according to a report published by Deloitte on football finance, our average gate has gone up 77% since moving to the KC. That is the largest jump by any of 30 clubs that have moved to new stadia. They measured it by looking at the average attendance over the time period since we moved and an equivalent time before the move. now it just so happens that the before period coincides with our worst ever league positions and post-move the best ever so you have to factor that as well. whatever, I think the move to the KC was a key factor in the rise up the leagues and without it we probably wouldn't have made it out of the bottom 2. BTW: one other interesting fact that I found. In the season that Newcastle were in the Championship, Newcastle's revenues amounted to close to 1/3rd of the total revenue for the league. Perhaps they really are a "big club".
I think they've got that wrong. We moved midseason and I'm sure in the first half of the season we only got about 9k average at BP with an increase to about 12k after the move. In every full season since from then up to promotion to the PL we averaged about 16-17k. I thought the last 3 years we'd averaged 20k or over which would be over 100% increase since the move.
There's no denying Newcastle are a big club, they have the 4th (is it?) largest attendances in the country despite a lack of trophies for years (1969 Fairs Cup was the last I think, if you don't count the Intertoto Cup they won) Boothferry Park was a smaller ground but filled with die-hards who created more of an atmosphere, albeit a "smaller club mentality". I personally think we're a bigger club now although this is something previous management have tried hard to do but never achieved.. if you look at the managers we've had they're all well-known names - Molby, Hately, Little, Brown etc.. but the majority failed, were failed by the owners or hindered by finances. For sure, the KC has given us greater revenue, and a more positive and modern outlook, unfortunately we don't have BP's atmosphere but we don't have 20k "fanatics" to fill it. The nature of football spectators has changed - middle classes, families, locals who have started supporting the club because it's performing better. We can't turn these people away but accept they're part and parcel of the modern game and necessary to the growth of the club.
I honestly dont agree. A big club is one that wins and is successful, what you're talking about there is a club in a big city. Like Leeds, Newcastle SHOULD get big crowds - they are one club cities with large populations. If we flip this argument who would you say is the biggest club in Germany or Italy? Ask any German or Italian and they would say Bayern and Juventus but they nowehere near get the biggest crowds. Juve in particular in the last few seasons have averaged around 20k while the 2 Milan clubs get nearly treble that. They are also about to move into a stadium that has seen capacity reduce by over 30,000 seats compared to their last permanent home becuase they couldnt fill it. Yet undoubtedly they are Italy's number 1 club.
Well said Tigercity and Ricardo I loved Boothferry park, and if we could go back in time, redevelop the ground by building stands to hold around 25,000, I would be more then happy!! Could you imagine a 7,500 seater Kempton (although the fun of terrecing has gone). The KC has helped get the club where it is. Taylor said the main thing that drew him to the club was the KC, and without the KC I doubt AP's group of investors would have been as interested. That attraction brought in two key figures for our development, Adam Pearson and Peter Taylor. I like the KC very tidy ground, lovely pitch, great views from everywhere. But just not got the Boothferry Park passion
The best way to make Hull City a big club is to build a massive stadium and sell the tickets cheaply. If you have a 60,000 or 80,000 stadium and selling cheaper tickets for £10 then you will fill it and make money on merchandise, programs and food. we are just messing about thinking about adding 5,000 at a time and making it dependent on being able to fill it. Attendances always are a function of price as well as success.
The KC did used to be just as atmospheric as Boothferry the final years at, it's only since the prem years it's got a bit quiet. Even now, it's not as if we sit in silence for the full game like some grounds, it's just our home form last year put everyone to sleep. It doesn't help that our current set of songs are a load of bollocks, make no sense and are mostly copied from other clubs.
Hartlepool just came up with a great idea they offerd season tickets for £100 if they sold 4000 there average gate was 2200 last season. They now have 7200 season ticket holders thats 5000 extra fans buying beer programms and pies aswell as generating an atmosphere.
People always say that but the population of Newcastle is less than Hull. You could say that you should include the surrounding areas but if you do that with most places you get a fairly big figure.
You're right, and the main reason Hull is always thought of as a smaller city than it actually is, is that people never include the surrounding areas. In other cities the suburbs are considered part of the city but for some reason in Hull none of the villages are counted in population.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_United_Kingdom_settlements_by_population They're obviously changing all the time, and I'm pretty sure we were 8th a few years ago but now 10th in England.
Frankly, the Hartlepool chairman is a genius. Imagine the extra revenue they'll get, along with a better atmosphere, as the stadium will be twice as full every week (compared to last season) I presume you were listening to TalkSport yesterday evening with Durham and Gough?
Bear in mind I was only at Boothferry from 1998 (not my fault, I was 5 then) I'm sure the atmosphere was a lot better years before that when they could squeeze 40,000 in there.
Well done Hartlepool. 7200 x £100 = £720k. 2200 x £250 = £550k. Increase of £170k As you say they generate extra income on food, shirts, etc too, plus get people back following their local clubs. Think Bradford do something similar, and they were getting 13,000 every game last season even though in the bottom half of Div2. I think the bottom 2 divisions are gradually getting back to what it used to be like, charging a fair price and also paying sensible wages to their players.
or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_districts_by_population but i suppose it depends what you add in. we have no big nearby places but newcastle merges into gateshead, south shields, etc.
