Fax have been running with poor crowds for a long time, as a yardstick the crowd of 1,347 last Saturday compared with 1,437 against Toulouse last season in a must win game to qualify for the top 6, so not much difference.

We've been a championship club now for over 20 years, with lower average crowds than most in our division so not sure why some fans think we "should" be competing for the best players and "should" be near the top.

Not sure how the BOD can pull the crowds in. That's why I keep banging on about the Shay not working. It's been mentioned the disappointing average crowds in the late 90s despite a great team, and even worse when we got relegated. I remember quite literally empty stadiums when we played London and Sheffield (Keith Senior slaughtered us that day, everyone seemed to be just talking amongst themselves sat on the sp Skircoat terracing).

Maybe entice fans with discounted mini season tickets (covering 3 matches)? The bring a friend for a tenner last (or previous?) season seemed to work just a bit, even though it was unfair on the season ticket holders who ultimately had paid more on average for admission!

What’s the correlation between the Shay and small crowd numbers? If we had a smaller stadium we would still be getting the same crowds. The reason we have small attendances is the product. Being a championship team for 20 years, not being dominant in that league, no chance of promotion (which has existed for the majority of our 20 years in the Championship) and the running of the sport in general are probably main contributors to low attendance (in my opinion). When we left Thrum Hall I know of people who said they would never go and watch us at the Shay and they haven’t. Also when we were relegated from SL I know of folks who said they would never go and watch us in the Championship and they haven’t.
For a team to be attractive to new fans and old fans to return and for huge investment into the club we need to be in the top flight and be competitive. As we know that will never happen due to licensing/IMG or what ever you want to call it and how the RFL run the sport that door is closed. The SL clubs are very happy in their ivory towers getting the majority in f funding while clubs like Fax just get the scraps.

The first season at the Shay, which was obviouly a cracking/entertaining season, saw an average home attendance of 5,668. It dropped by 1,200 the following season but went back up to 5,882 the season after. Even the poor season under Steve Linnane saw crowds maintained at just under 5,000. The big drop came over the next couple of seasons with 2,977 the average in 2003 and then below 2,000 following relegation.

The issue isnt the Shay. It the mess caused by those who run or have run the game. I stopped going around 2004 when it looked like franchising was going to be introduced. And I am sure I wasnt alone.

Just a few of the reasons.
For those who can afford it lots of people simply aren’t interested in rugby and there are lots of other leisure time alternatives and even for those who do like rugby the overhaul costs involved in going to a game still puts them off.

For those who can’t afford it a no starter and there are lots of other things far more important.

The game is being run by nutters who have now handed the keys of the asylum to another set of lunatics.

But a lot of what you say applies to football where attendances have flourished. OK, it obviously has some impact, but the main one is that the game has been ruined.

Can’t do with snakes

On 5/10/2024 at 6:54 PM, Flea said:
Good.
There can not be any softening to let that lot worm there way to get any support. Literally give those lot an inch and they will take a mile (and then say it is all theirs anyway)
They are a danger in that stunts like last seasons playing on the pitch put pressure on our club and put us at risk. They have already had a big hand in killing one football club ,yet some want to try work with them and help them now?
How much have we lost in the past month or two because of this shower? How did playing away impact us for our playoff run/push and the lost income - how much is that going to impact us next season?
They are currently actively hurting our club. There can be no co-existing with people who do everything possible to cause us damage with no remorse.
SQUATTERS OUT. 
I'm now in this camp. I've tried to see things from fax point of view as i used enjoy watching them and there are decent supporters and some good, long members of staff. But they have been let down by liars, scheisters, chances...
Squatters out


Bubba
Posted May 10

Unless something changes there will be fewer and fewer supporters at games as people realise there is nothing to play for now that P&R is gone. That won't just affect the championship but SL too. Matches will be little more value than a friendly without any jeopardy so why bother paying £20+ to see that? Throw in a load of loan players who that fans who don't identify with and you have a recipe for decline.

Looking at where Fax are I like the Shay. If I was a Fax fan I'd have no problem with it. It's got good views, decent parking and is handy for the Three Pigeons. I used to love Thrum Hall for being so close to the actions but the toilets were infamous.

