The European Superleague Plan highlights a problem at Sheffield Wednesday

[Guest Therealrealist]

2 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

The new proposed ESL Superleague thing shows a bigger problem that exists at Sheffield Wednesday FC too

 

Those responsible for this new idea have stipulated a couple of motivating factors

 

1) Their huge massive losses (some clubs are now a billion in debt)

2) The lack of young fans showing interest in going to games

 

So here's how I equate it to OUR club

 

The losses are something that we've seen at SWFC. Not to the degree of a billion pounds debt but significant issues with wages to income being just incredibly dangerous. Most other businesses would simply have gone bust if they'd been running at those kind of levels of wages to income

But here's the even bigger thing for me

The lack of young people showing any interest in going to games

This is purely and simply a total lack of action from clubs over the last ten years who have relied on the older fans, and made absolutely no real effort whatsoever to attract the younger fans

None

No effort at all (what sustained promotion have you ever seen from the club to attract them to support the club?)

But an even bigger point at Sheffield Wednesday is not just that we're seen as a struggling club, but that the perception of expense of going to games just isn't affordable at any level

For example to attract young fans to matches you have to start by getting their parents to take them to matches, but many just can't afford to. Therefore over time you will get less and less younger fans becoming attached to our club and wanting to come

This was raised and highlighted repeatedly over the last ten years that this site has been existed.

It's been a real problem that was absolutely bound to happen. It was obvious. And now it's happened/happening

 

The football clubs have made it unattractive to come to games.

It's not about console games or other things that younger fans have to do instead of going to the football, but the fact that football and SWFC in particular have not made going to games the most attractive idea to them.

Not only are we overpriced but younger fans absolutely demand and expect standards in things like seating, catering, technology in stadiums and ours is 1980's style stadium

So put it all together..

Struggling club

Prices extortionate (remember they're not just gonna get a season ticket as they're not diehard fans yet)
No promotion to make it look amazing on social media to come to games
No creation of 'heroes' off the pitch from a PR perspective to latch onto 

Archaic facilities

 

It's no surprise younger fans have turned their back on going to games.  Everything about it sucks ass to them.

And it's been coming for the last 10/15 years 

It was inevitable

Been bangin the 2nd drum for ages..teenagers want to play fifa they dont want to go to hillsbro..they will go to away games..but even getting them to watch a full wednesday game on tv is a no no..my 2 watched about ten mins of last nights games..yet they both watched every minute of both the PSG v Bayern games..

[BIG D]

16 minutes ago, OWLERTON GHOST said:

Its actually cheaper to fly to Borussia Dortmund and watch a game there (and you can have a drink and stand up on the terrace) than it is to travel to watch any of the "Big six games" in our own country ....

 

 

 

It isn't. I go to City a couple of times a year.

Tickets about the same as ours and train to Manchester there and back is around a fiver each way.

[Gob_Bluth]

For the average fan the arse has fallen out football. It's unsustainable as it is at the moment

 

It's about trying to sell the "experience" to new and casual fans these days, but for clubs like us that means trouble

[Sensible Soccer]

Reality is we are asked to pay top whack for a dreadful viewing experience on the pitch, in a stadium that if you are in the cheap seats might be behind a pillar.... A pillar in this day and age. That before you start on the dreadful facilities and the fact you struggle to park anywhere near.

 

also as a parent the vitriolic and overtly aggressive language used by some fans is not something I’d like to expose my children too at this stage in their lives. 
 

I can afford to go... I just choose not to and can’t see that changing any time soon

[adelphi1867]

1 hour ago, owl_83 said:

Football is also too boring now and too expensive. I struggle to afford to take myself to matches never mind my children as well. There are just cheaper (and more fun) days out now. 

I have been saying this for Decades.

The law's of the game have been changed so much to accommodate forward's, Physical contact has almost become extinct while rewarding cheating and diving.

Defending is a lost art, leaving only mass defense in and around the penalty area as the only form of defense allowed, thus leading to the boring style's of late.

If I was a young parent today, I would be taking my children to watch either of the Rugby code's, much more exciting to warch.

[Owl-about-that-then]

I feel it is a little unfair to suggest our club hasn't been trying to attract young fans to the club. 

