The crowd for Wrecsam in their 1-1 draw v Chesterfield last night for a National League game. Quality, fair play.

Exile 1976 wrote:The crowd for Wrecsam in their 1-1 draw v Chesterfield last night for a National League game. Quality, fair play.

I don't blame anyone.

However perhaps if Wrexham a town of 65,000 can draw a crowd like that in Division Five, don't you think that Newport as a city of 150,000 in Division Four ought to be asking what are they doing that we are not?

Yes, a great crowd. Having read the Michael Flynn Leaving thread on their forum, based on that, I wish them little luck this year as they generally seem to dislike all South Wales clubs.
They were outplayed by 10 man Chesterfield.
Will the new novelty ownership wear off?
Grimsby took 1,250 supporters to Altrincham and top of the league.
Ryan Taylor on fire as well!?
Cheers

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

Exile 1976 wrote:The crowd for Wrecsam in their 1-1 draw v Chesterfield last night for a National League game. Quality, fair play.

I don't blame anyone.

However perhaps if Wrexham a town of 65,000 can draw a crowd like that in Division Five, don't you think that Newport as a city of 150,000 in Division Four ought to be asking what are they doing that we are not?

100% ... a city this size should be comfortably getting 10,000 crowds

Exile 1976 wrote:

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

Exile 1976 wrote:The crowd for Wrecsam in their 1-1 draw v Chesterfield last night for a National League game. Quality, fair play.

I don't blame anyone.

However perhaps if Wrexham a town of 65,000 can draw a crowd like that in Division Five, don't you think that Newport as a city of 150,000 in Division Four ought to be asking what are they doing that we are not?

100% ... a city this size should be comfortably getting 10,000 crowds

Yes, it’s quite amazing really and it should be the first thing to address for any club ie get more punters through the door. That’s an enormous percentage of the population compared to what we get here, I’m truly envious. Is there nothing else to do in Wrexham ?

I remember people saying exactly the same back in the mid 60's when I started watching. Crowds then, from memory, were about 2500. We could only manage about 5000 when in the old league 3.
I agree that it is pitiful but it has always been the same. It shouldn't be and many people have tried to change it over the years. I wish I had the slightest (new) idea how we could improve crowds but I dont.
So many new beginnings but always the same level of support. I dont believe the average resident of Newport is different to anyone else but for some reason football just does not resonate with them.

I've met quite a few people from North Wales, who think they are the 'real' Welsh. I've never really got this arguement, but maybe in their eyes Wrexham carry the hopes of the real Welsh nation and it's a pride thing? Newport has always had to compete with 2 other far more successful Welsh teams in their neighbourhood. So, my reasoning, if we were the only North Welsh representative we'd get the crowds that Wrexham get. Perhaps it's not about football but about history.

The lost generation, they've never lost one. We have.
Nearest similar sized team is Chester, no chance of locals crossing the border to watch them. Or Tranmere.

Liverpool is 35 miles away, so not really an alternative and far further away than Cardiff would be for our floaters.

That's roughly as far Swindon is from Bristol and Oxford. I don't think floating fans move amongst them either.

Wrexham has no long term rugby catchment to compete with either. Wrexham is a football town.
Newport was, up until recently, a rugby town.

Our attendance is growing steadily. We took 7,200 to Wembley for the Spurs replay, which is the biggest away attendance for a Spurs game during their Wembley tenure.

It's all there if you think about it. Just depends what your agenda is.

aberexile wrote:I've met quite a few people from North Wales, who think they are the 'real' Welsh. I've never really got this arguement, but maybe in their eyes Wrexham carry the hopes of the real Welsh nation and it's a pride thing? Newport has always had to compete with 2 other far more successful Welsh teams in their neighbourhood. So, my reasoning, if we were the only North Welsh representative we'd get the crowds that Wrexham get. Perhaps it's not about football but about history.

Agree that's it's primarily about history, and Football has been and continues to be far more popular in North Wales pro rata than the South. I'm sure Wrexham 's paying supporters are drawn from all across the north rather than just their Town. Having said that I was surprised when seeing this recent attendance figure. They didn't get such high numbers when they were in the EFL did they?
The reality is some areas attract a greater percentage of the population who are prepared to pay to support their 'local' Football club than others. I don't pretend to have the answer(s) to why that is, but take the fatalistic view that Newport and it's surrounding area is one that historically has, and continues to have a very small percentage of the population who are prepared to do so. Therefore negatively comparing attendances for clubs by population alone is not comparing like for like; and any suggestion that the County is doing anything fundamentally wrong in not attracting the crowds that Wrexham do is a bogus one. I'm sure a couple of Hollywood 'A' listers lending us support wouldn't be detrimental however.

whoareya wrote:The lost generation, they've never lost one. We have.
Nearest similar sized team is Chester, no chance of locals crossing the border to watch them. Or Tranmere.

Liverpool is 35 miles away, so not really an alternative and far further away than Cardiff would be for our floaters.

That's roughly as far Swindon is from Bristol and Oxford. I don't think floating fans move amongst them either.

