| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... 13:16 - Aug 2 with 16430 views | thehat |
Still loads and loads of tickets for the Millwall game which is a real shame.
I was disappointed with the crowd on Saturday too, playing a Champions League Team at home with the best squad we have had in years and tickets at very sensible prices and thousands and thousands of empty seats.
It's got me thinking as to why......
Our support base is ageing just look around you at matches when I was a lad watching in the eighties and nineties from the terraces in the Loft or Paddock there used to be loads of groups of young lads (17 - 25 year olds) from all the local areas Hayes, Greenford, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Uxbridge etc all there for day out. You just don't see that anymore maybe there are better things to do nowadays better cinemas, better bowling alleys, better shopping centres, better gyms etc that give this age group more options but what I do know is that as more of us oldies head of to that "great gig in the sky" we are not being replaced as quickly by the younger generation.
The floating football supporter who is probably not a big QPR fan but likes to watch a game every so often: are they being tempted away by better offers at Brentford, Fulham or Watford.
Habit - I know loads and loads of QPR fans who don't go anymore and have just lost the habit and do other stuff now.
Location - Has our traditional West London fanbase moved much further out and travel has become much more of a challenge. Our ground is in one of the most diverse parts of the country and I don't think our fanbase represents that as much as it should. Does the club need to be doing more here??
And last but not least of course the Pandemic we don't yet know what effect that will have on our crowds but I'm sure it won't be a positive one.
We took the best part of 45k to Wembley so we know they are out there maybe its time for the hardcore of around 8k to re-engage with the dormant fans and encourage them back W12.
This season could be special and we want the place rocking -The Board have done their bit now lets do ours - Nothing like a packed Loftus Road!!
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 19:47 - Aug 2 with 2995 views | stowmarketrange |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 19:36 - Aug 2 by Stanisgod |
Talking about ticket prices and youngsters coming, I know adult tickets are good but my soon to be 9 year old grandson has been to 4 or 5 games over the last few seasons for free and is starting to get into it, but now hes 9 we are now expected to pay £16 plus the 3.50 rip off! Best part of 20 quid.
But my biggest beef is the fact that this goes up to 18, so my 9 year old grandson is expected to pay the same as a possibly working 17 year old, no way is this going to
encourage parents to bring juniors to odd games.
Surely there should be a gradual rise from 8-12 then 13 - 18. |
A season ticket for U18’s is £99 I think,so it will only take 5 games and the rest will be free.And you get a birthday card for that too. |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 20:16 - Aug 2 with 2934 views | joe90 |
All good points from the OP.
I think the main reason for low attendance will be the change to many people's financial situation due to the pandemic. £40 a month on a season ticket is a lot of money if you're skint and have a family to feed.
I get the impression there are a lot of fans who are restricted from attending regularly for various reasons such as money/family/work/distance etc. The fans on here seem to be from all over the place!
I wouldn't read too much into pre season attendance, though I'm sure there are many fans (myself included) who regret not going to the UTD game! [Post edited 2 Aug 2021 20:19]
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 20:59 - Aug 2 with 2838 views | saxbend |
The biggest factor must be the pandemic. While loads couldn't wait to get back to a game with a crowd again just as many must be thinking they wouldn't feel safe or actually wouldn't be safe just yet. Too many unvaccinated people without masks at the moment. I don't blame them. I'm lucky. I've had the virus, and two jabs of the vaccine too. I feel safe not just for myself but in terms of how unlikely I am to spread it around, but I still wear a mask, mostly to put people who don't know me at ease. Except at these games, where no-one even wears one to go through the turnstiles, so there isn't anyone I need to put at ease, as all those people are understandably staying away for now. |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 20:59 - Aug 2 with 2837 views | bosh67 |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 20:16 - Aug 2 by joe90 |
All good points from the OP.
I think the main reason for low attendance will be the change to many people's financial situation due to the pandemic. £40 a month on a season ticket is a lot of money if you're skint and have a family to feed.
I get the impression there are a lot of fans who are restricted from attending regularly for various reasons such as money/family/work/distance etc. The fans on here seem to be from all over the place!
I wouldn't read too much into pre season attendance, though I'm sure there are many fans (myself included) who regret not going to the UTD game! [Post edited 2 Aug 2021 20:19]
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Yes agreed. The fall out of the pandemic is that a lot of people have far less disposable income to play with so things like football matches have to be cut. It's not just about the ticket, it's about the fuel or transport, parking costs, eating and drinking stuff. It can more than double the ticket price. That's hard for a lot of us right now.
Either that or they have secretly made Loftus Road much bigger and 10,000 people just looks like nothing. |  |
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 21:16 - Aug 2 with 2800 views | Logman |
In the original post it was mentioned that lads would previously go to the game together, but from what I have seen in recent weeks, lads just want to get drunk senseless and actually watching the game is of secondary importance.
