Competitive team with stadium hope crowds will grow as will new sponsors etc. Competitive team playing in new stadium we will have average/above average SL attendances. A competing for a trophy team in new stadium and there's no reason for us to be a Warrington/St Helens type of club.
Up the Trin

The season before last getting hammered every match knocked us massively regarding support it was torture for even us loyal fans and did us lots of damage. Last season was 100% better but the finish took the shine off. I'm looking forward to this season more than I have probably since the 2004 season .

Yes I'm afraid 2014 and 2015 were disasters for the club. I reckon we hemoraged 30% of our fans though I'm not convinced all of those actually paid anything like full price to watch.

I certainly think there are a couple of thousand out there who could still be tempted back but it will take a Wembley or Old Trafford trip to do it. I think with a bit of titivation BV and the club as it stands could maybe restore the average number of home fans to between 5-6000 plus whatever the away support is if we had some good years.

Whether thats enough to survive and prosper I don't know - but as ever at some point the ground will cost us.

Thats what I said, at some point it will require an investment - what I'm saying is that if we were a normal business what we are doing now would work eventually but not in sport.

However IMHO there is still some mileage left in what we are doing now.

I must admit to no longer knowing anything about the culture and demographic of the city as it's over 20 years since I left Wakefield and 8 years since I left the UK.

That massively under qualifies me to comment but I would like to add a couple of observations to the debate:

1) we constantly refer to returning fans... I started watching in 75 and crowds were around 3.5k average... the last time we had significant crowds (av 10+) will have been the 1960s... those people aren't coming back! And crowds today are better than much of the past 30 years.

That means we have to attract new sections of the population or turn casual attendance into a genuine fan base.

And... 2) I think Vasty is correct when he talks about investment...had we the fortune to add Glover's, entrepreneurial investment of money and marketing nous onto Carters sound financial model and diligence we could(?!?) see a genuine affect. Notwithstanding the state of belle vue...

The club is doing all it can with the resources at it's disposal.
I can understand the frustration with the lack of promoting the club around town but if they spend money on this, the squad maybe weaker and not match upto the hype?
Same goes for beer in the ground, would you rather have crap beer and a decent team or great beer and a rubbish team?
Can have the best beer in the world but if your team is rubbish, there will be no one to sup it!
CC has assembled a really good squad, I'm happy that any spare money has been spent on this rather than having a 'roadshow' in town to promote the team, that people won't give a second glance to.
Massive progress has been made over the last 3-4 years and we all know that the ground is the biggest stumbling block that is holding us back to possibly going to the next level.

Nailed it.

Can't describe the feeling I get driving through Normy knowing I'm literally minutes away from the bright lights of the cosmopolitan metropolis and it's cultured folk.

Would imagine it would be quite exhilarating and exciting for someone from Kippax

And the rest.

Two poundlands ffs. Don't know your born.

Yep that's my take on it. On the averages, even taking out the couple of cheap ticket years we had, where we averaged nearly 8200 and 7600. Before the last couple of years, we were averaging from around 6000 to just over over 7000. I mean the drop was bound to happen after what we went through in a relatively short time.
Take Bradford a far bigger City than Wakefield . They went from averaging between 12k and 14 gradually down to 7k by 2010 after not having the success they used to have. They went the cheap ticket way after that and boosted their attendances but once they stopped and went through financial problems they were down to just over 6k. Conversely look what a new ground and a bit of success has done for Wire, just about doubled their attendances.

Reading this forum, I think everyone knows MC has a massive millstone around his neck and there's the ground too!

Still better than the food banks much beloved in Cas.

You know what you need to do to relieve your frustration - go on the VT and make a petulant post predicting that Wakefield the home of Poundland will finish bottom - then for added effect get your little buddy to back you up.

Nah you wouldn't do anything as oafiish as that, oh wait...........

Because there's no food banks in Wakey, eh Vasty? Good to see you've not changed and you're still a insufferable pompous know-it-all.

How do people cope with you on here? Do you still get aggressive and rant at people who don't agree with you? you sad colossal whopper!

Oh ye nearly... forgot how's the Greg Inglis like Lucas Walshaw getting on? Guffaw!

I see Vastman is still getting massive chomps ...

Anyway, back on topic. Season ticket sales, let's hope we have a mad rush in time for Christmas (I won't hold
my breath mind)