While In Weymouth yesterday I was talking to the manager Of Brandons, who Is a Weymouth fan, there was a few customers in the shop as well, who are also fans. He was telling me that the Weymouth chairman Is not to happy at this time.
The last home gate was 900 and only 60% were fans who paid at the gate. The rest were season ticket holders, corporate and some freebies. The season ticket money has long since been spent, but even If all 900 were paying at the gate, over two weeks(playing home and away) that works out at only 450 fans per a week.
Not sure Of the prices at Weymouth, but lets say Its the same as ours, lets even say all 450 were to pay £15 then that would bring in £6.755. Just how do you run a club on that sort Of income through the gate? Yes I know there will be some sponsorship and other streams Of revenue, but If you took the players wages and all the backroom staff,plus the cost Of everything else, I fail to see how clubs can or will continue to survive.
Our gate Of 1900 on Thursday was not to bad considering It was the second game In one week and the fact It was also on the TV. Make no mistake our gates will need to really increase, If we are to continue to be able to run a squad Of 22 players. A good cup run will help matters, so we do really need to get our keeper situation sorted out properly, we simply can't risk going out Of any cups, because we have not got a good keeper In place, who Is free to play in the cup games.
Even going back up this season, would not give the club all the extra Income that it would need, In the first season back in the league, you only get half Of the money, for being In the league. Mind you If we did go back up, you would hope we might see the return Of the 3000+ gates, that we would need to be able to have a side good enough, to stay up and not come straight back down again.
If this credit crunch gets too bad, we may see many clubs not making It to the end Of the season and could well find our team going back up, simply because so many had folded.
