Proper attendance figures released

Sorry to do this to you guys but yep it's another thread on attendance figures. We now have a few 'actual' numbers to look at so I thought it would be worth discussing them.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic--rangers-attendances-up-1767244

I won't bother talking about Sevco's attendances and will focus on our own. Here are the headline numbers from the article..............

• Crowds at Parkhead have been up to 20,000 lower than the figure released to the public
• When we played Ross County at home in December the official attendance was given as 49,428. The actual crowd was 28,931.
• Celtic's actual average attendance in the SPL this season is 33,692
• Celtic reported a total attendance of 597,391 for their first 13 league games. The actual number of attendees was 437,990. 36% less than the reported figure.
• Hospitality guests and disabled fans are not counted in official attendances so there would be a small increase to the actual and official numbers if they were counted.

What do we make of these numbers then? They were pretty much as I expected. I knew fine well there weren't 45,000 bums on seats on average, that's for sure.

33,000 is actually much closer to the historical norm for average attendances at Celtic Park. It's only in the last 15 years or so that average attendances exploded up to around the 60,000 mark. So when put into historical context these numbers aren't actually that bad. They probably seem more alarming to the younger Celtic fans who have grown up in the era of 60,000 full houses.

Another point to discuss.......................

What do you think of the way the attendance figures get massaged? I don't like it although I understand why it is done in terms of policing. In future I would like to see both attendance figures released. The figure that includes the season ticket holders who aren't there and the actual figure. It's impossible to have a sensible debate about attendances when the club are telling you there are 45,000 at the matches but Stevie Wonder can see there are nowhere near that many people there! The club should provide us with better, more accurate information in this area.





Discuss.

 

It's disappointing but hardly surprising.

 

Honestly can't understand it. Are folk becoming bored of football ? The quality of players on show ? Is it due to money ? The ease at which you can now watch games via internet streams ? Are folk really not turning up to watch Celtic v Aberdeen because Rangers died ?

Would be better if actual figures were available from seasons before to get a real comparison.

Next season could be even worse. Can't see too many people renewing there season ticket unless we have a good summer transfer window lined up.

(On the huns dying note, I mean it as in, what has them not being here got to do with playing any other team. "I'm not going to the Celtic v Kilmarnock game because rangers died" kind of thing)

 

All this attendance stuff is starting to * me off.

 

Teams have done this for years, as these tickets have already been paid for and the taxman needs to be paid.
This year it has been more noticeable that these tickets are not being used by supporters for what every reason.
Maybe it time for Celtic to look at other options, people are increasing looking for value for money. Does a season ticket provide this, when you can pick and choose your games and only big Europe team generates enough interest for a full house.

 

I don't understand why so many people who have forked out for season tickets can't be half arsed to get out of bed and go to Celtic Park for the match.

 

this is the daily rangers reporting........ hmmmm

 

Figures are not surprising in either case.

£29 to go today to watch a game which is basically dead rubber.....

Prices v the "product" as it were, treatment of fans and apathy are the 3 main reasons why our average is as low as it is.

Attendances are something which no longer bothers me as much as it used to but those figures will certainly give the money men something to think about in the run up to next season.

 

as much as it pains me to say it i think a fair few people bought season tickets to mainly guarantee a ticket for hun games and first dibs on european games like this season. bread and butter games seem to be less important and wait and see the stadium full when the league is won .

 

Something's gona give soon

 

It wasn't a sell out on flag day.

I'd be stunned if we had any more full houses this season.

Full houses will be exclusive to CL games for the foreseeable.

 

Would it be in Celtic's interest to give a lower attendance number to the police to reduce the policing fees?

 

There was only 28,000 at Ross County

Find that hard to believe.

 

So Celtic have basically issued attendance figures based on tickets sold not on physical attendance.

Is that really a huge story, I think most people have been well aware of this.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the people who buy a season ticket for just the big games would be better staying away. It's something I just can't understand. I buy my ticket and come rain or shine I go to the game, I've no time for these fair weather * who come for 75 minutes and just moan, or don't bother at all.

It will be the same today considering the weather.

The PLC need to be pushing for safe standing, turn the whole Jock Stein stand into terracing, with cheap tickets and the Green Brigade at the front. THAT would bring people back.

 

Aye, they dont look right to me at all. The bottom half of Celtic Park I think holds 38,000 or thereabouts, so saying that in some games we would only 1/3 fill the bottom tier seems like nonsence as the bottom tier is always about 3/4 full. The top tier is always about half full.

I wonder if they count the Celtic fans who sit on the leather seats as they go in through glass doors, dont think they scan their tickets and theres probably about 4-5,000 of them when you think of the North, Main and Celtic end stands they sit in.

 

I think you've just answered your own question there. I would suggest that those are 3 of the main reasons for attendances falling.

Those figures should be available through the Police(the same as the ones for this season are) and viewable to anyone who can be bothered to take the time to go and ask for them.

 

Disappointing. I can see the board getting more frugal with transfers next season also because of this.
The plc should also consider the treatment of certain significant sections of fans as these fans could help boost attendances if supporteded with the atmosphere they could generate if allowed to expand and given standing sections. Standing sections would mean cheaper tickets but more heads on the terraces.

 

Going by the picture I've just posted on the GB thread, the game is up for the Green Brigade,

Coincidentally this will also be to the detriment of our attendances from here on in.

 

Yeah, you might be right. Things are definitely coming to a head, and I think something is going to break over the next few months, suppose it depends who the rest of the fans side with.