Ground Improvements - Well done GTFC

Quoted from diehardmariner

Football attendances in the late 80's and for at least a decade after were destroyed by a number of things.

Hillsborough, the criminalisation of football fans, the Taylor Report, cages, ongoing hooliganism, the novelty of more than one TV game a week which diverted attention away from the live game.  No doubt other factors too.

They all contributed to the low attendances at football grounds up and down the country.  Ours was no exception.  I started going late 80's and despite some incredible success and even better entertainment, our attendances were dreadful throughout with the exception of 'big' games.

The trend is that football is more popular than it has been for absolute years, decades in fact. There's no value in predicting we wouldn't breach five-figures just because we didn't do it in 1994.  

You only have to look back at attendances of many clubs before they relocated or redeveloped to demonstrate that. In the 1980-81 season we were getting better crowds than the likes of Bolton and Notts County (who were promoted) and on a par with Blackburn who came up with us the previous season and who also challenged that season. I think our average gate was about half way up the Division 2 table of averages. The quality of facilities matters hugely and that is where we have been left way behind.

As a Main Stand ST holder, I find every pound spent on it as a pound wasted. That’s not having a go at the current owners, it goes back years. I’m not professing to know the answer but wonder how long and how much more will be wasted.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

As a Main Stand ST holder, I find every pound spent on it as a pound wasted. That’s not having a go at the current owners, it goes back years. I’m not professing to know the answer but wonder how long and how much more will be wasted.

I tend to go in the main stand when I'm home and aslong as I have a decent view and a seat to sit on I don't care...
Infact I like the fact that when you go behind the stand you can see into the tunnel and smell the deap heat 😄
The only grudge I have is lack of room in and around the bars. I've mentioned it once before but the bar at the far end, surely you could open up the gates next to it (I assume its the old entrance to away fans) and allow fans to stand around behind there without view of the pitch. It would just mean the door man would have to stand just outside the door to direct people away from the pitch view.

I have enjoyed this thread some good ideas , I suppose none of us really know 100% whether the current custodians want to stay at BP long term or actually have the idea to move but don't want to say it out loud .

If we were to stay at BP there would be loads of things possible on the current footprint but a substantial increase in capacity would require a new /extended findus you would have thought .

I actually think the club missed a trick (maybe under our previous ownership ) when the pub closed (the imp i think ?) which could have been great as a ticket office , club shop and potentially the fanzone to take those bits off the site but close to hand .

I think short to medium term an improved PA system , disabled facilities and more unrestricted view seats must be a priority if we are to stay .

A few questions I would be asking

- can we add seats anywhere as it currently stands (eg the back aisles of the lower ) it might just be incremental gains but would add seats .
-Can we put seats in the corner where the cage is ? We are using that corner anyway for the bigger games, so it would probably add 100-200 seats .
- Can the segregation be re-configured for away fans permanently
-can the roofs of the main & osmond be replaced and seats added where the posts are , if so how many
- Could we extend the main stand, add safe standing in that Harrington Street corner and add a better disabled section
- Can the press box /main stand exec section be rellocated to the upper with seats added in there place
-How do we add more exec boxes
-can we improve access to the ground and  congestion of supporters

I think one of the best ideas that someone mentioned last season was moving the club shop/ticket office elsewhere ( I think a shop down gy road was mentioned) to allow for a bar/food outlet in its place. Obviously this doesn’t increase the capacity but should allow for a smoother match day experience

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

I think one of the best ideas that someone mentioned last season was moving the club shop/ticket office elsewhere ( I think a shop down gy road was mentioned) to allow for a bar/food outlet in its place. Obviously this doesn’t increase the capacity but should allow for a smoother match day experience

My comments good to see someone took note such a shame the club didn’t would be great to have frontage on Grimsby road bigger club shop better ticket office and space for new trust bars

Further info on how low attendances were in the 1980s.  I have a programme for Town v Leeds at BP on the 8th Feb 1986.  It was a Championship game as it is now.

The average attendances until Feb 86 were Town (only 4,759), Leeds (13,577) Sunderland (16,959). and Middlesbrough (only 6,390).  Besides other adverse factors identified above as impacting on Football, there was also the Heysel disaster.  This happened during a high-profile European Cup Final on TV.

Town were in mid table in Feb1986, above Leeds, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Fulham.  

Leeds now have a reported 20,000 STHs in reserve. How times change.

Football is far more expensive now relatively to the 1980s.  Yet is far more popular now.  The impact of more TV coverage and sponsorship, amongst other changes.  

Quoted from crusty ole pie

My comments good to see someone took note such a shame the club didn’t would be great to have frontage on Grimsby road bigger club shop better ticket office and space for new trust bars

I can sort of see the logic in the clubs stance with it (if they even noticed it). Why would they spend money on something that they have already?

I personally think that the setup in the cons corner would be great if reciprocated in the Harrington st corner. And great advertising space for docks beers (or whoever) if they had another site there

I understand there is a major job starting on Monday hope the weather holds out or we may have issues for next Saturday

All well and good saying move it elsewhere but would the financial gain of having extra bar space cover the cost of buying / renting a whole unit down Gy Road. Plus the hassle then to go from the shop to the game (the staff tend to watch the games in the Upper).