Away following plummeting?

[Wallington Royal]

What's people reasons for not going to away games this year. I see our away following is much less than last season?

I went to all but 2 away games last season my reason for not going so much this season is cost and the team not playing that well!!!

[paultheroyal]

Think you have answered your own question.

[Stranded]

Only went away once last season, probably going twice this season so my away support has actually doubled.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Only went away once last season, probably going twice this season so my away support has actually doubled.

At that rate you'll be able to see all away games in 4 years.

[Winchester Royal]

Only been to Sunderland and Bolton this season.

At weekends, I'm now doing the stuff I used to be doing in the week while I was a student.

[Jerry St Clair]

Cost. End of.

I'll get little change from £100 for most away games these days, so only manage it for 2 or 3 a season.

Fulham, Villa and Newcastle are pencilled in for this year. And that is only because they're conducive to a good piss-up.

[AF1]

Plastic fanbase.

[Behindu]

Is it plummeting or is it setling back to a bit more realistic level ?

For 2 seasons we had the drama of running away with the Football League title drawing increasing numbers of people to away games and then last season there was the glamour of going to Anfield, Old Trafford, The Emirates and St James' as equals.

This season we've 'done' the glamour trips and worled out that actually they aren't that glamorous. We've aslo worked out that it is extremely expensive.

We'll continue to take 1000 or so to most games, with more to the London games or if we hit a run of form. Probably a realsitic number.

[Jerry St Clair]

Even in our promotion season we didn't have any away followings over 3,000 as I recall. Is that right?

And even the Leicester game had tickets on general sale until very shortly beforehand.

[Huntley & Palmer]

I'd imagine AST holders must have at least halved from last season, so that's one reason. Add in all the others that people have said and you have your explanation

[mini _dariusz]

why watch a team that's going not going to achevei something you haven't seen already ?

[Behindu]

why watch a team that's going not going to achevei something you haven't seen already ?

Why do people follow any team ?

Why follow Man Utd or Liverpool ?

[RG30]

Ticket prices certainly doesn't help. Also having to buy train tickets in advance for games to be played in 2-3 months time is something I hate doing, by the time the game comes around we could be on a 10 game losing streak.

What's also been frustrating is a number of clubs have put us up on the ticket prices catergory, for instance last year because of our lack of Premiership history we tended to be part of the cheapest games group, now it's just normally in the mid catergory. Clubs like Fulham and Bolton being the main culprits this time round so far!

[West Stand Flash]

Paid enough for my season ticket to watch poor form at home, let alone paying even more to travel all around the country watching even worse away form.

+ I have a life outside watching RFC.

[DaveM]

First and foremost has to be ticket prices.

[Behindu]

Paid enough for my season ticket to watch poor form at home, let alone paying even more to travel all around the country watching even worse away form.

.

Better home form than Liverpool, Chelsea and Pompey mind you !

[3 veesinarow]

3 ex-AST holders here...last season away from home cost the thick end of £4500 all-in for the three of us. Simply had to do it, but simply cannot afford it all again...only been to Bolton so far because my brother bought tickets and then couldn't go, only planning a few others (Citeh/Brum/Villa/Newcastle/Fulham) on the basis of pubs to be visited again.
It's sort of wierd re-discovering Saturdays again...

[RoyalMatt]

This year I decided that due to just finishing uni and not working full time yet I couldn't rely on my loan/savings to fund a year of watching Reading play everywhere. Last year was always going to be exciting, whether we finished 20th or anywhere higher, so I bought my AST to take every game in.

This year the prices seem to have gone up again for most (Can Pompey really charge £6 more for putting a roof on us?). It's scary if you add up the cost of a match with everything taken into account.

I didn't use to say this but there really is more to life than football and I am enjoying the freedom of having some Saturdays spent at home chilling out. I had to ask myself whether i could afford the £80-£100 for Man U at the start of the season whereas a few years ago I would willingly pay that much! Times change, and my opinion has changed too!

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

I dont go to away games, because, quite simply I dont want to go to a football match EVERY Saturday. I used to go to a lot of away games, but, really, Ive got other things to do.

[Stranded]

This year I decided that due to just finishing uni and not working full time yet I couldn't rely on my loan/savings to fund a year of watching Reading play everywhere. Last year was always going to be exciting, whether we finished 20th or anywhere higher, so I bought my AST to take every game in.

This year the prices seem to have gone up again for most (Can Pompey really charge £6 more for putting a roof on us?). It's scary if you add up the cost of a match with everything taken into account.

I didn't use to say this but there really is more to life than football and I am enjoying the freedom of having some Saturdays spent at home chilling out. I had to ask myself whether i could afford the £80-£100 for Man U at the start of the season whereas a few years ago I would willingly pay that much! Times change, and my opinion has changed too!

There's a scientific name for what you've just described. It's called Growing Up.