Season attendance stats

[Lwasp]

https://www.cityam.com/average-premiership-attendances-fall-compared-to-pre-pandemic-figures/

Some basic analysis here, although ranking teams by % utilisation of stadium capacity so calling Wasps bottom in the pre-pandemic season is a real "lies, damn lies and statistics" effort. But the overall article is interesting and shows us losing 1k supporters/match on average versus pre-pandemic.

[Neils]

Silly comparisons on that basis - also note no way to comment either.

[InBetweenWasp]

The major headline is that the average premiership gate is 1k down.

Ours is (much) worse as our attendances as a % of capacity fell from 50.5% > 30%.  So down from approx 15k to sub-10k.

A combination of not offering widespread free tickets to the community and COVID the obvious explanations and if gate receipts remain broadly the same, then it’s really nothing lost.

The road to higher capacity, paying audiences is slow one.

[DGP Wasp]

Not such a silly comparison IMO.  Attendances across the league are down by about 1,000 per match while Wasps are down by 6,000 per match.  That can't simply be put down to the pandemic if other clubs are not seeing attendances drop off quite so sharply.  That is a really alarming number.

The % occupancy does leave Wasps looking worse still, and while it is distorted by the size of the stadium, that doesn't make it an altogether irrelevant measure.  Compare Sarries, top 2 all season and packed with big international stars, yet consistently failing to fill a 9.6K ground, while Bath, despite their woes on the field, and the Rec's limited facilities, continue to pack them in week in, week out.

% occupancy should be a concern for Wasps.  Occupancy of 30.5, as reported, means less than 10K per game, compared with (again, based on the assertion in the article that we've lost 6K per match) 16K pre-Covid.  9.5k rattling around in a 32K stadium isn't fun for anyone.  If we've still got the big plans to go with the big ground, then it needs some people in it to generate an atmosphere that will keep people coming back.  If that means a return to free/discounted community tickets then so be it, they still add to the atmosphere and of course spend money once they're in.  Otherwise we are just like Irish in Reading: soulless.

Shame the article doesn't include the raw data so we can draw our own conclusions and compare how other clubs are fairing rather than just relying on the cherry picked headline stats in the article which don't give the full picture.  Those headlines however make pretty poor reading for Wasps.

[Lwasp]

Sorry yes, rushed to post and should have put us 6k down, not 1k.

[coddy]

If we are going to give credence to this report what are we to make of the paragraph below?

They claim and I quote "while Wasps fell just shy of 50 per cent in their 32,609 capacity arena" if this is true then 15K or so average attendance is impressive.

That would mean of course that Wasps attendance average was previously 21K and we know that isn't correct.
 

[InBetweenWasp]

If we are going to give credence to this report what are we to make of the paragraph below?

They claim and I quote "while Wasps fell just shy of 50 per cent in their 32,609 capacity arena" if this is true then 15K or so average attendance is impressive.

That would mean of course that Wasps attendance average was previously 21K and we know that isn't correct.

The 50% capacity figure refers to the 2018/19 season.

The article goes on to reference attendances for us drop by 20% points to 30% for the 2021/22 season.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

It could mean 50% of the area that’s open for ticket sales?

[CV2]

I know not everyone would agree but I would gladly welcome back the free tickets initiatives. I know it devalues my season ticket but Wasps is a much better watch with a half decent crowd in, at times last year it was a bit soulless (often not helped by performances on the pitch)

From a business point of view more people through the turnstile = more spend on F&B.

Or is that a too simplistic view?

[Shugs]

Crowd stats are one thing. But how many stadia in the analysis will be hosting The Killers or Rammstein?

[Neils]

Crowd stats are one thing. But how many stadia in the analysis will be hosting The Killers or Rammstein?

And the Commonwealth Games. Plus how many of the other teams attendances are badly scued by Tottenham and Twickers.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

I know not everyone would agree but I would gladly welcome back the free tickets initiatives. I know it devalues my season ticket but Wasps is a much better watch with a half decent crowd in, at times last year it was a bit soulless (often not helped by performances on the pitch)

From a business point of view more people through the turnstile = more spend on F&B.

Or is that a too simplistic view?

The problem is that large numbers of people with free tickets simply don't show up.  But you have to staff the venue as if they will all be there. And so it costs the club a not inconsiderable amount which they then can't recoup on hospitality sales.

When no freebies are given out the staffing costs are lower and the food/drink sales are predictable.

[DGP Wasp]

Crowd stats are one thing. But how many stadia in the analysis will be hosting The Killers or Rammstein?

And the Commonwealth Games. Plus how many of the other teams attendances are badly scued by Tottenham and Twickers.

All nice commercially of course, but we're supposed to be a rugby club first and foremost. 30k singing along to Mr Brightside wouldn't know Jack Willis from Jacob Umaga.

And figures are not skewed by the bumper one off games at HQ etc. The article makes it clear from the start that such games were not included for that very reason.

[Chunky24]

Crowd stats are one thing. But how many stadia in the analysis will be hosting The Killers or Rammstein?

And the Commonwealth Games. Plus how many of the other teams attendances are badly scued by Tottenham and Twickers.

All nice commercially of course, but we're supposed to be a rugby club first and foremost. 30k singing along to Mr Brightside wouldn't know Jack Willis from Jacob Umaga.

30k singing....

"Are we Hougaard or are we Launchers..."

[Shugs]

When we were Thomas young?