King’s Lynn Town manager Tommy Widdrington has seemingly been left baffled again by low attendances and makes a plea to the local public.
It’s not the first time a member of the club have been left stumped as to why the crowd numbers coming through the turnstiles on matchdays are as low as they are – with just 721 watching on, with their average attendance for the season currently sitting at 1,066.
But now in a fresh admission to the media in his post-match interview, the 51 year old boss wants the town to get behind their club, who sit second of the National League North standings, a point behind leaders AFC Fylde, who have a game in hand.
There is seemingly a lot of work that needs doing, you can’t force fans to turn up, especially at a time where cost of living is a struggle for families. Plus season ticket prices at King’s Lynn has often been condemned by fans in past seasons.
You do feel however they should be getting higher attendances than they are for where they sit in the table, the cup runs that have boosted their profile, spread awareness and often drawn in crowds.
But you could also say the same about the likes of Boreham Wood, who sit a league above them and tend to do well in recent seasons, currently sitting in the playoffs, but only see an average of 1,133 (the league’s lowest) turn up.
Why isn’t it working? How many more pleas can you put out to fans, only to still find attendances are below 1,000 on a regular basis. What needs to change? Will we see a rise if they win promotion?
SEE MORE: Relegated King’s Lynn Town again spark anger with new season ticket prices
Stephen Cleeve tweeted on Wednesday: “We reduced the gate prices this season, we win Saturday in a great spectacle but tonight 400 less fans turn up than Saturday. Accept we were not at our best tonight, but we need support otherwise we can’t progress. We also need assessors marking referees at EVERY game.
“Maths explanation for those needing to understand football finance. Drop the admission price by £4 everyone will come theory. Crowd last night 721 – £4 reduction club loses £2,884 at £13 each club needs to sell 222 tickets to generate same revenue.
“So crowd would need to be 943 excluding food and drink to book same revenue -it is a fallacy – if true when we dropped the price to £10 this season then ground would be full.”
A few home truths from the @officialKLtown boss after the Farsley Celtic defeat at The Walks.
You have to ask yourself why are the fans staying away when the team is pushing for promotion? https://t.co/5advaK3IOs— Greg Plummer (@GregTheLynnNews) March 8, 2023
As reported by Lynn News and Eastern Daily Press, he said on the low turnout for Farsley Celtic’s shock win at King’s Lynn: “I understand the frustration from the fans, but they have got to stick with us.
“At the end of the day we were top of the table when we came into his game and we got 750 people here. Do they want it?”
He might need the help of owner Stephen Cleeve to spend more money on bringing in new players to replace key first team members they have lost to injury.
“I can’t just think he has got never ending pockets, he has got to be helped, be backed, but I don’t think we are being backed enough.
“We’re flabbergasted about it. I spoke to (former Lynn manager) Gary Setchell a couple of weeks ago and he said ‘I can’t believe you don’t get 1,800, you’re top of the league’.
“If you go up a division, if you ever go up a division again at this football club, 750 people through the doors would be laughed at.
“And we want to be in the next division. Does the town want to be the next division?
“That’s my question to people.
“We’re delivering.
“I walked every street in this town in the last two weeks, every street in that town centre.
“And I’ve looked and there is no representation of this football club in that town, in sport shops, in charity shops, in hotels, in bars and restaurants.
“Not a one.
“And I’m telling you, I’ve walked every single road and cobbled street.
“I walked three and a half miles last week and four miles this morning and I don’t see representation of us in that town.
“And I don’t understand that, I really don’t, because what we’ve given them this season and the last couple of months last season, is staff and players who are giving everything they’ve got.
“We don’t come from here, we come from a long way away to do the job and we’ve given everything we’ve got and we want to be backed.
“Don’t get me wrong, the people who come every week and the lads and the lasses who travel, can’t knock that.
“But the town came 4,200 strong for Stevenage (in the FA Cup), less about 300 of them.
“But that’s all the glitz and glamour games.
“We need it the town behind us between now and the end of the season and I’d urge them to pack the place out because we’d be better with more people in, without a shadow of a doubt.
