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Attendance again


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#1
Voice of Reason II

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We're a water stop on the  highway to the big leagues. Others will want to travel the same road. Not conducive to team continuity, but it is what it is. No sense having an academy if we do not offer openings on an on-going basis. Do I like this set up? Not really. But what's the choice? NYRB has to make money somehow.

This is no knock on BWP, but if your goal is to make money then the TH14's of this world are needed along with the talented, but relatively unknown players we get. We have the steak, but we need the sizzle to go with it. We love BWP but he is not putting butts in the empty seats.

 

I accept that we are a feeder club to Europe, but it would be nice for us fans to get a little more reward than we do. I have never seen these boards in almost universal agreement about what is needed to put us on top (and it ain't even that much), yet while it seems so simple and obvious it seems elusive to those charged with building the team. I don't actually believe that they are blind, but rather that their boss in Austria  is still holding the spending reins too tight.



#2
JBigjake54

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BWP ... is not putting butts in the empty seats.


Is there any solution to our attendance woes?
Even TH did not fill the place.
Would an MLS Cup?

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


#3
RandomHero

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Dollar hot dog night still hasn't been tested. Could be that. 



#4
guanaco20

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Dollar beer night might be a hit

#5
gears

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Is there any solution to our attendance woes?
Even TH did not fill the place.
Would an MLS Cup?

It would help, but I doubt it would solve the broader problems around the club. There is no easy solve for the attendance issues.



#6
Voice of Reason II

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Is there any solution to our attendance woes?
Even TH did not fill the place.
Would an MLS Cup?

Titi helped, but we still need to win...

 

That said, I was in a group meeting a couple of weeks back and who should walk in but a guy with an Atlanta scarf all smiles and talking about their title (I wanted to barf but just kept silent and let others banter with him). He was so proud of their big crowds, but admitted he was newcomer to following soccer. Similar to a couple from Atlanta I had to have dinner with in 2017. Newbies to the sport but head over heals for the team. Maybe it is just not meant to be here. Who can figure. We have a good team, a good stadium, a knowledgeable fan base yet we fight to get 15,000 per game. 

 

I do know one thing about NY fans though, you have to win the Cup at least once and you need a personality to go with it. 



#7
Metromaniac01

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I do know one thing about NY fans though, you have to win the Cup at least once and you need a personality to go with it. 

If we won MLS Cup it would not have any impact on attendance the next season.



#8
MTF

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We are in the New York Metropolitan market. There are 11 professional sports teams, Broadway, bars, restaurants, concert venues...its a fact of life that NYRB is competing with all of that. This is New York where there are just too many things competing for eyeballs and butts in the seats. Look at attendance for the Islanders, Devils, Mets. Even NYCFC has declined every year. Other markets are not like New York.

#9
elf

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We are in the New York Metropolitan market. There are 11 professional sports teams, Broadway, bars, restaurants, concert venues...its a fact of life that NYRB is competing with all of that. This is New York where there are just too many things competing for eyeballs and butts in the seats. Look at attendance for the Islanders, Devils, Mets. Even NYCFC has declined every year. Other markets are not like New York.

To be honest... congestion is also playing a huge factor. It's rare for mta trains to work at full speeds, and sometimes it can take a full hour just to get out of Manhattan traffic.

Just the other day it took me 3 hours to go from Newark to queens. That long of travel will deter any nyer from making the trip to Harrison.

If nyc got another team in queens and in brooklyn... they could easily avg 25k a game since those teams will be much closer to home.

#10
juberish

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NYCFC attendance isnt impressive. They inflate their numbers too.

MLS still has a stigma; NYCFC captured the hearts of some eursnobs who are scared to cross the river or had a problem with the name, but neither team comes close to capitalizing on the sea of soccer fans in our market. Once the stock of MLS rises high enough, so will the perception of our team.

We don't need sell-outs every week, but we need a few more than we're currently drawing. Big names help, but I still think winning is the best solution. Nothing is more entertaining than winning. If the majority of your potential fanbase is so jaded as to think winning isnt even a possibility any more... well fuck.

But I think a big name is our best bet to get a cup with this current team. so double attendance boost??

#11
hurricane1091

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So many teams with attendance woes in the area. Best to just blame the area at this point.



#12
Voice of Reason II

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If we won MLS Cup it would not have any impact on attendance the next season.

That could be the case. I live in the City again and take the dreaded PATH nightmare, but when I used to drive from Westchester I kind of secretly got to appreciate the sparser crowds because it made getting in and out easier. LOL Shorter lines at the bathrooms too

 

I'd suffer the headaches of bigger crowds to get that atmosphere though.

 

A "big name" from a marketing point of view doesn't have to be an import. I said personality, someone fans can identify with. It doesn't help that our National team is so bland and toothless at the moment and with little to no star power. Adams could have been that guy for us, too bad we are losing his talent and his marketing potential.

 

But at the end of the day do I have confidence that any of this would make a difference? Only modestly, maybe not at all.



#13
matador

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Yeah, pretty skeptical a big name would make much of a difference. I was honestly pretty shocked back in the day at how negligible the boost we got from Rafa was. It seemed everybody and their grandma came out to see Blanco when he was in Chicago, and we had the captain of the Mexican national team and it didn't really fill up the stadium. Maybe that was just cause he sucked so hard for us. But that's kinda shattered the illusion that signing a big name player would have a major impact on attendance.



#14
hoofit

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Dollar hot dog night still hasn't been tested. Could be that. 

LOL!  This would really pack 'em in.

 

fyi  - There actually were a couple of $1 hot dog nights around 2011 (or thereabouts).   you had to go down to the ground level behind one or two of the entry gates but they sold pre-wrapped hot dogs for $1. 


Excellence Not Expectations


#15
MTF

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To be honest... congestion is also playing a huge factor. It's rare for mta trains to work at full speeds, and sometimes it can take a full hour just to get out of Manhattan traffic.

Just the other day it took me 3 hours to go from Newark to queens. That long of travel will deter any nyer from making the trip to Harrison.

If nyc got another team in queens and in brooklyn... they could easily avg 25k a game since those teams will be much closer to home.

. Agreed. I make the trek a few times a year from Southern Nassau County. LIRR to NJT, followed by either a quick PATH ride or walk to the Arena. 2-3 hours of commuting each way for a 90 minute match.




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