The weekend
Back-to-back storms hit non-league gates. Storm Austen was named on 20 October and reached the south and Wales on Thursday night and Friday. Storm Boelo was named on 22 October and reached the north on Saturday and Sunday.
Across 32 games in the National League, National League North and National League South, 6,796 fewer people came through the gate than each club’s average for the season so far. 22 of the 32 drew below their average. Six recorded their lowest home league crowd of the season.
Three more games did not finish. One was postponed on the Friday and two were abandoned on the Saturday.
Why the EFL held up
Two things protect an EFL crowd.
The first is commitment. Much of an EFL crowd has paid before Saturday morning, through a season ticket or an advance sale. People who have paid tend to come.
The second is the ground. Most EFL grounds are seated and covered. Rain changes the walk to the ground, not the afternoon inside it.
Non-league has neither as standard. More of the crowd decides on the day, and more of the ground is open terrace. A wet forecast puts the whole afternoon at risk.
Bought before Saturday. Seated, under a roof.
Decided on the day. Standing, often in the open.
Smaller crowds fell further
Clubs that usually draw under 1,100 were down 20.5% on Saturday. Clubs that usually draw 2,500 or more were down 6.8%. A small crowd leans harder on the people who decide on the day.
It wasn’t how hard it rained
We matched each ground to its nearest weather station. How much it rained, and how hard it blew, did little to explain which clubs fell furthest.
Slough Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough share a weather station, so they had the same Saturday’s rain. Slough drew 23% above their average. Hampton drew 37% below.
The weather decided whether there was a problem. How the club sells decided how big it got.
What it cost
Price each missing supporter between £7.45 a head, the Step 5 figure, and £12.10, the League Two figure. On that range the 6,796 who stayed away are £51,000 to £82,000 across 32 grounds. That is £1,600 to £2,600 a club, on one Saturday.
Season tickets were already paid. The bar, food and programme money was not.
Across 32 non-league games.
Against each club’s usual Saturday.
£1,600 to £2,600 a club.
The three games that didn’t finish cost more again. A lost Saturday usually comes back on a Tuesday night, and a Tuesday night takes far less. What a postponed match costs a non-league club.
Before the day
- Know the walk-up share. That is the part of Saturday a wet forecast can move.
- Sell earlier. A small advance price that closes on Friday night turns a maybe into a ticket.
- Bundle the commitment. A pass for a set number of games locks in money without asking for a season ticket.
- Keep a wet-weather offer ready. On the same Saturday, Dagenham & Redbridge ran a £1 open day and nearly doubled their usual crowd: 3,734 against an average of 1,914.
On the day
- Give people somewhere dry. Cover the bar queue, the food kiosk and the turnstiles first.
- Take the queue out of the rain. Pre-ordered food and drink, and more serving points under cover.
- A Saturday morning post saying the game is on, where the cover is and what’s on at the bar.
- Protect the fixture itself. What a postponed match costs a non-league club.
The forecast stays. What you do before Saturday can still move.
Published