Hamer: Charlton should be getting 20,000 at every Valley game (From News Shopper)

Hamer: Charlton should be getting 20,000 at every Valley game

11:03am Friday 12th October 2012 in Sport By Paul Green

CHARLTON keeper Ben Hamer is hoping Football for a Fiver will entice more fans back to The Valley on a regular basis.

The special offer has been a big hit since being tried out for the first time against Exeter in February 2011 and always fills the stands.

Next Saturday’s home date with Barnsley will be the third time Hamer has played in a Football for a Fiver game in SE7, the first in the Championship since winning the League One title.

But with average Championship attendances at the stadium standing at 17,469 so far this season, the keeper wants and expects that figure to increase substantially.

Hamer said: “A club like us should be getting more than 20,000 supporters.

“I know Charlton have got a big following but sometimes when we get around 16,000 I think it is a bit below par for a club of our size, we should be pulling in 20,000 a week.

“I’m hoping the extra five or six thousand people who do come and watch the Barnsley game like what they see and decide to come back and keep supporting us because we all know we play better when we’ve got bigger crowds pushing us on.

“For me personally I would like to see a lot more supporters at The Valley.”

Hamer also feels there are many factors at play as to why attendances are struggling everywhere at the minute but pointed out clubs at all levels need to get their pricing right if they are to lure people back through the turnstiles.

He said: “I can’t put my finger on it, it isn’t really for me to say but obviously people have got their reasons.

“I understand we are going through harsh economic times at the moment, which makes it difficult for some families to pay for tickets, so this Football for a Fiver initiative they are doing now for the Barnsley game is obviously a positive thing.

“It gives people who maybe can’t afford to buy tickets a chance to come and see us play.

“Ticket prices in general are quite high I believe.

“When I was in the Conference playing for Crawley at 18, I remember looking at ticket prices like £18 to watch a Conference game and thinking ‘this is ridiculous’.”

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