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[Mrs Warbouys]

Yes it will be a poor show tonight I’d imagine especially as tickets for old Trafford are still on open sale. I’ve seen a good few who’ve returned since the news of a new chairman. Most of my match going pals that are staying away will be there on the opening day of next season. 

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

Our away following is outstanding - both in numbers and in noise.  We take a lot more away now with average crowds of just over a thousand, than we ever did in the 'glory years' of late 70s and early 80s.  It augurs well for the future-  our core support is as high as it has been since the 80s, and we regularly take 200 plus away.  These are signs of a club that, with a bit of success, is ready to take off - mark my words

Whilst I appreciate your point, I do think that it's worth injecting a bit of perspective in that from August 1979 onwards and right throughout the 1980s, we were playing in a national division rather than the regional feeder league in which we currently find ourselves.

[Matt Taylor]

Judge a growing core support on games like tonight's.

Tonight will be an excellent indicator of our core support. With the Derby on telly, and very few visiting fans making a 350 mile return journey, the gate should be a totally accurate pointer.

Absolutely. The definition of what a 'core' match-going support is will range from person to person, for me it's people who attend the vast majority of home games and make an effort to support Alty away when they can. I reckon ours is around the 600 mark? I'd expect the attendance to be around that. We're then propped up by floating fans and away turnouts, both of which will be non existent tonight. Hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised this evening and it would certainly be an indicator of a growing fan base.

I think you’re setting the bar too low. We had nearly 800 at the previous Tuesday evening league home game against Gateshead, and managed in excess of 500 for a late-notice FA Trophy First Round replay the week before Christmas. Not discounting it’s the second week of January, or that there’s football on the telly, I’d be very disappointed with a crowd in the 600s tonight given our recent form.

[One Foot in the Grave]

I guess you're disappointed then. 614 wasn't far below my expectations.

[Is this it?]

Judge a growing core support on games like tonight's.

Tonight will be an excellent indicator of our core support. With the Derby on telly, and very few visiting fans making a 350 mile return journey, the gate should be a totally accurate pointer.

Absolutely. The definition of what a 'core' match-going support is will range from person to person, for me it's people who attend the vast majority of home games and make an effort to support Alty away when they can. I reckon ours is around the 600 mark? I'd expect the attendance to be around that. We're then propped up by floating fans and away turnouts, both of which will be non existent tonight. Hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised this evening and it would certainly be an indicator of a growing fan base.

I think you’re setting the bar too low. We had nearly 800 at the previous Tuesday evening league home game against Gateshead, and managed in excess of 500 for a late-notice FA Trophy First Round replay the week before Christmas. Not discounting it’s the second week of January, or that there’s football on the telly, I’d be very disappointed with a crowd in the 600s tonight given our recent form.

There are a couple of factors that are likely to skew this evening’s attendance that I offer for consideration.  Firstly, among our younger supporter base, those studying in Years 11 and 13 are likely to be taking their mock GCSE or A levels and, as such, will have found it difficult to persuade their parents to let them go to this evening’s fixture.  Secondly, there have been a lot of fixtures recently and post-Xmas financial prudence may have played a part.  Finally, of the cohort I stand with which included until recently, Royton Mike, one lives too far away to make midweek and the other prefers not to attend evening fixtures, so the normal 5 was actually only 2 this evening.  That said, I was also a bit disappointed that there aren’t more there this eve.

[Matt Taylor]

Judge a growing core support on games like tonight's.

Tonight will be an excellent indicator of our core support. With the Derby on telly, and very few visiting fans making a 350 mile return journey, the gate should be a totally accurate pointer.

Absolutely. The definition of what a 'core' match-going support is will range from person to person, for me it's people who attend the vast majority of home games and make an effort to support Alty away when they can. I reckon ours is around the 600 mark? I'd expect the attendance to be around that. We're then propped up by floating fans and away turnouts, both of which will be non existent tonight. Hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised this evening and it would certainly be an indicator of a growing fan base.

