of the game ever since all seater stadia were introduced. Increased revenue has been needed to pay off loans for new and improved stadia aswell as the hike in players wages, agents, transfer and lawyers fees. The game has become too expensive.
Well the home supporters attendance has crept up. It was hovering around 11-11.5k early season and its now around 12k up. I think the combination of reasonable ticket prices (not cheap mind) next season irrespective of which division we're in, the better quality football and the inability to get into other grounds may attract others with/without their children. I would be surprised if our attendance wasn't regularly up around 14-15k by the end of the season.
What do our relatively low attendances this season suggest? That Watford have fewer glory hunters than other clubs.
Don't worry, still plenty of time for glory hunters. A full stadium will always sound good (atmosphere wise) and the extra revenue will let the Pozzo's know they picked the right club.
I think traffic congestion, the parking nazi's and relatively poor links on public transport all contribute to the poor attendances. There is also the paucity of decent pubs in the town too. The club gets little or no real support from the council who are more interested in getting the locals around the ground to vote for them than having a successful, vibrant and busy club on their doorstep. The more successful the club, the better off the whole town is likely to be. I did not renew my Sarries season ticket a few years ago because I could not face doing the journey every week, let alone twice in one weekend.
