The home attendance seems to be down a little but Im like uvacavs1 I think it has a lot to do with the competition. There were around 15 people in the visitor stands against Rapp county and I think someone counted 23 against Franklin.
Sussex vs. The Bully of 1A
- Thread starter TIGER...NATION
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Like fencepatrol said its a little down on the home side but the visiting side is much lower so overall I think the gate is just slightly off from what we had seen for the past 15+ years. There may be some validity in the competition angle since the away game with Stuarts Draft had a fairly large contingent of Gladiator faithful there and it was a closer game than the score indicated. Another issue if you will is that we do not play as many geographic rivals as we could for whatever reason which would likely at least give the casual fan an opportunity to attend. The reality of having to schedule teams from the Neck is that neither gate will be what it could be if a team within say an hour or so was in the rotation. It was just something we talked about on the fence last Friday that for a home playoff game, there were not as many people there as in the past.
Sussex fans usually travel very well when the money is on the line , if the game was Saturday I would expect a massive turnout. I expect at least 100 fans for Friday.
In SWva -- there are 100 people waiting at the concession stand at all times...…..
Go to a richlands game if you want to see a legit crowd on both sides typically.
Go to a richlands game if you want to see a legit crowd on both sides typically.
From what I have seen this year attendance is down all over. The playoff games have been low attendance for sure, especially the visiting side. We had 12 on the visiting side first round. Even The GW game during the regular season 30 minutes apart was a small crowd for such a big game.
I personally think social media coverage has impacted attendance more than some may want to admit. While it is wonderful to have that kind of access, I think it has contributed to people staying at home and just checking for updates. I enjoy attending the Riverheads game and having that ability to listen to or follow another game that is of interest to me. Plus with schools struggling to field a team in some cases, the competition level is not where it was in years past. That is not to diminish what any of these teams do but we all know this to be the case or we would not have Class 5 schools cancelling seasons.
I thought it was a very good Riverheads crowd Friday night the hill was full and 2/3 deep at track
I love to attend the games, I try to feel the pulse , energy, and all the great emotions the game provides. I enjoy the chess match between the coaches
By no means am I blaming Riverheads but I stated last year and this year , if the handful teams remaining in 1A can’t raise the level of play and end Riverheads run, Riverheads will success will make 1A boring and not competitive, causing lost of interest in football. We are nearing this point folks.
I think the combination of weather and the expected competitiveness of the game on any given night are the major factors in attendance. I personally thought Riverheads had an amazing crowd at Stuarts Draft but it was because of the expected closeness and importance of the game. Granted some of their home crowds have not been what we are accustomed to, but Riverheads has always been a place where some of the adults come to socialize and some of the kids come to run around and play. I have actually on more than one occasion heard a kid ask an adult on the way out "Did we win?" when the scoreboard would still be on and the crowd noise should have been an indication.
