Matches Lack of supporters

How do you know that, have you lived there?

Better nightlife than Oxford, friendly people, lovely countryside out of the city, oh and fans with 'passion' for every aspect of their club...

What point are you trying to make with this thread? Because Sunderland have more fans, they're somehow more passionate? How do you measure 'passion'? I've seen 'passionate' Sunderland fans berate their team for 75 minutes and then sod off home early because they lose so often. Some of the most passionate fans are ones at the lowest levels of football. The sort who man turnstiles, open the clubhouses, sweep the stands after a game all for no money because they love being involved in the club. It's not just presenteeism and yelling the loudest that makes you a passionate fan.

As I said above, we're never going go to be as big as Sunderland. I can live with that. That's not to say that we cannot be bigger and many in this thread have put forward suggestions for getting a few more bums on seats. As I showed as well, we're better supported now at poor quality ground than we were at The Manor so despite the challenges, we are bringing in more supporters. Wembley visits and attracting PL sides in the cups will always bring in people who may only turn up for those matches, but the colour of their money is as good as anyone elses. We can't all be there, all the time. Some will be mainstays, some will pick and choose games, some may attend once a season and some may leave it years before heading along. Football now attracts all sorts.
 
What point are you trying to make with this thread? Because Sunderland have more fans, they're somehow more passionate? How do you measure 'passion'? I've seen 'passionate' Sunderland fans berate their team for 75 minutes and then sod off home early because they lose so often. Some of the most passionate fans are ones at the lowest levels of football. The sort who man turnstiles, open the clubhouses, sweep the stands after a game all for no money because they love being involved in the club. It's not just presenteeism and yelling the loudest that makes you a passionate fan.

As I said above, we're never going go to be as big as Sunderland. I can live with that. That's not to say that we cannot be bigger and many in this thread have put forward suggestions for getting a few more bums on seats. As I showed as well, we're better supported now at poor quality ground than we were at The Manor so despite the challenges, we are bringing in more supporters. Wembley visits and attracting PL sides in the cups will always bring in people who may only turn up for those matches, but the colour of their money is as good as anyone elses. We can't all be there, all the time. Some will be mainstays, some will pick and choose games, some may attend once a season and some may leave it years before heading along. Football now attracts all sorts.
I loved the Manor but it wasn't a 'high quality' ground!! Character yes, facilities no.
 
What point are you trying to make with this thread? Because Sunderland have more fans, they're somehow more passionate? How do you measure 'passion'? I've seen 'passionate' Sunderland fans berate their team for 75 minutes and then sod off home early because they lose so often. Some of the most passionate fans are ones at the lowest levels of football. The sort who man turnstiles, open the clubhouses, sweep the stands after a game all for no money because they love being involved in the club. It's not just presenteeism and yelling the loudest that makes you a passionate fan.

As I said above, we're never going go to be as big as Sunderland. I can live with that. That's not to say that we cannot be bigger and many in this thread have put forward suggestions for getting a few more bums on seats. As I showed as well, we're better supported now at poor quality ground than we were at The Manor so despite the challenges, we are bringing in more supporters. Wembley visits and attracting PL sides in the cups will always bring in people who may only turn up for those matches, but the colour of their money is as good as anyone elses. We can't all be there, all the time. Some will be mainstays, some will pick and choose games, some may attend once a season and some may leave it years before heading along. Football now attracts all sorts.
I never brought up Sunderland, my point is fans from all over the country live and breath their club.

We have our hardcore support, then others who don't seem to have much emotional ties to the club.
 
I never brought up Sunderland, my point is fans from all over the country live and breath their club.

We have our hardcore support, then others who don't seem to have much emotional ties to the club.

Thats true of every club in the country.
 
Thats true of every club in the country.
It is, but from this thread people think a new stadium is going to boost the regular crowd numbers.

I am trying to be realistic in the fact that Oxfordshire is just not a football hotbed, not slagging it off, just the way it is.
 
Th
I never brought up Sunderland, my point is fans from all over the country live and breath their club.

We have our hardcore support, then others who don't seem to have much emotional ties to the club.
The problem with that is there are as you say fans all over the country live and breathe their club. A fan in Oxford supports Liverpool or Manchester Utd/city but don’t go because it’s to far and to costly but sit in their armchair watching occasionally tiger team live and highlights on the other occasions, but their local club 5 miles down the road or even on their doorstep is something they can’t support….plastics I tell ya
 
Th

The problem with that is there are as you say fans all over the country live and breathe their club. A fan in Oxford supports Liverpool or Manchester Utd/city but don’t go because it’s to far and to costly but sit in their armchair watching occasionally tiger team live and highlights on the other occasions, but their local club 5 miles down the road or even on their doorstep is something they can’t support….plastics I tell ya
Hate to say it but I think OUFC has a bit of an image problem in the city - maybe seen as a bit provincial and scruffy. A new ground coupled with a marketing campaign would address that.
 
