OK, so our away following is pish poor and becomes a common cause for complaint. What can be done to fix that?
I've been thinking for a while that it might be a decent idea to introduce a competition for people who are up for it. Everyone contributes (say) a tenner into a central fund, which is made available as a possible prize. Of all the people who contribute, those who go to a certain minimum of league matches (maybe 10 or 12) are eligible for the raffle to win all the money, which is carried out at the end of the season. If there's enough interest, there could be more than one prize.
Now that we've lost the novelty factor, a competition may be enough of an attraction for people to go. If the number of required matches is large enough, it goes to a worthy winner and can hopefully boost attendance across the board. Also, since fans usually go in a group, they're likely to bring other fans with them.
If this were to happen, I'd hope that some of those who usually complain about low away attendances (you know who you are) would contribute to the fund.
The total prize money may not be great this year, but it has to start somehow.
What do you think? I'm sure there are loads of obvious problems with it, but do people think it might work?
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However i'm not sure a raffle would really get the numbers up.
Well done for getting the thinking cap on though.
Have to agree I'm afraid, especially in the present financial climate....doesn't dilute my support (IMO), but it does affect my decision on parting with my hard earned cash!
We'll all have different reasons which will be appropriate for our own lives, but I reckon we all know that if a Charlton team are putting in the effort etc, we'll back them. (Surely the same with most teams??)
It's a shame especially when you consider the vocal support (quantity & quality) we had at Southend & Orient and that we became the 12th man in both games. The flip side of that is the gutless performance at Colchester!
Ummmm, okay, but what can fans do to get more fans at away matches?
Success on the pitch...
RedZed, again, that's out of the control of the fans. For home matches, people were talking about bringing neutral friends or friends' kids to a match every now and again, or having a 'spare' ticket between a group of people. Away matches is about getting existing Charlton fans to travel.
Always nice to get a decent away following although the priority ought to be to boost home gates where the club gets the money
I thought the club has to buy a certain amount of tickets from away club. They can then ask for more if there's enough demand, so they usually keep the initial order quite small and don't want to make the bigger order unless they know for certain that they will be able to sell the tickets.
Anyway, there's no reason why they can't happen at the same time. As I said, they're two separate groups. Home fans is about getting neutrals, kids and people who've stayed away over the years. Away fans is about getting committed home fans to try and make it to a few more away matches over the season.
There is some levy across all games but it pays peanuts.
I thought it was pretty impressive last season actually!
I attend 3 to 4 away games a season now, way down on years gone by when I attended all but 3 or 4 away games a season. This is down to my circumstances and I am not blaming Club or players.
What I used to enjoy was the camaraderie amongst the fans and travelling in a group of like minded people intent on watching football and, in my case, having a beer or two.
I attended the Swindon Game and the singing in the pub and conversation around the bar was not to my taste. I really don't care what Ambrose did or didn't do or how many German bombers there have been. I do care about saying farewell to horses and yippee I ayeing till my throat demands more beer.
I wonder if more or less people would go away if the more aggresive singing did not happen.
I do understand that this may be a minority of fans and they may not usually go to away games as witnessed by other threads.
Charlton Happy Clappers anyone?
When I lived in London the thought of missing an away match never entered my head no matter where we were in the league and I only ever missed if I was if was completely borrassic or in prison...
Nowadays other sideshows like the family, the mortgage and that four letter word, work, affect my ability to attend, not to mention the exhorbitant cost of tickets, travel, booze and grub etc....
Following Charlton's not a poor man's game these days...
Still get to as many as possible though, just like most fans do...
I thought Swindon was one of the best pre match pub atmospheres at a Charlton away game for years!
Fair enough. Perhaps I am being over critical.
People are cutting back on all expediture atm, so who wants to outlay £80+ watching them
lay down and not put a shift in.
It would not stop me or anyone i know going each to there own.
Anyone for 90 mins of cafc and red army
You lot are dull as hell
Singing CAFC in a growling voice rather than in perfect pitch?
I think Golfie went to most. That's why he is so miserable :-)
Good call there. Thanks for reminding me
Therefore my suggestion if you want a better away following is to vet fans to be more welcoming and not treat the away stand soley like an extension of the north upper.
Went to every game , home & away, league & cups...............I admit I missed just one - away to Southampton in the JPT (but is was on tv, so I did actually "see" it)
Don't think I'll be doing it again this season.
I am not advocating or condoning personal abuse but personally the second sentence of your post just makes me wince
This little exchange sums it up quite nicely.
Unless you behave in a certain fashion at away matches (where there are more than two men and a dog) expect abuse. Standing and drunkenly abusing those who want to watch the match appears to be de rigeur.
Why would anybody who likes to watch the game they have shelled out hard earned money for subject themselves to being treated like a common criminal and herded and searched only to be abused in the way Harvey's Trainer has described?
Our Club gets little or no benefit from away attendances so why are so many bothered about them?