WhiteBallProject / NMG Crowds

**Posted by Chuckle** 31/8/2025 5:57 PM

What's Everybody's Opinion on the Home Matches Attendances? Why are they so Low? During My Childhood Ilkeston Under Keith Alexander was Well Supported. Currently I Don't think £13 Entry is Expensive. Does the Club do Enough to Attract People to Attend? Young/Old, Male/Female Or are the Generation Coming Through not football Lovers? Is There Fans that Used to Attend but don't Anymore?

**Posted by Matchman** 01/9/2025 6:04 AM

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Time moves on and there’s now more choices of things to do on a Saturday afternoon. Football fans can watch Premiership games on TV. When I was young if you wanted to watch a match you had to go to it and the only football on TV was Match of the Day on Saturday night. I can remember posters in chip shops advertising Ilkeston matches at the old Manor Ground. Unfortunately we are now swamped with football on TV and non-league football teams are the losers. There is also the fact that many people just can’t afford the cost of going to matches.
There aren’t so many diehards these days who support their local team through good times and bad times. For those of us who are addicted to Ilkeston Town and non league football it’s sad to see the decline in numbers watching games. We need to find a way to make people see how different it is to support a local non league team, where you make friends and actually feel part of the club. How do we do that? Any new ideas would be welcomed.

This coming Saturday 6th September, there are no Premiership or Championship matches so hopefully we will get a better attendance at our home game against Whitby Town.

**Posted by kevilsonlad** 01/9/2025 11:45 AM

pezamb wrote:
I agree totally re football all over the TV
Posters was a key word... Advertising. The club need to do more of it. It's so easy to knock up an attractive looking poster these days and print off a few hundred for peanuts.
The Facebook page will very rarely reach new people plus it only ever shows 5 of the same fans behind the goal. We need to show families what a great experience it is. I've brought so many people over the years and they always love it (sadly they go back to France and Italy)
But, when all said and done, the football needs to be better on the pitch

When the club out on free games I went out with Danny with flyers up town. The second time I designed and printed off loads of flyers then took them to three / four schools ...
I am guilty of not going as much as we have the grand kids quite a lot at the weekends , plus work ....

Last edited by kevilsonlad (01/9/2025 11:47 AM)

**Posted by WhiteBallProject** 01/9/2025 1:17 PM

I have started to look at past attendances for Ilkeston Town especially in the first five games of the season and interesting the attendances in the last few seasons are better than they were twenty years ago. The first three games this season are lower than the last few seasons but this might be down the number of visiting fans that are following our opposition. I will get my research on a spreadsheet to see my theory is totally wrong.