I have just been reading Dave Whelans comments on being dis-heartened at the amount of empty seats in the DW.
I totally agree with his comments that this lack of support is dissappointing to everyone involved with the club.
It’s not big news.We are all accustomed to,a relatively small support
This is not to say it is’nt a concern.Far from it.
This issue is of huge importance to everyone. There is’nt a latics fan alive who would’nt want to see the stadium packed and experiance the extra atmosphere that such a crowd generates.
The knock on effect of a packed stadium would be huge.It would put extra pride back into being a fan and encourage the management,players,directors and owner to keep on driving forward.
It would also make the club more attractive to play for, as oppossed to being a stepping stone to bigger things.
When it comes to getting more supporters through the gates the club has been excellant with all the offers and freebies that they dish out.However they can only do so much.
Maybe its time to give the supporters themselves chance to do something about it.
My suggestion is to target a particular game (eg Blackburn, or any club who bring a decent following which will add to the occassion ) and get a campaign going ,with the backing of the club,via the websites and other media, which allocates a free match ticket for every season ticket holder.
The idea being that every season ticket holder who takes up this offer then has the responsibility of inviting and ensuring ( within reason! ) that the friend or aquaintance who receives the ticket attends the game.If a certain percentage of fans did this we would achieve a full house.
This may sound like a lot of free tickets but the spin offs from the sales of beer,snacks etc would compensate and its got to be a better option than empty seats.
It would also require considerable backing from the fans.
If we can get new faces into the ground and they enjoy the experiance then maybe they will come back.
This is just an idea and if taken seriously would need to be thought through by people who have more nous and influence than myself.Hopefully its food for thought.
Cheers
Dave
Latics fan for 40 years.
