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Ideas to Increase Gates and Get Portman Road Rocking Again
Written by adamisablue on Saturday, 22nd Jun 2013 09:24

With the new season coming up, and the new Financial Fair Play rules coming into play, it has now become essential for us to hit gates of 20,000+ every home game.

The fact that the only signings we are making right now are Bosmans and that £800,000 seems to be out of our price range would seem to confirm we are not making the money needed.

It has now become a priority to improve the matchday experience at Portman Road, which as I've blogged about in the past. It has become a very drab affair and certainly not value for money.

Here are some great ideas that I have picked up from my travels watching football matches all over Europe that would go a very long way to helping increase match attendance and (hopefully) atmosphere.

1) Music. Personally I'm not a fan of pop music, but the music played over the speaker system doesn't exactly inspire, nor is it imaginative. And playingMy Way as the players come out doesn't exactly inspire either

How about we get some good ole Suffolk artists sending in songs to be played on matchdays? Not only would it support the local music scene it might actually instil a bit of pride supporting a Suffolk club. And also, how about we dig out the old classic Edward Ebeneezer Jeramiah Brown before the players come out? The club anthem that everyone seems to have forgotten.

2) Decor. I don't mean nicely painted turnstiles here. From the outside everything is fine (apart from the lack of noise and entertainment, see below), but the inside feels very cold and sterile.

How about decorating the stand with past history? Murals of past players and achievements. Mick Mills lifting the cup, Roger Osborne, the three eras of John Wark, Matty Holland, the list is endless.

Also (something I picked up from AZ Alkmaar), take the trophy cabinet from the boardroom, add some memorabilia and place it slap bang in the middle of the club shop, inspires and may even generate sales.

3) Decent entertainment. Currently when I go to Portman Road, I feel like it's a case of sit down shut up and watch the football. Would it really hurt to have some entertainment like face-painting, kick-a-ball-through-a-hole games for kids, maybe even buskers and half-time bands for adults? Maybe some bad examples, but you get the idea. Just something to make it worth £28 a ticket

4) Food. I was a chef for a very long time and quite frankly, the food being offered on matchdays is very rubbish and extremely overpriced. And don't even get me started on the burger vans outside! No one likes to be ripped off and it does kinda sour your personal mood. Either increase the quality or decrease the price.

5) Player professionalism. Last pre-season Town played a friendly in Holland on a training pitch. We were literally inches from the players. But as the players came off at half-time and full-time, they completely blanked us.

Would it have hurt them to show appreciation to fans who had taken holiday, went to another country and spent hard earned cash to see the Town?

Also, players in court, out on the town or abusing fans on Twitter while we pay our money and sit bottom of the league is not really on is it? This is also something that needs sorting, although we are going in the right direction under Mick.

6) Players In the community. There seems to be an air of football players being above everyone else in the town or even country. We are a provincial club that relies on provincial support. Get the players, ambassadors and board members to the schools, local teams, local institutions or wherever, just out in the community. I know its a PR stunt but time to raise the profile in the town again

7) Move away fans. This is something I've seen at many grounds across the UK and trust me, it does help. Ipswich Town hasn't really got a history of hooliganism, so why not move the fans next to the Sir Bobby Robson Stand?

I know there's a problem with current season tickets holders etc, but I'm sure it would be something only grumbled about for a couple of months max. It would serve to increase noise and have a bit of banter whilst doing it

8) Sound maximisation. Before the new North Stand was built, that stand used to rattle on the big nights and was still pretty noisy normally. One theory is once the new stand was built, we lost some of the acoustics in the stand. How about getting a sound engineer to come and have a look to see if we can redesign and fill in the corners to make more of an echo to increase the noise? might make everyone a little less self conscious about singing if they think everyone is.

9) (Only a minor one) Finish the Sir Bobby Robson Stand and get rid of the tarpaulin! £28 pounds to sit down and shut up in an unfinished stand is, well... Oh and make a smoking area too!

10) (Everybody's favorite!) Ticket prices. They are simply too high for anyone who doesn't have a season ticket. As I have blogged before, I found myself frozen out last season because I simply could not afford to go, and I'm going to find a similar situation next season.

Making it more affordable would also help in getting the crowd onside, which as many clubs will tell you, is worth an extra 10 points a season. what you would lose on the gate, you make in high place finishes and possibly promotion.

