Post by ronfosker on Mar 24, 2020 22:04:18 GMT
And this one from the beginning of season 2018-19:
One of the most common refrains around the ground and on the forum is the need for larger crowds.
But are we expecting too much of the good people of Braintree? Are our attendances that bad?
We had an average attendance of 527 last year of which I would guess no more than 100, probably fewer, were away supporters. In other words, core support of about 450.
On the 2011 census, Braintree had the tenth biggest population in the county, but our gates were beaten only by League clubs Southend (population 175,000) and Colchester (119,000) plus Chelmsford (110,000).
To put it in perspective, Chelmsford’s population is nearly three times greater than Braintree’s 41,000. By that yardstick they should be getting an attendance of 1,500, not the 861 that they actually got.
Braintree’s population figure is one place below Clacton, who are lucky to see 100 at home matches. That’s from a population of 50,000.
We all hope that by playing in a higher league we should be getting bigger crowds. But we were still doing better than the likes of Clacton when we were lower down. I recently happened across a progamme from 2003, a year when Iron didn’t particularly distinguish themselves and finished 17th in the Ryman Premier. At a rough count the attendance was nudging 300, or maybe 10 or 20 below, but not bad.
We’ve added a few since then, attracted no doubt by the prospect of playing against the bigger clubs, and of course we get some strong away support from the former League clubs, even though the major moneyspinners from Luton and Cambridge are now on a higher plane.
But we have to remove the rose-tinted glasses and remember that the bumper gates of years ago belong to another era.
The heyday of non-league football was probably just after the second world war, in the days before most people had televisions or cars to travel to other venues.
The downward slope started, or was perhaps accentuated, when Ipswich Town gained promotion to the Second Division and then, in 1961 to the First Division, which of course they won at the first attempt. By then far more people had access to cars for what was then probably an hour’s drive away.
It became closer after the Colchester bypass was built and even though Ipswich are no longer the mighty club they once were, quite a few people are still prepared to head over there from the Braintree district.
And gradually more people have travelled up to London to watch mainly Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham (and latterly Chelsea). And West Ham’s move to the London Stadium only a short walk from Stratford station has brought them within even easier reach.
So we face a fair amount of competition.
We can keep hoping more will come through the turnstiles but let’s remember, percentage wise, Braintree is not doing badly.