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The only (major) thing that is bothering me at the moment, is the diabolical attendance levels. There are a few on the pitch things I would like to improve.
The thing is, there is only a small amount of things we can do to help it now. The only thing that sticks out for me is that, doesn't £18 seem a bit much to watch Dagenham play.
Other than that, is there honestly anything else we can do to help improve the attendances.
Is this a fair statement ?
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SUSSEX DAGGER
- Posts: 2619
- Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 2:47 am
Myself and a few others enjoyed a beer up at Hartlepool the other week after the game.
Amongst our number was the Chairman and I think that those who were in his Company would not say anybody lacked ambition.
The first aim has to be to maintain our League status, this has to be our first priority owing to the finances. Losing that will be far worse then losing a couple of hundred fans as I firmly believe that the loyal ones, like you Arnu ,will stick with it through thick and thin.
Once that is achieved the next aim is to finish highest up the League as possible and a promotion would not be sniffed at.
Funny how last season excellent effort of finishing 9th had an adverse effect on the gate for the last home game. The previous season when we were dire the place was packed.
We have invested heavily in the Academy and that is the future for this Club.
Its not only Players who make it in to our team but also those Players who you will never see, I bet in time there will be youngsters in our set up who will be moved onto bigger Clubs during their development for fees and add ons.
There is Clubs at our level who are in a serious financial state, I never ever want to see our great little Club in that situation.
So let me reassure you those who run our Club do not lack ambition and they also do not lack common sense.
Perhaps that is why I support the Daggers as anything achieved is quadrupled in the pride that I feel compared to if I was watching other Clubs who long ago became corporations and stopped being teams
Amongst our number was the Chairman and I think that those who were in his Company would not say anybody lacked ambition.
The first aim has to be to maintain our League status, this has to be our first priority owing to the finances. Losing that will be far worse then losing a couple of hundred fans as I firmly believe that the loyal ones, like you Arnu ,will stick with it through thick and thin.
Once that is achieved the next aim is to finish highest up the League as possible and a promotion would not be sniffed at.
Funny how last season excellent effort of finishing 9th had an adverse effect on the gate for the last home game. The previous season when we were dire the place was packed.
We have invested heavily in the Academy and that is the future for this Club.
Its not only Players who make it in to our team but also those Players who you will never see, I bet in time there will be youngsters in our set up who will be moved onto bigger Clubs during their development for fees and add ons.
There is Clubs at our level who are in a serious financial state, I never ever want to see our great little Club in that situation.
So let me reassure you those who run our Club do not lack ambition and they also do not lack common sense.
Perhaps that is why I support the Daggers as anything achieved is quadrupled in the pride that I feel compared to if I was watching other Clubs who long ago became corporations and stopped being teams
I've been religiously following the daggers now for 7-8 yrs since promotion to league 1.I have seen much change in that short time.But I still consider myself a relative newbie at Victoria Road.I might take the piss but I do recognise the status of the guys on here who have followed the club since it was a pub team. I really think we should be asking the Adrians ,Sussex dagger,TomMc and all the others who have been around since year dot why they think its gone pearshaped on the terraces.I always(and still do sometimes)mock the small club mentality however in all seriousness these guys Id guess might even regret being promoted out of the conference.Seeing waves of ex-hammers like me coming along and jumping on their ride.Once upon a time I was part of the crowd increase that that success bought,and the club wanted/needed.I just didn't ****** off like most of them after relegation from lg 1.They all speak fondly of the days long ago,it sounds like more fun than now.Honestly mean that and I do understand their point.They should be living the dream but can be even more negative than me at times.Careful what you wish for I suppose.
Bollix to Shampoo, it's real poo we want !
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Diggerthedog
- Posts: 3897
- Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:08 pm
The crowds have hardly increased over the years. In league one we hardly had an increase in home fans just more away fans turned up. Some of our home attendances in the league match our attendances when we were in the conference back in 1992. The big issue is getting the locals in and no matter how you dress is up the local area has change dramatically since the early 90's and the people that have moved in simple have no intention of watching football. These people have different traditions, the home game against Mansfield there was a huge amount of people having a BBQ on ponfield park, this is what these people traditionally do and no amount of local advertising will ever change that.
These "people that have moved in" I presume you are alluding to their ethnicity ?Diggerthedog wrote:no matter how you dress is up the local area has change dramatically since the early 90's and the people that have moved in simple have no intention of watching football. These people have different traditions, the home game against Mansfield there was a huge amount of people having a BBQ on ponfield park, this is what these people traditionally do and no amount of local advertising will ever change that.
I take the point because some other races do have a preference for cricket and other sports etc rather than footy.You rarely see an Asian in the ground for instance (I have seen it but not in fantastic numbers) so Im not disagreeing with you there.However there are still 93500 white Brits living in the borough and other ethnicities who do generally follow football.And this is just Dagenham and Barking.I myself reside in Havering and that is definitely a Daggers catchment area I'd say.Its probably why I bleat on about advertising/marketing (the lack of) so much.And yes Adrian a few home printed posters was never going to solve the problem but its a very small start.I got one in the back window of my car,I doubt many others did.There are many potential new supporters out there.I maintain the club do little to attract them and have given up just like most of my critics.I mean did they all put up a poster I doubt it,having already decided it was a waste of time.
Heres the population figures for Barking and Dagenham as of 2011.
Population (2011 est.)
• Total
187,000
• Density
13,000/sq mi (5,200/km2)
• Ethnicity[1]
49.5% White British
0.9% White Irish
0.1% White Gypsy or Irish Traveller
7.8% Other White
1.4% White & Black Caribbean
1.1% White & Black African
0.7% White & Asian
1% Other Mixed
4% Indian
4.3% Pakistani
4.1% Bangladeshi
0.7% Chinese
2.8% Other Asian
15.4% Black African
2.8% Black Caribbean
1.7% Other Black
0.5% Arab
1.0% Other
Bollix to Shampoo, it's real poo we want !
People just really can't afford it, we live in one of the poorest areas and unless you truly love Dagenham you won't pay that sort of money, even if you have it. Remember the Hartlepool game last season, someone near me said "Blimey, where were all these people at the last home game?" A bloke turned round and said "At home. It's too expensive!" It's nothing the club can do, they've reduced prices in season tickets, they can't do much more at all, it's just a unfortunate situation..