What can we do to boost our attendance?

[citypool]

We are playing good football, we are winning, we have the best player in the competition and heaps of young talent.

All the other teams have lost their attendance if we can get it up we’re going to be the biggest team on and off the pitch it’s our time to do it.

 

how do we do it though?

[Baka1]

Sign Agüero. /thread

[Young Polak]

I swear a thread like this already exists 

[citypool]

8 hours ago, Baka1 said:

Sign Agüero. /thread

Might get people for a few months but they won’t stick around like the Sydney fans didn’t with del piero 

[bt50]

Keep winning. Get the fan engagement basics right (which imo we have REALLY improved on in the past couple seasons.) Restore the wider interest to the league by getting TV, media and streaming deals right.

Other than that, just enjoy it. I've never got the obsession with crowds and members by the punters. It's a weird thing that people hang their hat on imo, just enjoy the experience on the day.

[citypool]

54 minutes ago, bt50 said:

Keep winning. Get the fan engagement basics right (which imo we have REALLY improved on in the past couple seasons.) Restore the wider interest to the league by getting TV, media and streaming deals right.

Other than that, just enjoy it. I've never got the obsession with crowds and members by the punters. It's a weird thing that people hang their hat on imo, just enjoy the experience on the day.

I agree we are to obsessed with crowds and all the sports try to compete with each other. But imo the atmosphere at Aami suffers with a few people we have attending. I know we can get back to where we were the Yarra side were brilliant back in the mooy days 

[bt50]

17 minutes ago, citypool said:

I agree we are to obsessed with crowds and all the sports try to compete with each other. But imo the atmosphere at Aami suffers with a few people we have attending. I know we can get back to where we were the Yarra side were brilliant back in the mooy days 

They were brilliant, but the crowds weren't actually much, if at all higher. They were just concentrated into the active area.
FWIW Mooy days was Melburnians, who started well but ran out of gas after a couple seasons.

[haz]

Make sure no one eats another bat.

[bt50]

Just now, haz said:

Make sure no one eats another bat.

Now im no conspiracy theorist, but theres not a snowflakes chance in hell that COVID didnt leak from that lab in Wuhan. COVID is Chernobyl 2.0 for sure.

[haz]

1 minute ago, bt50 said:

Now im no conspiracy theorist, but theres not a snowflakes chance in hell that COVID didnt leak from that lab in Wuhan. COVID is Chernobyl 2.0 for sure.

But the trustworthy and great Chinese government said that it did not?!

[bt50]

33 minutes ago, haz said:

But the trustworthy and great Chinese government said that it did not?!

[kingofhearts]

We need to sign a player with 'insert ethnicity here' to attract more of 'insert ethnicity group here'

[neio]

It's not our fault completely, but stop with so many midweek games. 1 or 2 during season is fine, but it feels like ever 2nd week we have a game on a random night. I'll put my hand up, it's unlikely I'm going to a Tuesday night game vs Newcastle or someone when I have to be up at 5 the next morning 

[CityWildcat]

The pandemic arrived at the worst possible time with the A League in a weird kind of apathetic limbo.  Western United's arrival *slightly*  splitting existing support, and Victory turning to crap since Muscat's departure are also in the mix for the plunge in attendances in Melbourne.... it's like the perfect storm to distract the casual supporter and send them elsewhere or just have them stay home.  

  Is AAMI park allowd 75% capacity?  I wonder if we will even see that at the derby.   I wish I knew the answer...... look how quickly AFL crowds have rebounded.. the A League is nowhere near that in terms of PERCENTAGE of rebound.

It's a bloody shame as the football has been great.  Well, ours at least.

[Jovan]

1 hour ago, CityWildcat said:

 

It's a bloody shame as the football has been great.  Well, ours at least.

This has been the highest quality ever.

There have been great teams before, but IMO this has been the highest standard across the league ever.

I've never been able to watch A League games as a neutral, it's just too shit, but this season I'll watch, now and then I'll turn off, but overall most games are decent. 

[mattyh001]

Bring back the sausage stand. We haven't been the same since it left. 

Nothing like downing a big dirty sausage during the game

Edited April 7, 2021 by mattyh001

[jw1739]

Yeah, I know that the crowds in the early years were, apparently, not that much different from today but the atmosphere sure as hell was. It was a buzz to go to the game then -  I thought that I would have to go to the matches by myself but my late wife loved every minute of it.

