Reading have seen an increase in crowds, compared to last season, but the SCL has only been more than half full four times in the opening seven league matches.
With an average turnout of 12,997 in the early stages of the season, this beats last year's figure of 12,565 at the same stage.
Disappointingly, peaks of 15,258; 13,989 and 16,994 in the three years preceding the Covid-19 enforced lockdown are still a long way off.
This can not only be seen in the early stages, but the trend continues across the course of the whole campaign- with last year's average of 13,193 the lowest for a full, uninterupted season in over 20 years.
But why is this?
Purely speculating, factors such as the current cost of living crisis, the pandemic and just pure waning interest in the club over recent years could all be possibly factors.
The Reading Chronicle conducted a poll on social media and over one quarter of people put it down to financial reasons, while 20 per cent selected family issues and almost 10 per cent named footballing reasons.
For those that no longer attend games, why? #readingfc
— James Earnshaw (@james_e1871) October 6, 2022
The good thing to take from this is that very few have fallen out of love with the club, despite consistent years of poor results and a gerenal apathy setting in- culminating in a pitch invasion and fan protest last season.
So, how do we reverse this?
Despite never being known for it's huge, passionate fanbase- there is no denying that crowds have significantly dropped to their lowest levels since returning to the second tier in the early 2000s.
The days of averaging 17,000-19,000- as was the norm between 2005 and 2016- seem like a lifetime ago.
The way forward is keep doing The grass roots ticketing as We did for The Huddersfield game,the north stand is always half empty 👍Urzzzzzzzz
— Paul (@paulmortimer59) October 6, 2022
One frequently suggested idea was to bring back more fan initiatives.
Almost 17,000 attended Saturday's 3-1 win over HuddersfieldTown, with 5,000 tickets being at cut prices for those at school or grassroots football clubs.
While it is unknown whether this would work on a week-in, week-out basis, it has proved a hit each time it has been used, and surely thousands of tickets sold on the cheap is a better option than leaving them unfilled.
Reading isn't a cheap town to live in as a young adult. I think for some who grow up watching the club, they leave, follow the club but don't attend because of cost.
— Alex Everson (@Readingfanman) October 6, 2022
Combine that with 8-10 years of miserable home performances, 6 weeks of good showing isnt enough. Needs months.
Among those fans who commented, cost and moving away appeared most commonly. While there is not a lot the club can do when people need to move away for work or general life milestones, it is crucial to be preparing the next generation to fill the gaps left.
As is the way with football, no doubt if Paul Ince's men continue to defy expectations the crowds will increase to levels not seen for almost five years- the difficulty is keeping them coming back.
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