856 (Eight Hundred and Fifty Six)

There's probably many words you could use to describe that crowd today if you were a Livingston fan - abject, disgusting, depressing. They probably all apply, to be fair. I thought the Clyde crowds were diabolical because Clyde are in League 2, it's the first round of the cups, and we were playing the same team two weeks on the trot. I won't lie, I thought we'd have more for our first home league match of the season. I reckon Queens had around c.150 fans today, so that means there were 700 Livi fans there. My main questions are (with a predictable answer) is; where the fuck is everyone, and more importantly how are the club going to re-engage with them?

As far as I'm aware, the club don't have a dedicated memeber of staff for marketing, which is concerning. For our fanbase to decline in the numbers it has, even with all the off-field shite, is fairly laughable and spectacular in equal measure. I'd quite like to know if there are any plans afoot to reintroduce the community tickets scheme, for example. If there was an organised and systematic plan in place for this, it would be highly benefical in the long run and the fact it isn't being implemented currently and hasn't been for the past few seasons is pretty galling. The fact the whole organisation behind it could be run from a spreadsheet is the point that irks me the most.

Another thing I've noticed the club never seems to have had is a sign at the end of the stadium road advertising who the next home game is against, and when. I think I've lost count of the number of clubs up and down the country I've seen when we've played them who've had the generic sign with interchangeable dates and opponent names. Can't see how this wouldn't be difficult to implement.

Ultimately though, and perhaps most crucially, the club needs to be alternative and unqiue in the way in which they approach us. Livingston FC is established in the sense it's been a league club for 21 years; yet the fanbase currently is akin to sides in League 1 or League 2. Personally, I believe we can easily become an established Championship club, but that isn't going to happen in front of 3 figure crowds I'm afraid. Dunfermline, Ayr and Montrose (!) all had larger crowds than us today from divisions below, whilst crowds at Stenny and Clyde were both 100 or less away from ours.

I'm sure there are talented supporters of the club out there who would be more than happy to help, or set them on the right track with this regard. Bit of a pain in the arse there's two seperate forums for a club our size but given the increased prominence of the Trust this season in a lot of matters, it's time to debate this subject as a fanbase as a whole. I can't blame lapsed supporters for not being arsed with pish football or off-field drama, but it's time to arrest this decline.

I just don't see how we are going to attract new fans in when we do not have a dedicated person/ team who is willing to promote our club to our towns.

Half of Livingston are not even aware we still play professional football because we haven't spoken to the public for years.

There should be another deal - £5 for a ticket say against Morton to attract people to the club, even for a match. But we always hear the same old "it's not in our best interest"

They have priced teenagers out of football recently which doesn't help.

Our last home league game was against Queens and the attendance was 2,475. The club made an effort to advertise that game and get people down and look what happened. Granted it was most likely that high due to the importance of the game, but I can probably ask everyone who lives nearby who Livi are playing this weekend and I'll be lucky if anyone knows.

Someone's been suggesting (can't remember if it was on this forum or the other one) the club have a stall down at the centre and I can't see why they don't, have the mascot and a player or two taking photos and handing out tickets, with some stuff from the club shop for sale too; surely better than trying nothing and getting League 1 attendances?

Too expensive to hire a spot for a stall at the centre, it's been mentioned a few times that they charge a fortune.

The Courier fixture pull out was a good idea last week, need more ideas like that. Putting up a board advertising our next home game at the end of the road is also a good idea, just to put it out there for everyone passing by to see.

Shame we missed the boat on having an open day pre season for people to come round the stadium, meet the manager and players and have some fun things going on to amuse the kids, that was always popular during the Leishman days. And getting a float with Livi youth players in full kit for the local gala days is a must for next year, that would really get us out there to the local communities.

Still think we should be having some tie in with the college, giving students a discount at the bar during the week and making use of the students talents to come up with ideas to promote the club.

Agree with you on the match deals for low att expectation games, there's a double home game in Dec against Alloa and Dumbarton, even though one is just before xmas and during the hols it will be a certainty to be sub 1,000, really need to try something for those fixtures to attracts the fans, a tenner 2 game deal advertised early Dec in the Courier and also get the fliers out round the doors and in local shop windows. Would also help if we could come up with some kind of hook to attract the younger fans to those games, with it being the xmas period we have the merchandize angle to try and sell for presents.

Need to be doing the schools again too, get that thing they did with parent and child behind the goals in the south stand, would prob bring in at least 300.

I just don't understand where the people are going every season, so I've given up caring. The club needs to maximise its revenue off of the pitch as there's little chance we'll break even based on attendances for any season after this, once Rangers go up.

That said, I'm certain there's a tax dodge aspect to the attendances, especially after the Sociedad attendance.

EdinburghLivi wrote:That said, I'm certain there's a tax dodge aspect to the attendances, especially after the Sociedad attendance.

Was convinced of that last season when our game against Hearts, which looked pretty close to a sell out, was announced as about 5,000, which would mean about half of the stadium was empty.