There you have it. Ten ideas which would go a long way to making this club successful again. I'd present this to the board personally but I very much doubt I'd even get through the door. Of course, we still have to do our bit on the terraces but maybe, if the club did some of the above, we might actually be inspired to do so




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activeblue added 10:23 - Jun 22
Totally agree with all that's put in this blog ,
Be nice if the club took note of this but knowing our club they won't!!!!
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ManningtreeBlue99 added 10:41 - Jun 22
I think us (the fans) need to take it upon ourselves to improve the atmosphere at Portman Road. Flags, singing etc.
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reaper added 10:44 - Jun 22
All secondary to one thing; team success. You can dress the stadium up as much as you like but the only reason people will want to keep paying to watch a team is if there is some entertainment to see.

There are some nice ideas, I especially like moving the trophy cabinet and getting some local bands to play!
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theresonlyonekeano added 11:47 - Jun 22
Some brilliant ideas, hopefully we can all create a good atmosphere this season. Look at German football, their fans are amazing. Banners are a great idea, I agree on a matchday it is too drab and we need to get some new ideas. Change of music would be good, instead of those terrible remixes of songs, put some ones to get the crowd going. And although My Way was Sir Bobby's song, it really is not getting anyone hyped up right before kick off. Celebration music too could do with a change.
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rosseden added 12:39 - Jun 22
Nice ideas. Few things to consider. . . .
Music. People like what they know. Playing new local stuff wouldn't help. More variety would though. . . .
Decor. Would be nice to have to show our history, but won't bring people in for games. Will just give something to look at for the part timers.
Entertainment. Could do something more I guess, but where, how? I like the fact we don't have people running around the pitch ruining it!
Food. Our food offer is positively excellent compared to most places. If you
think otherwise you need to go to more away matches!!
Players. Totally agree. Think Mick is onto this though. . . .
Players in community. They do more than most clubs. You only have to follow some town staff on Twitter to see how often the players are at local events.
Away fans. Won't get moved. Too much infrastructure in place where they are now. Policing issues too would increase costs.
Sound. It goes up if we play good football. Simple.
Prices. Won't change. Do more offers maybe but can't see it. When does any Industry have a decrease in costs. Would only happen if we got relegated. . . .
For me the one big thing which addresses all things. Play good football. OffOffer genuinely decent entertainment on the pitch in 90 mins with players who want to wear the shirt. And 20k will be back before you know it. . . . .
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TheBlueStig added 13:04 - Jun 22
I agree with pretty much everything you have stated.

We need more of the memories on the walls. To be fair we haven't won an awful lot but we've won more than most clubs in this league.

The Away fan section should be moved nearer to the Sir Bobby Robson Stand in my opinion. Songs being thrown back and forth. If we are winning the place could be rocking with all the whole of the town faithful in the stadium baring down on the Away section with the Sir Bobby Robson Stand leading in full voice.

But most importantly, it doesn't matter whether we have good Burgers, loud enough music or a finished stand.

Fans will pay their money when the team WINS and play attractive football, easy on the eye. Then the fans (maybe the glory hunters) will come back. Until then we will stay the same.
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tok2000 added 15:13 - Jun 22
great blog!!! especially agree about the décor could really show what the club is about
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Count_Arthur added 16:38 - Jun 22
Yes, nice blog, but I think the bottom line is that it's all about the price!

Lower the ticket prices - get kids coming along and fill the empty seats! 'Kids for a quid'? like they do at other teams. Surely if Portman Road got a pound for an otherwise empty seat then a full stadium = better atmosphere!
We play a good game, the kids love it, they pester their parents to come again (who pay a higher price anyway) and everyone's happy! After all, these are the fans of the future!

They played 'My Way' as it was Bobby Robson's fave song, but I don't think a lot of people knew that when last season started, and surely it's a sligtly weak reason to choose it as a pre-game anthem?
I mean as much as we all respect Sir Bob, his music taste was that of a man in his 70's!
Apparantly the lead singer of Linkin Park is a Town fan (true!?) surely a track by them is a bit more, well, upbeat!

Cheaper prices, better music, more singing (original songs too would be good), a few more flags and banners (is anything happening about the banner? - see earlier topic?)!

