Atmosphere at your ground

[blademan89]

I never thought I would see Bradford City and Sheffield United fans praising our home support.

I feel strange.

Yes it was decent but we wont go into away support i think i could have you bottom of that list with pne top especially the cup game

 

[JJH]

This season it's been woeful, even when we score it's just mainly clapping..

Safe standing is so so badly needed in this unatmospheric (is that even a word) country.

I wish City did away season tickets, that included travel with the club coaches, as I would definitely be up for that every season - new ground(s), better atmospheres etc.

 

[Dazza]

Always a crap atmosphere at home games.The only areas of the ground who even try and sing are block Y26 and Y25 in the East stand closest to the away fans.We also have a drummer in the North which is crap.Too many of our fans spend most of the game looking at their mobile phones or drinking tea out of a flask.

 

[PUSBCCFC]

One thing I think we could all agree on, is that part of the reason the atmosphere is so poor at games in League one is due to the empty stadiums.
Ticket prices in this league are arguably the most overpriced in football. A lot of Premier League games are about £40 for a home ticket(excluding your Chelsea's and Arsenal's) but at least you are guaranteed of seeing world-class players in full stadiums will good facilities.There are home tickets in this league costing £20-£25 to see average football, in half empty stadiums with poor facilities - and before you complain, ScumArmy, yes you do have good facilities!

Unfortunately due to the money at the top, there is almost no chance of ticket prices being lowered down here, which is a shame. Realistically, £10-£15 for an adult would be a reasonable price to watch a game of football in this league and I am sure crowds would increase if those were the average prices.

 

[Jamo]

Really poor at home, as many clubs seem to be. It was pretty good a couple of years ago as we were promoted, but on the whole over the 12 years of the new stadium, it's sporadic at best. There's a couple of groups who try and get things going, who seem incapable of joining together.

Away games are far, far better for a good sing song.

You're selling out pretty much every game and having the most successful period in your history, and you can't get even a bit of an atmosphere going? Kin el.

 

[blademan89]

You're selling out pretty much every game and having the most successful period in your history, and you can't get even a bit of an atmosphere going? Kin el.

Come on this is bournemouth were on about what do you expect

 

[AFCB_Mark]

We're perhaps the most middle class club in the country. Fair to say the fans we've gained are not exactly hardcore ultras!

The atmosphere was better when there was only 6000 of us and the team were mostly crap.

 

[Bacchus]

No comment.


We could really do with safe standing blocks for the Cowshed and away end, but it just wouldn't happen given how new the seating is and costly it would be to pull it up all and replace it.

 

[CFC91]

Occasionally it is okay, usually for about 10 minutes a game kicking towards the Kop. It is dire most of the time, hate the new ground for that as I used to love standing on the Kop and going nuts when we scored - some awesome atmospheres at times there that we will never recreate whilst our Kop is seated.

 

[blade1889]

normally its crap. Been poor ever since we had some south stand blocks closed nearest the away fans ages ago, bar the premier league season. Now its usually decent for the cups and when we're having our 10minute spell.

to be honest I font mind actually having bad refs any more as it gets the fans more up for it and generates an atmosphere.

 

[4froale]

Usually crap at our place, couple of times its been okay this year when the away team has filled the small section (Doncaster and Port Vale).

Chesterfield away was a decentish atmosphere.

 

[Agombar stool]

One thing I think we could all agree on, is that part of the reason the atmosphere is so poor at games in League one is due to the empty stadiums.
Ticket prices in this league are arguably the most overpriced in football. A lot of Premier League games are about £40 for a home ticket(excluding your Chelsea's and Arsenal's) but at least you are guaranteed of seeing world-class players in full stadiums will good facilities.There are home tickets in this league costing £20-£25 to see average football, in half empty stadiums with poor facilities - and before you complain, ScumArmy, yes you do have good facilities!

Unfortunately due to the money at the top, there is almost no chance of ticket prices being lowered down here, which is a shame. Realistically, £10-£15 for an adult would be a reasonable price to watch a game of football in this league and I am sure crowds would increase if those were the average prices.

And therein lies the problem. Money, money money.

We pay much too high wages in England, 300k per WEEK for Wayne Rooney, I mean yeah he's not a bad footballer, but that's just obscene. And it filters down to our level. At Swindon, you have Andy Williams as our top earner, I believe he is on about 5k a week. So he is earning over 1/4 million for playing 3rd tier football, which is probably on a par with someone playing in the Bundesliga/Seria A (bit of a guess).

Its probably too late now as wages have spiralled out of control but prices are too high, players are being paid too much and its massively affecting our game.

