Olympic disadvantage

I wrote this post on my own blog last weekend. I had a lot of criticism from West Ham fans but it wasn't a veiled dig at the Hammers, it was more a message to Charlton's non-communicative board. Anyway I will let you make your own minds up:

There has been a lot of recent conjecture about season ticket renewals amongst Addicks. Since the return to The Valley the club has done an excellent job of marketing and pricing season tickets just right in encouraging supporters to commit up front to home games. Much of this loyalty and not insignificant financial undertaking has been due to the bond between fan and board, a bond that no longer exists. Ironically this is all against the backdrop of the best supporter bond between manager and player for many a year.

Last week a couple of news stories made me concerned about the future of our fan base. West Ham's move to the Olympic Stadium was confirmed at significant cost to the local council and the taxpayer and not an awful lot to the club. For example I'd be surprised if the £2m a year in rent even covers the maintenance. Plus the sale of Upton Park will more than pay for the Hammers' outlay of £15m. Gold and Sullivan are not at silly as they look.

The capacity of the stadium will be 54,000 by the time they move in ready for the 2016/17 season, this after an additional £25m is spent by the department of community and local government towards installing a new roof, retractable seats and permanent toilets and catering facilities.

The question I have is how they, West Ham, plan to fill the Olympic Stadium, which will be almost 20,000 larger than the Boleyn Ground.

It is true that pretty much the entire population of Essex call themselves West Ham fans and would help explain the relatively low crowds at Colchester, Southend, Dagenham & Redbridge and of course Leyton Orient. Obviously West Ham don't get 1.3 million attendances (the population of Essex) and very few regulars come from the local area but they have consistently managed 30,000+ for many years, even last season in The Championship.

The majority of staunch Hammers' fans that I know have become lapsed or infrequent visitors to Upton Park owing to children, finances or simply losing the habit, all part of a bigger problem professional clubs are presently facing.

West Ham, who have been a yo-yo club in recent history, hope the move will propel them to the upper end of the Premier League riches. Undoubtedly the 1966 World Cup winners will soon lose their much-vaunted community and local spirit as the days of the Chicken Run come to cessation, but if exploited well the Olympic Stadium will attract a whole new market to call upon.

The financial hub of Canary Wharf is close, linked by an excellent transport system. Gold & Sullivan have suggested up to 5,000 hospitality seats to attract a different type of spectator to what is already proven to be a splendid and iconic event experience.

Gold & Sullivan have also promised cheap tickets to families and school children. These of course may all come from outlying Essex towns and villages and the novelty value will encourage lapsed fans, but where else are these families and kids going to come from?

Well how about the traditional heartland of Gillingham Charlton in North Kent. The fast rail link to Stratford plus a ton of free parking makes the Olympic Stadium almost around the corner. The growth areas of the so called Thames Gateway North Kent, a regenerated Medway and further away in Ashford will be places, that trust me, West Ham will already be considering marketing heavily in. All this coinciding nicely with Addicks' fans disgruntled with their board who have expelled anyone who previously masterminded it's own reach into potential supporter bases further afield and that are not interested in connecting with it's existing customers, let alone new ones.

West Ham's new stadium could prove costly in more than just taxes to Charlton Athletic.