2nd in the table, 18th in attendances

[bixieupnorth]

http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D3/attend.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

very poor stats, i guess we'd never even dream of getting as high as 14th even a league up? average of 3500 with increased away fans, south devons apathy amazes me still further, how many for port vale, 3100 perhaps?

[bixieupnorth]

9 teams with an average of c5000 and above, that emphasizes even more the enormity of our current position!

[bixieupnorth]

amazingly we fill more %age wise of our capacity than bradford with over 10k in 25k stadium!!

[bobby93]

I think this season is a difficult one to judge, though, with the grandstand and all. Obviously we can't fill the three sides at the moment let alone all four, but I do think a lot of that is to do with a certain demographic of fan not being able to get their usual seat and waiting til the Bench is up. I think (hopefully) when the Bench is up there's potential to attract a few people back anyway. We shall see.

It is a shame but the worst thing to do is get angry and militant about it. If those that don't come are made to feel guilty or like they would be greeted with hostility then they'll stay away from that kind of atmsophere. All we can do is turn up and encourage others to do so in a positive way.

[cambgull]

Unfortunately, we will probably always have terrible attendances. This is pretty much entirely due to the town itself. Wages are poor for those working, a high percentage aren't working and many of those who aren't working move away. There is then a high elderly population along with many second homes which will be empty at this time of year.

I'd be amazed if we ever achieve over 5,000 people a game until big money is pumped into the town.

[WestLondonYellow]

Torquay used to be the classiest place in the country at one time. Torquay United used to get crowds of 10000 or more every home game. What happened. Torbay has been dying for 50 years or more now. Major investment is needed, not in the form of a Tesco on every street, that is negative investment, we need more individual businesses, not cringeworthy £1 shops and bargain shops and tat that you see as you walk through town. From a distance, Torquay looks lovely, close up, it's a dump.

The new Kingskerswell bypass will hopefully stimulate investment and job creation in the Bay, but the whole region needs to be brought in line with the rest of the wage structures in the country.

Previous attempts to regenerate the town have been nothing but dissapointing, take Fleet Walk, an eyesore, a poor mans attempt to build a shopping centre, it really is pathetic when you compare it with the Princesshay development.

Now, lets move away from the town and to Plainmoor itself, Yes all three stands have now been redeveloped, but at what cost, vastly reduced capacity. The Pop side, is a pathetic stand, look at the room behind it, oh, but we needed a bowling alley in there didn't we. We are a football club, we have the potential to be bigger and better than League 2, Torbay has a population of 150000 i believe, then there is the surrounding area as well. We have the potential to be bigger and better than Exeter, and as big as Plymouth. But Bateson thought small for all those years and the excuse was, to stay within our means, well that i agree with, but then to sell to Roberts???
Now lets take the Family stand, another waste of potential, the seating area is cringeworthilly small, a non league club wouldn't build something that small, and the exec boxes also are not really exec boxes, they are like patio doors, go to any other pro club and find exec boxes like that. Now the way end, much needed roof delivered a few years back, but again, was adavantage of the space taken, was it hell, that terrace ought to be two and half times the size.

Finally it looks like we are building a proper stand in the new Grandstand, something to be proud of. Look at the height of the roof and then look at the Family stand, doesn't it make it look pathetic.

Ok, some may argue, but we don't fill the stadium as it is, no this is true, but if you build in such a way that shows real ambition, then that generates interest, the atmosphere can be massively enhanced on big game days and anyone attending for the first time at a game like that can get hooked.

The marketing of the club needs to be much better throughout Torbay, they should have a club shop in the town centre, surely the council could come to an arangement and offer some retail space for a budget cost when you see all the empty units in town. The council need to realise that TUFC can play a key role in the regeneration of the Town, League 1 or Championship football equals many more away fans in the town, all spending cash and many staying in hotels in the Bay, which equals guaranteed income during the usually quiet winter months for the Toursim industry.

Does anyone else see the Potential, not just of TUFC but of Torbay itself, what it could be.

Come on Torquay, i want to walk through town on a non match day and see Torquay shirts on display, not Man Utd and Chelsea. If Swansea can rise up, and Wigan, Hull, Blackpool, Cardiff, Burnley, etc, so can we.

[bobby93]

i want to walk through town on a non match day and see Torquay shirts on display, not Man Utd and Chelsea.

This for me is the big problem, although more of a symptom of some of the other points you mentioned I suppose. But I don't see that changing overnight, sadly.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I don't agree with the arguments that Torquay is a socially and economically deprived area therefore attendances will suffer more than other clubs. Most towns and cities in England are in exactly the same position. Lowering ticket prices and making going to Plainmoor an attractive , enjoyable and affordable proposition on a long term sustainable basis is the only way of having a prayer of increasing attendances without relying on the teams' fortunes as a hook in. I feel guilty now because i've never been to Plainmoor yet and i should have been a good few times by now but if it's any consolation, i plan to go very soon and then more often AND if i lived in the area i'd go every week! So there!

[devonboy]

If Swansea can rise up, and Wigan, Hull, Blackpool, Cardiff, Burnley, etc, so can we.

