Match Yesterday

[jardi]

Palmylad, - life is about compromises, and people do work half days on Saturday, - but that should not make the early kick-offs unworkable.

Those who play on a Saturday, - could agree to do some extra time elsewhere to make up for taking an hour or so off.

[JRSLEFTPEG]

I noticed a dramatic change in the local population during the record breaking season of last. Having grown up watching some very poor Queens teams there were the poor crowds to match. Palmylads photo of the East Stirling game and sparse crowd was a usual in those and earlier days . What did happen though - what isn't happening now - is that the floating support came straight out after a sniff of good results , increasing the crowd into the bargain . Yes , they dissapeared again when the results hit a downturn BUT the fact of the mattet was that a bit of relative success got them wanting to attend . This is clearly not the case now and if we won handsomely every week it wouldn't make much difference to some whether they should come out and back us or not . Of course , this isn't solely a Dumfries problem. I had a look at the football stats last week and the likes of Ayr had 766 at home . Unheard of in my lifetime but common now . Inverness get a lot of stick for their 3,000 home crowds

[Francis_begbie_HFC]

yes JR you hit the nail on the head there ,its getting the young ones to come along as i take my daughter and her pals to many of the games ,it is now a case of building a future support for the queens, the biggest reason the floating fan has stopped coming to games are the prices ,there quite a few guys that i know who used to go to the home games but asking them why there not going now i get this answer,theres no way il be paying 15 quid to go to palmy ,now there is the problem football nowadays has priced its way out of most peoples idea of what is acceptable .

[Palmyman]

From the 1930s to the mid 1960s Queens were a well - supported team but since 1964 (average 4163) crowds have declined. We were also in the top Scottish League then. In 1982 - 85 and again in 1989 - 1994 the average attendance never even topped 1,000 - lowest being a pathetic 586. On the bright side with the Teddy Bears and the Jambos in the Championship next season crowds will increase for at least one campaign.

[middleagedirtbag]

"On the bright side with the Teddy Bears and the Jambos in the Championship next season crowds will increase for at least one campaign."
And,on the dark side,the entry prices will no doubt increase!

[jardi]

There are some interesting comments in this thread, - particularly JR's.

I reckon JR is right, the "floating fan" has gone, - probably as a result of too many other competing attractions on a Saturday.

Hence my suggestion of taking away any further competition, by freeing up those who play non senior football to allow them to attend games. My son for one would gladly come to all the home matches, but he is committed to Heston Rovers.

Others point to the cost of paying to watch a match, - but not weighing up the huge cots incurred in keeping a football club going. Reducing the individual ticket price by a pound or two will not entice any more fans through the gates. However, the Junior Blues price is fantastic, although we could maybe do with an inbetween price for 16 - 21's to keep them interested, and make it viable for parents to keep taking older children to games.

Many of the floating fans of old are literally sadly dying out, - never to return. A lot of the other older f

[fatfan]

In terms of crowd sizes I think there are a couple of things to consider. One is cost. Unless the child has got a junior blues ticket, which is great value for a regular junior, for a father and son to go to a game costs A?21 before you buy something to eat and programme etc. by the end it will probably cost in the region of A?30. To do that every second week can be expensive to some.

This, along with the current financial climate can make it hard for some to justify.

I would wonder what would happen if for the last few games the club introduced a father and son section at a cost of say A?15 or thereabouts, if the crowd would increase.

The second thing to consider is football is competing more now than any other time with other sports. For example how many will play golf on a Saturday now compared to the sixties or go to watch rugby, curling etc. the fact is the game isn't for the masses anymore and the clubs, along with the sfa, have to compete to attract the crowds back to the ga

[rabbys]

Football is a luxury that a lot of people simply cant afford every second weekend this is certainly true for me i try to get a few games when i can.
Last game i went to was the win against Dumbarton and a few things struck me:
1) The average age of the crowd at games seems to be pretty high i know the junior blues thing is excellent Does the club still do occasional free tickets to local youth teams and school?? This was always a way to bump crowds up especially if they drag parents along. It was through these freebies that i got interested in queens and possibly the same for others my age.

2) The aptmosphere at the game was flat, very quiet little singing apart from the small band behind the goal who do try but the rest of the stadium doesnt catch. I used to enjoy the wee bit of a buzz about palmy but that doesnt seem to be there these days :-(

The future of the club on and off the field is with the kids club has to do whatever it can to get kids involved in the club. The idea

[jardi]

Sadly the board of directors have done all they can at Palmy and they cannot be blamed for the malaise which afflicts football in general.

The father and child ticket idea might be a good idea for kids who are above Junior Blues age. For example A?20.00 might encourage more fathers to take their older child to a match, if he and the child got in for that amount.

Every effort must be made to encourage young people to the games, as they are the future of our club and the game in general.

Rabbys mentioned the buzz, and I have to agree there has been little or no buzz at Palmy in the last couple of home games.

You need over 2000 inside Palmy to create that frisson of excitement, and that was achieved when Dundee brought about 600 fans.

3000 is the optimum gate, as the ground looks full, and even simple moves creates a real buzz and makes you want to come back for more.

Hopefully next season will provide the ideal ingredients which inspire a whole new army of fans who are eage

[palmylad]

Despite crowds not being what you'd expect , Queens have still the 4th best support in the Championship behind Dundee , Falkirk & surprisingly Morton who's fans have stuck behind them during a disastrous season