Growth comes from building within

Bums on seats means pounds in the pocket

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Now I know there’s been much debate on social media over attendance or lack of it for Barnet FC at The Hive, something that may be of little interest in the years to come but for now it’s a conundrum of an issue.

I’ve seen some good work put out this week, James Harpin taking advantage of a quiet day and getting the spreadsheet out, Will Evans with a quite superb article here and Downhill Second Half kicking it all off on Wednesday morning asking the question, why are Tuesday night levels so much lower than Saturday?

I’m gonna answer this from a personal perspective as me but also a wider perspective as to why people don’t attend. Some of what you read might also be similar views to others you’ve already seen and digested today, but no harm in seeing it’s the same song sheet to sing from.

Many of you know I live down on the South Coast, have done for 17 years, part way between Brighton and Portsmouth. Living in Kent Underhill was an hour door to door going home after a game, the Dartford Tunnel meant upwards was a longer journey but still not too bad.

Luckily I finish work at 3.30 daily, and head for The Hive on a Tuesday night. If I’m very lucky I’ll get there for around 6ish, generally it’s later as that, sometimes even struggling to make it for 7 given the traffic which actually moves on the M25, it’s the extra bit into Harrow that causes the problem. Going home after the match, always just under 2 hours, simple, but then I’m up for work at 6 every morning.

Now I fully appreciate many others will relate to or follow some or all of my above. It is what it is for me, but the journey does take its toll through the week not to mention the miles on the car as well, 4.5hrs minimum sitting in the seat of the Pulsar.

You also know that I’m a blogger that’s paid for my work, I like to watch football everywhere, deepens the knowledge. It doesn’t always take me to Barnet, I like the variety. Now I’m not here justifying what I do or why I do it, just an explanation why I’m not always there.

I actually prefer a Tuesday night; I love games under the lights. My first experience of non-league football was a midweek game, that got me hooked, always feels that little bit more magical. But that’s enough of me, let’s get to the point.

The question is though, where do you start and how much of it have I already said in many other blogs? I’ll take it back a little to the above and say many struggle to get out and to The Hive after work. Saturday of course is a completely different kettle of fish with time and no doubt that’s factored in for a lot.

I would grab the train of an evening if I could get back home in time but that’s impossible, would break up the endless car journeys as well, will being back in Barnet if the proposed South Underhill comes to fruition result in more through the gate? I would hope so, I really do.

Anyway, back to it. On the pitch we have a product to be proud of, you go back just three years and the transformation is incredible. 24 teams, only one with more wins than us, 20 wins+ for two years running, a huge selling point, people want to see winning teams.

So, what hampers us? Price, food, drink, the whole matchday experience? Deeper than that? Yeah, I think it does go that far and by deeper I’d include it goes back years; it’s stubbornly ingrained in people which is hard to shift.

Price is my bug bear, £22 is overpriced, said it enough so I don’t want to repeat it too much. It turns people away, it turns season ticket holders away from bringing mates, almost embarrassing I guess in a way. Three Tuesday night games in a row, a side in second place and they’re greeted by low attendances. Where was the ticket promotion? Where was season ticket holders bring a friend for a tenner? The seat is empty Tony, they weren’t coming, fill it with a cheaper body, they buy a beer, they buy a now decent tasting and looking burger, you make money, the team are in front of a crowd they deserve, but none of it materialised.

I’ll throw in Non League Day this coming Saturday at this point. Deals, offers galore everywhere, but what are we doing? Naff all, often we’ve been away on this day, an opportunity to throw open the doors, even them down the road have climbed aboard the Wembley train, we’re still at the station. We just don’t think beyond what we have, speculate to accumulate.

I love the affiliation programme but it’s not going to work for a Tuesday night with the kids at school the next day, so let’s use a brain. One more midweek night left, in the Easter holidays as well, last chance saloon.

And when we do see a bigger crowd we don’t prepare, it’s like it takes us by surprise and no doubt puts plenty off coming back again, bizarre way of running a business sometimes I find.

Now the deeper, this isn’t a ‘this season’ problem, it’s been a while if we’re honest hasn’t it. All those things mentioned above plus a less than satisfactory product on the pitch have been a stain for years, one thing gets better the ball drops on another, we don’t seem able to find the consistency and eventually people giving up caring, stop coming, grinded down to that point.

We say these things because we care, because it’s our club. It might sound like a moan to those inside the club if you’re reading but Dean, his staff and his players have delivered on the pitch for two years running from a point where the club was running on the very least it could, do they not deserve to be marketed a lot better for every game and not just concentrate on a Saturday?

We all have reasons not to go, life happens, things happen, but make it impossible or make it hard to find a reason not to be there on a Saturday afternoon AND a Tuesday evening. I’ve had times this season I wasn’t going to go, planned on being elsewhere, but the lure of what I see on the pitch pulled me back into The Hive.

You have a feel good factor coming after the Oxford City game with the POTY awards, extend that to the Bromley game, last chance to make an impression for a game that’s currently 2^nd vs 3^rd, let’s see shall we……….

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