1. Play in red and white stripes and be a Melbourne City club.

2. Bring back "City Insider"/match-day program, including "supporters' section" such as births, deaths, marriages for long-standing members.

3. Stop producing shit "supporter merchandise" that looks like Melbourne Victory gear, and make merchandise a lot cheaper.

4. Change the format of pre-match and half-time for God's sake - it hasn't changed in ten years - and make it relevant to the club.

5. Make sure we have one "bums on seats" marquee visa player every season.

6. And the sausage stand might be a tongue-in-cheek suggestion but having that kind of food available is IMO so much better than the shit available now. As a club we can make it worthwhile for these stall vendors to be at City matches.

and many more things that will help engage fans, e.g. sending junior fans a birthday card etc. etc. - all been suggested before. All these are within the control of the club.

And for Christ's sake fix the fixture for future seasons - regular home-and-away matches, mainly on Friday and Saturday evenings, and better use of Public Holidays. Some of the scheduling is downright stupid. But this needs action by APL because it isn't under the control of the club.

Also ditch Ticketek.

Edited April 7, 2021 by jw1739

[Imtellingyou]

I can keep attending games. It's a pleasure.  City has to win a couple titles before some effect.  A guest  stint , never more?, is short lived fix.

[n i k o]

1 hour ago, mattyh001 said:

Bring back the sausage stand. We haven't been the same since it left. 

Nothing like downing a big dirty sausage during the game

We've been better 

[bt50]

2 hours ago, jw1739 said:

 

4. Change the format of pre-match and half-time for God's sake - it hasn't changed in ten years - and make it relevant to the club.

 

FWIW this one is wrong. Talking City have taken over pre-match and half time coverage this season with analysis and preview type stuff.

[jw1739]

13 minutes ago, bt50 said:

FWIW this one is wrong. Talking City have taken over pre-match and half time coverage this season with analysis and preview type stuff.

The  "Hit the crossbar" stuff and the kids mini-matches are still the same.

[Missing_Moy]

Sign someone like Davila and then a hoard of the same nationality will turn up every week 

 

edit sign Davila 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Missing_Moy

[fensaddler]

4 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Yeah, I know that the crowds in the early years were, apparently, not that much different from today but the atmosphere sure as hell was. It was a buzz to go to the game then -  I thought that I would have to go to the matches by myself but my late wife loved every minute of it.

1. Play in red and white stripes and be a Melbourne City club.

2. Bring back "City Insider"/match-day program, including "supporters' section" such as births, deaths, marriages for long-standing members.

3. Stop producing shit "supporter merchandise" that looks like Melbourne Victory gear, and make merchandise a lot cheaper.

4. Change the format of pre-match and half-time for God's sake - it hasn't changed in ten years - and make it relevant to the club.

5. Make sure we have one "bums on seats" marquee visa player every season.

6. And the sausage stand might be a tongue-in-cheek suggestion but having that kind of food available is IMO so much better than the shit available now. As a club we can make it worthwhile for these stall vendors to be at City matches.

and many more things that will help engage fans, e.g. sending junior fans a birthday card etc. etc. - all been suggested before. All these are within the control of the club.

And for Christ's sake fix the fixture for future seasons - regular home-and-away matches, mainly on Friday and Saturday evenings, and better use of Public Holidays. Some of the scheduling is downright stupid. But this needs action by APL because it isn't under the control of the club.

Also ditch Ticketek.

1, 3 and 6 definitely. Fixture list, yes, but this season has been exceptional. Ticketek are awful but so is their main competitor by all accounts. Encourage active and stop the institutional racism against soccer which means our games, and particularly our active support, are over policed. Get back to normal ticketing arrangements (that may mean telling DHHS and/or AAMI Park to do one). Yes, get some decent food, and some choice back (again, tell AAMI Park to sort their shit out). Maybe time for some heritage Heart merch? 

[Shahanga]

After the takeover I felt CFG broke the compact between the club and the supporters. Getting the crowd back or growing it or whatever, that’s their problem as far as I’m concerned. I’m just a season ticket holder, nothing more. If there is less people I can find a free or cheap car park, avoid queues for food etc and life’s easier allround.

They supposedly have a marketing guru on the board, let him fix it.

[Hanz]

8 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Yeah, I know that the crowds in the early years were, apparently, not that much different from today but the atmosphere sure as hell was. It was a buzz to go to the game then -  I thought that I would have to go to the matches by myself but my late wife loved every minute of it.

