Attendances

You only have to look at Doncaster Rovers to see how missing suppport can come back. After being systematically run down and basically thrown to the wolves the club came back. Attendances at the Keep Moat are still a healthy 7,000ish despite their precarious position in the league - a far cry from the gates of 1,500 odd when they were non league.

I love BP, and will really feel a loss when it does eventually go, but accept that a new ground can have the desired effect in turning finances around and bringing new fans in with the god-awful "matchday experience" Makes me wonder where we go wrong when Scunny can change grounds twice  - both times to new builds - and we still look on forlornly. Why would that be, I wonder?

This may not be a popular view but maybe it is time to look at regionalisation again.

We have regionalised football at our grade of non league football in Scotland. The furthest my club has to travel is 53 miles from base, apart from Junior Cup ties which are national, so I have a 94 mile journey to Hill O'Beath Hawthorn this weekend, but that's the exception to the rule.

Regionalised football does give bigger crowds up here, when teams like ours travel away and take 250-300 to most games. Other teams might bring  a mini bus full, so it works for some but not others, but it certainly does help with managing a club's finances over the season with less travel involved.

Quoted from barralad

This may not be a popular view but maybe it is time to look at regionalisation again.

I have thought that for a long time Ian,

Bigger crowds and less travel expense for fans and clubs,

Makes more sense than a under 21 team in the league.

Quoted from barralad

This may not be a popular view but maybe it is time to look at regionalisation again.

Not for me really. I enjoy my trips and overnight stays at places like Exeter and Torquay when we were in The Conference.

I know there are some extreme cases like Hartlepool and Carlisle being several galaxies away from Torquay and Exeter for example but the average distance between league grounds is probably around a few hours. I don’t see why in the age of motorways, high speed (and high cost) rail and even aeroplane we’d need regionalisation in professional English football.

If they did regionalisation I think would mean League Two North and League Two South,  as there are more professional teams than in the Division Three North/South days. I can't see League One wanting to lower their standard. So it would mean merging with the National League and trips to places like Guiseley again! Plus only 2 promotion places instead of the 4 we currently enjoy.

Back in the days of Division 3 North and South there was only one promotion place from each division. There was one team (Plymouth I think it was) who finished runners-up for 5 or 6 seasons on the trot. That must have been soul destroying for them and their fans.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Not for me really. I enjoy my trips and overnight stays at places like Exeter and Torquay when we were in The Conference.

You could always have an overnight in Donny should we cross their paths again soon?

Quoted from jock dock tower

You could always have an overnight in Donny should we cross their paths again soon?

We had a good few nights out in Donny in the 60's.

The girls did not believe us when we said we had come from Grimsby.