Blackandamber wrote:Maybe it should also take into average distance to away grounds. Teams with a lot of short distance away venues will probably have a bigger away following.

That thought had crossed my mind when I saw Scunthorpe and Grimsby figures.

League Two Distances to Away Games (one way, as crow flies)

Team Distance to away games Avg Journey
Bradford City 2615 113
Cambridge United 2626 114
Carlisle United 4266 185
Cheltenham Town 2258 98
Colchester United 3243 141
Crawley Town 3254 141
Crewe Alexandra 2196 95
Exeter City 3891 169
Forest Green Rovers 2431 105
Grimsby Town 2901 126
Leyton Orient 2875 125
Macclesfield Town 2172 94
Mansfield Town 2156 93
Morecambe 3155 137
Newport County 2806 122
Northampton Town 2158 93
Oldham Athletic 2387 103
Plymouth Argyle 4628 201
Port Vale 2106 91
Salford City 2383 103
Scunthorpe United 2609 113
Stevenage Boro 2559 111
Swindon Town 2476 107
Walsall 2041 88

For those interested, here are the distances in descending numerical order:

Plymouth Argyle.....201
Carlisle United.......185
Exeter City.............169
Colchester United .141
Crawley Town .......141
Morecambe ..........137
Grimsby Town........126
Leyton Orient..........125
Newport County.....122
Cambridge United..114
Bradford City...........113
Scunthorpe United .113
Stevenage Boro......111
Swindon Town........107
Forest Green R......105
Oldham Athletic.....103
Salford City............103
Cheltenham Town....98
Crewe Alexandra ....95
Macclesfield Town...94
Mansfield Town........93
Northampton T.........93
Port Vale..................91
Walsall.....................88

Right, this has taken some time to put together.
Below are County's twenty three L2 opponents.
1. The first figure alongside each is the ''Road'' distance in miles using the most conventional routes / roads from ''centre to centre'' of each town / city.
2. The second figure alongside each is the ''Road'' distance from Rodney Parade Stadium to the other clubs stadiums.

Using the stadiums figures, this indicates that the average road distance to a L2 fixture for County is 162.66 miles, an average ''round trip'' of 325.33 miles.

Bradford - 229.5 / 229.2
Cambridge - 189 / 189
Carlisle - 290 / 288
Cheltenham - 56 / 58
Colchester - 210 / 210.8
Crawley - 156.5 / 158.3
Crewe - 152 / 151
Exeter - 98 / 95.4
FGR (Nailsworth) - 43 / 47.3
Grimsby - 244.5 / 244.3
Leyton Orient (Leytonstone via the M25) - 175.3 / 176.6
Macclesfield -  166.7 / 164.8
Mansfield - 167.5 / 165.5
Morecambe - 230 / 228.4
Northampton - 131.5 / 130
Oldham - 192 / 191.2
Plymouth - 138.5 / 137.8
Port Vale (Burslem) - 144.3 / 143.5
Salford - 189.5 / 191.4
Scunthorpe - 220 / 217.3
Stevenage - 159.5 / 157.4
Swindon - 59.8 / 60.8
Walsall - 108.5 / 105.3

Here they are in ''Road'' miles from stadium to stadium only:
Carlisle - 288
Grimsby - 244.3
Bradford - 229.2
Morecambe - 228.4
Scunthorpe - 217.3
Colchester - 210.8
Salford - 191.4
Oldham - 191.2
Cambridge - 189
Leyton Orient (Leytonstone via the M25) - 176.6
Mansfield - 165.5
Macclesfield - 164.8
Crawley -158.3
Stevenage - 157.4
Crewe - 151
Port Vale (Burslem) - 143.5
Plymouth - 137.8
Northampton -130
Walsall - 105.3
Exeter - 95.4
Swindon - 60.8
Cheltenham - 58
FGR (Nailsworth) - 47.3

Blackandamber wrote:Maybe it should also take into average distance to away grounds. Teams with a lot of short distance away venues will probably have a bigger away following.

I wonder though if another reason for good away support might be poor economic conditions. Of the people I knew at school graduating in the early days of Thatcher many of us ended up in the south east of England. At both Colchester and Chelmsford gatemen said to me 'Long trip mate?' To which I replied 'Not really I live in Witham.'

Games around the M25 were easy to get to. I suspect a lot of Newportonians live close to the M25.

Our away followings this season:

Cambridge 224
Walsall 541
FGR 898
Northampton 289
Macclesfield 91
Swindon 755
Colchester 180
Bradford 350
Morecambe 91
Exeter 521
Scunthorpe ?

Average: 394

Our away followings this season:

Cambridge 224
Walsall 541
FGR 898
Northampton 289
Macclesfield 91
Swindon 755
Colchester 180
Bradford 350
Morecambe 91
Exeter 521
Scunthorpe ?
Orient 427
Plymouth 415

Average: 399

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

Blackandamber wrote:Maybe it should also take into average distance to away grounds. Teams with a lot of short distance away venues will probably have a bigger away following.

I wonder though if another reason for good away support might be poor economic conditions. Of the people I knew at school graduating in the early days of Thatcher many of us ended up in the south east of England. At both Colchester and Chelmsford gatemen said to me 'Long trip mate?' To which I replied 'Not really I live in Witham.'

Games around the M25 were easy to get to. I suspect a lot of Newportonians live close to the M25.

Not sure that can be applied now, or any time in the last ten years. When we were in a regional league, (Conference South etc.), Reading services was a regular calling point. In a national league, if we say its a 50/50 North/South split and then take out the South West, and South Midlands teams, there aren't many visits to the M25 these days. In recent years I can think of Orient, Colchester, Southend (one season?), Luton, Stevenage. There are probably a couple more.

Next season looks grim - we might lose Swindon, Plymouth and Exeter, conceivably Cheltenham or FGR too, and gain Barrow and either Harrogate or Halifax!

George Street-Bridge wrote:Next season looks grim - we might lose Swindon, Plymouth and Exeter, conceivably Cheltenham or FGR too, and gain Barrow and either Harrogate or Halifax!

It only looks grim if you want it to: equally we could gain Bolton, Tranmere..... Bolton is an unknown quantity. If we play them late in the season with something resting on the game, God only knows how many they might want to bring!

I would say it's incontrovertible that losing Swindon, Plymouth and Exeter would cut our away gate revenue.

George Street-Bridge wrote:I would say it's incontrovertible that losing Swindon, Plymouth and Exeter would cut our away gate revenue.

Let us say that there are no concessions for away supporters. Let us say Exeter, Swindon and Plymouth all sell out their full capacity. Let us say that there are no extra policing and stewarding costs for these three games. And finally that the three relegated clubs from League 1 (including Bolton, bring no support.)

1,000 x 3 x £20 = £60,000.

In reality, far less even on a worst case scenario.

Grim? Pull the other one.

It's grim in the context of the potential number of away supporters through the gate, which is the subject here.

George Street-Bridge wrote:Next season looks grim - we might lose Swindon, Plymouth and Exeter, conceivably Cheltenham or FGR too, and gain Barrow and either Harrogate or Halifax!

Your post in full George.

'Next season looks grim'.