Grim at Castle Grim?
By BrianC
June 28 2006
As the season developed it became apparent that Gloucester's gates were down on last season. This against a background of rugby crowds being generally up and despite the fact that they have performed better on field this season than in 04/05.
| Season | Average Att. | Position (Out of) |
Final GP Position | Percentage Growth |
| 97-98 | 7588 | 3rd(11) | 7th(12) | |
| 98-99 | 6077 | 5th(10) | 10th(14) | -19.9% |
| 99-00 | 6820 | 5th(11) | 3rd(12) | 12.2% |
| 00-01 | 6874 | 5th(12) | 7th(12) | 0.8% |
| 01-02 | 9095 | 3rd(12) | 3rd(12) | 32.3% |
| 02-03 | 9544 | 4th(12) | 1st(12) | 4.9% |
| 03-04 | 10232 | 4th(12) | 4th(12) | 7.2% |
| 04-05 | 11909 | 2nd(12) | 6th(12) | 16.4% |
| 05-06 | 11573 | 3rd(12) | 5th(12) | -2.8% |
To try to ascertain why this was so I sought help from a Gloucester supporter. There are a number of reasons behind this fall off but it appears the main one is substantial ticket price hikes. There are lessons for every club here. Last season prices for a spot in the Shed jumped from £170 to £200 pounds. Other ticket prices also rose in line with this. Kids season tickets are still amongst the best value in the land at £40 or thereabouts, but considering they were free about five years ago and only a tenner as recently as two or three seasons ago they too have risen considerably.
This price rise corresponded with a, by recent Gloucester standards, awful second half to the 04/05 season when, to quote one of my contacts "We played some of the most inept rugby in living memory and consequently missed HC rugby for the 05/06 season." Fellow London Irish supporters reading this may well feel some empathy here.
Further complaints were that recruitment over the summer was poor, in
particular in that they lost local boys such as Fortey to Wooster and that the
facilities at Kingsholm are poor. "In order to get a decent spot on the terraces, especially if you take kids, means being at the ground increasingly early. An hour
and a half prior to kick off is very much the norm. Kids and a ninety minute wait don’t really mix unless you are buying burgers, etc
etc."
Tom Walkinshaw, the money man behind Gloucester RFC is apparently also coming in
for some negative feeling from regular attendees. "We were informed during one of his pitchside serenades that CG was to be redeveloped over the close season with the construction of a new stand to run the full length of the pitch to replace the old grandstand. Within a matter of weeks this ‘promise’ was quickly revealed to be a sham. We are still awaiting news of the development
and ain’t holding our collective breaths."
| Variation '97-'06 | 153% | 7th(13) |
| Crowd Growth Absolute | 3984 | 5th(16) |
| Average Growth | 6.4% |
There is also a feeling that shirt and, in particular particular, badge changes were crassly brought in by Tom Walkinshaw and his team over the summer. Subsequent rumours of a rebranding to include some animal (Gloucester Lions being particularly banded about) didn't help. "This has really brought to the fore the tradition versus progress arguments, & naturally for such parochial supporters change is not something we want to see ( for some even if meant we could compete with other clubs for honours)".
In 04/05 Kingsholm saw capacity crowds at six of their eleven home Premiership games. This season there were five. The drop in gates should serve as a warning not just to Gloucester but to all clubs. Leave your customers feeling unloved and they'll drift away. Gloucester have arguably the most committed supporter base in the country yet an apparent hemorrhaging of support has started happening to them. Those in the board room need to ask themselves why.