Season attendance stats

[PestNproud]

CBRS experience needs a major upgrade, and I mean heart and soul more than cash. Adams Park was much better in its weird way and Twyford Avenue has far more atmosphere.

Too much to ask even for a decent shop or sort out parking? How can we be so poorly served with by far the biggest stadium!?

Partly our fault, of course - as per past threads, we’re not very voluble and lack songs, etc., but the club could help here, too — need to realise that if they get the experience right, the fans/money will follow.

Spending several hundred quid to take family/friends to a soulless experience in a vast empty stadium in the middle of a roundabout with minimal pre-match anything can be testing, especially when the team is misfiring.

Feels like the club doesn’t care at the moment. Swapping commentators was mad. Instead of rinsing the few loyal fans, should try cutting price of everything by 25% (tickets, stash, food/drink, hospitality, etc.) or find a more creative way to make a day at CBRS feel good value - I’d actually spend more on the right terms. I miss programmes, too, which other clubs still do.

One saving grace is the players - always great to see circulating and engaging after games. Brad a true gent, and will miss JTA.

Franklin Gardens so much better this year pre-match (even half of that would be great), and Welford Road on a different level in terms of energy but they are on fire, and the Stoop feels like a proper club. Brentford actually felt more like Wasps with so many of us there.

The New Year’s day Irish game was fun (but the fan zone was really disappointing after all the hype - dreadful PA, miserable reindeer, and hardly anywhere to sit).

Hate to admit it, but basically starting to prefer away games, other than really not liking my money going to fund the oppo.

[Wombles]

A game of rugby should feel like a day out, that starts with the excitement of the morning, getting to the area around the ground or in the city, where fans are in coffee shops, pubs, or families are eating meals, kids playing throwing rugby balls around etc. A stadium should have concessions offering food, drinks and entertainment, a club shop to visit and spend your hard earned, history of the club should be everywhere, having large TVs showing live Q and A’s, highlights of past games not only that season but from decades before. The stadium itself should be bedecked in the clubs colours and history. To visiting fans it should be obvious that this place is Wasps. We have said about seat colours before (and this is one example of many) but it is things like this that make it home. It should feel like a place you want to go and spend time before and after a game. It should feel like an event every time. It should feel like home where we want to go and spend time with others every game, and fans feel that we are throwing open the doors to them to join us and celebrate our sport whilst they support their team. Our stadium feels more like roll up, watch the boys, head home. That is not good at all, it does not engage the fans. You have to feel the club in your heart, develop that emotional connection where the club becomes not only important to you, but part of your identity. We will not encourage paying support or indeed new support if you cannot do that.

Yes the pandemic has had an impact, but until our club get the above sorted we are in trouble. Our club is engaging well in local clubs and schools at grass roots. But we now need to engage the city and surrounding areas on a commercial level (pubs, restaurants etc). HQ has the patch, and a plethora of pubs, restaurants and clubs we all frequent on match days, we need to start this in Coventry.  Yes it will involve financial investment, huge amounts of commitment and time, but if you do not have a club that people will take to their hearts then that is the death knell to any club in any sport. Our attendances are a warning sign we cannot ignore.

[Chunky24]

The arena area shops do well but the local restaurants with the exception of drive thrus have struggled and in some cases closed down, anecdote really only exists due to the hotel. The investment in Coventry is back in the city centre trying to reverse the trend of out of city centre shopping and leisure, with city of culture money this has been quite successful so creating pubs / restaurants in that area is even more challenging now as they want to be in the city centre again.

[Rossm]

It is now becoming easier to watch games streamed live on TV, So long as it costs £100 or more to fill up the average car, then car driving supporters will be thinking twice about distance trips.

[Wiltshire Wasp]

It is now becoming easier to watch games streamed live on TV, So long as it costs £100 or more to fill up the average car, then car driving supporters will be thinking twice about distance trips.

Oh yes.

[DGP Wasp]

Would be interesting to see the geographical spread of season tickets and those attending on a regular basis.  What proportion are still driving up from the SE?  If fuel costs remain as they are, then this will make it a tougher sell for those with a 150 mile plus return journey.  Not a challenge that other clubs face on quite the same scale.