Its £25 a ticket at the CG for average facilities in our best stand, and less than average facilities in the other. Put simply, the working class Joe, who brings in the atmosphere can't afford to go anymore.

 

[joethegill]

Ours is mostly poor as mentioned.

But let's not just assume that atmosphere was always great when the stadiums were terraced. Sure it was good on occasion, as it will have been since being re-developed as well, but a lot of people view football in the past as something that it wasn't. Yeah you got more freedom with the terraces, but that didn't necessarily mean a home game against Lincoln City or Colchester would have a better atmosphere than today.

The issue is the cost, not the seats.

 

[BetterCallSaul]

Ours is quality, away fans regularly mention when they come here they can feel the whole ground shaking when the cowshed gets bouncing

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Ours is mostly poor as mentioned.

But let's not just assume that atmosphere was always great when the stadiums were terraced. Sure it was good on occasion, as it will have been since being re-developed as well, but a lot of people view football in the past as something that it wasn't. Yeah you got more freedom with the terraces, but that didn't necessarily mean a home game against Lincoln City or Colchester would have a better atmosphere than today.

The issue is the cost, not the seats.

I think the problem is a combination of the two Joe.
Football has been too sanitized.

 

[joethegill]

Ours is quality, away fans regularly mention when they come here they can feel the whole ground shaking when the cowshed gets bouncing

To be fair our away end shakes too, but only when the wind gets up a bit.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Ours is mostly poor as mentioned.

But let's not just assume that atmosphere was always great when the stadiums were terraced. Sure it was good on occasion, as it will have been since being re-developed as well, but a lot of people view football in the past as something that it wasn't. Yeah you got more freedom with the terraces, but that didn't necessarily mean a home game against Lincoln City or Colchester would have a better atmosphere than today.

The issue is the cost, not the seats.

Seating didn't help though, years ago you could go to the game with yer mates and pay on the door and be stood with each other now designated seating has made that a lot more problematic and the 'singers' rarely congregate together nowadays.

Ground capacities certainly don't help, the perfect example in this league being the likes of MK Dons and Coventry, it's hard to create much in a cavernous ground with 7/8k there.

At Hillsborough our issue is certainly ground size and the split in the fans, we have a healthy vocal section on the North Stand near the away end, many of us, myself including being former Kop End dwellers who moved to get away from the band who fuel so much resentment from certain fans, even on that stand there's pro and anit band which is causing an even more than usual subdued atmosphere.

 

[FoD City]

Horrendous this season apart from the West Ham cup game which is the best I've seen it a long time.

Swindon at home will be one hell of an atmosphere

 

[joethegill]

Seating didn't help though, years ago you could go to the game with yer mates and pay on the door and be stood with each other now designated seating has made that a lot more problematic and the 'singers' rarely congregate together nowadays.

Ground capacities certainly don't help, the perfect example in this league being the likes of MK Dons and Coventry, it's hard to create much in a cavernous ground with 7/8k there.

At Hillsborough our issue is certainly ground size and the split in the fans, we have a healthy vocal section on the North Stand near the away end, many of us, myself including being former Kop End dwellers who moved to get away from the band who fuel so much resentment from certain fans, even on that stand there's pro and anit band which is causing an even more than usual subdued atmosphere.

Surely with the amount of empty seats in grounds you could argue it wouldn't be that tricky to sort out an unofficial 'singing section' using forums and social media? Not saying it'd work everywhere, but worth a go?

Completely agree that stadiums like Cov and MK that are about 30% full isn't exactly great, but that number isn't new - when I first started going to Gills the ground probably held about 15000 officially, and we were getting 3/3.5k a week, and I'm sure that number is replicated around the country (different for the ex-top flight clubs I appreciate).

I think we all agree the atmosphere in our grounds CAN be good even with all-seaters, which indicates to me that it can't be the seats that create a poor atmosphere, rather the apathy of the fans/prices of tickets. Interesting debate though.

 

[BetterCallSaul]

They wanted to shut certain places of our ground to pack fans together and make en atmosphere but people like me were against it as I like where my season ticket is and don't want to move!

 

[PrestonCha]

normally its crap. Been poor ever since we had some south stand blocks closed nearest the away fans ages ago, bar the premier league season. Now its usually decent for the cups and when we're having our 10minute spell.

to be honest I font mind actually having bad refs any more as it gets the fans more up for it and generates an atmosphere.

One of the best atmospheres I've ever heard from home fans, was at Bramall Lane. Early 00's when we were first promoted to the Championship (Div 1 back then)

It's a fucking shame what's happened to Footy.

