Poor Attendances at Rose Bowl

[DT]

I think at last the paying public have finally realised what a dump of a ground The Rose Bowl is having not bothered to pay inflated prices to sit in a bowl to watch test match cricket during this test.  The dreadfully poor transport links don't help either.  Hopefully The ECB will give up on international cricket there in future...

[stickyboy]

I am sure it was voted "Best International Ground" a few years ago in an ECB survey.

Aside from England/Aussie matches crowds always look dismal all over the world. Remember in the Windies always used to be packed ,now you hardly see one man and a dog in the crowd.

If you take the England Sri Lanka test at Headingley which has a 16000 capacity. Day 3 (sunday) just 6700 turned up, 3989 on day 4 and even though they charged just a fiver less than 2500 turned up on last day.

The problem is crowds get smaller as the game goes on, see exactly the same at Chelmsford

[DT]

I am sure it was voted "Best International Ground" a few years ago in an ECB survey.

Aside from England/Aussie matches crowds always look dismal all over the world. Remember in the Windies always used to be packed ,now you hardly see one man and a dog in the crowd.

If you take the England Sri Lanka test at Headingley which has a 16000 capacity. Day 3 (sunday) just 6700 turned up, 3989 on day 4 and even though they charged just a fiver less than 2500 turned up on last day.

The problem is crowds get smaller as the game goes on, see exactly the same at Chelmsford

It always seems that test matches in England are well attended - almost sold out.  Trent Bridge and Lords was that case and I bet the last two tests are the same but right from day one in Southampton they've been dreadful and I'm not surprised!

Now who voted for that then??  Probably the same clowns that devised the survey on county cricket we all took 

[stickyboy]

i think it seems test cricket outside of London is struggling. Even Lancashire have had to give free tickets a way to schools to try and fill the ground.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/11001513/England-v-India-Sunday-start-and-cost-of-tickets-are-blamed-for-poor-crowds-at-Ageas-Bowl.html

[firehazard]

They need to think about location, access, and also ticket pricing. The so-called economic recovery hasn't reached a lot of people yet.

[tonk]

Never really been any different the Aussies always sell out wherever it is and Lords and the Oval seems to do ok whoever we play but the rest have always struggled.Starting on a Sunday was not the brightest of ideas either.

[IlfordEagle]

The Rose Bowl is out of town ,I believe, also not the easiest to get to unless you drive, apparently not many Indians have been so far (I don't know if Southampton has a large Indian population), but it makes you wonder if they can't get fans in at the height of Summer, in the School holidays etc, the ticket prices also need to be affordable (I have no idea what Hants are charging).

[DT]

The Rose Bowl is out of town ,I believe, also not the easiest to get to unless you drive, apparently not many Indians have been so far (I don't know if Southampton has a large Indian population), but it makes you wonder if they can't get fans in at the height of Summer, in the School holidays etc, the ticket prices also need to be affordable (I have no idea what Hants are charging).

Thanks for repeating all I've pretty much said 

[Diatribe]

The so-called economic recovery hasn't reached a lot of people yet.

Never has and never will, Fire.

[Valentines Park]

Talking about poor attendances a quarter of tickets for Saturday's slog fest currently remain unsold.

[galboy]

The ECB shot themselves in the foot by getting greedy with the Ashes tests. I used to go to the first two days of test match every year with a group of around 10-15 people for about ten years. A couple of us were members of the England supporters club which got you priority tickets. Then after 2005 the greedy ECB decided to charge £100 for an Ashes ticket as opposed to the normal price of around £45 (this was the price for the tickets that we normally used to get).

Due to the demand, mostly of which was people jumping on the bandwagon, the ECB decided to rip off the very people that had been their bread and butter for years. So our yearly trip never took place in 2009 and unfortunately hasn't since. A lot of us were appalled that the price has more than doubled and refused to go after that. I know of a lot of other fans that were insulted by the price hikes and have avoided England games.

So although they may make a killing on the ashes games they have pushed away the regular fans who will also go and watch Sri Lanka or the West Indies.

[bwildered]

One problem for Hampshire was trying to sell tickets for a Test starting on Sunday.  People are likely take time off for Thursdays and Fridays rather than the start of the week and coperate tickets harder to sell with no Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Would the ECB ask Lords to start test on Sunday ? Doubt it.

[Blocky]

75 sheets a ticket though eh?  plus it's in the middle of nowhere and trains back to London are always rubbish coming back into the City.  seem to stop everywhere.

To go to this test match from anywhere North of Aldershot I reckon you are looking at £125 minimum before you've eaten or had a beer.

that's a lot of money these days.

[Diatribe]

looking at £125 minimum before you've eaten or had a beer.

that's a lot of money these days.

Even more so in regency times, Blocky, where it would have bought one a mansion in Herts and probably a couple of town houses in Notting Hill with the added bonus of no carnival.

When I was a paper boy, £125 would have constituted 6 yrs. wages and upon leaving school, 62 wks. In fact a one stop subway ride to Buckhurst Hill would have taken up an entire wks. take home pay.

[IanS]

75 sheets a ticket though eh?  plus it's in the middle of nowhere and trains back to London are always rubbish coming back into the City.  seem to stop everywhere.

To go to this test match from anywhere North of Aldershot I reckon you are looking at £125 minimum before you've eaten or had a beer.

that's a lot of money these days.

By contrast, I never ceased to be amazed by the number of bottles of champagne (prices start at £60) sold at Lord's. As I've said too many times "Don't they know there's a recession on?" There is a lot of money swilling around in London.