Wrexham has no long term rugby catchment to compete with either. Wrexham is a football town.
Newport was, up until recently, a rugby town.

Our attendance is growing steadily. We took 7,200 to Wembley for the Spurs replay, which is the biggest away attendance for a Spurs game during their Wembley tenure.

It's all there if you think about it. Just depends what your agenda is.

I don't buy the 'lost generation' argument because we had shite crowds for many years before we went bust. Newport is a sizeable population and that's without adding in surrounding areas. Those lot down the road don't fill their stadium and the population of c***iff and surrounding area is much bigger than that of Newport.
Take Southampton game out of the equation and we're currently averaging fewer than 3500 fans a week. With the Dragons average attendance usually around the 5000 mark, whatever anyone's 'agenda' is, you surely cannot believe that is anywhere near good enough for the city of Newport and the huge publicity our club have had over the last few years.

For me it a mindset thing. For some, County are seen as a joke.

I have seen it from both the inside and outside. Within family and amongst other football outsiders. Until we change the Newport mindset, we will never get the gates we deserve. I have no idea how we do it other that doing better on the pitch.

Exile 1976 wrote:

whoareya wrote:The lost generation, they've never lost one. We have.
Nearest similar sized team is Chester, no chance of locals crossing the border to watch them. Or Tranmere.

Liverpool is 35 miles away, so not really an alternative and far further away than Cardiff would be for our floaters.

That's roughly as far Swindon is from Bristol and Oxford. I don't think floating fans move amongst them either.

Wrexham has no long term rugby catchment to compete with either. Wrexham is a football town.
Newport was, up until recently, a rugby town.

Our attendance is growing steadily. We took 7,200 to Wembley for the Spurs replay, which is the biggest away attendance for a Spurs game during their Wembley tenure.

It's all there if you think about it. Just depends what your agenda is.

I don't buy the 'lost generation' argument because we had shite crowds for many years before we went bust. Newport is a sizeable population and that's without adding in surrounding areas. Those lot down the road don't fill their stadium and the population of c***iff and surrounding area is much bigger than that of Newport.
Take Southampton game out of the equation and we're currently averaging fewer than 3500 fans a week. With the Dragons average attendance usually around the 5000 mark, whatever anyone's 'agenda' is, you surely cannot believe that is anywhere near good enough for the city of Newport and the huge publicity our club have had over the last few years.

Its an explanation, not an excuse.

There has definitely been an effect from a lost generation - there was no local club to support.
Up until our demise, we had a significant youth and 20's following. You are right in that the crowds dropped away in the run up to your demise, but it was a slow, lingering death, we were basket cases for several seasons whilst still sharing a town with one of the better rugby clubs in Wales.

Have a good look around you at any part of the ground now and you'll still see a aged fanbase, with the green shoots of younger fans starting to re-establish itself. Go back to the Conference South days and you'd mostly see the 60's age group who were the only ones that had been interested in going to obscure grounds in obscure non-league football. Going to an away game then was like being in the OAP audience for Sale Of The Century....

Factor in the mortality rate of that age group and we've probably lost a disproportionate number of fans to old age. I thought the Covid memorial before the Southampton game was a stark reminder of that.

pembsexile wrote:For me it a mindset thing. For some, County are seen as a joke.

I have seen it from both the inside and outside. Within family and amongst other football outsiders. Until we change the Newport mindset, we will never get the gates we deserve. I have no idea how we do it other that doing better on the pitch.

Sad but true. When I lived in S Wales it was embarrassing to say you were going to watch the county, especially when Cardiff or Swansea were home. Funnily enough, it made me want to watch them even more. We're the cult movie, Swansea/Cardiff are the mainstream blockbusters.

That's my point in the post above. If Swansea and Cardiff were up North it would be embarrassing to say you watch Wrexham, but there's a lot less embarrassment because although they are a little team historically they're the only thing N Wales have. They're the mainstream blockbusters for N Welsh people.

aberexile wrote:

pembsexile wrote:For me it a mindset thing. For some, County are seen as a joke.

I have seen it from both the inside and outside. Within family and amongst other football outsiders. Until we change the Newport mindset, we will never get the gates we deserve. I have no idea how we do it other that doing better on the pitch.

Sad but true. When I lived in S Wales it was embarrassing to say you were going to watch the county, especially when Cardiff or Swansea were home. Funnily enough, it made me want to watch them even more. We're the cult movie, Swansea/Cardiff are the mainstream blockbusters.

That's my point in the post above. If Swansea and Cardiff were up North it would be embarrassing to say you watch Wrexham, but there's a lot less embarrassment because although they are a little team historically they're the only thing N Wales have. They're the mainstream blockbusters for N Welsh people.

A good analogy.

Being owned by billionaires (?) who are ploughing in serious cash helps the enthusiasm. How many people would have been there last season? 4,000 maybe?

Our fan base has grown a lot in recent years, I see it within my own circle of friends, people who were never previously interested becoming regulars, etc.

Agree that we should get more, but banging your head against a brick wall about it won't achieve much. We live in a poor part of the world where rugby is bigger than it is up north.