1. Play in red and white stripes and be a Melbourne City club.

2. Bring back "City Insider"/match-day program, including "supporters' section" such as births, deaths, marriages for long-standing members.

3. Stop producing shit "supporter merchandise" that looks like Melbourne Victory gear, and make merchandise a lot cheaper.

4. Change the format of pre-match and half-time for God's sake - it hasn't changed in ten years - and make it relevant to the club.

5. Make sure we have one "bums on seats" marquee visa player every season.

6. And the sausage stand might be a tongue-in-cheek suggestion but having that kind of food available is IMO so much better than the shit available now. As a club we can make it worthwhile for these stall vendors to be at City matches.

and many more things that will help engage fans, e.g. sending junior fans a birthday card etc. etc. - all been suggested before. All these are within the control of the club.

And for Christ's sake fix the fixture for future seasons - regular home-and-away matches, mainly on Friday and Saturday evenings, and better use of Public Holidays. Some of the scheduling is downright stupid. But this needs action by APL because it isn't under the control of the club.

Also ditch Ticketek.

Agree with all of this!

[MHFC-FAN]

14 hours ago, bt50 said:

Now im no conspiracy theorist, but theres not a snowflakes chance in hell that COVID didnt leak from that lab in Wuhan. COVID is Chernobyl 2.0 for sure.

Intentionally leaked*

[jw1739]

On 07/04/2021 at 7:53 AM, bt50 said:

......Other than that, just enjoy it. I've never got the obsession with crowds and members by the punters. It's a weird thing that people hang their hat on imo, just enjoy the experience on the day.

It's just a discussion thread. However, even if you forget that football is - or has been - a spectator sport, and treat it just as a business, ultimately a business will fail if no-one is interested in its product.

So IMO it is worth discussing. It can also be looked at as to what stadium owners will do with their asset if the crowds disappear. Will they end up derelict as, for example, some Olympic facilities have done?

[bt50]

It's fine to discuss it and theres obviously a relevance to it for the clubs particularly. But to me it just seems that many people seem to put this disproportionate focus on crowds and membership numbers like theyre some sort of badge, rather than actually focusing on the football and atmosphere.
I know some people will immediately try to link atmosphere to crowds numbers but i dont think theyre mutually exclusive; as was previously mentioned Yarraside often ran with smaller crowd numbers than we have in the City era yet the atmosphere was second to none. Bigger crowds help on average sure, but to suggest bigger crowds always equals better atmosphere is incorrect imo.

[mjake1234]

11 hours ago, Hanz said:

Agree with all of this!

Please ban @JW1739 and @Hanz. This sensible, logical stuff has got to stop. Not that we haven't asked for all this before but it's obviously not what MCFC want to hear. Too much like hard work being "innovative"

[Mr MO]

8 minutes ago, mjake1234 said:

Please ban @JW1739 and @Hanz. This sensible, logical stuff has got to stop. Not that we haven't asked for all this before but it's obviously not what MCFC want to hear. Too much like hard work being "innovative"

Haha don’t worry, these type of suggestions will be heavily censored and rest assured that most will be ignored by the regime!

In all seriousness, we are on right track. If the city terrace can maintain consistency for a some years (we’ve had too many changes over the years) it will organically grow. Secondly I feel that with the Talking City boys closer to the club than ever before, us fans are being heard more and more. Keep it up. 

Do we still have a fans representative group or person in direct dialogue with the club? I remember this was stopped in the past.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Mr MO

[Nate]

1 hour ago, bt50 said:

It's fine to discuss it and theres obviously a relevance to it for the clubs particularly. But to me it just seems that many people seem to put this disproportionate focus on crowds and membership numbers like theyre some sort of badge, rather than actually focusing on the football and atmosphere.
I know some people will immediately try to link atmosphere to crowds numbers but i dont think theyre mutually exclusive; as was previously mentioned Yarraside often ran with smaller crowd numbers than we have in the City era yet the atmosphere was second to none. Bigger crowds help on average sure, but to suggest bigger crowds always equals better atmosphere is incorrect imo.

100% this.

The away game against Western United was a prime example of this. Based on the amount of noise and atmosphere that was being generated by our end, I honestly thought the crowd was pushing 9-10k when in reality, it didn't even come close to that. 

Atmosphere definitely trumps figures when it comes to a matchday experience.

[jw1739]

2 hours ago, Mr MO said:

Haha don’t worry, these type of suggestions will be heavily censored and rest assured that most will be ignored by the regime!

