Fans falling out of love with away games?

[Brum Royal]

A point no-one's mentioned on here yet, is that for a lot of the smaller working class towns - your Roverums, your Burys, your Middlesbroughs - a lot of the people there have moved away to the bigger towns and cities over the years as they went seeking out better job prospects. Plymouth is another example of this. So hence when they play away they have more of a local following for that particular away game. With the growth of the M4 corridor, and with Reading being in the London commuter belt, Reading as a town has undergone the opposite effect, drawing in people/fans from other towns for work but generally maintaining the local Reading supporting population as they've not had to move elsewhere for work. This means that our "local" support in say the north west, would be a much smaller proportion than north western clubs in the south east.

And re terracing mentioned earlier in the thread. I always thought the away end at Ninian Park was the best example of how to integr8 seating and terracing into one stand - seats at the front, terrace at the back, that way nobody has an obscured view.

[Green]

Pretty sure the opposite holds true - as a prosperous town with education levels above the national average, people are more likely to relocate for work.

You've only got to look on here, every second poster is seemingly a "Location other than Reading" Royal.

[Platypuss]

Pretty sure the opposite holds true - as a prosperous town with education levels above the national average, people are more likely to relocate for work.

You've only got to look on here, every second poster is seemingly a "Location other than Reading" Royal.

Hmm, an interesting posit there Green.

My conjecture - those who have moved away from the area are more likely to identify as a locationroyal than those who still live here.

[Brum Royal]

Pretty sure the opposite holds true - as a prosperous town with education levels above the national average, people are more likely to relocate for work.

You've only got to look on here, every second poster is seemingly a "Location other than Reading" Royal.

Either I've missed your point, or you've missed mine here Greeners. My point is that Reading draws in people, but doesn't lose them as much as say an old northern mining town, so there will be more south east based Barnsley fans (see the London Tykes flag) swelling their away attendances, than northern Royals contributing to our away attendance at Barnsley.

[stealthpapes]

I'd actually guess that more away fans from, say, Barnsley come from Barnsley or, at least, nearby. And the away match is kind of a way of having some local pride.

[Green]

Pretty sure the opposite holds true - as a prosperous town with education levels above the national average, people are more likely to relocate for work.

You've only got to look on here, every second poster is seemingly a "Location other than Reading" Royal.

Either I've missed your point, or you've missed mine here Greeners. My point is that Reading draws in people, but doesn't lose them as much as say an old northern mining town, so there will be more south east based Barnsley fans (see the London Tykes flag) swelling their away attendances, than northern Royals contributing to our away attendance at Barnsley.

On the contrary, I've understood your point but I'm disagreeing with it.

Lets take an example for the complete opposite side of the spectrum - many people who grow up in Merthyr Tydfil, Barrow-In-Furness, Hereford or Launceston struggle to leave the town. Despite there being no employment prospects, they're also not sufficiently aspirational or qualified to move.

[Green]

Just my initial gut feeling.

Is social mobility higher in Reading or a Northern mining town? I'll try and dig up some stats on it later.

[liamobey]

A point no-one's mentioned on here yet, is that for a lot of the smaller working class towns - your Roverums, your Burys, your Middlesbroughs - a lot of the people there have moved away to the bigger towns and cities over the years as they went seeking out better job prospects. Plymouth is another example of this. So hence when they play away they have more of a local following for that particular away game. With the growth of the M4 corridor, and with Reading being in the London commuter belt, Reading as a town has undergone the opposite effect, drawing in people/fans from other towns for work but generally maintaining the local Reading supporting population as they've not had to move elsewhere for work. This means that our "local" support in say the north west, would be a much smaller proportion than north western clubs in the south east.

And re terracing mentioned earlier in the thread. I always thought the away end at Ninian Park was the best example of how to integr8 seating and terracing into one stand - seats at the front, terrace at the back, that way nobody has an obscured view.

I think that's a really intersting way to look at it. My missus' family live down here and support Bolton.
They also take an interest in whoever else from that area comes down to play Reading (aside from Blackburn and Burnley)
You'd be very hard pressed to find a Reading Fan who lived in lancs (greater manchester not included)

[stealthpapes]

Just my initial gut feeling.

Is social mobility higher in Reading or a Northern mining town? I'll try and dig up some stats on it later.

I'm going to make a guess on this one.

[Brum Royal]

Pretty sure the opposite holds true - as a prosperous town with education levels above the national average, people are more likely to relocate for work.

You've only got to look on here, every second poster is seemingly a "Location other than Reading" Royal.

Either I've missed your point, or you've missed mine here Greeners. My point is that Reading draws in people, but doesn't lose them as much as say an old northern mining town, so there will be more south east based Barnsley fans (see the London Tykes flag) swelling their away attendances, than northern Royals contributing to our away attendance at Barnsley.

On the contrary, I've understood your point but I'm disagreeing with it.

Lets take an example for the complete opposite side of the spectrum - many people who grow up in Merthyr Tydfil, Barrow-In-Furness, Hereford or Launceston struggle to leave the town. Despite there being no employment prospects, they're also not sufficiently aspirational or qualified to move.

Got you. It was me missing your point then, and I now understand your point in your initial reply.

Not something I'd considered in my thinking tbf

[Binfield Royal]

I think it's your modesty that sets you apart.

Eric La Salle in Coming to America

ICMFP

[Binfield Royal]

One other possible reason to add to the others.