I think you’re setting the bar too low. We had nearly 800 at the previous Tuesday evening league home game against Gateshead, and managed in excess of 500 for a late-notice FA Trophy First Round replay the week before Christmas. Not discounting it’s the second week of January, or that there’s football on the telly, I’d be very disappointed with a crowd in the 600s tonight given our recent form.

There are a couple of factors that are likely to skew this evening’s attendance that I offer for consideration.  Firstly, among our younger supporter base, those studying in Years 11 and 13 are likely to be taking their mock GCSE or A levels and, as such, will have found it difficult to persuade their parents to let them go to this evening’s fixture.  Secondly, there have been a lot of fixtures recently and post-Xmas financial prudence may have played a part.  Finally, of the cohort I stand with which included until recently, Royton Mike, one lives too far away to make midweek and the other prefers not to attend evening fixtures, so the normal 5 was actually only 2 this evening.  That said, I was also a bit disappointed that there aren’t more there this eve.

Fair play, looks like the bar wasn’t set too low at all!
All valid mitigating factors above, but it’s still a poor crowd. I’m not expecting 1,200 turning up on a Tuesday evening in January or anything daft like that, but the 800 that turned up for the Gateshead Tuesday night game a couple of months ago seems a realistic target.

Maybe I’m expecting too much, or perhaps underestimating how long these things take, but I thought/hoped a few more of the new fans we’ve picked up over the past few seasons would have moved past the stage of just turning up on a Saturday for a pint and a chat by now.
If, as suggested previously on this thread, Tuesday is anything to go by, then our hardcore support doesn’t appear to have grown at all.

[Leeds Leeds Alty]

Every season throws up one of two outlier attendances either way - whether its the 3400 plus against Stockport on Boxing day or 600 against Blyth on a Tuesday night in January when the Manchester Derby is going on 5 miles down the road and is live on telly.

Disappointing though the attendance was, it is indicative of anything other than a set of factors which cumulatively dragged the attendance right down.

The attendance at Guiseley yesterday - 1243 - is a much more reliable indicator, and, with maybe 100 Guiseley fans attending at most, it was a great crowd.

When we were in Conference North 2011 to 2014, our average attendance was generally 850 to 900.  Our first season in Conference North 2004/05 saw an average of 665, and our 4 years in the Unibond saw average attendances drop to barely 600.

Last season we averaged 1244, with the Stockport game, and 1137 without.  This season sees out average home gate thus far this season at 1028.  If we stay in or around the play offs for the rest of the season, it seems likely that average will increase - our lower average this season is almost certainly due to a lacklustre first couple of months.

So, the clear evidence here is that home attendances have significantly increased in the short, medium and longer term - 25% up on last time we were in Conference North, and double what they were 15 to 20 years ago.  Our core support has increased markedly, despite or perhaps because of our dreadful successive relegations, followed by our resurgence under Phil P and co.  What we are seeing at Alty is unprecedented since the 1970s - we have caught the imagination of the town again, the good times are coming back, and we can look realistically at a future which could sustain league football if attendances keep pushing up as they have been. We just have to keep on getting it right on the pitch, and professionalise more off the pitch

[Steve from Sale]

We are also a very entertaining team to watch in the style of football we play. If we carry on like this the fans will return and we will gain new ones. I have noticed this amongst the 13-20 age group very recently as we have had more support from this age group, possibly because the the schools initiative.

[Hale Alty]

I'm sure some stats fiend will correctly but my memory tells me that the next home game after the last trip to Tottenham was a home game to Telford that barely scraped 900. Things are on the up. Although we mustn't overlook than many are only here for the beer.

[ManagementGuru]

14th Jan 1995 Altrincham 1 Yeovil Town 3 Attendance: 808

Our remaining attendances for that season were 1040 (Runcorn), 807, 702, 733, 670, 812, 703; mostly Saturdays.  Our average home league attendance that season was 1002

The atmosphere on the Golf Road amazes me these days.  The youth, the energy, the noise.  Our future!

