another poor crowd last night, and to be fair it was to be expected, what is traditionally our lowest crowd of the season moved to a Friday night to accommodate sky tv, who seem to enjoy criticising our poor turnouts, but yet seem hell bent on keeping it that way.

I know its been done to death about the reasons for the lack of support but last night out in town wearing fartown shirts I must have had 50 people ask me about the score, game, and general chat about the giants, most people were pretty positive and talked enthusiastically about us.
I asked a few if they go to games, most said they didn't go as they are mainly town fans but follow them on tv etc.
I mentioned about them going down for the last 3 home games as there was a chance we could win the league this year, again,majority of people said they couldn't afford the prices or as a few others said they don't want to go to games on Friday nights.

there is interest in a lot of people around town,we just need a big push to get people to come, get people who watch town to watch fartown and not let the shares issue come between us. I think a lot of people who follow town are reluctant to support the giants for various reasons, I was thinking maybe we could do something to encourage town fans to come.

its frustrating when there is interest there but the club don't seem to want to tap into it, I know we do deals,like the £5 offer for last night but how many people knew about it?

by the way the crowd was actually higher than I thought it would be , I thought 4500 but 5,000 is still pretty awful for a team lying 2nd in the table!

The crowds are embarrassing low for a team sitting 2nd in the league with just a few games remaining. The club shot itself in the foot with the massive price rises. They were always going to find it a challenge to market a club to new fans on those increases and unfortunately put a few older fans off to.

i was hoping for over 5k and we got it, thought that was a decent crowd to be honest.

attendances are down across the board in super league im afraid with the financial times as they are.

think we have done the attendance thing to death now too, bored of it all, if people dont want to come watch the giants then fair enough, i know im enjoying the best years of being a giants fan.

There are lots of Town fans who as interested in the Giants but who will not attend matches for various reasons as you say. I get the same interest in pubs after games. The shares issue and how Ken 'treated' Town still prevents people attending as 'it puts money into Ken Davy's pocket'. There are 2 in my office and one in my lad's who will not attend for this one reason. One actually enjoys seeing the Giants lose as 'it wipes the smile off Ken Davy's face' - this is someone who can trace his Huddersfield family roots back over 300 years! These are entrenched views that I believe will not change. It's a shame that the man who has done so much for the club is the reason some people don't attend.
How many there are with this view is debatable and it's interesting that a fair few seem to be part of the 'lost generation' of fans who grew up when Fartown were lurching from one crisis to another whilst Town were in the midst of the Micky Buxton era when Town played some of their best ever football. These people will always be Town fans first and foremost. The Giants true future is with the kids who will not have this baggage and who need attracting at an early age as possible. The number of families / kids have grown significantly in recent years and its imperative to the future success of the Giants that trend continues.

I am enjoying the season. It's been an absolute cracker. Before the season started I didn't think we would be doing as well as we are, but seeing the way the team are playing for each other and putting in lots of top performances is great.

It is a shame others don't want to see this team play, but it is their loss. I understand the cost is off putting, but the club do deals to try and get them in, the problem is people don't know these deals are out there or they require visiting the ticket office or some other obstacle which again gives people more reasons not to attend.

I've given up caring about our crowds. I've paid my money and Im seeing the best rugby ever played in this stadium

It's not good but I can't see it changing...
Wakefield got 1000 more for their SL game against Catalan and that was also on sky. We have poor crowds compared to other teams, but I'm really not sure what we can do about it tbh!

TBC, interesting that you say we have a lot of families/younger supporters which is great but its also detrimental to our support sometimes,especially for night games and late kick offs as a lot of these people are reluctant to bring young kids to games.
I know jools especially always tries to bring the kids when she can as do others but our support would surely be maximised and indeed grow if we had more games on Saturday or sunday afternoons, I think we are hit hardest of all SL clubs by the night matches as we have a lot of older/younger/families who choose not to attend.

ln my opinion the average Huddersfielder is the most boring,miserable tight fisted person l ever met.
l too meet people who ask about the game, l simply say "you should have gone" and nothing else
l also couldn,t care less if they go or not, they will only find something to moan about.

ln my opinion the average Huddersfielder is the most boring,miserable tight fisted person l ever met.
l too meet people who ask about the game, l simply say "you should have gone" and nothing else
l also couldn,t care less if they go or not, they will only find something to moan about.

I wouldn't read too much into it. You're tryin to build a culture and following within the town during an horrendous financial climate. The shares thing might be an issue for some but I'm doubtful it's that many. Plus a lot of those with a problem with it live in areas where you'd support dewsbury, bradford, Wakefield etc which may also play a part in their partisan attitude to it.

