Hi Simon,
I'm not sure of:
'If we could get roughly ten percent of the area's population to come to roughly four home games a year, we'd roughly double our attendances'.
as the stadium cannot hold such a number (and nor do I think we need a nassive capacity).
People need to understand that Plymouth is not a thriving city and many people (you and I included) move away for better opportunites. The upside of this is that we have many fans who find it far easier to attend away matches. Londonish games are fantastically well attended and support on the terraces is almost always more vocal at away games than at Home Park. To moan about the fans who travel to away games then also wanting to go to the presteige games totally undervalues their support. Exiles often pay on the gate as it avoids additional ticketing costs/postage/chance of non delivery/chance of postponement. The downside is that these attendances are not logged and we end up being accused as 'not real fans.' Whether or not a system could be introduced to track such attendances is debatable as it would probably only incur extra cost.
The reasons for the exiles not coming to home games are fairly obvious. It's a long, often painful to journey. A major city that the government can't be bothered to build a motorway to, a railway line that takes the coastal route and costs a fortune and of course, only an airport in Klopp's dreams. For those who do make the journey, it is to see fourth division football with tickets comparatively expensive to some much higher clubs. The facilities are not great. The grandstand has hardly changed in the near 50 years I have been attending, except that the terrace is now derelict. Certainly the toilet facilities have not changed in 50 years. There are always long queues for food and drink and the value is not great. The seating is in need of refurbishment; their are holes in the roof and it is difficult to hear the PA. All costs money to upgrade and it is understandable why it has not happened before.
No doubt the new granstand will address such issues. It may also be worth employing sellers in the crowd (like at American sports) to relieve the pressure on the kiosks. High quality conference facilities will be a new experience for many and give a much more professional impression of the club.
I actually think that we are on the right track. The facilities at Home Park need to be improved and will be with the new grandstand. The match day experience needs to be improved with better retail and catering outlets at sensible prices. Most of all, we need to be playing at a higher level to attract more interest. That is easier said than done as teams like Argyle and Pompey struggle to get out of this league.
Possibly crowds could be improved with wider membership schemes. A £10 member card could means that we don't have to pay that extra £2 on the day; give a discount in the club shop and a chance to get tickets after other memberships) Bradford have huge crowds through discounting but this is not always cost effective (nor is kid for a quid but maybe a tiered approach of U5 £1; U10 £3; U16 £5; U18 + students £7).
Somethings are beyond the remit of PAFC. There is a lack of investment in the West Country as a whole resulting in wages being lower. The television rights just make the rich clubs stupidly richer at the expense of lower league teams. It also means that people sit at home and watch the games rather than experience the match day atmosphere.
A new granstand, better facilities (catering; toilets; maybe even an electronic scoreboard / large tv screen) and playing at a better standard will attract more crowds. We are on the right track with sensible leadership. In theory, the process can be speeded up with a mega rich benefactor but without such a person, there are those of us who appreciate a prudent approach.
