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Attendance slipping


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#1
Mibabalou

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Weve slipped into 15th for attendance this season.

Only 2 matches this season over 20k; hopefully LAFC is a big enough opponent to get some casuals coming. I dont even care if theyre all in Vela shirts just hope they come.

#2
gravediGGer

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Weve slipped into 15th for attendance this season.

Only 2 matches this season over 20k; hopefully LAFC is a big enough opponent to get some casuals coming. I dont even care if theyre all in Vela shirts just hope they come.


Why are you so desperate to see people in the arena even if they're supporting the opponent?

Sometimes I think the entire Red Bull existence has been some 19 year old kids football manager save file he only plays when he comes home drunk. - 'Mibabalou'

#FUCKredbull


#3
Grelladinho

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Weve slipped into 15th for attendance this season.

Only 2 matches this season over 20k; hopefully LAFC is a big enough opponent to get some casuals coming. I dont even care if theyre all in Vela shirts just hope they come.


Attendance is actually down 16 percent from last year, according to a site that is tracking it. Only Chicago and Columbus have dropped more than them. If you search MLS attendance 2018 it should be the first one that pops up.

I think it's time to start putting up tarps to cover up most of the upper deck and move everyone next season down to the lower bowl. Or concentrate them in one area of the upper bowl. The Revs, Sounders and Caps all do tarps since they have larger stadiums, but the half-empty look of RBA is tiring and needs to end soon.

The attendance thing has been an endless debate here but what I think is happening is that after years and years of sitting in traffic or waiting for a PATH connection at Journal Square, the longtime fans who attend regular season games have just simply had enough and are watching from home now as the dire ease-of-access issues linger without any signs of improvement. After a certain point people just can't take it anymore. The club is great at home so the problems I think are starting with the area outside the stadium.

#4
ivo

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I think it's time to start putting up tarps to cover up most of the upper deck and move everyone next season down to the lower bowl. Or concentrate them in one area of the upper bowl. The Revs, Sounders and Caps all do tarps since they have larger stadiums, but the half-empty look of RBA is tiring and needs to end soon.
 

From a stylistic point of view, sure, lumping people together in the lower bowl or a couple of upper bowl sections would be an improvement. It may even improve the atmosphere a bit (in spots).

 

As someone who loves sitting in the upper bowl for a better vantage point of the field, I would hate being forced to move down. Not having to get up 5+ times a half so people in my row can get in/out is not such a bad thing either. If you think the beer and restroom lines/traffic/PATH crowds are bad now, just think what adding another 10k will do. 



#5
JBigjake54

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Weve slipped into 15th for attendance this season.


Whatever numbers are being reported are nonsense anyway. In turnstile count we are probably 20th.

We are good enough to beat the best teams, and bad enough to lose to the worst teams. 


#6
UpstateFan

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Attendance is actually down 16 percent from last year, according to a site that is tracking it. Only Chicago and Columbus have dropped more than them. If you search MLS attendance 2018 it should be the first one that pops up.

I think it's time to start putting up tarps to cover up most of the upper deck and move everyone next season down to the lower bowl. Or concentrate them in one area of the upper bowl. The Revs, Sounders and Caps all do tarps since they have larger stadiums, but the half-empty look of RBA is tiring and needs to end soon.

The attendance thing has been an endless debate here but what I think is happening is that after years and years of sitting in traffic or waiting for a PATH connection at Journal Square, the longtime fans who attend regular season games have just simply had enough and are watching from home now as the dire ease-of-access issues linger without any signs of improvement. After a certain point people just can't take it anymore. The club is great at home so the problems I think are starting with the area outside the stadium.

Or it's Jersey, the brand, and/or people are just not that into it.



#7
Mibabalou

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Why are you so desperate to see people in the arena even if they're supporting the opponent?


I figure you get 5000 new people in, most of them locals who just dont support us. Maybe 50 or 100 see us play and have a great time and come back?.

Ill take someone wearing a Vela shirt in July if it means come October they have a BWP one.

