Scottish crowds

First topic message reminder :

For a while the size of crowds at Edinburgh & Glasgow games has rightly been a great concern to many, and since it's a slow day at the 'office' I thought I might as well have a look at the attendances so far in the pro 12 as compared to last season.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have played 5 home games each so far this season. And the good news is that for both teams, the average attendance (after 5 games) has improved on last season.

Edinburgh getting an average 621 more fans per game, and Glasgow managing to coax 373 extra fans to Firhill. Admittedly these figures aren't as impressive as I hoped, they do show a positive trend. And if Glasgow can continue their unbeaten run of 6 games in the rabo, and Tim Visser continues to delight hopefully we'll see these figures improve further.

Hopefully lots of people will take advantage of the SRU's buy a ticket for Scotland V France and claim the free ticket to the 1872 cup bash.
Last year from the two legs a combined crowd of 16,354 watched Glasgow battle it out. Hopefully they can try and break the 20K barrier?



2011 / 2012
Edinburgh v Blues - 2,431
Edinburgh V Connacht 2,354
Edinburgh V Munster 3,467
Edinburgh V Leinster 3,580
Edinburgh V Aironi 4,403

Average 3,247

2010/ 2011
Edinburgh V Munster 2,879
Edinburgh V Leinster 2,923
Edinburgh V Ulster 3,195
Edinburgh V Treviso 2,422
Edinburgh V Connacht 1,707

Average 2,626

2011 / 2012
Glasgow V Munster 2,914
Glasgow V Treviso 2,864
Glasgow V Dragons 2,705
Glasgow V Ospreys 3,443
Glasgow V Ulster 3,940

Average 3,173

2010/2011
Glasgow V Leinster 2,879
Glasgow V Connacht 3,049
Glasgow V Munster 3,432
Glasgow V Ospreys 2,554
Glasgow V Aironi 2,087

Average 2,800

It's ok that one but not great - I'd drink Penderyn whisky or vodka mixed with Mynydd Du if I could afford it - but sadly I'm stuck with the cheap stuff - until I can find the equipment to make my own sloe gin and damson vodka mmmm, problem is I'll prob never be on these boards then ...

Didn't realise the Dragons were the 23rd I think I'll come down for that - and I should be able to use my ticket from the cancelled game...

Hi. I teach in a college and I am always horrified by the holes I get dragged to by students just because the beer is cheap. I mean the worst, darkest, foulest smelling of drinking holes.

So, with this in mind I am absolutely sure that any city or town with a university could get hundreds of students in with the promise of cheap beer. If the student ticket costs €10 and they get three beers with that there would quickly become a student tradition of rugby nights.

A complementary rule book would help too.

Students are usually loud and young so may make good long term prospects as rugby fans.

The student thing might be a good shout actually - there are 3 proper Universities in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Heriot Watt and Napier and numerous other "universities" and colleges. With the international representation at Uni's as well there surely must be lots of rugby fans there.

The problem with cheap beer is that I am not sure it has anything to do with the SRU - would it not be the catering companies that set prices and offers etc? It sure as hell ain't cheap just now - 4 quid for a bottle of warm urine.

I like your thinking though as students are definitely a market that hasn't really been looked at, other than offering cheaper tickets.

The caterers are on contracts, next time its up for renewal put a discount for Students into the tendering spec. No organisation is prisoner to its contractors as long as it knows what its doing when drawing up the tender documentation. Aren't there enough Lawyers in Edinburgh or something!

How hard could it be to find cheap booze? The students union manage this regularly. My future sister in law is making some in her her back yard.

Seriously, given that these students will in the long run be the highest earning people in most countries they must be worth luring in.

Hearing rumours that the SRU might put in an offer for Tynecastle if the jambos go t.u

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Hearing rumours that the SRU might put in an offer for Tynecastle if the jambos go t.u

Wow that is quite a rumour - you're gonna have to back that one up Aslongas!

Hypothetically speaking, if the Jambos do cease to exist, if they managed to make the pitch bigger and get rid of all the maroon I'd be quite happy with that!

Isn't that a Two Ronnies news item:

"Two ships have collided in the Solent, one carrying red paint and the other blue paint. The crews are said to be marooned on the Isle of White"

Hmm, not sure I can at the moment, RDW, just scuttlebutt - talk that they woul pull down the old stand (can't remember which one that it)

I suppose the rational side of me automatically blocks out the phrases "SRU and forward thinking".

It is purely hypothetical as, although Hearths are in deep doo doo, they aren't quite at the collapsing stage yet.

Would be an ideal solution though - but only if the pitch could be made bigger.

Agreed

Shouldn't be too much of a problem - take out the front 5 rows of seats and knock down one end. Might reduce the capacity to 12-13000 but that's all we'd need really.

Could get terracing at the empty end - offer it as the cheap tickets or something!

I'm starting to think a bit too far ahead me thinks....