[Leeds Leeds Alty]

To follow on from Bill's point, we spent most of the 1994/95 season in the top three of the Conference, with a real chance of promotion.  At the end of that season Maunders pulled out on the club, and we were hours away from folding.  That season, the 20 year old dream of league football died, and simply surviving became the priority.

At that time, arguably league football was not realistic on crowds of 800 to 900 or less even in a successful season. 

I believe we are in a position to start dreaming again - as a medium term goal, and the support base justifies this.  If all people want is a few beers on a Saturday afternoon, they can go anywhere - they are not just coming to Moss Lane for the beer, it is the exciting football and the overall experience that is drawing more and more people in, and I for one am loving it.  Our time is coming, any day, don't worry about us now - special prize to the first person who correctly guesses which band and song I am not quite quoting   

[Cider Alty]

The attendance v Guiseley was good - but having just two turnstiles open on the Golf Road end? This needs looking at. Three people selling programmes and two people on the gate?

[Hemel Alty]

Is it Rush?

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

To follow on from Bill's point, we spent most of the 1994/95 season in the top three of the Conference, with a real chance of promotion.  At the end of that season Maunders pulled out on the club, and we were hours away from folding.  That season, the 20 year old dream of league football died, and simply surviving became the priority.

At that time, arguably league football was not realistic on crowds of 800 to 900 or less even in a successful season. 

I believe we are in a position to start dreaming again - as a medium term goal, and the support base justifies this.  If all people want is a few beers on a Saturday afternoon, they can go anywhere - they are not just coming to Moss Lane for the beer, it is the exciting football and the overall experience that is drawing more and more people in, and I for one am loving it.  Our time is coming, any day, don't worry about us now - special prize to the first person who correctly guesses which band and song I am not quite quoting   

Good lord, we've now gone from Rush to the Grateful Dead!

Estimated Prophet?

[Matt Taylor]

Every season throws up one of two outlier attendances either way - whether its the 3400 plus against Stockport on Boxing day or 600 against Blyth on a Tuesday night in January when the Manchester Derby is going on 5 miles down the road and is live on telly.

Disappointing though the attendance was, it is indicative of anything other than a set of factors which cumulatively dragged the attendance right down.

The attendance at Guiseley yesterday - 1243 - is a much more reliable indicator, and, with maybe 100 Guiseley fans attending at most, it was a great crowd.

When we were in Conference North 2011 to 2014, our average attendance was generally 850 to 900.  Our first season in Conference North 2004/05 saw an average of 665, and our 4 years in the Unibond saw average attendances drop to barely 600.

Last season we averaged 1244, with the Stockport game, and 1137 without.  This season sees out average home gate thus far this season at 1028.  If we stay in or around the play offs for the rest of the season, it seems likely that average will increase - our lower average this season is almost certainly due to a lacklustre first couple of months.

So, the clear evidence here is that home attendances have significantly increased in the short, medium and longer term - 25% up on last time we were in Conference North, and double what they were 15 to 20 years ago.  Our core support has increased markedly, despite or perhaps because of our dreadful successive relegations, followed by our resurgence under Phil P and co.  What we are seeing at Alty is unprecedented since the 1970s - we have caught the imagination of the town again, the good times are coming back, and we can look realistically at a future which could sustain league football if attendances keep pushing up as they have been. We just have to keep on getting it right on the pitch, and professionalise more off the pitch

I think the Saturday crowds are very healthy. The club has done an impressive job over the past couple of seasons in cashing in on the growing popularity of non-league football, with a number of successful match day initiatives and awareness drives. And I thought Saturday’s turnout was excellent.
It’s more the Saturday to Tuesday home fan conversion that I don’t think has kept pace. The past 7 days being a prime example.

And if you honestly believe Saturday is a “more reliable indicator” of the current core support level than last Tuesday was, then fair enough, but I think we’ll have to accept we each have very different understandings of the words ‘core support’.