Stickied League 2 Away Support Thread 2024/25

[Grimsby Road]

There is no ‘ground situation’! The owners have said many times a new ground is not in the agenda currently. ( unless you have a spare £60-80m hanging around? )

The restricted view seats have been dramatically decreased following the removal of half the support posts in the Main Stand. There isn’t a lot more that can be done.

When asked,the disabled supporters didn’t want moving to a different area of the ground. They considered getting wet was part of the ‘real’ football experience

The view is worse though for half the main stand now at the back there is a giant wooden beam that goes right the way the across and you have to duck down to see .

The disabled fans surely don't want to be sat where they are its a hazard as well as the obvious get wet issue - they could quite easily take a ball at pace to the head with how close the pitch they are situated

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

I think looks like a county fans words?

Last time we averaged 5 figures was over 40 years ago. Our second tier spell pre-all seater coincided with low attendances everywhere - clubs like Wolves, Boro, Bolton and Leicester were getting sub 5 figure crowds. In that period only in the top tier were your crowds averaging 5 figures and generally no better than ours despite the much bigger away capacity.

All seater legislation didnt need to apply to a ground like ours. Even cutting terrace capacity to the same density as seats on safety grounds would have still left us with 12k+ with the corners.

Forget averaged, when was the last time Grimsby got more than 10,000 for a single league game? 1995?

Notts home attendances have always been higher than Grimsby.

 

[Grimsby Road]

Forget averaged, when was the last time Grimsby got more than 10,000 for a single league game? 1995?

Notts home attendances have always been higher than Grimsby.

Would have been 16k for the Aston Villa game in the cup 1994 I think, that was the last 'big one ' in terms of crowds at BP just before all seater , there might have been a league game or 2 that touched over 10k but I can't remember them tbh and for most the time not possible with the capacity .

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Would have been 16k for the Aston Villa game in the cup 1994 I think, that was the last 'big one ' in terms of crowds at BP just before all seater , there might have been a league game or 2 that touched over 10k but I can't remember them tbh and for most the time not possible with the capacity .

Exeter promotion clincher in 91 was 14k plus. That’s easily the most home fans for a league game since 81. Bolton were at home that day and could have gone up instead of us - their attendance was 12k at Burnden which illustrates how shit crowds were at some of the old grounds back then.

There were a few others at 10k plus in the 90s before all seater but all with 3k plus away fans - Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle, Middlesbrough. We struggled to top 7-8k homes fans for any league game, but the town was on its knees and also there were still a lot of hoolies around then - both home and away fans (the Stoke game…!!!)

Notts’ whole history average is 9.6k, GTFC’s is 7.7k - no argument there.

 

[Grimsby Road]

Exeter promotion clincher in 91 was 14k plus. That’s easily the most home fans for a league game since 81. Bolton were at home that day and could have gone up instead of us - their attendance was 12k at Burnden which illustrates how shit crowds were at some of the old grounds back then.

There were a few others at 10k plus in the 90s before all seater but all with 3k plus away fans - Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle, Middlesbrough. We struggled to top 7-8k homes fans for any league game, but the town was on its knees and also there were still a lot of hoolies around then - both home and away fans (the Stoke game…!!!)

Notts’ whole history average is 9.6k, GTFC’s is 7.7k - no argument there.

Yeah i remember the 80's and 90's but memory is awful think my first games were 85 in that Harrington street corner on the terrace .

Yeah don't disagree on Notts either think they have potential to average more aswell (potentially top 6 league 1 ) whereas our ceiling might be somewhere near teams like Lincoln or Bristol Rovers now that's something we have to strive for medium term imo mid range league 1 club with mid range gates in that league ; don't think that's an unrealistic ambition

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Agree I view Grimsby's ceiling in the Mansfield maybe a Lincoln. Not so much Bristol Rovers.

As you and most Town fans will know your great inhibitor is the stadium. It's detrimental in far more ways than just max capacity. Sort that out and who knows how high GTFC can go. Until then you are basically handicapped as a club in the long term.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Agree I view Grimsby's ceiling in the Mansfield maybe a Lincoln. Not so much Bristol Rovers.