Off the top of my head, just thinking of the young kids in my extended family, there are: 
summer football camps (basically wednesday led daycare for summer)
the games and what not played in the megastore parking lot. 
the players signing things pre-match in the megastore parking lot
the half-time games being aimed more towards kids (In my opinion anyway, it's only kids I hear talking about "top bins" or whatever)
better social media interaction which is more "poppy"
The themes of recent kits like the video game theme is also something I felt was made with the younger generation in mind
There's, of course, owls in the park each year
There's the family zones which get visits from mascots, magicians and players, as well as things like colouring stations, face painting, table football, card games
There have been a decent amount of "kids for a quid" games too by memory
Fifa tournaments, including those done via live streaming, but also those done in the ground on select occasions

I do agree though that the everyday cost is too high for kids when knowing an adult must take them, but that's our general ticket price issue. Overall the club has tried quite a lot of things to attract young fans to the club

[El Wednesday]

Even with the best will, a big budget, smart recruitment and a solid coaching infrastructure, success on the pitch isn't guaranteed - that's the beauty of football.

 

However, everything off the pitch is largely under our control: ticketing/pricing policies, catering, merchandise, communications...

 

There's simply no excuse for not being able to get this right.

[OWLERTON GHOST]

1 minute ago, Manwë said:

 

A whole different kettle of fish over there.  A matchday ticket can be used on public transport too.

I know it is ....

They are looking after the "customer" ....

Because the "customer" is helping to run the whole kaboodle....

Not some Yank or Sand Prince ...

With the only allegiance to the colours being that of the money that it's printed in that they garner from such ownership ......

 

 

 

 

 

[matthefish2002]

13 minutes ago, Sensible Soccer said:

 

 

also as a parent the vitriolic and overtly aggressive language used by some fans is not something I’d like to expose my children too at this stage in their lives. 
 

 

 

I do take your point but this is one of the things that first attracted me to football when I was a kid.

LOVED that fact people could shout the most obscene words and no one would bat an eyelid.

Also the dark and non PC Humour that would probably get you arrested these days. I LOVED IT!!!!!

 

Not saying we should go back to those days just saying how times have changed.

 

[BIG D]

31 minutes ago, BIG D said:

 

It isn't. I go to City a couple of times a year.

Tickets about the same as ours and train to Manchester there and back is around a fiver each way.

@OWLERTON GHOST

What was funny about that? It's a fact. Obviously a trip to London will cost more but it's actually reasonable to watch the best team in the country.

Edited April 21, 2021 by BIG D

[Manwë]

26 minutes ago, Sensible Soccer said:

if you are in the cheap seats might be behind a pillar.... A pillar in this day and age. That before you start on the dreadful facilities and the fact you struggle to park anywhere near.

 

The cost to upgrade Hillsborough for the WC, which included removing all pillars on the Kop, increasing corporate hospitality, ridding Hillsborough of the disaster stand (which has numerous pillars), and increasing capacity to a genuine and safe 44000 (not relevant at the moment) was £23m.  The redevelopment would have lasted 25+ years at least.

 

How much has one player (Rhodes) cost us in terms of fees and wages?  I'd say just a few £M shy of that redevelopment figure.

 

My point; money comes in to the Club but doesn't get invested in the club, it just goes out to a small amount of people who are transient.

[Daavies;]

don't blame them either. I'm 26 and quickly falling out of love with football. I'm paying £550 for a season ticket for next season, likely in league 1 but if we somehow achieve the impossible, in the 2nd division. Many many things I'd rather be spending that on but for some stupid reason I can't keep away. What young lad/lass these days wants to spend £20/30 on a game of poor 2nd division football? Some of my cousins are at that age and would rather spend it on some Fifa points to open packs on Ultimate team. The ground is old and falling to bits, the team has been garbage for 4 years and we have a basically non existing PR and comms team to try and engage and connect. Football has been arriving at a tipping for a while now and this moronic ESL thing might have finally tipped it over the edge. Fundamental changes are needed. 

