Crowds still a disappointment

For example, when Airdrieonians moved into the new ground only four seasons ago we had over three thousand for the York friendly, despite Alan Moore and Paul McGrillen playing for us. We got nearly three thousand for the Clydebank game and had well over two thousand for the next few games, and indeed till the nasty departure of the legendary Alex MacDonald that March as the impending financial disaster forced further cut backs. Many people started to drift away when the writing was on the wall. Our best players were being released and we were signing crap to replace them. We shed a great manager, who only started to disappoint when his budget was shredded, and replaced him with crap. It was no surprise that the Craig / MacKay era was to be a disaster and there was an 'ever decreasing circles' scenario in full swing. With no money to spend on players and crowds dwindling, there was no money to buck the trend. The KPMG move almost killed the support stone dead as crowds plummeted to nearly 500 thanks to their policies on season tickets and corporate box holders.

A hardcore of fans rallied the cause and the ill-fated Archibald era sparked a mini revival. Despite the incredible talent on display the crowds were slow to come back, but there were still just over and under the two thousand mark for him and they were threatening to grow strongly nearer the end of that reign, especially when the media started to reluctantly laud praise on his team and a Man Utd friendly was threatened. He stated he needed four thousand bodies paying to get in though, and that is the root of our problems. Airdrie United will need a stronger fan base if we are to get back among the bigger clubs again.

There are many factors why our crowds are deflated at present. Years and years of neglect at attracting new fans, prices, more attractive alternatives ten miles away, etc. Not to mention those lost during the eight years since Broomfield was demolished.

Airdrie United need to approach this potential problem and I'm in no doubt that chairman Jim Ballantyne and his board will have ideas of how to approach this. I don't doubt that Airdrie Utd can attract future generations of fans. The club is being run prudently and hopefully will never again spend more than our income on players salaries, etc. We seem to have some good people running the commercial side of things and hopefully the local business community will again support the Diamonds (albeit new ones before I'm pulled up).

Airdrie can offer the town an alternative to the more tribal Glasgow giants and should use this as a selling point to locals. We have eight thousand empty seats of a fantastic stadium sitting empty every game though. This is the problem I'm desperate to see addressed. The people going to the games seem to be the same ones year in year out. They're also the same people who've dug deep consistently and generously over the last three years to ensure there is a club to support to the point where 'the well' is almost dry. We need help from other sources now and those 8000 empty plastic seats are the answer.

Part of the problem in attracting fans is almost definitely the apathy. Many locals wouldn't cross the road to watch a game and probably couldn't tell you where the new ground is. Many families will be put off by the sheer cost of a day out at the football. Many maybe have a bad impression of the club from media portrayal. Many simply take the easy option of supporting other clubs because their parents do, or their pals.... let's face it, to many there are cooler things to wear than an Airdrie top!

But this new Airdrie can and should be different. Let's first ask the question 'Who do we want to attract?'. I'd say we want families and rearing youngsters. We need to do more than just stand still and hope to be noticed. We need to get out and embrace our townsfolk and implore them to get back. It's going to be difficult to bring in free spirited adults who are set in their ways. "How do we go about it?" I hear you ask? The is a difficult one but here goes;

I believe there are approximately 3000 school children in our local area. Why don't we start a scheme where every home game we give every child a ticket that allows them free entry to the game if they are accompanied by a parent. If a parent of a local child gets roped into spending £12 and having a family day out at the Excelsior they wouldn't have otherwise considered then it's a worthwile exercise as it's firstly enhancing the existing fanbase and secondly it's getting another future paying fan through the gates. Going to watch Airdrie is a habit that started somewhere with all of us. Remember yours? We need to sow those seeds for people. Some may argue that some kids have already got season tickets so why should others get in for free. I have a letter from a former chairman who shall remain nameless who said just that. Ask any Airdrie Utd fan if they would begrudge the club broadening it's horizons and I'd be surprised if you get a negative answer. Make it value added anyway by sticking the freebie seats in the wee stands. If we give out three thousand tickets every week and even get a 20% uptake of that the clubs future would be in great hands. A greater fan base would equal better players would equal a more attractive team would equal more fans coming to watch till a certain point. It happened in reverse for us before so don't tell me it won't.

I may be well off the mark but I just want to see the club do the right thing, much in the way Livingston have done. We all laughed at them in 2000 when we outnumbered them 3:1 at the Challenge Cup final. But remember that those kids at who've been getting tickets for a few years now for their home games will be buying tickets when they get jobs. Livi's hardcore fan base will grow as their fans mature into adulthood. Like it or lump it, Airdrie United is a new team that has the advantage of having a hardcore support that Livi didn't. We can and should be able to exceed them if we do things right. Going to the football isn't a bad thing. 'Experts' will tell us that kids have better alternative like computer games and TV. NOTHING BEATS GOING TO THE FOOTBALL. There just aren't enough people aware of it, and being an Airdrie fan is better than supporting anyone else. Let's prove it!

I do hope I didn't offend anyone at the club by writing this article. I, like all the existing Airdrie fans, am desperate for this club to succeed in the modern football world and like all the fans we're all desperate for a brighter future.