Oh, my son, who's 14, thinks the compilation track with the "And that's Lee Martin's second goal of the game" commentary was a bit crap too!
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RickOShea added 16:58 - Jun 22
Free season tickets to 500 kids around the local schools as long as accompanied by a full paying adult.
Local school events to be played at Portman Road, make it a community stadium rather than ripping kids of.
They are the next lot of us, after all.
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Cakeman added 17:38 - Jun 22
I think we need a new Master of Ceremony, someone like Cardiff have who gives some great pre match information about the visiting team but also who gets the home fans up to fever pitch. With due respect to Rob Chandler I have seen more life in a bottle of still orange!
PS how about the teams entering the pitch to the sound of The War of The Worlds music?
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Stourbridgeblue added 17:50 - Jun 22
It's the Police who won't let the away fans be moved. The club have asked several times but been refused.
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theobald1985 added 18:20 - Jun 22
all good ideas but agree with Count_Arthur it comes down to cost.

most young people now are earning minimum wage or not much more

they will only take home just over 200 a week after tax for a ticket burger program and pint its there wont be much change out of 50 quid...thats a quater of your weekly earning on a 90mins match on a saturday which is not sustainable if they have to pay rent run a car etc.
I have to go to games as and when i can afford it as for ne to take my 2 boys and me to football costs a small fortune.
at non league they dont usually even charge for the kids I pay a fiver or so and I can come home with change from a twenty for gods sake.
I would love a season ticket but have been priced out of watching my club as often as I would like and there are plenty more like me
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 09:49 - Jun 23
Adamisblue: You make some really valid points here. There may be individual issues where there is an explanation for what you perceive as something negative (e.g. "the police do not allow it") but as a whole what I think you are saying, and I completely agree, is that our ITFC experience has become more and more of a "commercial package" and less of a genuine participative experience. We are not allowed to stand up, we are fed canned music, and anyone wishing to put up a flag or a banner risks having it removed because it is covering up someone's advertising. For all of this we have to pay pretty outrageous prices. Another point I feel strongly about is your comment regarding the matches in Holland last year. I think many of us who were there were pretty p***** off by the fact that the players walked off the pitch within two yards of us without even a glance in our direction. This is something I hope MM will change. Even if it is only a gesture, the players should come over and acknowledge the fans at the end of every match. Essentially, "to increase gates and get PR rocking again" fans need to feel they are part of a community, not just "customers." Of course, success on the pitch would help, but I think the club needs to get face to face with its grass roots more. Personally, I would rather support an unsuccessful club I could identify with than a successful plastic creation à la Chelski. Why not, for example, have a contact person who could liaise a group of young supporters willing to manufacture flags and banners and put on a "tifo" as they regularly do in most countries other than the UK? I shall, of course, never stop supporting ITFC (and I think many clubs are suffering from the same kind of problems) but primarily I want to feel part of a club, not a business enterprise.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 09:55 - Jun 23
As a rider to the Holland incident above, I'd like to mention the "feel-good" factor during Jim's first years at PR. We were over in Belgium for a pre-season friendly, walking to the match, when the team bus pulled up and asked us if we knew the way. We did, and four or five of us got a ride on the bus down to the ground, with pictures of the players etc. when we disembarked for those who wanted. That is what I mean by "community not customers."
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Keaneish added 13:14 - Jun 23
These debates could roll for a while without any resolution. The reason the North Stand used to rock is because we were packed in like sardines to terracing divided by a thin wire fence and a few policeman from the away fans. It used to be imperative to get a ticket in the North Stand but sadly for many reasons those days and nights are long gone!

All up for banners, flags, new chants and the like but it's been discussed so many times their needs to be a collective group on here who take the initiative. If we divide the cost between a big pool of us it'll be minimal.

Music is a contentious one. If we can't be roused by an anthem like My Way then what will stir us? 'Come on the Town' doesn't hit the mark for me. I guess we've been languishing for too long to adopt an anthem and sing to it. Agree the pop music is terrible!

Half time entertainment is abysmal and quite honestly a waste of time. We've got a giant LCD in the corner, why not play footage of historic town goals or highlights of the under 18s mid week games on it!? Even put sky sports news on!! Better than watching some kid in an inflated ball of plastic run the length of the pitch!!

Some nice ideas in here though. A fan of the memrobillia and sound engineer ideas as well as others.