The main problem seems to be that it's a ground share. We had that a lot when were at valley parade. The football club didn't like it (but they liked our money) and some City fans hated the Bulls

It’s 2024 nearly a decade on from the tony abbot debacle but yet you lot on that forum are still going on about it . Pages and pages of utter nonsense based on a foi , never ending strawmans and false narratives. So the club have a forum to explain the position of the club , shaymen forum - ‘must be lying ‘then they agree to play away from the shay to help with pitch restoration- ‘ they don’t have a choice ‘ apparently.

That forum is a disgrace full of toxic men with little to no information, least have the balls to say what you really want , you won’t be banned don’t worry.

Well I did say “some” of the reasons all of which are valid ( football being one of the alternative sporting options ) and left the main one until last so your point is what exactly?

And coming from a family of sportsmen dominated by footballers it certainly hasn’t flourished here as nowadays none of us would lose a minutes sleep if we never watched another game.

It’s boring most of the time and there are much more important things going on.

Away from home.
Comparing football and rugby league in the UK is hardly worth the time spent to type it out especially with the younger population (where we are year on year struggling) who are from being toddlers to teenagers weened and exposed to football virtually 24/7.

So why didn't you start going again when promotion was on the table with the qualifiers?

We'll all continue to be divided re the Shay. Personally I feel like we're squatting in a soccer stadium. I don't like it, never have. Barrow and Keighley get more in their out of town RL grounds, need I say more?

I just feel something has to change. The same old fans turning up year after year, slowly declining through death and disinterest. Even the signing of an ex SL/NRL halifax lad appeared to stimulate zero interest - I bet not a single "missing" fan of years gone by was tempted to return following Widdop's signing. That says it all.

As I say, with the Council now wanting rid of the oversized Shay, it's a great opportunity for wholesale change. Just saying.

I don't know what the answer is regarding the Shay and our attendances, so many posts above make valid points regarding the reasons why people are not coming through the gates. I do think a lot of it is down to the Shay itself and that seems to tie in with what has been said above, even when we have had succesful teams at the Shay we have never really seen an increase in attendances.

I feel like we missed out on generations of fans over the years for whatever reason and now it feels like a total disconnect with the community and its really only this season and last that a lot of work seems to be going in to trying to engage in a serious fashion with the people of the area. I just don't know how you justify to a floating fan that the standard that we play at is worth 20 odd quid per game and that is always what I come back to.

Regards the Town forum as many know I do like to engage on there and there are some good posters on there but like anything you still have people who go on about 1998 like it were yesterday when theres actually such a small percentage of people that post on there that were even going back then and anything that is said is taken as gospel. When you gently remind them that Town have struggled a lot more than Fax over the years with finances than Fax have its made out like its a lie but I know people that were supporting them back to the 50's and 60's that remember them going from one crisis to the next. A lot of Town fans will simply forget that they were racking up debts in the early and mid 90's long before Fax ever thought of moving to the Shay.

Yes the rent arrears is not a great look and we do seem to be in a bit of trouble but Town have had more money written off by the council over the last 6 or 7 decades than Fax ever will have and have screwed more local businesses over than anyone will ever remember but some on that forum will still have you believe that it is all Fax's fault.

I really feel when it comes to the stadium it needs to be some sort of joint venture but Fax have kind of shot themselves in the foot if they had aspirations of that happening but I trust neither side to run the stadium on their own and feel like it would be a total disaster although I will admit to thinking it were funny if someone from Fax did end up with their hands on the stadium just because it would be worth seeing Hoodie, ShayTrev and Flea's melt down reaction.

The thing is how many of the opinions on the footy forum are based on facts , I mean I have some pretty substantial connections with the club ( not meant in a bragging way ) but I will be honest i bet Dave Grayson and bosomworths wives haven’t got a scooby do what’s going on .

[Part quote

“Town have had more money written off by the council over the last 6 or 7 decades than Fax ever will have and have screwed more local businesses over than anyone will ever remember but some on that forum will still have you believe that it is all Fax's fault.” End Part quote:

Add to that in doing so they’ve robbed the rest of the Calderdale tax payers more than any other local organisation ever, leaving then to pick up the tab and taking the tax man and tax payer for around £850 grand.