Some interesting points although to be fair most of these places have more history than us and a fan base that generally stays in the area whereas in Torbay, sadly much of the passionate younger generation are forced to leave if they want to make a decent wage. At least that means we get a great away support though

Fair play though for acknowledging some of the issues and describing how we can move the bay forward. Its what everyone wants. My only concern is if we had developed the stadium you describe, whilst it might have worked in the way you say there is always the risk of ending up with a situation like Darlington. Is that a risk worth taking??

[Parry]

Perhaps promotion this season will be the start of a whole new era for Torquay. Greater league, greater teams, greater crowds, greater interest in the bay, greater ambition. Great.

[WestLondonYellow]

Ending up in a situation like Darlington is a risk, but that is why i feel it is so important to take advantage of our location. We can compare ourselves with Darlington as football clubs, but not as Towns or regions. Torbay is the English Riviera, at night and indeed during the day, Torquay, viewed from Paignton, looks spectacular, Monte Carlo esque, can Darlington say that?

I know this doesn't equal fans through the gate, but my thinking is, well, can't TUFC take more advantage of this potential "glamour"

But i think it is something that ultimately the council have to work on, because they are the ones who can bring this together. ie, Economy, Jobs, Investment, Pride, Regeneration. There are a lot of Companies out there looking for ways to save on high rental costs for office space in London, Bristol, even Exeter, if they felt there was a workforce and environment suitable for their business, many would move to Torquay. But seriously, as the Town Centre is now, if you owned a business in Bristol, and geographic location wasn't an issue, would you move it to Torquay?

Myself, i go to Plainmoor when i can, and try to go to some away games as well, I live in London, and have done for 15 years, purely because, this is where the jobs and money are, however, i would glady move back to Torquay if i could get a job that paid well enough, without having to be a Doctor or a Solicitor, i work in Telecommunications (no not a mobile phone shop), what is there in the South West for me?

Some interesting points although to be fair most of these places have more history than us and a fan base that generally stays in the area whereas in Torbay, sadly much of the passionate younger generation are forced to leave if they want to make a decent wage. At least that means we get a great away support though

Fair play though for acknowledging some of the issues and describing how we can move the bay forward. Its what everyone wants. My only concern is if we had developed the stadium you describe, whilst it might have worked in the way you say there is always the risk of ending up with a situation like Darlington. Is that a risk worth taking??

[WestLondonYellow]

Hi Parry, Lets hope so.

Perhaps promotion this season will be the start of a whole new era for Torquay. Greater league, greater teams, greater crowds, greater interest in the bay, greater ambition. Great.

[bobby93]

if i lived in the area

With respect, and unless I'm missing anything regarding your connection to the area (which I probably am as I don't know you), I think if you lived here you'd have a different view. And it's also quite obvious that a lot of other fans don't live in the area either. Of course that makes for good away support, but it highlights the fact that in general, the area of Torquay is not an attractive one in terms of jobs, etc. If it was, less people would leave, surely?

It might not JUST be the economy or the society of the town that holds it down but that certainly plays a part. As do the general apathetic attitudes and aversion to change that a lot of the residents seem to have developed. And naturally I think, along with other factors, that seeps into the football club. I appreciate that other towns are experiencing the same problems, but I don't think you realise that in a lot of league tables - unemployment, average salary, teen pregnancy, etc - we are easily one of the least attractive towns to live in in the country, if not Europe.

I may have gone off on a slight tangent with this, but hopefully it makes sense.

[WestLondonYellow]

Hi Bobby,

You're quite right i don't live in the area, but i do visit at least once a month. I can't live there and mores the pity, there just isn't the work for me there or earning potential. I am planning some things that may change that in the next few years, but these involve self employment, and that means giving up the job security, annual bonus and pension contributions etc.

My connection to the area is, Torquay is my hometown, I am a product of Westlands, so used to go to school by United every day. Living away, i see other towns progressing, getting more investment, other smaller town football clubs doing better, getting higher gates, and it's frustrating. Newbury for instance, a pretty small town compared to Torquay, is the home of Vodafone. Why can Torquay not be the home of a few Multi nationals.

However, I think you have hit the nail on the head to be honest, i think a major part of the Towns problem is "unemployment, average salary, teen pregnancy, etc - we are easily one of the least attractive towns to live in in the country, if not Europe" and "general apathetic attitudes and aversion to change that a lot of the residents seem to have developed"

The question is, what is the solution. There must be one.

With respect, and unless I'm missing anything regarding your connection to the area (which I probably am as I don't know you), I think if you lived here you'd have a different view. And it's also quite obvious that a lot of other fans don't live in the area either. Of course that makes for good away support, but it highlights the fact that in general, the area of Torquay is not an attractive one in terms of jobs, etc. If it was, less people would leave, surely?

It might not JUST be the economy or the society of the town that holds it down but that certainly plays a part. As do the general apathetic attitudes and aversion to change that a lot of the residents seem to have developed. And naturally I think, along with other factors, that seeps into the football club. I appreciate that other towns are experiencing the same problems, but I don't think you realise that in a lot of league tables - unemployment, average salary, teen pregnancy, etc - we are easily one of the least attractive towns to live in in the country, if not Europe.

I may have gone off on a slight tangent with this, but hopefully it makes sense.

[bobby93]

My post wasn't specifically aimed at you, West London Gull. It was more a reply to Austrian Gull. But I think from what you're saying you're agreeing with some of my points.