[PestNproud]

Would be interesting to see the geographical spread of season tickets and those attending on a regular basis.  What proportion are still driving up from the SE?  If fuel costs remain as they are, then this will make it a tougher sell for those with a 150 mile plus return journey.  Not a challenge that other clubs face on quite the same scale.

Can't blame this one on Wasps but find the drive from SE to Coventry pretty grim, starting with M40 going west, where the traffic always feels pressured rather than smooth, and that's before the stop-start urban bit. Then the parking, un-magic roundabout, unwelcoming fortress exterior, no decent pre-match meet-up area, and gates always far away. Public transport not a viable option. Need to see if a cross-country or other more chilled route - used to rather enjoy the backroads cross-country trek over to Wycombe (was a ~1h trip, so not around the corner). If there's a more pleasant way to get to Cov from Bicester junction or thereabouts, would love to know!

As Wombles summarised better then me, there's just zero emotional uplift these days when arriving or leaving CBSA, other than lucking in for a fine game and good company, which of course there can be in spades. Not somewhere to go early or hang around after, nor obvious places nearby to tie in (had an amazing curry and good explore when at Welford Rd).

I understand that lockdown messed everything up, and forced painful economies with good initiatives and people sadly lost, but the powers that be really need to put the energy and effort back into making the CBSA a great place to go to spend time/money, and most importantly make sure going to Wasps feels like Wasps should with all that is great and special about the club and team.

Sadly, can't imagine getting season tickets for next season -- I did briefly consider but the club really didn't make an effort to lure back after a few years young family break -- partly, this is due to other obligations but at least as much just doesn't grab me for the 7 hours or so required for games I don't have a group to take (went game-by-game to as many home/away as able this year).

Last season, I did look for part-season tickets, and multi-match bundles, but nothing there. Keep coming back to the conclusion that the management just aren't making real effort to remotely fill the stadium -- other clubs do great family tickets and group bundles to bump up the crowds and draw in flesh blood, for example, but not seeing these for us. Plus always hearing about those 'free tickets', which grates a bit as never for me/us (live in Wasps outer/traditional catchment, but only ever get offered Tigers and Saints freebies via local clubs)! Nothing against freebies, but at least do something commensurate for those paying rather a lot, like offer free matching tickets for another notably quiet game, or discount hospitality.

[Shugs]

I think for those with kids the fan village is a big miss. It doesn’t need to be as big as it was before but a few things to do, maybe a chance to meet some players and the usual eat/drink options would go down well I think. It’s not like we don’t have the facilities to host one!

[Wiltshire Wasp]

I think the Fan Village was really important.  Provided a place to meet, etc. If anything it was too small, by the time I arrived it was generally rammed. In answer to the statement ‘Leave home earlier’.  We left. As early as we reasonably could.
The bars in the concourse just didn’t do it - mind you the service was quicker than at the County Ground in Taunton!

[Brandnewtorugby]

"If there's a more pleasant way to get to Cov from Bicester junction or thereabouts, would love to know!"

Yes, the A423 up to Southam is pretty, at least I enjoy riding it on my motorbike.

[coddy]

"If there's a more pleasant way to get to Cov from Bicester junction or thereabouts, would love to know!"

Yes, the A423 up to Southam is pretty, at least I enjoy riding it on my motorbike.

Indeed, I live in Banbury and I always ride or drive up the A423 to Coventry, alternatively the train goes direct to the stadium with a short change at Leamington Spa

[PestNproud]

Thanks BNT, coddy - will def give A423 a go, look again at train.

For all my moans, already going cold turkey...

Another one for the crowd - who do you favour these days for match betting?

PaddyPower terrible these days , either not featuring Wasps at all or locked when I want to place a sneaky, 'of course Wasps can pull it round' bet. Ironically, prob saved me a bit this year , though, as far fewer black+gold bunnies from hat last season than usual when in aggregate can covers a few trips to games!