As a fan, if your team wins at the weekend, you generally feel good, are happy to watch MOTD (or in our case, 5 seconds on TFLS) and read all about the game you were actually at the previous day.

If your team loses, your weekend is less enjoyable, you delete TFLS without watching it and you dont buy a Sunday paper.

Add to this, the cost of travel to away games when the team isnt doing so well, as well as the time eaten into your weekend travelling to and from and this will affect your decision to go.

I go to home games because I've already paid for them when I bought the ST, in a fit of ill conceived optimism before the Russians ran for the hills.

One more thought. Fan = Fanatic. A true football fan eats, drinks, works and sleeps his or her team. Its like a religion (with the exception that its real)

Folk who go to Reading games are more "polite observers". Silent unless we score. Moaning and muttering if we haven't and leaving 10 minutes before the end of the game, regardless of whether we are winning or losing, so as not to get stuck in the (lets face it, bloody stupid) car park bottle necks.

[billybraggsbeard]

Three things: a) I think more people are season tkt holders so team needs to be playing very well to make people go away as well
b) Cost of away tkts, some are quite reasonable and also give cheaper student or u21 options. Bournemouth on tues for example is a lot cheaper than Charlton tomorrow
c) Having a team and players we can identify with, I feel the current crop particularly the forwards don't care enough all they're bothered about is the money, and they don't bust a gut if things aren't going well cause they're still going to get their huge wedge whether they try or not

[liamobey]

One other possible reason to add to the others.

As a fan, if your team wins at the weekend, you generally feel good, are happy to watch MOTD (or in our case, 5 seconds on TFLS) and read all about the game you were actually at the previous day.

If your team loses, your weekend is less enjoyable, you delete TFLS without watching it and you dont buy a Sunday paper.

Add to this, the cost of travel to away games when the team isnt doing so well, as well as the time eaten into your weekend travelling to and from and this will affect your decision to go.

I go to home games because I've already paid for them when I bought the ST, in a fit of ill conceived optimism before the Russians ran for the hills.

One more thought. Fan = Fanatic. A true football fan eats, drinks, works and sleeps his or her team. Its like a religion (with the exception that its real)

Folk who go to Reading games are more "polite observers". Silent unless we score. Moaning and muttering if we haven't and leaving 10 minutes before the end of the game, regardless of whether we are winning or losing, so as not to get stuck in the (lets face it, bloody stupid) car park bottle necks.

I disagree completely. I love Reading Football Club and have since i was 7 years old.
I rarely sing at games, I don't really go mental if we score, and i certainly don't eat, sleep, rave, repeat about my team.
I never let the results affect my weekend, because that would be mental and i certainly don't look at the players or staff with anything other than scrutiny.

[RoyallyFcuked]

I prefer watching Reading away then at home. The atmosphere as an away fan is just better as you get more of the type of fans who sing etc.

I've been a season ticket holder in the past, (05-06 and 06-07) and back then the Madejski had a good atmosphere all the time (especially where I was sat), but in recent years it has lost that and now I don't think it is a great place to watch football. Ours fans don't make enough noise or get behind the team like they used to.

I would much rather go and see us at another ground and hopefully see an away win because they can be pretty special. Maybe that's also partly because of the fact that I like going to different grounds. However, as I'm only 20 I don't know what away games were like more than 10 years ago and how much they have changed, so not sure if my opinion counts for much on this.

[Wimb]

I've been a season ticket holder in the past, (05-06 and 06-07) and back then the Madejski had a good atmosphere all the time (especially where I was sat), but in recent years it has lost that and now I don't think it is a great place to watch football. Ours fans don't make enough noise or get behind the team like they used to.

Home fans in being louder and more positive when team is winning non-shocker

Away games have always been a good day out and a fun atmosphere but as you get older the decision to spend a hard earned Saturday shelling out usually £100+ to watch Reading doesn't appeal quite so much.....

When you throw in the fact you can now see full in depth highlights and read countless accounts & analysis of the game from your home it just makes it an even easier decision.

As others have said, we still do travel in decent numbers for localish games and during key run-ins but I can't blame any fan for not wanting to spend three figures going to watch us at Middlesbrough, Barnsley or Wigan etc.

[Extended-Phenotype]

WRTTOP

You have to be pretty into footie to dedicate the time and money that goes into attending away games. Good on those that do but I have other shit going on and personally I'm not that fanatical about it that I would traipse up and down the country spending most of the day in the car or on public transport to stand around with other blokes in shite weather watching pretty dull football.

[LUX]

You'd be very hard pressed to find a Reading Fan who lived in lancs (greater manchester not included)

Well I know five personally ( three are close family)

[Lower West]

No longer the atmosphere there once was in grounds. As others have said grounds are plastic. Attendances are far lower. For entertainment value tickets are overpriced. A game in decline.

Used to stand on the shelf at Tottenham as a lad. In the old Division One (now the Championship). Games such as Brighton, Millwall and Bolton attracted attendances of over 48,000. So even if the football wasn't great. The atmosphere created by the crowd gave the game an edge.

[3points]

How many nobbers (over the age of 21) are born and bred in the area? I include Bracknell and Basingstoke as being close enough to count. I'm not. Grew up in Dover and was an avid Dover Athletic supporter in my youth (and Liverpool) but started following Reading when I came to university here (and then stayed).

I generally agree with the point that the Thames Valley sees more of an inflow of people seeking work, than an outflow (London excepted?), thereby reducing the proportion of Reading fans living close to away grounds.