You get what you market for.... 7K ain't bad considering: a. it's a weeknight b. they had 3 days notice to promote the game c. few absentee season ticket holders to inflate the count d. the Revs marketing emphasis on group sales to suburbanites who make maybe one or two games a year. These sales contribute heavily to overall ticket sales, but take a lot of lead time and planning by the fans to arrange. Hopefully, this strategy will pay off in the form of more fans who want to see multiple games, and especially playoff games. On the other hand, the 7K who showed up last night didn't sit on their hands, and were arguably much louder than even the near sellout of the season finale against the Metrostars. Last night's crowd was quality.
That and the fact the Revs fired 1/3 of their front office only weeks ago, and the process of transitioning the marketing and sale aspects of the club (handled by many of those staffers) are still being shifted over to the Patriots. Sorry falcon, but you don't have the facts and that mean your observation has exactly zero credibility. The Magpie
There were few butts in the seats last night, but I was very impressed with the full-throatedness from the Fort. The chants seemed louder, more frequent and more clear than usual. Also, someone has been teaching you guys new songs. Good stuff, and the primary reason I sit in the stands to watch the match instead of the press box.
Yeah, and not to mention the fact that you practically have to BEG the Revs to take your money when it comes to buying playoff tickets. Sure, I dindn't mind calling 4 times to get my tickets, but how many other people just didn't bother? The Revs front office should never, ever be turning away people with cash who want to buy tickets. But what do you expect from an organization who sell tickets to the Super Bowl Champion playing in a brand new stadium, tickets that sell themselves. Problem is, the organization (and I'm not talking about the few, competent people we all know and love) is either to stupid or too lazy to understand that it is a lot harder to sell tickets to a fringe sport with a team that until 2 months ago, was always horrible. I fear for the future of this team. Tom
Also, someone has been teaching you guys new songs. We've been doing the same chants all season, although last night the acoustics were finally good enough for the rest of the stadium to hear them. Best analogy I've come up with to describe the Gillette Stadium acoustics: Take a crystal glass, put a little water in it, and run a wet finger around the lip of the glass. The pitch of the sound is resonant, clear, and quite loud. Now take the glass and fill it with considerably more water, running your finger along the lip just like before. The tenor of the pitch is lower, less distinct, not quite as loud, and takes more effort to produce. That's Gillette in a nut-shell: the more people there are in the stadium, the more muddied and less distinct the sound is. The fewer the number of people, the more clear and resonant the sound, and when you have the effort put forth as was the case last night... the end result is something special. The Magpie
Huh? I was telling someone about last night's game and he said, "wow, a playoff game? How did you get tickets?", assuming that tickets were not available, like in the other sports. On WROR yesterday morning I heard the announcer say, "If you don't have tickets to tonight's game, you can catch the game on Fox Sports New England". Excuse me? Add box office people who refuse to sell section 143 tickets to those who have cash in hand, plus a weeknight, plus an overworked ticket force.... How about, "come see the new stadium, the improved Revs, their best playoff showing ever, blah blah blah." Marketing and Sales, 101. Pretty simple. We do all we can to get people to come, but we shouldn't have to do all the promotion. Of course, it's much more fun to recruit people when there are a pile of wins to look back on... -Amy
With all due respect to Evan and Tom, I have to say that last night's attendance was very disappointing. The team barely improved on the Game 1 gate despite having more days to sell tickets, far better weather (at least until the end), almost unprecedented electronic media coverage, and the natural draw of a decisive Game 3. I wasn't expecting 15,000, but 10,000 would have been nice. I'm beginning to think that there are about 7,000-8,000 die-hard, core Revolution fans. That's about what the team has drawn for the last three major, non-regular season matches (Open Cup semis, Game 1 and Game 3 of this series). I fear the major media outlets who have sort of started following this team will see all the empty seats for a playoff game and think to themselves, "Hey, we were right. Not that many people DO care about this stuff!" On the other hand, those who did show up sounded great. I watched the last 15 minutes of the first half from the sixth-level ramp just to the right of the Patriots championship banner, and the "U.S. reject!" chant for Razov came through loud and clear all the way up there.
its a bit hard to feel that the attendance was not "pathetic" in some sense given the facts that dallas pulled 8k and la pulled something like 12 or 14k? last night. however, agreed on the atmosphere. these last 2 games...even the people in my sec (110) have been getting into it. doing the re-vo-lu-tion chant, really laying into the refs last night at the half [how did that sound to you all in the fort btw?]. i even tried to get people into that little nat team jingle you all did (you know, melody punctuated by the NEW! ENG! LAND!)...unfortunately didn't catch on. heard you guys doing "piss on the fire" (nice) and did the old "raaaaaaa-zooooooov" d. strawberry number. kudos to the fort. it was good in the stadium and sounded great on tape too.