“I think we’ve had 17 games at home and we’ve only not won about four or five of them.
“That’s a hell of a record far as I’m concerned, it’s not to be sniffed up, and if we have that form pro rata between now and the end the season we won’t be far away because our away form isn’t bad.”
He finished by talking about his interaction with unhappy fan(s) at the game, saying: “I get it, you get one or two people who obviously know more than I do.
“So they want me to do things that they want to do rather than what we’ve done all season.
“But I think to start lambasting individual players into my ear is a little harsh.
“I think we’ve earned the right to have a bad game or to have a bad result, now and again at home.
“We stand up to anybody not just in this division, in any division, with our home form this season so they haven’t had too much to want to moan about and if a half of football or a losing of a game is that, then I suggest that person doesn’t come back.“
Five months ago, Tommy Widdrington also expressed confusion at the low turnout in fans: “They’re a good set of lads and they want to do well for the club and for the town and because they are doing what they are doing I’d like to think people are going to come out and watch us.
“I just don’t understand – we are at the top of a league which is one away from the National League which is viewed as the fifth professional level, and we’re a big town. There are enough people in it.”
He added he knew Norwich were the biggest club in Norfolk, before hinting he’s like to see them at King’s Lynn matches [back then mainly talked about the FA Cup fixture against Alvechurch] if the Championship outfit were away from home.
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This is what fans said online as the King’s Lynn Town manager is left baffled again by the low attendances and makes a plea to the local public…
@AlexVenthem: The price perhaps?
@Stephen99996625: 3 home games in a week ain’t cheap maybe ?
@BuntingsWorld: You can blame the fans but surely have to question the marketing of the club… Core of fans, 7-800, will always show. If you want 1000+ you got to get them! Been like that for 30+ years that I’ve known. Winning games on its own isn’t enough in this town…
@joneyvegas: To be fair the walks is run down toilets are a state I take my lad to most home games and this Tuesday he said no I asked why and his reply was it the people vaping makes him cough he’s 9 years old don’t mater where you stand it’s bad we have sat in stands and they vape there. I am a season ticket holder and so is he but it’s very questionable if this will happen again, I love the club but things need to change
@simonkpowell: For the last 3 months I’ve been going national league south they charge anything from £12 online to £17 and get over 1100 and bars are packed before and after games and most are full time
@Sam_Ireson: The club has to get posters out advertising the game. Advertising board at the QE roundabout or one on the Hardwick. Give posters to local shops in the town. There has to be more physical advertising on top of social media posts.
@scott35627373: It looks like most non-league clubs struggle to get as many as they do on a Saturday, especially in the depths of winter. People have also got a lot less disposable cash at the moment. And Lynn will never be the football hot bed you thought it would be.
@OllieKeable95: Promotion of the games seems to be down to, hopefully with Travis coming in and knowing the work he does this will help improve the gates, on the pitch talks for itself of the pitch needs to back it ☺️
@Lordmilsom85: Maybe a fans forum needs to be organised to see what the fans want
@linnet1976: £51 a lot for some people for 3 games in a week. I already had Buxton ticket from postponed game otherwise, and I hate to say it, I would have had to consider missing 1 of the games. I don’t personally feel season tickets are cost effective.
@LillieB1: I know there are plenty of business that support each other in town, especially the vancouver center or small businesses ….is it worth approaching them to see if they can share promotions on their social media? Or displaying posters with fixture lists?
@GavinCaney: It mainly has to be the cost of living. I’d say 500-600 skipped last night to afford Fylde next week. Inconsistent levels of promotion don’t help. You will have turned some people off by being outspoken. A lack of local players. Lynn have always had ‘funny’ support. I would say…
@GeneralWynne: Well done to the 700 loyal and constant fans, for turning out a third time in basically a week, on a freezing cold Tuesday night. Many straight from work and no grub!! 👊👍👊
@Dansuckling9: Massive game coming up against fylde chance to drop it, give it another shot and pack the place, it’s a horrible place to come with a big crowd in get it advertised everywhere and give it a shot
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