Why is Selhurst half empty when Crystal Palace are playing so well? (From News Shopper)
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Why is Selhurst half empty when Crystal Palace are playing so well?
10:33am Wednesday 26th September 2012 in Sport
Wilfried Zaha in action against Cardiff but there are plenty of empty seats in the background
CRYSTAL Palace columnist SAM ROSS is puzzled why the entertaining fare on offer at Selhurst Park this year isn’t attracting higher attendances.
THE Eagles’ thrilling 3-2 win on Saturday proved there is value for money at Selhurst this season, so it’s baffling to see a real lack of fans.
While Palace’s start to the season has been unpredictable, there is certainly one thing you can guarantee when you go to a game at Selhurst - goals.
But despite there being not one single 0-0 bore draw at SE25 this season, attendances have been shockingly low and I’m struggling to understand why.
Palace’s last two home games disappointingly drew crowds of around 13,000 and that was against two big Championship clubs in Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City.
It is not just at Selhurst, though, Millwall and Charlton are also struggling for numbers.
Under 10,000 fans turned up for the Lions’ game with Cardiff last Tuesday and even the recent derby against Charlton at The Valley wasn’t sold out, mainly because of the empty seats in the home ends.
I am a firm believer the Championship is the most entertaining league in the world and am baffled at the poor attendances.
But who is to blame - the fans, the ticket prices or the league itself?
The cheapest adult ticket for a game at Palace is £20 in the Family Stand for grade B games which can rise up to £35 in the Main Stand for A grade matches such as derbies.
Taking a family to a football match hasn’t been cheap for a number of seasons but is it as simple as justifying the cost?
Not many Palace fans I have spoken to are willing to pay to watch a team this year who they believe won’t be competing for much, regardless of whether they are playing attractive and exciting football or not.
The Eagles have pace and threat on both wings with Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie, as well as the talent of Jonny Williams and, despite being unintentional, they always look vulnerable to conceding.
Compare this to last year when it was difficult for teams to break Palace down at Selhurst.
I would much rather pay to see Palace win 3-2 like they did on Saturday, even if that means losing leads or possibly narrow victories like against Forest, than watch boring 1-0 wins.
Palace pushed on for a second goal despite being 1-0 up against 10-man Forest and that was pleasing to see.
Last year we would have perhaps tightened up and maybe held on for a scrappy 1-0 win.
The next two home games should hopefully see a dramatic rise in the attendance at Selhurst with the first family day of the season scheduled for Palace’s game against Burnley, while two weeks later is the London derby against Millwall.
However, both matches will not represent a typical crowd attendance at Selhurst and they must be used to showcase how entertaining it is watching Palace play at the moment.
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Comments(3)
Sam Ross
says...
12:00pm Thu 27 Sep 12
And I don't consider Selhurst as an intimidating atmosphere what so ever.
I'll let the message boards continue the 'ultra fans' vs supposed 'quiet fans' debate but for me they cancel each other out.
For every 'ultra' there is a supposed know it all sitting behind you, it's just part and parcel of going to watch a football match I'm afraid.
Besides fans know the 'ultras' sit in the lower holmesdale and there are, especially now, a lot of empty seats elsewhere to sit in at Selhurst.
eagleman54
says...
7:44pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Thanks for taking the trouble to respond to my comments.
I think that 'intimidating' is the wrong word and that 'off-putting' would be more appropriate.
This link is to an article that says a lot more about the Holmesdale Fanatics and what they think of ordinary supporters and families at football:
http://europeanfootb
allweekends.blogspot
.co.uk/2010/09/holme
sdale-fanatics-cryst
al-palace-fc.html
It's not what I would want to see return to the terraces again and I suspect many others feel the same.
eagleman54 says...
1:44pm Wed 26 Sep 12
Groups of 'ultras' are completely foreign, literally, to English football and particularly to a traditionally family club like Palace.
The 'improved atmosphere' that you will find referred to on unofficial Palace fansites has been achieved at the expense of declining attendances.
Average supporters do not enjoy the experience of a man beating a drum throughout the match, together with a 'conductor' who appears to have no interest in what is going on on the pitch and the latest addition of said individual bellowing into a megaphone. Couple this with continuous monotonous chanting by a group of black-clad individuals, unrelated to the on-pitch action, and you have an alienating experience for many ordinary supporters.
The presence of this 'ultra' group has attracted the attention of the police, resulting in away supporters being permanently moved to the opposite end of the ground, retimed/re-arranged kick-offs and restrictions on the number of tickets available to away supporters for 'sensitive' games. Additionally, it has seen the errection of a steel wall outside the ground, for such games, to separate home and away support.
The owners of the club seem to be happy to encourage the 'ultra' element but seem to be unaware of the connection that the growth of this group has had on attendances at Selhurst.