Atmosphere was a massive part I why I fell in love with the sport.

I still love my club as much as I did the first time I ever went on a game, but have found myself less & less interested in other aspects of the game.
As many have alluded to....money has fucked it all up. There's just simply no way that you can, or ever will be able to justify paying pampered young lads, in excess of £200,000 every week, to play footy. It's fucking mental beyond comprehension.

A couple of us are heading to Buenos Aires for a San Lorenzo game, in October. Hopefully to experience how Football should be.

 

[Chris]

Everybody knows that the only atmosphere made is from pissed up away fans

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Surely with the amount of empty seats in grounds you could argue it wouldn't be that tricky to sort out an unofficial 'singing section' using forums and social media? Not saying it'd work everywhere, but worth a go?

Completely agree that stadiums like Cov and MK that are about 30% full isn't exactly great, but that number isn't new - when I first started going to Gills the ground probably held about 15000 officially, and we were getting 3/3.5k a week, and I'm sure that number is replicated around the country (different for the ex-top flight clubs I appreciate).

I think we all agree the atmosphere in our grounds CAN be good even with all-seaters, which indicates to me that it can't be the seats that create a poor atmosphere, rather the apathy of the fans/prices of tickets. Interesting debate though.

You'd hope an unofficial singing/standing section would be possible however you'd need the clubs on side for that or the stewards would just nullify it.

The KOP was our traditional home terrace, and i've been in there when it was packed to the rafters and a quality atmosphere, i spend my formative years on the stand but in about 2003 I began to hate it as i hated the band and how they'd taken away organic and natural atmospheres and replaced it with the same turgid shit they were inflicting on folks at England games, I moved to our North Stand and there is now a sort of unofficial singing section there but it's also the dear part of the ground so folk would be paying £31 or so as opposed to £25 on the Kop.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Everybody knows that the only atmosphere made is from pissed up away fans

True, I'm off to Millwall later so will be getting bolloxed.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Everybody knows that the only atmosphere made is from pissed up away fans

This.
Which is why I always try and do my bit at every away game.
I am just grateful that my efforts are at last appreciated.

 

[PUSBCCFC]

And therein lies the problem. Money, money money.

We pay much too high wages in England, 300k per WEEK for Wayne Rooney, I mean yeah he's not a bad footballer, but that's just obscene. And it filters down to our level. At Swindon, you have Andy Williams as our top earner, I believe he is on about 5k a week. So he is earning over 1/4 million for playing 3rd tier football, which is probably on a par with someone playing in the Bundesliga/Seria A (bit of a guess).

Its probably too late now as wages have spiralled out of control but prices are too high, players are being paid too much and its massively affecting our game.

Its £25 a ticket at the CG for average facilities in our best stand, and less than average facilities in the other. Put simply, the working class Joe, who brings in the atmosphere can't afford to go anymore.

Very true, you see better atmospheres at grounds with working class people, such as Stoke and Palace in the Premier League.

Arsenal have one of the worst due to the fact the working class no longer can afford tickets.

Liverpool used to have the best home atmosphere in the Premier League, now it's awful!

 

[Agombar stool]

Very true, you see better atmospheres at grounds with working class people, such as Stoke and Palace in the Premier League.

Arsenal have one of the worst due to the fact the working class no longer can afford tickets.

Liverpool used to have the best home atmosphere in the Premier League, now it's awful!

I haven't been to either Palace or Pompey but I've heard that they create a good atmosphere at home. I have a feeling that Stoke, who are renowned for creating a hostile atmosphere at home have become slightly sanitised since becoming a regular Premiership side.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Very true, you see better atmospheres at grounds with working class people, such as Stoke and Palace in the Premier League.

Arsenal have one of the worst due to the fact the working class no longer can afford tickets.

Liverpool used to have the best home atmosphere in the Premier League, now it's awful!

1) Palace - manufactured pap, i'll give em credit they do get behind their team but if i had the misfortune of having that bloke on the PA every home game I'd be serving 10-15 for manslaughter!

2) Liverpool - Myth, their atmosphere for run of the mill games (ie not the televised/big games) is fucking woeful and like the other top clubs they have plenty of daytrippers.

Everton aren't bad mind

 

[EricSabin]

Cambridge and Portsmouth were the ones I was impressed with this season. Pompey are the only ground I've had to raise my voice to talk to my mate sat next to me cos all three sides are belting out a song

 

[Cashis]

It can be ok at times but recently it's been pretty poor (no shocks there, we're shite now). I'm not that arsed though, I'm quite comfortable sat on my arse chatting with my pals and complaining about how shit we are.