Crowds - The thread of Australian whining

i thought the FZ was amazing last night. I took along a first timer and she was completely sold on the crowd and wants to get a season pass. amazing!

Does she know it costs an extra $10 to join the FZ?

After we equalised the zone didn't let up for 15 mins and was brilliant.

For anyone interested, here is a guest post on my blog from a Phoenix season ticket holder looking at what could be done to improve Phoenix crowds at the Cake Tin:

http://in-the-back-of-the.net/2013/12/19/guest-post-filling-up-the-tin/

great read, doesn't really add much to what has been said on here all ready - simple fact is NZ football has a whole lot of people playing on saturdays in Wellington - why aren't they all coming to watch the nix play? it aint the food, it's not the cost it's a simple lack of buy in from the community - WSW spent montyhs getting the fans buy in to the team before it even took the field - nix did not Yellow fever did as much as they could. The Welnix crowd when the bought the club seemingly did everything they could to alienate footballing people - what they now need to do is get back to the men and women and kids that play the game each weekend and give them reasons to attend. Frankly a decent marquee signing would make a massive difference, a consistant team would add to that

Your last sentence is very important. We need not a player looking for one last big pay day but we do need a player of some standing. Shame Giggs is too old.

Yeah not bad, pretty much what we have been saying. A good point you made though was about preaching to the converted. We used to have a saying in Cycling Advocacy that it was no good pitching the idea that more people need to get on bikes to other cyclists as they already ride bikes. It's the non-cyclists or in this case non-match attenders that's the issue. I'm all for reasearchers going up to people in the street to find out what would make them come to the football.

I agree with Friday night matches. It gave those fair-weather supporters a chance to catch up with mates/colleagues outside of work and have several beers, get into the mood and then head out on the town.  

 I like the idea of these new bars/Lounges - I reckon if you have a cool place to hang out people more will come. Look at the bars on the waterfront after work on Fridays?

The stadium being a stadium is after all a bit "concretey" - Give them soft furnishings and comfy chairs and they will come.

Not a bad read

Just a little point - it's the "Ring of Fire" not cake tin ; )

Great read and he was spot on with everything.

Good read. But it described his own experience. I think the club needs to go out and ask the non attendees their reasons for not coming or coming back. He was right about the Team W game. Less than a hundy showed up to watch a  bloody good game.

"some promotional posters for Phoenix home games had been defaced to say “homo games” ".

lol

I think you have to start getting some good press and impressive highlights on the TV news

We had a mate turn up last weekend who has only gone to the occassional game.  After 20 minutes he said "they are playing really well".  After thirty minutes he asked "How have they been managing to loose so many games?".  

My guess is that the average punter just has the impression this is a poor side to watch and that the hype about playing well and loosing is just marketing BS.

The way I read it the media have been giving the guys a better write up the last couple of games with more comments on how they have played well but failed to convert.  Worthington is being balanced out by some of the other writers in the Doompost and the Herald has always been more objective.  If the team keeps playing well and starts converting results they will get the good press and will build followers.  But it will take time and when the broader sports supporters do start turning up we need to be providing a good enough game and atmosphere to keep them.  Like the yellow army chant last week.  

Gotta remember we have only had two games at home - discounting the long ago Oct game - to showcase the game they are playing and build a following - after being wooden spooners last year.  And that is in a backdrop of a lot of people that believe football in NZ is not at a high enough quality to watch and enjoy.  I have been in clubrooms in Wellington (several) where the comment has been made - "nah, don't watch the Phoenix.  Tottenham/Liverpool/etc etc is my team, Herbert plays crap football."  And that is amongst football people.  It will take time to turn that around and bring along the general sports fan as well.

We have a (non-football) mate who we convinced to buy a Season ticket last year.  He thought it was crap, came along to be social and gave us shit about being Phoenix tragics.  This year he is enjoying the games and at a party last night it was him chasing me to check we were going tonight.  Which is a total turn around from last year.

Bigger crowd tonight than I expected, by a long way.

Good job FZ. Two weeks in a row you have created a spark and made the rest of the lethargic crowd make some noise.

Hopefully will keep the rest coming back and with a win under our belt, we should get a few more punters.

I know that sponsors have to be acknowledged but playing  a long advertising and acknowledgement over the video and sound system at top volume as the players left the field kinda spoilt the moment - especially after such a win drought.

Agreed. The crowd a doing quite well for 6,000 in a large stadium

Really?  Jesus, that is a bit embarrassing.

"Sometimes you really want to launch yourself two footed at someone lying prone on the floor, but I recommend that you resist the urge.  Remember, no one likes a stomper."

The crowd were excellent noise wise and yes, those messages are patronising. Most people are behaving these day's except when the fun police start hanging around in the hope of trouble. 

I think the person whom operates the sound system must be deaf. The dickhead winds it up in the match build up and ruins most chances for a crowd atmosphere.  The fans make plenty of noise, no need for that dork to "encourage" it. It isn't needed. When one has to shout at the person next to them to be heard, you have a problem. Me thinks it must be the village idiot running the show.

it's either the player reading it or the announcer reading it at half time - I guess the FFa have decided the fans will listen to the players more than the announcers.