Hate to say it but I think OUFC has a bit of an image problem in the city - maybe seen as a bit provincial and scruffy. A new ground coupled with a marketing campaign would address that.
Can guarantee those local to Oxford who don’t support Oxford and follow a premiershit team won’t change their allegiance from a prem to good old Oxford no mater how spruced up and available facilities a new stadium would produce.
 
Can guarantee those local to Oxford who don’t support Oxford and follow a premiershit team won’t change their allegiance from a prem to good old Oxford no mater how spruced up and available facilities a new stadium would produce.
They might not change, but they may visit more reguarly if it’s an enjoyable experience rather than a day out smelling the sewer works and,
sitting in a three sided concrete dump. They may then start getting more of an affiliation and returning more and more often and before u know it they consider themselves an oxford fan. Also good facilities will encourage families and future generations along.
 
They might not change, but they may visit more reguarly if it’s an enjoyable experience rather than a day out smelling the sewer works and,
sitting in a three sided concrete dump. They may then start getting more of an affiliation and returning more and more often and before u know it they consider themselves an oxford fan. Also good facilities will encourage families and future generations along.
Sorry they won’t start getting more of an affiliation if they’ve been supporting premiershit for years no matter how good the match day experience is. But as regards better facilities that may entice a few back in to the ground
 
They might not change, but they may visit more reguarly if it’s an enjoyable experience rather than a day out smelling the sewer works and,
sitting in a three sided concrete dump. They may then start getting more of an affiliation and returning more and more often and before u know it they consider themselves an oxford fan. Also good facilities will encourage families and future generations along.
I am afraid that will never be the case, apart from the fact you've got to get them there in the first place they are only there to see the opposition and their stars and wont come back until their stars or similar are opponents again.
 
I am afraid that will never be the case, apart from the fact you've got to get them there in the first place they are only there to see the opposition and their stars and wont come back until their stars or similar are opponents again.
That’s not true, plenty of people go to games once or twice a season, that aren’t attracted back because they get there and remember what a hole it is
 
Sorry they won’t start getting more of an affiliation if they’ve been supporting premiershit for years no matter how good the match day experience is. But as regards better facilities that may entice a few back in to the ground
But they will, some of these prem fans have probably never been to a game, u start watching any team regularly and u will start to want them to win especially when u are in the crowd getting caught up in the emotion.
 
I hope you’re right, Colin. I don’t subscribe to Lincoln’s theory and that’s what frustrates me. If the pandemic proved anything, it’s that football is best enjoyed live, yet apathy still surrounds the club from the ‘uncommitted 1m’.

Swindon’s ground has become an absolute dump and is surrounded by an even bigger dump, yet they’re getting bigger home support than we are, at a lower level, watching a group of players far below our standard. I find that very frustrating. I know that they’re on a high after the Power-era, but still, we should have higher numbers than them at this time.

I hope your faith in the stadium plans is well founded, but I worry that planners and the inevitable protest-groups will use the lack of current (and historic) demand to help undermine any plans.

As someone who would go and watch OUFC under any conditions, perhaps I lack the perspective of the ‘uncommitted 1m’, but I really would like to be more confident that the county’s only full-time professional sporting club will actually receive the support it deserves. I’m more confident of hearing a new set of excuses, though.

Pessimism or realism?

Swindon get bigger attendances because like it or not, the stadium is in the Town Centre. With the Train Station and Bus Station within a mile of the ground. And although a dump has many pubs within a 15 minute walk to the ground. I live in Swindon and although they're ground isn't the best I am very envious of its central location. i think many other Oxford Fans would probably agree this is why they're attendances are usually 500-1000 more than ours.
 
That’s not true, plenty of people go to games once or twice a season, that aren’t attracted back because they get there and remember what a hole it is
with respect i disagree, let's look at the west ham game, any first or 2nd attendee seeing a local side beat a premiership side 4-0 if they were to feel anything would return they didn't. one of the 2 games against Man City we had the most number of shots ever recorded against one of Pep's teams.

To think that the ground was the sole reason they never returned is really stretching it in my opinion.
 
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