Don't overlook the fact that many Revs fans are kids and these past two home games have been during the week (school night). My son, who is 12, would have loved to have been there had it not been for the science test he was having at 8:10 this morning. Also, like all their games, the match was televised, so the sense of urgency is somewhat diminished.
Well, I thought tickets for a Game 3 (or Game 1 of the semis) were on sale after the first win of the Chicago series last Thursday. So they had nearly a week to sell tickets for a second playoff home game. But obviously, no one knew where that game was going to be played until Sunday night, which definitely hurts.
I was also disapointed when I saw the attendance figure. Although the fans did seem to be making a great deal of noise from where I was sitting,.....my couch. It is disapointing considering it was a) such a big match b) at that beautiful stadium on a decent night c) involving a team that has been such a great story New England has supported the Revs well over the past seven years,....and based on their recent success, I just assumed that they would be pulling 15-20K. With all that said, I am pulling for the Revs to reach the final. The local team would create a great environment for the Cup and would be a great story. Also, if the Revs can pull off the improbable,.....I wonder if the Krafts will pay more attention to their 'other' team. Good luck and enjoy.
I have never been to a Rev playoff game where there were more than 10K (give or take). There has never been a Rev playoff game on a weekend. The bulk of Rev attendancem after the 6,000 plus season tix holders, is group and youth sales. Plus a few soccer folk that come now and then. The "great attendance" that the Rev supposedly get has always been due to the amazing work the Revs sales staff has done marketing the game. Like Tom Hill, I really fear for the future with the Pats people in charge. They simply don't know what they are doing and who to talk to about learning, since they sacked a lot of those people. Maybe they will learn on the job but don't count on it. At the same time the team is now great to watch, the level of play is damn good and I wish they could get the old 20/25,000 to see what is currently on offer. I hope they try. Garber has been talking about going to two-legged playoff series, with away goals counting twice and games only on weekends. That should help. The situation we have now is terrible and we are wasting great football as a positive force for the Rev and the league. JIM DOW
I was at both last Thurs and last night's games. Perhaps deluded by the euphoria of the moment, I had thought that last night's crowd was significantly bigger, perhaps twice last week's. There were not the vast empty areas in the main seating areas as in game 1. Leaving the game, I commented how it was great to have the bigger crowd. Anyone else (especially those with a better view from the fort) think there was a bigger difference (than 1000) between the two games?
Last week Thursday, many fans were sitting up under the overhang or standing on the concourse to avoid getting soaked. Last night, those folks were sitting in the visible seats.
Isn't the number just paid attendence because I've been to every game and it looked more like 8,500 than 6'500
I agree wholeheartedly, it IS pathetic that a simple-minded sniveling little rat-faced git like Pigeon6 thinks he can barge in here and slag us off for attendance. Given your cranial capacity and overall level of intelligence, I will type this v-e-r-y slowly so perhaps even you can understand it, although I won't be taking any bets: If the attendance had been, oh, four people, it would have been four more people than you lot had in your crap minor league baseball park with the dirt infield covering half the pitch for your playoffs. Hey, when you see Steve not-so-Jolly, ask him about MLS Cup. If he's a good boy, maybe he can ask his mommie to ring up the ticket office so he can see the match he "guaranteed" you lot would win. Oh and that Nick Sack of Shite is such a prize as well, slagging off his best player. No wonder no one wants to play for your crap side. Even Mama-don't would rather play in Saudi-freakin-Arabia cos the wimmen are hotter and the bars stay open later, it's a better place to raise children, and most of all, the club will actually properly fill out the substitutes card and remember to put the right players on it. Cumon, everybody sing: Let's all laugh at Metro, Let's all laugh at Metro, Let's all laugh at Metro, Let's all laugh at Metro.... Cheers, "Red"
Actually,...what is pathetic is the Metros losing record at Giants Stadium. After watching the Revs at home against the Fire, it is apparent that the Eastern Conference Champions have more repsect for their supporters than Zambrano's version of a three ring circus. Am I jealous? Yes. It is obvious that the Revs come to play at Gillette and feed off the fans enthusiasm. Isn't that the way it is supposed to be? Come on you Revs fans. How about 20K?