Your club's natural level

[Soup Ladle]

getting promoted back into the league has to be one of the best feelings you can ever experience in football. (It sucks missing out on promotion in the Conny but if you're an established league club it's only a matter of time before you escape.)

I'll never forget the sheer ecstasy when Brad James saved Matt Buse's pen, I went absolutely fucking mental and I didn't calm down for days. In the four years we were nowhere close to going up and we just absolutely pulled that season out the bag. Unbelievable effort and probably one of the best feelings I've ever had being honest.

 

[RLC]

I'll never forget the sheer ecstasy when Brad James saved Matt Buse's pen, I went absolutely fucking mental and I didn't calm down for days. In the four years we were nowhere close to going up and we just absolutely pulled that season out the bag. Unbelievable effort and probably one of the best feelings I've ever had being honest.

Our play off win against Boreham Wood was the best feeling I have ever had, and probably ever will have, as a Rovers fan. It beat reaching the second tier for the first time in fifty years, play offs for the Premier League, or reaching the League Cup final, and by some distance.

You don't appreciate it until you are actually down there, but regaining Football League status just trumps everything else.

 

[Casey]

I did forget about Salford and Harrogate.

My apologies to both....and their fans on here

Casey

 

[shoddycollins]

Our play off win against Boreham Wood was the best feeling I have ever had, and probably ever will have, as a Rovers fan. It beat reaching the second tier for the first time in fifty years, play offs for the Premier League, or reaching the League Cup final, and by some distance.

You don't appreciate it until you are actually down there, but regaining Football League status just trumps everything else.

We still occasionally sing about the time we beat aldershot in the playoff semis.

Vivid memories too of walking through a subway in Stoke after the playoff final as a carefree early twenty something. Some Stevenage fans coming in the other direction and one of my mates shouts 'Losers!' as we pass. We try and tell him to be quiet because there's more of them than there are of us and he turns back to face them, posing triumphantly and shouts 'they can't hurt us, we have the power of the football league behind us! '

 

[JaredSUFC]

I’ve forgotten what it’s like being a non league club tbh, now we’re a long established football league club it’s hard to imagine having to play in that tinpot league. Would be terrible.

I feel exactly the same….

 

[JaredSUFC]

Sutton probably count as bigger than us (an advantage of being in a built-up area for one thing, but also a longer history, albeit with ups and downs of being a leading and much-respected non-league club). Not really sure where we stand in comparison with Crawley, but possibly slightly bigger now: at any rate our away support is bigger (and louder). Plus, we've never employed Steve Evans and never will, so.

I'd have said our natural level is mid-table National League. But on the other hand, pretty much one half of that league is now (as it mostly was not back in the day) ex-league "brotherhood" clubs most of whom have substantially larger fan bases, and in some ways better grounds (or less tinpot ones, at least) than we do. So, hmm, does that put us lower half Conference then? Hopefully not ... I mean, we are hardly North Ferriby but nor, really, are we Grimsby....

Prior to say 2000 we may have been a bigger club than FGR, but you did have that long spell in the conference whilst we were bumbling along in regional divisions, including a 3 season spell at step 3 of the non-league pyramid.

 

[FGR-Star]

My thinking is even such crowds as we've grown aren't particularly loyal and would probably melt away again if we drop down, plus there seems to be even more larger ex-league clubs down there than ever, though of course we did sustain twenty years of Conference prem even if it was a bit spawny at times, so I am probably being a bit Eeyore.

Completely disagree with you.

I think you would be surprised at how loyal our fan-base is, we would be a massively well supported club at. One South level! We are a very small club though granted. Our problem is not the loyalty it’s getting those floating supporters to the bigger games.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Completely disagree with you.

I think you would be surprised at how loyal our fan-base is, we would be a massively well supported club at. One South level! We are a very small club though granted. Our problem is not the loyalty it’s getting those floating supporters to the bigger games.

It's those floating ones I mean, reckon we'd be back down to a core of twelve or thirteen hundred which is yo-yo resource base. Look at attendances some Tuesdays now at top of league two if you subtract the away lot. Anyway, we'll have to find out how big we grow in League One first at least

 

[Trapdoor]

Minnows...

 

[F!RTHY]

As mentioned by my fellow City comrades, top-end L1 - low end Champ.

Following financial turmoil around 2002-2004, we were eventually relegated from the Championship in 2004. Barring our nearly season in 16/17 when we lost to Millwall in the L1 P/O final, we haven’t really looked as though we’d find our way back anytime soon.

During my time of supporting the club, I’ve seen us play in every division. Some good times, but they’re few and far between. As with most clubs at this level, it’s mostly bad times. Some have it worse than others - we’re most definitely in this category.

I’ve seen what can be achieved at this club when we’re all pulling in the right direction. This club is very much a club that could achieve back-to-back promotions. Give Hughes the right foundations to build from next season, and I’m hopeful we can achieve great things again - honestly, it’s been too long.

I dream of Championship football - big clubs - genuine pre-match excitement. Away ends sold out on the regular. Average home crowds of 23,000+. New grounds, new rivalries.

Until then, we look forward to welcoming Newport to Valley Parade next week. We are where we are.

 

[Valeite]

As mentioned by my fellow City comrades, top-end L1 - low end Champ.

Following financial turmoil around 2002-2004, we were eventually relegated from the Championship in 2004. Barring our nearly season in 16/17 when we lost to Millwall in the L1 P/O final, we haven’t really looked as though we’d find our way back anytime soon.