Because clearly we weren't listening before! 

clearly! we are just horrible fans to look after - invading the pitch all the time, lighting flares etc...throwing bottles.

And that doesn't ever happen in games in Australia... does it? (Thinks of either Sydney club whilst typing.)

can't recall if I've ever heard of or seen a puitch invader since the nix have been around....

There was that chick at the Beckham game that did a knicker run and then came on here looking for people to pay her fine after Mark Ellis renigged on his promise.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=11178575

"My major concern is the poor crowds - the last two home games have attracted only around 6000 spectators. That is a big problem when you consider that last Sunday's game was played on a beautiful evening, with a late kickoff making it attractive for families during the school holidays."

Sam Malcolmson's always good for stirring a few things up, which he does here with a call for an Auckland A League team. But as many have identified here for years, the crowds will always depend on results. The Phoenix have now won 2 on the trot, a rarity, and if they beat WSW they will get 10-12 thousand for our next home game. Simple as that. And if they keep the momentum, they will be getting 12 to 15,000 crowds. There is a definite buzz out there again for the Phoenix, which has been missing since the Serepisos fiasco. The credibility is back, but now it's up to the owners to back Ernie, and let him build this team with players he really wants. If the owners want to fast track the crowd escalation, then sign a marquee player. The Phoenix playoff year run was sparked by a star - Ifill - who was at his peak that year. (and McKain locking up the centreback combo) Ifill looked like scoring or setting up a goal everytime he got the ball. The Phoenix don't have a star right now. Yes the food's bad at the concrete stadium, kickoff times are weird sometimes etc etc - but if we're winning games, and get or make a star out there, then the crowds will come in droves. The market is hanging out for it.

I also like my rugby now and again - a floater perhaps - but have no interest in watching the Hurricanes go through the motions, and play without the passion the Crusaders have. I'm sick of watching them lose. Only a change of attitude and wins will get me back to Hurricanes games. I want to see them win the damn Super Comp, or look like they could. And guess what, there are probably 10,000 people who have exactly the same attitude to the Canes.   Familiar ?

Really Sam a late kick off on a Sunday two days for Xmas and you dont understand why people dont come.Think you are being optimistic with your crowd figures tonya as much as i would love you to be correct.We have never been able to attract 12 to 15 thousand on a consistent basis even when we were doing much better.

Do agree that the players we sign in the future can have a big impact on the crowds,however if the guys can return the Ring Of Fire to the fortress it used to be it will go along way to attracting the crowds.

Also if they continue with our travelling away games next season i cant  see that helping at all,and if they keep the team away for a 7 week period like this season then im afraid it shows little respect for the home fans. 

Quote from Sam Malcolmson - Auckland Herald.

"How about Ryan Nelsen as the coach (of the Auckland A-League franchise) and a player such as one of the Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes as the marquee signing who would double as assistant coach. Happy New Year, and be safe in 2014."

One or two too many egg nogs for this hack, me thinks. What a Bell End!

How is 7pm kick off on a Sunday 'attractive' for anyone? It was a pain in the arse as I still had work the next day and I'm sure many others did too. Public transport on a Sunday at 9pm isn't exactly great either.

Garbage kick off time and annoying there's another in a couple of weeks!

there are so many things that count against us as far as crown numbers are concerned - and these exclude not winning every week.

Weather, it's football, the lack of decent media coverage, lack of advertising, the scheduling, players noone has heard of, cost of food, quality of food......there is no magic bullet but it would be awesome if the club/stadium made more of an obvious effort to change things. The clb helped with the parking cost at the stasium, but for mine that was one of the smallest issues, especially when we have such easy access via bus/train.

What is the timing of trains like after games? I remember for rugby they used to put them on for after the game, but I believe for nix it is just the regular timetable. 

Is it a choice between running down the concourse to get one straight away, or taking your time but having to wait an hour for your train to leave?

Same question for buses (I usually just get the airport flyer that leaves every 20mins - though even that's a stretch to get the last one on a 7pm Sunday kickoff)

not sure about trains, but the busses are on normal timetables....which often means legging it if I'm bussing. I think scheduling has a massive effect on crowds......if we had any control over this I'd love to see some more Friday evening and saturday afternoon games.

Sam, when the Auckland teams were getting 900, then was a time to worry. 6k although not great, is certainly a lot better and as Ballane has mentioned, Wellington is dead at this time of year with holidays and being just before Christmas. More sensationalist reporting.

Does it really surprise anyone that lowish crowds are brig over hyped by the doom post?

agree - i can't recall the lions getting as much crap from the dom post though, and they aren't playing home games away from home to increase crowds or revenue.

Just out of curiosity, what sort of crowd numbers did the hurricanes get last SuperWhatever season?

http://westpacstadium.co.nz/2013/

Hurricanes between 7.7 k and 15.1 k 

Lions between 2.4 k - 8.0 k regular season, 15 k for the final

Nix so far: 6.1 k - 8.0 k