As you and most Town fans will know your great inhibitor is the stadium. It's detrimental in far more ways than just max capacity. Sort that out and who knows how high GTFC can go. Until then you are basically handicapped as a club in the long term.

Not sure having a smaller ground is much of an inhibitor, having a bigger one has largely been of bugger all use to us…

 

[Meadow]

Having a smaller ground has stimied us. South London has embraced us but there are rarely any tickets available due to season ticket holders not releasing their tickets for sale. It's a nice problem to have though.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Not sure having a smaller ground is much of an inhibitor, having a bigger one has largely been of bugger all use to us…

Yes why would having an old ground with a capacity under 10,000 that's in a poor condition with inadequate facilities inhibit a club?

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Yes why would having an old ground with a capacity under 10,000 that's in a poor condition with inadequate facilities inhibit a club?

Easy tiger, I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m just pointing out redeveloping ML with a too-big-for-us 20,000 capacity has coincided with possibly the least successful period in the club’s history.

Still a discussion to be had about whether correlation equals causation at all etc etc.

 

[valefan16]

Having a huge ground, especially one you own can be as much of an inhibitor as a small one though, the costs of running it are much higher, maintenance etc.

At Port Vale we've obviously been doubly hit with the Lorne Street which we will benefit from now with two rows of boxes/suites which was probably too ambitious at the time but then finding mine shafts underneath the old stand rocketed the costs to more than all four sides of County's redevelopment! Hence its like the Sagrida Familia in terms of timescale and 27 years on still not complete (all be it now only a concourse fit out away from being finished!).

If Vale increased our fan base further, and it has risen sharply in the past 2-3 seasons then great but ideally we could do with a 13-14000 max in my view. Its just a money pit and where so much investment has had to be put since Carol and Kevin took over to keep it meeting standards.

The Wembley of the North story is great and a big part of our history but its come at a high financial burden.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Easy tiger, I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m just pointing out redeveloping ML with a too-big-for-us 20,000 capacity has coincided with possibly the least successful period in the club’s history.

Still a discussion to be had about whether correlation equals causation at all etc etc.

Sorry, looked like you were.

As I'm sure you know stretching ourselves to 20,000 made sense back then due to grants provided and the fact we were in the Championship. When you have a stadium of that size which is understandably too big for you once we hit an inevitable downturn or downturns it's always going to look silly see MK Dons and it did....often.

However, somehow (well thanks to the Bros) the current capacity is unbelievably about right for us. If we had built a more realistic 12,000 capacity stadium at the time it would likely be an issue to some degree in any higher division. Having watch Notts okay often in front of 4-6K gates, to be now hitting double for home games is incredible and great to see.

Would hate to have a stadium that was under 10,000 now. That would hurt and talk of expansion/extensions likely at a huge cost. The cost of maintaining a larger stadium doesn't come anywhere close to the cost of having to replace a stand or extend an existing one. Worlds apart.

 

[CFC91]

It was less that and more that they sold out the home end but got permission to open up some extra seats (guess front rows or something) so had to find us a few more from the segregation or they’d have got in trouble for not giving 10%, apparently.

Reduced segregation due to the natural break the tunnel in E3 provides so don’t need to net off seats there for that purpose. Grimsby got the same I think, as will anyone else who sells out

 

[Conker]

Having a smaller ground has stimied us. South London has embraced us but there are rarely any tickets available due to season ticket holders not releasing their tickets for sale. It's a nice problem to have though.

Do they offer any incentive to hand the seat back? Mansfield encourage ST holders who cannot make it to inform the club but with zero incentive why would people bother?

In my opinion they should offer some sort of credit every time maybe for the season ticket the season after, because we’ve sold so many season tickets we have under 1,000 seats left to sell every home game until stage 1 out of 3 of the bishop street stand redevelopment is finished.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Like the original Star Wars trilogy, stage one is essential, stage two is when things get really good, and stage three is decent I guess but no more.

