TOP ATTENDANCE TITLE IS SLIPPING
AFTER six successive seasons of attracting the highest average home attendance in the Welsh Premier League, Rhyl's crown is slipping.
Latest figures show Bangor City currently top the table with an average home crowd of 514 spread over 11 league games.
Rhyl are in second place with an average of 484 over 13 home matches, but attendances for league games at Belle Vue are down 35% on last season.
However, when taking into account matches home and away, Rhyl still have the highest average in the league.
And the champions still boast the biggest home attendance for any one game in the Welsh Premier this term - 1,074 versus Bangor City.
CURRENT AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE TABLE 2009/10 (up to and including February 24, 2010)
1 Bangor City 514
2 Rhyl 484
3 Bala Town 390
4 Carmarthen Town 357
5 Aberystwyth Town 345
(6th TNS, 7th Llanelli)
Bangor's remaining home games: Airbus, Caersws, Carmarthen, Newtown, Port Talbot, Welshpool.
Rhyl's remaining home games: Aberystwyth, Druids, Neath, The New Saints.
LAST SIX SEASONS
2008/09 - 1st: Rhyl 742
2007/08 - 1st: Rhyl 477
2006/07 - 1st: Rhyl 492
2005/06 - 1st: Rhyl 476
2004/05 - 1st: Rhyl 597
2003/04 - 1st: Rhyl 586
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Dave Jones - For all the latest news from Rhyl Football Club, including match reports, news, views and features log on to Lilywhites On-Line hosted by Visitor sports editor Dave Jones.
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Rhyl Football in the Community aim through a wide range of initiatives, to encourage people, particularly children, to participate in football and other sports.
I think the admission price plays a part in attendances, surely their should be a discount in place for the unemployes. £7 is a lot for people who are recieving benefits.
When did you last go to belle vue, its £8 for adults!
Unfortunately i have only been to 2 games early in the season, and a couple of away games.
£8 is too much to ask of the unemployed,and is probably part the reason for the decline in attendances.
Sorry John I dont agree, I feel £8 is good value for the standard of football produced. Granted Belle Vue is one of the dearest grounds in the WPL Airbus, Connahs Quay and Cefn Druids only charging £6 as an example. I count my blessings rarely getting change from £50 when attending Anfield with my 10 year old grandson?
The TNS game is normally a decent crowd, cant see Bangor getting too many large crowds from their remaining games.
Hopefully we can top them once again
What is needed this season and next, is a drive to get some younger supporters through the gate at each match. I can't help but notice that a lot of fans that attend are, shall I say, 'mature' and if we are to have a healthy fan base in the coming years we need to attract younger fans. How about the club considering free entry to under 16s for selected matches which will not attract a large crowd? Current entry fees are £2 for under 16s and, although it's not much, it may put some off. Whereas if they can get in free then they may feel they are getting something for nothing (which they are!) and may spend more than the entry fee on the programme and at the tea bar.
Clubs in the Welsh Premier should consider lowering their prices now and again or putting on special promotions/offers to get more in through the turnstiles.
Problem with Rhyl is there is no marketing person to push things forward.
I remember we had a wide boy named James Evans doing the job a few years back, no great shakes but he put in a few ideas and there was Mal Jackson of course.
Rae Hughes - the new head of marketing!
The club is actively promoting free admission for schoolchildren if they are accompanied by a paying adult.
This is being achieved through the Football in the Community programme; and whenever a school is visited free tickets for children are handed out. Hopefully in time this will gradually lead to some more regular supporters.
However there is always room for further promotion of the club and all of us concerned will be looking at ways to do so.
Any practical ideas that anyone has on this matter would be welcomed via any of the internet sites relating to the club or in person to any officials of the club, the fans association or the Rhyl FC fund raising committee.