In all seriousness, we are on right track. If the city terrace can maintain consistency for a some years (we’ve had too many changes over the years) it will organically grow. Secondly I feel that with the Talking City boys closer to the club than ever before, us fans are being heard more and more. Keep it up. 

Do we still have a fans representative group or person in direct dialogue with the club? I remember this was stopped in the past.

I don't think that the Fan Representative Group has ever been "officially" wound up, but it last met in February 2018 (when Scott Munn was still CEO) so I think that we can issue a death certificate.

[jw1739]

This thread should probably be re-titled "What can we do to stop attendances falling further?"

With the broadcasting deal(s) still unsigned (as I understand it) IMO some serious thinking and subsequent decisions have to be made by APL. 

There's no doubt in my mind that the threat of COVID-19 has not gone away, is still in people's minds and likely to remain so while the pandemic rampages around us, in fact may not go away for a long time (or even never), and has and will continue to change people's lifestyles.

While "winter football" is somehow attractive in many ways, IMO APL must very seriously consider what its impact is likely to be on attendance, as they must on the fixture in terms of when matches are played (day, kick-off time) and indeed where they are played. Playing in stadiums that are 90% empty is not attractive, both to those who do attend in the flesh and any potential screen audience.

Further, IMO APL needs to sort these issues out before any thought of "promotion/relegation" is considered.

The attendances this season right across the league are delivering us a strong message.

Edited May 14, 2021 by jw1739

[citypool]

2 hours ago, jw1739 said:

This thread should probably be re-titled "What can we do to stop attendances falling further?"

With the broadcasting deal(s) still unsigned (as I understand it) IMO some serious thinking and subsequent decisions have to be made by APL. 

There's no doubt in my mind that the threat of COVID-19 has not gone away, is still in people's minds and likely to remain so while the pandemic rampages around us, in fact may not go away for a long time (or even never), and has and will continue to change people's lifestyles.

While "winter football" is somehow attractive in many ways, IMO APL must very seriously consider what its impact is likely to be on attendance, as they must on the fixture in terms of when matches are played (day, kick-off time) and indeed where they are played. Playing in stadiums that are 90% empty is not attractive, both to those who do attend in the flesh and any potential screen audience.

Further, IMO APL needs to sort these issues out before any thought of "promotion/relegation" is considered.

The attendances this season right across the league are delivering us a strong message.

What do you think if we played in a smaller 10k stadium?

[Mr MO]

4 hours ago, jw1739 said:

This thread should probably be re-titled "What can we do to stop attendances falling further?"

With the broadcasting deal(s) still unsigned (as I understand it) IMO some serious thinking and subsequent decisions have to be made by APL. 

There's no doubt in my mind that the threat of COVID-19 has not gone away, is still in people's minds and likely to remain so while the pandemic rampages around us, in fact may not go away for a long time (or even never), and has and will continue to change people's lifestyles.

While "winter football" is somehow attractive in many ways, IMO APL must very seriously consider what its impact is likely to be on attendance, as they must on the fixture in terms of when matches are played (day, kick-off time) and indeed where they are played. Playing in stadiums that are 90% empty is not attractive, both to those who do attend in the flesh and any potential screen audience.

Further, IMO APL needs to sort these issues out before any thought of "promotion/relegation" is considered.

The attendances this season right across the league are delivering us a strong message.

Short term obvious things to try; No more mid week games. Lower ticket prices. No more franchises in Melbourne and Sydney.

[Nate]

With regards to fixturing, less is more.

I'm obviously loving watching the team at the moment but I'm skipping the Wellington game this weekend in favour of the footy across the road as I have Melbourne City fatigue - with this being our 4th home game in the past 2 weeks. 

Better kickoff times are needed too, once Foxtel is ditched. 

[mjake1234]

Is Foxtel being ditched or is that wishful thinking. A-league needs to be more freely available to attract the non committed. A subscription service does not do this.

[citypool]

If we hosted the gf how many would we hope to get?

[n i k o]

5 minutes ago, citypool said:

If we hosted the gf how many would we hope to get?

20 - 25k

[Mr MO]

Anybody else noticed that the club is really expanding their “City Club” program rapidly in the eastern region. It seems we are really doing well (at least trying) in embedding in the communities and at grass root level. The expectation of course will be to get more fans onboard in the long run.

https://www.melbournecityfc.com.au/city-clubs