Big European clubs have consortiums for this sort of thing. Sadly whoever looks into this at Town seems to be out of their depth so maybe we need to write up and present our ideas to the club?
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whosroundisitanyway added 15:47 - Jun 23
"We'll bring the house down" by Slade for pre match. Very singable with & if it don't get your juices flowing nothing will. Take the time to have a listen.
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whosroundisitanyway added 16:17 - Jun 23
Another one that I don't believe has'nt been adopted is "Whoomph there it is" by Clock. I'll await correction.
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Daleyitfc added 17:04 - Jun 23
Still think it is only ticket prices that are relevant : surely the other things don't sway anyone from going / not going? Personally I have no idea why food and drink are on sale at football grounds at all, and I would never consider buying either. Anyone can manage 2 hours without eating and drinking surely?
As I've stated before, the problem with ticket prices is all about season-tickets : the club dare not sell cheap tickets to fill the stadium because season-ticket holders would get upset that they've paid more. So I would scrap season tickets completely and offer all seats by online auction /tender with everyone paying the price that the 30,000th person is prepared to pay. I think a fiver a seat would be fair, and the club can just cut wages accordingly.
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Count_Arthur added 17:26 - Jun 23
Good points everyone - thank you theobald.

I'm in the Co-op stand, my brother is in the Sir Bobby stand and we could both see each other bent double with laughter when they played 'Bang Bang' by BA Robertson* and then 'Let's Get Ready to Rumble' before the game started, and 'Let's Get Ready to Rumble' was played BEFORE Ant & Dec released it again, so it was nowhere near current! Or ironic!

* Look it up if you've not heard it, it was a terrible record in 1979 and even worse now!
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bungayblue added 01:29 - Jun 24
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Pessimistic added 12:30 - Jun 24
All nice ideas in theory but in practice few would change anything and certainly not to the extent that the gates would increase. I agree with Daleyitfc in that the real problem lies with ticket pricing and his suggestion that Town scrap season tickets completely and offer all seats on line is worthy of serious consideration and much more meaningful than the ten points raised here by Adamisablue which are nice ideas in a dreamlike state, until one wakes up to the reality of their shortcomings.
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blockb_steward added 12:38 - Jun 24
Please could we keep the 'Chelsea Dagger' celebration? There were some really naff ideas to replace it but I am glad they didn't.

It would be good to hear the FA Cup song and Singing the Blues now and again too.

Town should carry on where they left off last season so I would expect a better atmosphere all round if Town are up there competing.




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adamisablue added 16:06 - Jun 24
thanks for the comments and inputs here guys :) oh and i should mention that i have been informed that the tarpulin in sir bobby actually serves a purpose of keeping the seats from getting dirty. still, looks like a botch job though...

@pessimistic- the points above are not my original ideas, they are tried and tested from my travels and going to see such teams as bayer leverkuesn, az alkmaar, ajax, PSG, +many others. these are all teams that play top of their respective leagues. and have a cracking atmosphere. im not saying that do the above and BOOM! everything is sorted, but what's wrong with wanting a decent match-day product? as much as i like the idea scraping the season tickets, you do need that solid base of suporters, the ones who will turn up week in week out top to bottom. if it wasnt for them hardly anyone would turn up to see some of the stuff we have had to endure for the past 4 or 5 years. just make it more accessible for season ticket and casual supporter alike



anyone remember this?

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DrJeckyll added 16:34 - Jun 25
Agree with Keanish, 'My Way' is an anthem, but for me also it is a tribute to the late great Sir Bobby. In my dream world 'My Way'would be associated with Town in the same way 'You'll Never Walk Alone' is with Liverpool FC. I also think Matt Munro's 'Dream the Impossible Dream' (Honda advert) is an inspirational song. P.S. The worst think about the matchday experience for me is people around me moaning. I don't want to shell out my hard earned cash to be depressed by people around me.
Also in my dream world, lower North and South stands would both be terraced and a ticket to stand would only be fifteen quid. Lets get the working class man back into Portman Road, that will improve everyone's matchday experience because it will bring back the fantastic atmosphere that used to exist at the club.


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Millsey added 17:35 - Jul 9
Sweet caroline would get a better reaction if played enough. Change the chorus to sweet ipswich town oh oh oh good times never felt so good etc etc
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