Nowadays the lads that go to the game together are the elder generation, possibly escaping the family for half a day. Well that seems to be the case where I am.
Finally, I think the club is trying hard to get bums on seats and it is certainly not because of the input from the club that people are not going.
I'm looking forward to it anyway, even if there are gonna be stayers-away | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 02:39 - Aug 3 with 2569 views | Boston |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 18:47 - Aug 2 by Mick_S |
I believe they were away to Leeds for a lunch time kick off, and got back to the Bush in time to put a marker down after our Saturday home match. |
Swindon I think, but who cares, took liberties and got away with it. | |
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 08:00 - Aug 3 with 2424 views | bollockchops |
nobody`s mentioned e-tickets and you now have to have a smart phone or more importantly know how to use it......,g wallet,pdf or a printer
Plus 33.50 for a friendly wow i remember "twenties plenty " ! |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 08:25 - Aug 3 with 2397 views | joe90 |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 20:59 - Aug 2 by bosh67 |
Yes agreed. The fall out of the pandemic is that a lot of people have far less disposable income to play with so things like football matches have to be cut. It's not just about the ticket, it's about the fuel or transport, parking costs, eating and drinking stuff. It can more than double the ticket price. That's hard for a lot of us right now.
Either that or they have secretly made Loftus Road much bigger and 10,000 people just looks like nothing. |
Indeed, it's never just the cost of the ticket you have to stump up.
As the season goes on fans will get back into the routine of going. Hopefully we can get back to a pre pandemic average of 13k. | | | |
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 08:35 - Aug 3 with 2380 views | knocker |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 02:39 - Aug 3 by Boston |
Swindon I think, but who cares, took liberties and got away with it. |
And some of their little arseholes are spouting on their forum about taking over the White Horse on Saturday. | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 08:59 - Aug 3 with 2342 views | SK_hoops |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 13:50 - Aug 2 by 80s_Boy |
It's still holiday season and although families are unlikely to be spending time overseas this year, it is still an expensive time for parents, Those 'cheap' tickets soon add up when you need to buy a few of them and take into account travel, food and drink. You're still looking at over £50 for a family to attend a glorified training session and a lot of people can't afford/justify that.
With Millwall you have a double whammy. Holiday season and the possibility of crowd trouble before and after the match. It was never going to be a 19,000 sell out.
The support base has an older average age but that's due to a number of reasons:
* Older people tend to have more disposable income.
* Supporting trends shift and regular match attendance isn't as widely adopted as it was when we were young.
* There are far more activities youngsters could, and often will, spend their money on in close proximity to Loftus Road.
* The is a growing trend among younger football fans to 'follow' successful teams from their armchair/bedroom on laptops rather than support an average/poor local side. [Post edited 2 Aug 2021 13:51]
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To be fair I was at primary school in the early 90s in Ealing (Not far from QPR very close to Brentford) and if I remember correctly there was one QPR fan (me), one Ipswich, one spurs, one Chelsea 0 Brentford and everyone else Man U. I think kids supporting the big teams has been going on for a while! | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 09:34 - Aug 3 with 2270 views | saxbend |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 08:59 - Aug 3 by SK_hoops |
To be fair I was at primary school in the early 90s in Ealing (Not far from QPR very close to Brentford) and if I remember correctly there was one QPR fan (me), one Ipswich, one spurs, one Chelsea 0 Brentford and everyone else Man U. I think kids supporting the big teams has been going on for a while! |
I also went to Primary school in Ealing in the early 90s and everyone either supported a London team or "supported" Liverpool. No-one chose Man United. Mind you I did leave that school in 1993 so things might have changed after that. | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 10:23 - Aug 3 with 2181 views | 80s_Boy |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 09:34 - Aug 3 by saxbend |
I also went to Primary school in Ealing in the early 90s and everyone either supported a London team or "supported" Liverpool. No-one chose Man United. Mind you I did leave that school in 1993 so things might have changed after that. |
Same experience for me in a South London Primary school a decade before.
No-one supported anything other than a London club.
At Secondary it changed a bit and I had Celtic (Catholic school), Man Utd and Liverpool but they were still among the minority and, apart from the Celtic fans, not taken very seriously.
I think it's the Sky generation who started to become more about 'supporting' the successful/big sides. |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 11:11 - Aug 3 with 2081 views | GloryHunter |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 10:23 - Aug 3 by 80s_Boy |
Same experience for me in a South London Primary school a decade before.
No-one supported anything other than a London club.
At Secondary it changed a bit and I had Celtic (Catholic school), Man Utd and Liverpool but they were still among the minority and, apart from the Celtic fans, not taken very seriously.