During my time of supporting the club, I’ve seen us play in every division. Some good times, but they’re few and far between. As with most clubs at this level, it’s mostly bad times. Some have it worse than others - we’re most definitely in this category.

I’ve seen what can be achieved at this club when we’re all pulling in the right direction. This club is very much a club that could achieve back-to-back promotions. Give Hughes the right foundations to build from next season, and I’m hopeful we can achieve great things again - honestly, it’s been too long.

I dream of Championship football - big clubs - genuine pre-match excitement. Away ends sold out on the regular. Average home crowds of 23,000+. New grounds, new rivalries.

Until then, we look forward to welcoming Newport to Valley Parade next week. We are where we are.

Seeing as you averaged about 18, 000 in the prem this may not go to plan.

 

[Kauto Star]

Seeing as you averaged about 18, 000 in the prem this may not go to plan.

The ground only held 18000 when we were promoted in 1999. It was increased to 20000 in Dec 2000, and further increased to current capacity of 25136 in the summer of 2001, by which time we has been relegated

 

[F!RTHY]

Seeing as you averaged about 18, 000 in the prem this may not go to plan.

As mentioned above, ground didn’t hold 25,000 during Prem years - a common misconception - you’re excused.

I mean, it’s not like we averaged 19,787 just four years ago, is it. Anyway…irrelevant.

 

[Valeite]

As mentioned above, ground didn’t hold 25,000 during Prem years - a common misconception - you’re excused.

View attachment 16926

I mean, it’s not like we averaged 19,787 just four years ago, is it. Anyway…irrelevant.

You can`t fund a championship side on cheap season tickets so it wont be that easy to maintain that sort of gate.

 

[F!RTHY]

You can`t fund a championship side on cheap season tickets so it wont be that easy to maintain that sort of gate.

Who says we can’t?

 

[PuB]

Who says we can’t?

Logic.

 

[Kauto Star]

You can`t fund a championship side on cheap season tickets so it wont be that easy to maintain that sort of gate.

Yet teams like Luton can do it on attendances that would be half of what we would get in the Championship. Don't forget our prices would increase in the Championship too

 

[F!RTHY]

Logic.

Explain this logic.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Yet teams like Luton can do it on attendances that would be half of what we would get in the Championship. Don't forget our prices would increase in the Championship too

So in other words it wouldn't be funded on cheap season tickets. As you were..

 

[Kauto Star]

So in other words it wouldn't be funded on cheap season tickets. As you were..

I would still expect us to be cheaper than most, if we get back to the Championship.

 

[F!RTHY]

Yet teams like Luton can do it on attendances that would be half of what we would get in the Championship. Don't forget our prices would increase in the Championship too

It just comes down to the same old common misconception with some opposition fans whereby if prices increased, even marginally, we’d somehow average similar crowds they do.

I’d bet my mortgage on us shifting 18,000+ at £250 in the Championship. Or, the equivalent of shifting 9,000 at £500. Whether £250 a ST is therefore deemed cheap for Championship football, this is another topic altogether.

 

[shoddycollins]

It just comes down to the same old common misconception with some opposition fans whereby if prices increased, even marginally, we’d somehow average similar crowds they do.

I’d bet my mortgage on us shifting 18,000+ at £250 in the Championship. Or, the equivalent of shifting 9,000 at £500. Whether £250 a ST is therefore deemed cheap for Championship football, this is another topic altogether.

£250 would be deemed cheap even at this level. Our cheapest are £300 and I know there are a good number of clubs at this level charge for.

Looks like £400 is more normal at championship level. There are clubs up there with tickets even cheaper than that for their cheapest tickets but I didn't look up how early you have to book and how many years support you need to qualify for the cheapest ones at each club.

 

[Trapdoor]

250 is dirt cheap.

Ours are 354 in L2 and would probably increase to about 380 in L1.

 

[F!RTHY]

£250 would be deemed cheap even at this level. Our cheapest are £300 and I know there are a good number of clubs at this level charge for.

Looks like £400 is more normal at championship level. There are clubs up there with tickets even cheaper than that for their cheapest tickets but I didn't look up how early you have to book and how many years support you need to qualify for the cheapest ones at each club.

Prior to us launching our ‘cheap ticket’ initiative, our ST’s were £350-£400 back in 2006 - so I’m confident our support base are aware of what constitutes cheap tickets and what doesn’t.

 

[Greenacres]

250 is dirt cheap.

Ours are 354 in L2 and would probably increase to about 380 in L1.

Agreed, that is cheap, mine will be 391 next season...although prices have been frozen at what many people paid this season (Lots of us had a reduction because we bought one last season and watched most games with an iFollow pass).

Presumably Bradford have carried out lots of calculations and the price they charge is based on things like filling seats, coining in on other stuff that people buy (food, drink, replica kit, etc) and building their fanbase. Either way, it is a bold approach and deserves to succeed, at least they have a ground large enough to be creative.

 

[denzel ecfc]

250 is dirt cheap.

Ours are 354 in L2 and would probably increase to about 380 in L1.

Pretty sure I paid less that that for the Big Bank this season. Edit: I did, it was 299.

One of the best things of having a choice of standing or sitting is it makes the terrace a bit more affordable

 

[Trapdoor]

Pretty sure I paid less that that for the Big Bank this season. Edit: I did, it was 299.

One of the best things of having a choice of standing or sitting is it makes the terrace a bit more affordable

It's more than that if you buy a new one and don't roll your legacy prices over. £354 to stand on the BB or £460 to have a seat.