Mmmm I remember standing in the 'Town End' .....couldn't see much when Gills beat Peterborough 1-0 in 1974 (Keith Lindsay) during the miner's strike (a Sunday match) 13,746 if my memory serves me right....and no I haven't looked it up. It was however an experience (one of many) that will live with me forever. The atmosphere was electric, life was a bit tougher then and there was not much else to spend money on....certainly not digital games, flat screen TVs, i pads, and certainly not i phones. "Quality' entertainment is too easy to find at the press of a button and the allure of a 'successful' team to align one's self to is, again, too attractive and too easy. When 'Match of the Day' was (dare I say it) served up in black and white and only three matches shown, there was no other alternative but to go to your local team. You only have to check out some of the attendances shown 'On this day' ....southern league and 8,000+ was the norm. There are too many alternatives available now and no one (apart from us Gills fans) wants to be associated with mediocrity. City or United? is invariable the question in school nowadays unfortunately. I now work in Iraq and football is the second religion here. I am asked daily which English football team I support. When I say Gillingham....you can see the WTF expression arrive on their face! I then go to great lengths to explain the very tribal nature of English football and the reasoning behind why such 'small' teams are supported with the ferocity and passion that the national side (well the England side) can only dream of. It is because it is our team. I was born in Gillingham and despite leaving at the age of 18, I could not imagine supporting another team. I do not get to the games that I would like to but I am up until all hours (during an evening game) watching Gills live player and listening to that annoying 'clicking'......I got four hours sleep after the Northampton game. Is it the passion that is missing or are things too easy? All I know is, that those who are staying away are possibly missing out on a great part of Gills history in the making. I am sitting in the departure lounge of Dubai airport.....with a pint of Guinness as I type this.....and all being well will be heading up to Priestfield Stadium on Saturday. See you there.
WINDYROG The attendance was 12,577 ( still quite impressive ) - I too only got 4 hours sleep after the Northampton game - because I had to get up early after getting home from the match. I know that I am a complete Gills nut - but I just couldn't imagine not being at the game. ( I know that I am privileged that I can indulge my passion without any obstacle )
a couple of points here i would question. i can understand how " watching dross season after season" ( although a wee bit harsh i feel, worst position 8th League 2,) would effect attendances, but that would seem to imply an end to the dross would result in increased attendances when in fact the opposite is true- more people turned up to watch in previous seasons than now do to watch table top performances this year( and as AW says we have been top since for 6 or 7 weeks.) also agreed that the current economic troubles will have taken its toll, but that also applies to areas like rotherham chesterfield bradford and stoke( port vale) who all manage better attendances. I think there must be more to it. one contributory factor maybe the fall in season tickets at the start of the season, maybe those who didnt renew have taken the decision not to watch any games this season, but as you say, this could change as the season progresses. its just i am really suprised by it.
Something I have thought about for some while is whether the leagues are due for another reform and if that would assist in improving attendances? Just wondering how a North/South divide would work incorporated across League Two and the Conference Premier. Giving the Conference sides automatic inclusion into new structures of League Two North and League Two South. I just feel with the local interests in non league that it might help attendances increase, with also some savings from travel costs for increased spending at the gates. Obviously both the North and South Leagues would equally be seeking promotion to League One in some formula. Not sure how it could actually balance in the divide and how it would work in theory but just a suggestion.
Belfast Blue - I know we finished 8th last year, but the "football" I saw was terrible. Admittedly, living in the Midlands I usually only get to away games. But watching us capitulate at places like Burton looking completely clueless was not fun, believe me! The transformation this year is remarkable. As for comparisons with other clubs - the new stadium effect has definitely benefitted Chesterfield, Oxford and Rotherham. All averaged 4000 or less beforehand. Port Vale are pretty similar to us, I reckon. I agree about the season ticket drop. We're now more reliant on pay-on-the-day to get decent crowds - and there's always the risk that people find other things to do instead. As for the idea of a North-South divide - that would be a disaster for the many Gills fans living north of Bedford. It's not that simple anyway - the away followings to Priestfield are definitely adversely affected by the fact that most fans have to get round or through London to reach Gillingham. Compare that with all the clubs in the Midlands and North West, where it's a quick motorway hop. From where I live in Notts, I reckon I have more than 40 clubs within 2 hours.