Exciting times ahead.

 

[Meadow]

Do they offer any incentive to hand the seat back? Mansfield encourage ST holders who cannot make it to inform the club but with zero incentive why would people bother?

In my opinion they should offer some sort of credit every time maybe for the season ticket the season after, because we’ve sold so many season tickets we have under 1,000 seats left to sell every home game until stage 1 out of 3 of the bishop street stand redevelopment is finished.

70% of cost back so I got a credit of just over £13.00 for my MK ticket.

The problem is that most of the gaps are in the cheaper sections of the east stand and I'd guess that a lot are children's tickets which aren't worth selling back.

 

[Grimsby Road]

Having a smaller ground has stimied us. South London has embraced us but there are rarely any tickets available due to season ticket holders not releasing their tickets for sale. It's a nice problem to have though.

Exactly the problem we have they don't release the seats so the only one's available here on matchday are restricted view or single seats in the main for any biggish game - I expect that to include this Saturday in the home end

 

[Grimsby Road]

Agree I view Grimsby's ceiling in the Mansfield maybe a Lincoln. Not so much Bristol Rovers.

As you and most Town fans will know your great inhibitor is the stadium. It's detrimental in far more ways than just max capacity. Sort that out and who knows how high GTFC can go. Until then you are basically handicapped as a club in the long term.

Football photos at Blundell Park

Pillars everywhere but they didn't spoil our 'enjoyment' of the game (match was awful!) Stadium is ageing and old fashioned in places but that's what makes me quite like it! Great view over the Humber estuary and out over the North sea if the game doesn't live up to expectations!

aviewfrommyseat.co.uk

The last back rows for away fans is dreadful aswell it cuts off a third of the pitch , I seriously don't get how some of our fans think BP is fit for purpose in modern times - i love the ground but whos gunna pay £25 quid for those sort of views ?

 

[ROVERS⚽️]

Donny have just about sold our allocation for Bradford away at the end of this month, they went on general sale today. Do any Bradford fans know if we will get more when they sell as I’m sure they will, I think the initial allocation was 1100 give or take. I’d like to think we’d sell 1500/1600 but who knows, we’ve taken about 2,000 before but also had a few bad followings at valley parade too, probably 1200/1300 may be more likely.

 

[F!RTHY]

Donny have just about sold our allocation for Bradford away at the end of this month, they went on general sale today. Do any Bradford fans know if we will get more when they sell as I’m sure they will, I think the initial allocation was 1100 give or take. I’d like to think we’d sell 1500/1600 but who knows, we’ve taken about 2,000 before but also had a few bad followings at valley parade too, probably 1200/1300 may be more likely.

You can have anything up to 2,750 - and we’ve been known to allocate 3,100.

You’ll be given an additional 850 to begin with (upper tier behind the goal) and then the lower tier should you need it.

 

[Gladders]

Football photos at Blundell Park

Pillars everywhere but they didn't spoil our 'enjoyment' of the game (match was awful!) Stadium is ageing and old fashioned in places but that's what makes me quite like it! Great view over the Humber estuary and out over the North sea if the game doesn't live up to expectations!

aviewfrommyseat.co.uk

The last back rows for away fans is dreadful aswell it cuts off a third of the pitch , I seriously don't get how some of our fans think BP is fit for purpose in modern times - i love the ground but whos gunna pay £25 quid for those sort of views ?

Where do people think it is fit for purpose?

Just nobody has tens of millions for us to move to a new ground so we have to make do.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

And that why GTFC have a big problem to solve long term.

Surely nobody thinks it's for for purpose or close. I love the character and heterogeneous nature of old grounds such as BP but in all honesty it's an absolute hole.

 

[ROVERS⚽️]

You can have anything up to 2,750 - and we’ve been known to allocate 3,100.

You’ll be given an additional 850 to begin with (upper tier behind the goal) and then the lower tier should you need it.