I reckon if you're in a position where you could actually have a shout in winning something (like this year) over a number of years you'll see the crowds growing but it's the worst time ever. Bradford, Leeds, Wigan etc were enjoying success during a period of financial boom remember

I brought 5 extra kids last week and 2 this. One of those has now asked for a kit for his birthday (if there are any left!) and his mum said this morning she is going to look into season tickets!

The crowd thing is just plain boring now, I can take it off other supporters of other clubs as it means we are doing something right and its the only thing they can call us on.

But off our own supporters!? Why come on moan about your own crowds. Boomers got it right.



When win something they will come, in what numbers and how long for, who knows.

When I first started watching 28 yrs ago, we got 350 and we were S!@t but I still went cos its my club. Now we get between 5-10k depending on circumstances and we are second in the league, but I go cos its my club. But I understand for a multitude of reasons, that not everyone one else is the same.

But just for the record, I'm a designer, I've worked for marketing and PR agencies for the last 20yrs, I've seen it happen, I know what can be achieved if you put the thought and time in (sticking an email out and post on your website about a £5 ticket a few days before is lazy and at best hopeful.) Its about the Huddersfield people who don't attend, how do you reach them? Its little and often if you want to raise the profile of something, supporting the larger events/ announcements.

lf there is a problem, its a problem for the marketing team plain and simple. They need to think smart, £5 quid for an SL game christ on a bike, you'd pay that back in the day with the other 349!

Word of mouth from those that do go is the best way. People won't go if they don't know anything about what it's all about - no matter the price and the marketing campaign. If one of every group of people invited one other person the crowds would soon swell. Invite your neighbour, your kids friends, your work mate, your milkman!

FWIW Wakey season tickets were £100 for this season

Looks like its helped boost their crowds.

Crowds were always going to go down after lasdt year, the problem has being replacing those who had enough either through poor performances or cheap deals ending and not prepared to pay full.

We are playing some good stuff and having a wow of a season and people still aren't coming , this is where the club needs to be asking why and doing something about it.

Personally i'm with the majority, i'm not bothered, i go and i get thoroughly entertained most times so thats fine for me, those that wont/choose not to come are missing out not us that do !

I got asked on the way down if we had a game on last night

There's the bloody problem

I was stopped in town by people asking 'did WE win tonight? ' - We, suggests they were fans who didnt bother going.

So two things

Q1. People need to be told the game is on

Q2. How to get them into the ground?

A1. That's simple in principle. Advertise. Very simple poster
Next home game
Giants v XXXXX
Date & Time

And that's it, no more info. Put a sign by Kingsgate front door, outside the big supermarkets & in the bus station.

A2. THIS is the tricky bit. Does giving away "bring a mate" vouchers really mean they end up being used by people who would go anyway? Mine never did. Do they need to drop the gate price? Make the pre-order a better deal?

How about tying up with something like the cinema or Pizza Hut - like bring your receipt or ticket and get in for a tenner. If nothing else it might just make more people think about the giants.


On the plus side the fanzone is excellent.

Don't often agree with your posts but you are spot on with this. I hear all the time how Hudds Town have a great fan base, then learn of the fans from Dewsbury, Batley, Mirfield, Halifax. I see people I went to school with walking around in Bradford replicas. IIRC Sir Ken gave tickets to Town fans for free years ago for a Wakey match and they supported Wakefield. I watch them driving back past my home to Wakefield on Town matchdays.

With the exception of the diehards we will have to win something major, the fans will then come. For the time being, we're happy to still have a team to support. And for those of us who were there through the barren years, It's going to be a massive celebration when it does.

I agree - always saying the same thing!

As mentioned, I have also sat in crowds of 350. So in context 5000 on a Friday night, on sky with no away support isn't bad.

I used to go and watch town but will never watch them again after the mud they have thrown at Ken Davy. Some will disagree with this but I feel passionately about this and nothing could change my mind.

There maybe a few Town fans who feel the same about Fartown.

I saw loads of people I knew at the service station on the way to Twickenham with their fartown flags. I didnt see these people at another game until 3 years later at Wembley. And you guessed it. I haven't seen them since.

We don't want glory supporters. We might only have a few but we are genuine and passionate!

At the end of the day we have poor crowds. So what!

Come if you want to, don't if you don't!

Exactly, whether we took 12k or (as I though) 20k to Wembley it's how to get those people back week in and week out

I feel like you -so what!

BUT

If our crowds don't improve as a club we will die. Ken Davy either won't or will no longer be able to fund the club to the tune of £20,000 a WEEK as he currently is.

Without the crowds and the revenue they bring we cannot be self sustainable- and that is something that needs to happen.

So the so what attitude won't matter if we don't have a club. Wakefield, Bradford, crusaders- did they have the so what attitude???

You are right Jools.

But lets enjoy it whilst it lasts and cross that bridge when we come to it!

Hopefully I will have won the euromillions by then and we will be back at Fartown!

If not lets hope the RFL and other clubs have a whip round for us!