I think it's the Sky generation who started to become more about 'supporting' the successful/big sides. |
It started long before Sky. At school in Wealdstone in the 1960s most kids supported QPR, Watford, and the glory hunters supported Spurs. Then one day in 1968 Man Utd won the European Cup, and from then on you couldn't move for red-and-black scarves. Sickening. |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 11:14 - Aug 3 with 2073 views | Hooping_Mad |
Just posted a new thread that's kind of related, do we think the 'free' streams and 2 minute highlight package of a game with 6 goals will drive supporters into the stadium?
It would if the streams worked, the highlight editor included the best move of the game and if we could stop tweeting about refunds by making free games actually free.
I'm not an economic unit, just a fat boy who loves his R's......... | |
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 11:35 - Aug 3 with 2034 views | robith |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 17:03 - Aug 2 by Antti_Heinola |
I got burned so many times by appalling QPR friendlies, I gave them up. Almost went to the Leicester one, but thought we'd get whacked. I know nothing.
Would've been taking my son to his first game on Sat were it not for the fact it's Millwall. Still remember the night a couple of hundred of them twirled down SA Road like a group of Tasmanian Devils behind a thin line of police. Need my son to enjoy his first game, so not a chance I'm going to risk anything with that lot, but I'll be there.
But, as usual, if we *do* end up having a season in and around the top 6, attendances will go up and loads of fans will come crawling out begging for tickets. |
AT the other extreme, my dad is mercifully well enough to come, so we have to go as who knows what will happen, just wish it wasn't millwall! |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 11:56 - Aug 3 with 1988 views | Metallica_Hoop |
Just got a ticket for S.A Road. |  |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 12:07 - Aug 3 with 1960 views | SK_hoops |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 09:34 - Aug 3 by saxbend |
I also went to Primary school in Ealing in the early 90s and everyone either supported a London team or "supported" Liverpool. No-one chose Man United. Mind you I did leave that school in 1993 so things might have changed after that. |
Ah yeah I started school around 93, maybe things changed or maybe it was luck of the draw! | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 13:13 - Aug 3 with 1875 views | wombat |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 14:50 - Aug 2 by Northernr |
I'd very much like to buy some Orient, Hull and Middlesbrough tickets if they'd like to sell them to me at some point. |
same mate twilight tours are ready and willing but bloody hard to organise when no tkts on the hosrizon |  |
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 13:21 - Aug 3 with 1854 views | daveB |
I think you are going to see good crowds for the first few games as people are excited to go back to football but that may well change as time goes on and the winter comes.
I personally think midweek games are going to see lower attendances especially as so many of us are now working from home and not within a short distance of the stadium. |  | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 13:35 - Aug 3 with 1807 views | makaveli1882 |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 14:50 - Aug 2 by Northernr |
I'd very much like to buy some Orient, Hull and Middlesbrough tickets if they'd like to sell them to me at some point. |
This ^^^^^
Also if anyone from the Club is watching I went to buy 2x Manchester United and 4x Leicester City, Leicester was meant to available at the same time but wasn't when I logged on so the Club missed out on £70 plus the money we would have done in the Blue n White bar which you can round up to £200 all due to the fact I didn't pay another £3.50 booking fee! | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 13:42 - Aug 3 with 1795 views | themodfather |
school holidays, many away for the first time in 2 summers and millwall just is a horrible game, horrible fans and they just like to bully and police at qpr/home do not treat it the same as down there! | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 17:09 - Aug 3 with 1627 views | francisbowles |
The £3.50 booking fee is Ticketmaster's charge for providing and running the box office online and telephone systems, it does not go to the club. There is no charge for personal callers. Unless the club discounts the actual ticket price, it doesn't have any control over this fee.
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 17:20 - Aug 3 with 1603 views | 80s_Boy |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 17:09 - Aug 3 by francisbowles |
The £3.50 booking fee is Ticketmaster's charge for providing and running the box office online and telephone systems, it does not go to the club. There is no charge for personal callers. Unless the club discounts the actual ticket price, it doesn't have any control over this fee.
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The fans have been moaning about it for years which means there have been times where the club has signed new contracts with Ticketmaster rather than opt for companies who don't use such a system....
The club are far from innocent in all this. | | | |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 17:26 - Aug 3 with 1581 views | LowerloftLad |
Been keeping one eye on ticket sales today
by end of close tomorrow east paddocks, rblock,sblock will have joined Yblock in being sold out sections of the ground, also millwall have sold there allocation so we should certainly be looking at 15/16k minimum. [Post edited 3 Aug 2021 17:27]
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| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 18:33 - Aug 3 with 1493 views | Rog |
| Low crowds at Loftus Road..... on 17:20 - Aug 3 by 80s_Boy |
The fans have been moaning about it for years which means there have been times where the club has signed new contracts with Ticketmaster rather than opt for companies who don't use such a system....
The club are far from innocent in all this. |
Just being devil's advocate but which other companies are running call centres and ticketing systems free of charge? | | | |
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