Thanks for the response Firthy. I can’t see us selling an additional 850 for 2000 but it’s great that your away end offers that many. We’ve probably had some better away followings this year compared to last, we should bring a few but I imagine 1200/1300. How’s the home crowds holding up this season, still 16/17k?, incredible numbers at this level.

 

[Grimsby Road]

Where do people think it is fit for purpose?

Just nobody has tens of millions for us to move to a new ground so we have to make do.

Maybe the wrong choice of words ,more they like it how it is and don't want any change- mainly older folk they sit around me in the main they love it in there

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Maybe the wrong choice of words ,more they like it how it is and don't want any change- mainly older folk they sit around me in the main they love it in there

When we went all seater the Board said they’d done an analysis of the potential all seater capacity of the site (as opposed to the then current Blundell Park stands) - it was 12,500. We were then in the championship and the view was we needed a new stadium with potential expansion capacity of 20k.

There followed some poorly project managed efforts (from GTFC) to promote a new stadium site, coupled with local opposition and a poorly funded and staffed local authority who decided it was all too difficult and went with the blockers. Then ITV digital, relegation, Fenty and here we are.

We could do a Bournemouth type stadium in phases I guess but the max will be the 12.5k.

Historically, that wouldn’t be considered enough for the size of the club, but funding anything bigger on a new site looks dead without an eccentric multi millionaire from a fishing port in Massachusetts coming on board…

 

[Grimsby Road]

When we went all seater the Board said they’d done an analysis of the potential all seater capacity of the site (as opposed to the then current Blundell Park stands) - it was 12,500. We were then in the championship and the view was we needed a new stadium with potential expansion capacity of 20k.

There followed some poorly project managed efforts (from GTFC) to promote a new stadium site, coupled with local opposition and a poorly funded and staffed local authority who decided it was all too difficult and went with the blockers. Then ITV digital, relegation, Fenty and here we are.

We could do a Bournemouth type stadium in phases I guess but the max will be the 12.5k.

Historically, that wouldn’t be considered enough for the size of the club, but funding anything bigger on a new site looks dead without an eccentric multi millionaire from a fishing port in Massachusetts coming on board…

Yeah in hindsight it seems like it was a bad decision not to build BP out at the time , I wonder if it would even be viable now to expand it to 12.5k ?

I'm with Viking it's more of a facilities problem , i mean it's alright people saying we will 'have to make do ' but a genuine question- how long will/can the Mainstans actually last ?

I had a real good look around the back and it really is pretty bad green foam on the wood, loose pipes in the toilets and roofs looking like they are not so secure I wonder how it passes any sort of safety inspection tbh .

 

[Cloudy]

Yeah in hindsight it seems like it was a bad decision not to build BP out at the time , I wonder if it would even be viable now to expand it to 12.5k ?

I'm with Viking it's more of a facilities problem , i mean it's alright people saying we will 'have to make do ' but a genuine question- how long will/can the Mainstans actually last ?

I had a real good look around the back and it really is pretty bad green foam on the wood, loose pipes in the toilets and roofs looking like they are not so secure I wonder how it passes any sort of safety inspection tbh .

Bizarrely, to me at least, The Main Stand is now not the priority. The ‘Findus’ is highest amongst the Safety Advisory Groups concern.

I am very much of the opinion that our SAG are very obstructive. They don’t seem to want to work to find acceptable solutions, just intent on declining everything.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Bizarrely, to me at least, The Main Stand is now not the priority. The ‘Findus’ is highest amongst the Safety Advisory Groups concern.

I am very much of the opinion that our SAG are very obstructive. They don’t seem to want to work to find acceptable solutions, just intent on declining everything.

And no one wants to challenge an advisory group with “safety” in its name. The Building Safety Act, enacted post Grenfall, is a bureaucratic nightmare, not one high rise project yet approved apparently and lots on hold. Making Blundell Park all seater didn’t make it any safer, in fact older stands are safer as standing - to make them safer just lower the capacity and keep access routes clear.

 

[CFC91]

Allocation at our place might be even smaller now after Notts fans smashed seats and vandalised the toilets on Saturday.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

We’ve had the extra allocation from Bradford