[Beauchief Owl]

2 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

The new proposed ESL Superleague thing shows a bigger problem that exists at Sheffield Wednesday FC too

 

Those responsible for this new idea have stipulated a couple of motivating factors

 

1) Their huge massive losses (some clubs are now a billion in debt)

2) The lack of young fans showing interest in going to games

 

So here's how I equate it to OUR club

 

The losses are something that we've seen at SWFC. Not to the degree of a billion pounds debt but significant issues with wages to income being just incredibly dangerous. Most other businesses would simply have gone bust if they'd been running at those kind of levels of wages to income

But here's the even bigger thing for me

The lack of young people showing any interest in going to games

This is purely and simply a total lack of action from clubs over the last ten years who have relied on the older fans, and made absolutely no real effort whatsoever to attract the younger fans

None

No effort at all (what sustained promotion have you ever seen from the club to attract them to support the club?)

But an even bigger point at Sheffield Wednesday is not just that we're seen as a struggling club, but that the perception of expense of going to games just isn't affordable at any level

For example to attract young fans to matches you have to start by getting their parents to take them to matches, but many just can't afford to. Therefore over time you will get less and less younger fans becoming attached to our club and wanting to come

This was raised and highlighted repeatedly over the last ten years that this site has been existed.

It's been a real problem that was absolutely bound to happen. It was obvious. And now it's happened/happening

 

The football clubs have made it unattractive to come to games.

It's not about console games or other things that younger fans have to do instead of going to the football, but the fact that football and SWFC in particular have not made going to games the most attractive idea to them.

Not only are we overpriced but younger fans absolutely demand and expect standards in things like seating, catering, technology in stadiums and ours is 1980's style stadium

So put it all together..

Struggling club

Prices extortionate (remember they're not just gonna get a season ticket as they're not diehard fans yet)
No promotion to make it look amazing on social media to come to games
No creation of 'heroes' off the pitch from a PR perspective to latch onto 

Archaic facilities

 

It's no surprise younger fans have turned their back on going to games.  Everything about it sucks ass to them.

And it's been coming for the last 10/15 years 

It was inevitable

Think how much worse it would have been had fans actually been allowed in to watch this year, hardly the stuff to whet the appetite for more with the product being so poor.

[sonofbert2]

38 minutes ago, Therealrealist said:

Been bangin the 2nd drum for ages..teenagers want to play fifa they dont want to go to hillsbro..they will go to away games..but even getting them to watch a full wednesday game on tv is a no no..my 2 watched about ten mins of last nights games..yet they both watched every minute of both the PSG v Bayern games..

 

My lad is a .  20 years old. His team here in Spain is Barcelona and he chose them when they were crap.  All his mates were Real Madrid so he went against the grain.

 

We had season tickets for our local club when he was young and the kids were actually allowed on the pitch for a kickabout at half-time.  He used to love it.

 

He lives his life in highlights on his phone.  

He’ll quite happily watch a full game when the Champions League gets to the knockouts. He watches games on telly with his grandad but for his grandad.

 

His last two live games were Reading and Birmingham at home with me and partly because his best mate in Sheffield is my mate’s lad and we call him a grunter all the match and it has a novelty factor.

 

There is absolutely no way he would go to a live game every week but can quite happily play football twice a week with his mates, spend hours online on FIFA with his mates and he absolutely loves football.

 

It’s not a Wednesday thing. The modern game lost them.

[Guest whowantstoberich]

I wouldn’t read to much into what the ESL said about kids not interested in footy.
 

That was clearly part of there agenda to break up the premier league. 

[Guest whowantstoberich]

I don’t see why we should have to turn hillsborough into a runaround play centre to attract kids. The football is what we go for, I don’t recall any kids entertainment when I started going.

[Guest whowantstoberich]

Cheap kids tickets fair enough but no need to be ott, it’s a game of footy, that is the entertainment 

[sonofbert2]

5 minutes ago, whowantstoberich said:

I wouldn’t read to much into what the ESL said about kids not interested in footy.
 

That was clearly part of there agenda to break up the premier league. 

 

I would.

 

They know they have the best football product in the world that the kids and sports tourists will quite happily watch and pay for.

 

The FIFA generation.

[@owlstalk]

29 minutes ago, Owl-about-that-then said:

I feel it is a little unfair to suggest our club hasn't been trying to attract young fans to the club. 

 

 

I dont

 

And we see seeing the result of it and will see even more of an impact in coming years

 

From a marketing and advertising point of view I don’t think Sheffield Wednesday have done a single thing to try and engage people who aren’t die hard Wednesday fans 

 

 

 

 

[BIG D]

They advertise in the students union