#8
gravediGGer

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I don't care what shirt they're wearing but I've met plenty of Mexicans who laugh at the mention of MLS even these days when few of their NT regulars play in MLS, wishing they come back to a game without Mexican players is like wishing Muyl wins the golden boot next year, just is not going to happen. Casuals will come and go based on the opponent and/or current rb players, what I am more concerned about is the true supporters of this team, myself included, which seem to lose interest/get bored/find better things to do, myself included again, at a faster rate then gaining new regulars from the casual ranks. I know what made me jaded to this "club", but I'm not sure what the big picture problem is. Prices are going up, even if very slowly, traffic was never an issue for me but seems to be not much better than few years ago, our team is as good as ever but without star power, I have seen some advertising here and there and soccer is as popular in the country as it ever was, so some pluses and minuses across the board but the truth is both announced and actual attendance is down. After being a ST holder for 10 years there are many other groups/causes/people I now choose to support with my hard earned dollars while still being able to enjoy local soccer on my own schedule without giving my money to rb global.

 

Oh and if you want to see casuals check out any of the big euro team friendlies playing in a stadium near you and if you want to see true fans of rb most of them are at rb arena during home games, unfortunately there are not many of them, and personally I feel they are less and less in numbers for whatever reason appeals to you (traffic, name, MLS, no cups, too many sport teams, tv, Jersey...)

 

I do follow your logic but after 15 years I see it as a futile strategy to increase the fanbase mostly because we lose old time fans at a higher rate than gaining new ones. In general I don't care how many people come, some of the best atmosphere game days have been low attendance CCL or USOC on one hand and playoffs and rivalry games on the other, and for everything in between I just love being in the arena with friends watching my team play, win or lose, rain or shine, never been to a single friendly at RBA including ones vs rb as I've always preferred selling those to your casuals so that I can afford mid July games. And since we haven't had those mid season friendlies, fully support that move if intentional btw, to make money on I've decided not to renew and pick up tickets from friends and stubhub if needed.

 

As for tarps, that's laughable but I guess would make some people feel better about themselves for supporting an unpopular team, too bad it solves absolutely nothing but puts lipstick on a pig which seems to be a popular way to go these days.


Sometimes I think the entire Red Bull existence has been some 19 year old kids football manager save file he only plays when he comes home drunk. - 'Mibabalou'

#FUCKredbull


#9
sabremike

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What is happening right now in Columbus is all the proof anyone should need to be concerned about attendance. Say RB finally gets tired of losing money and sells. And let's say they sell to an Andrew Precourt type who sees a gold mine in another city. Do you think the league will lift a pinky to stop him? Hell no. They don't give a flying fuck about ANY of us, that's how Bronx Blood Money FC was born. With them in existence the league wouldn't give a shit if we live or die, so the team ends up in Sacramento and Red Bull Arena ends up a footnote in Weird NJ.
Let's Go Buffalo!!!

#10
maxmini

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What is happening right now in Columbus is all the proof anyone should need to be concerned about attendance. Say RB finally gets tired of losing money and sells. And let's say they sell to an Andrew Precourt type who sees a gold mine in another city. Do you think the league will lift a pinky to stop him? Hell no. They don't give a flying fuck about ANY of us, that's how Bronx Blood Money FC was born. With them in existence the league wouldn't give a shit if we live or die, so the team ends up in Sacramento and Red Bull Arena ends up a footnote in Weird NJ.

Or worse yet.... occupied by the smurfs!



#11
RandomHero

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Maybe people are just tired of making a effort for a team that every time they take a step forward, they take three back?

 

Losing Jessie midseason, rumors of Adams being as good as gone with the team really doing nothing to get a dime back. 



#12
JBigjake54

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worse yet.... occupied by the smurfs!


Supposedly, the raison d etre for NYers of generally recent vintage is the fact that the team actually play within the city limits, albeit on an undersized pitch in a baseball stadium in a crappy neighborhood. How would/could any of this nascent loyalty survive relocation to NJ?

We are good enough to beat the best teams, and bad enough to lose to the worst teams. 


#13
rhactl7

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I think a couple of bars around the stadium would do a great deal for game day experience.



#14
Grelladinho

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I think a couple of bars around the stadium would do a great deal for game day experience.


Except the area on non-match days is a ghost town. Would be a hard sell for bar owner.

#15
SatansHockey

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I really think traffic has a huge part to do with it. Saw a bunch of people complaining that traffic was the worst it's ever been on Saturday and it wasn't even sold out. Wouldn't surprise me if people had a bad experience and said fuck this and never came back.

Unless you know where to park to avoid all the traffic it's a miserable experience.




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