Not a bad idea brb - with quite a few 'non-league' sides being either full time or semi-professional, there shouldn't be too much of a watering down of the standard - especially if these standards have little relevance in local derbies. It would be useful for the FA to get the thoughts of the teams that would be concerned. There would be no reason for teams that wish to remain part time from continuing in that way - with the attraction of potentially higher attendances. With reference to the promotion from a L2 North & South, I would think that it might work if one automatic place and one play off place from each division made up th 4 places that are currently available from L2. There has got to be a better way than contemplating long journies for fans of L2 teams, to unattractive destinations? Of course this leads me to raise the subject of the fixture listing. You may remember in a previous thread I was complaining at the number of long distance mid-week games we have ( when several more local games were being played on Saturday) - and of course not including the mid-week games scheduled on the Champions League nights. The authorities don't seem to want to help smaller clubs, because travelling to Exeter on a Tuesday ( 12 March 2013 ) followed by a trip to Morcambe 4 days later can be avoided. And at the Easter weekend ( when local derbies were all the rage ), we travel to Fleetwood on the Saturday and make the fans fo Rotherham suffer a long trip to Priestfield on the Monday - how is that going to inspire a 'family afternoon at the football' ?
eager- agree with your quality of football opinion in generall( too much hoofball and no organisation, i began loosing hope after the two 4 goal home defeats in the run in of hess's first season) but it could have been worse given where we finished- ie if we lost a lot more games and were bottom half. brb- definitely against north south divide- that would be the nail in the coffin- by definition making it regional football - ie non league status. If the conference is national then surely everything above it needs to be. by the way, maybe its not that bad- if we were in the division above- we would be sitting mid table in the attendance league!
EagerExile - there aren't that many fans north of Bedford that would be affected. Sad for them, but you can't bend over backwards for such a small per centage. Any fans ( of any opponents ) north of Watford, have had the travel problems to Gillingham to which you refer for time immemorial - and will continue to do so in whatever division we find ourselves. There are 11 'northern' based teams in L2. This situation will not promote any large following of away fans. The top of the table clash at Port Vale attracted 366 Gills fans - this following a team in pole position who had won all their previous away games. Even when we played Rochdale in the away leg of the semi-final of the last play- off campaign we only took circa 800. I agree with brb that consideration to a reform should be considered as a feasibility study. if not then the general timing of games of lower league fixtures - especially the distance of mid-week matches that could be moved to a Saturday, and most especially to avoid fixtures on Champions League nights
I think you'd be surprised by the number of exiles in the Midlands and North, actually. Besides, I'm passionately opposed to a geographical split for more basic reasons. It just devalues the product. Anyway, this debate needs to be more about attracting more of our own fans to home games, rather than boosting away followings.
EagerExile - I agree with you that more needs to be done ( for all lower league teams ) to boost the home attendance - but we shouldn't dismiss any idea that may make that possible. Regarding the number of exiles in other parts of the country - I've been to all the games this season - and the fans that go to the more northern destinations are practically all from the area of the Medway towns - the same faces every time. I accept that there are a handful of Gills fans 'up north' that turn up for those games - but not as many as you'd like me to believe. I do have sympathy for the Gills fans that are constrained from attending games because of distance ( although home matches involve a 100 mile journey for me ) - but you have to be pragmatic to realise that sometimes change can be better - but not for the suffering 1%
so you wont be backing my campaign for the club to introduce complimentary return matchday flights from Ireland then? Shame! anyway, another home game tomorrow- are we going to see crowds edge up, any predictions? I would go for about 5300, but kids for a quid i guess could see us get north of 6K, so 6046
- That's right ! - due to family commitments I have to miss one game this season ( away at Torquay ) - I will be inconsolable !!
