Trust the Future

[IndoMike]

Your point is nonsense.

The choice is have a silly argument with you or watch a film on the telly. Film wins..

 

[Northern Red]

Utter nonsense.

What I said was not utter nonsense,Your out of touch with the modern world of teenagers plus the fact the club is not attractive to teens as it's a club that lacks ambition also playing boring football doesn't help,Just take a look around the away end & you will see a high amount of over 40's not many young people.

The club & trust boards are full of oldies, the clubs support of young people needs seriously looking at & the product needs to improve.

 

[Colesman Ballz]

What I said was not utter nonsense,Your out of touch with the modern world of teenagers plus the fact the club is not attractive to teens as it's a club that lacks ambition also playing boring football doesn't help,Just take a look around the away end & you will see a high amount of over 40's not many young people.

The club & trust boards are full of oldies, the clubs support of young people needs seriously looking at & the product needs to improve.

Frankly I don't see anyone at all in the "away end" this season !

 

[Antony Moxey]

What I said was not utter nonsense,Your out of touch with the modern world of teenagers plus the fact the club is not attractive to teens as it's a club that lacks ambition also playing boring football doesn't help,Just take a look around the away end & you will see a high amount of over 40's not many young people.

The club & trust boards are full of oldies, the clubs support of young people needs seriously looking at & the product needs to improve.

Of course I'm out of touch with teenagers, I haven't been one for thirty-odd years. However, the fact remains that teenagers now are no different to how teenagers have always been, they're not some sort of special case nowadays. But that's not the nonsense bit, the nonsense bit is you continually suggesting the club lacks ambition. Perhaps, given how often you say it on here, you might like to expand on your reasoning and tell us exactly how it lacks ambition and why you think this is the case. Just repeating something doesn't make it so.

 

[PeteUSA]

No there isn’t. A 15 year old today is no different to a 15 year old 30 years ago, and City’s standing in the football world as a lower division provincial club is no different to how it’s always been. To think it’s just today that teens might find us uncool or that we’re suddenly unattractive compared to MU or Liverpool is, as I said, utter nonsense.

If you dont mind Antony, I totally agree. I couldnt have said it any clearer. To suggest that a bunch in a certain age group will turn to something else having followed City since they were probably 11-12 years old is indeed ridiculous. Undoubtedly the attendances are down badly, but the reason suggested in this thread isnt it.

 

[PeteUSA]

I've got this theory about why our crowds are down this season, and I certainly think its worth taking into consideration - although there's little or nothing that can be done about it. Its called iFollow. Yes, I'm convinced that with games being streamed live in glorious HD to computers, and subsequently I would guess to the big screen TV; thats yer answer to a lot of the absenteeism even by the staunchest of supporters. Okay the ability to combine the sound commentary with the picture has been taken away, but its nothing a stay at home fan cant overcome by picking up the tranny and tuning into Radio Devon. The ground redevelopments would undoubtedly be a factor into fans going the iFollow route. I suspect this facility is hurting a lot of smaller clubs as well as us?

 

[Matt Russell]

Isn't iFollow for overseas viewers?

 

[PeteUSA]

Isn't iFollow for overseas viewers?

Good point Matt; I'll have to check the iFollow rules to see how it works in the UK in general. On reflection, It could be the game for UK users isnt available til' sundays. That said, that would be nothing a legal proxy wouldnt overcome would it?

 

[Antony Moxey]

I know of people who use iFollow who are in the UK. Couldn’t tell you how, but they most definitely do.

 

[Spoonz Red E]

To me there are other possible factors.

Lack of seats - particularly high in the stand. (I've had quite a few people over the season decide not to buy when told it was Big Bank only).
Poor weather (also relevant due to the lack of seats available high up). Almost all of our home games have been played in the wet.
Fewer away fans - a maximum of only 350 seats on offer and no terrace option meaning no lower price band.

As for the OP; I encourage any moves by the Trust to engage with young supporters but tend to agree with the analysis of St James in post #3.

I started coming to see games when I was 8.
It took the near collapse of the Club, supporters ownership plus other personal circumstances to finally become involved at Trust Level 40 years later - and I'm someone who has always been minded to get involved with community projects generally.

Recognise that it's a slow burn strategy, offer incentives and involvement that's tangibly rewarding (the Community Trust guys could probably give valuable advice in this regard) and it could be a grower.