Attendance comparison

Biggest growth versus 3-year average:
Charlton Athletic, +5,981, or +42.5%

The Nathan Jones effect 

CAFCTrev said:

2014-15 (our last non-relegation Championship season). 13th overall in the attendance table. 

2025-26. 16th overall in the attendance table.

Thats a decent jump from 14-15, and potentially with more early kick-offs/fixture shenanigans to contend with than that season.

Makes me think that a Charlton team potentially fighting at the top end of the table for playoffs or even better could see another 2-3k on top of the average.

And with so many more matches on tv

We’ll do well to match those numbers next year 
new ground for some of the away travellers 
and no crest of a promotion wave for our fans 

oohaahmortimer said:

We’ll do well to match those numbers next year 
new ground for some of the away travellers 
and no crest of a promotion wave for our fans 

I’m not so sure about that, it’s no longer just about the football and it’s become just as much about the social side of it. Initiatives like the Fans Zone and expanding it this season have taken on a life of their own - personally, I think the club should look into how much bigger they can make that for next season and whether it can be replicated elsewhere, even if not on the same scale to keep as much of that spending with the club.

jimmymelrose said:

Don't want to put a downer on this but the statistics are probably compiled more favourably that 10 years ago.

I do not understand. Could you explain your thinking to those of us who are a bit slow?

jimmymelrose said:

Don't want to put a downer on this but the statistics are probably compiled more favourably that 10 years ago.

Not true . They were manipulated just as bad ten years ago . 

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

QPR, Millwall and Brentford average attendance this season looks to be either side of 17k. Palace looks like it’s around 24k. Our 20k for the season doesn’t look too shabby, more so when you consider we don’t have the PL attraction boost or a promotion chasing season firing up the bandwagon.

All of those would have bigger attendances if their capacity allowed though.

I suspect it’s more likely the capacity at The Valley will be increased long before any of those 3 grounds will be. QPR will have to move. Millwall could increase theirs but I suspect that would only come if they do go up and stay there. Palace have plans that don’t seem to have progressed for ‘years’ and we are now at the stage where it’s probably a big ask to fund them.

it wouldn’t be cheap expanding the capacity at Charlton but we are still at a low point in a rising curve. Averaging 20k this season, particularly when our home form took a dive, is pretty impressive. More importantly, we broke the playoff ‘Jinx/curse’ of being promoted at Wembley and getting relegated straight away. Next season could  now see another big step forward. Ideally levelling up the roof of the East stand so it wraps around from the Upper North and filling that resulting void should be the next stage but I would guess developing the South stand would be a lot cheaper and the less disruptive option for us than expanding the capacity for those other 3 clubs if we do it before we really need it if the curve keeps rising.

We don't even own our stadium, in what world do you think we are going to be expanding it?

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

QPR, Millwall and Brentford average attendance this season looks to be either side of 17k. Palace looks like it’s around 24k. Our 20k for the season doesn’t look too shabby, more so when you consider we don’t have the PL attraction boost or a promotion chasing season firing up the bandwagon.

All of those would have bigger attendances if their capacity allowed though.

I suspect it’s more likely the capacity at The Valley will be increased long before any of those 3 grounds will be. QPR will have to move. Millwall could increase theirs but I suspect that would only come if they do go up and stay there. Palace have plans that don’t seem to have progressed for ‘years’ and we are now at the stage where it’s probably a big ask to fund them.

it wouldn’t be cheap expanding the capacity at Charlton but we are still at a low point in a rising curve. Averaging 20k this season, particularly when our home form took a dive, is pretty impressive. More importantly, we broke the playoff ‘Jinx/curse’ of being promoted at Wembley and getting relegated straight away. Next season could  now see another big step forward. Ideally levelling up the roof of the East stand so it wraps around from the Upper North and filling that resulting void should be the next stage but I would guess developing the South stand would be a lot cheaper and the less disruptive option for us than expanding the capacity for those other 3 clubs if we do it before we really need it if the curve keeps rising.

We don't even own our stadium, in what world do you think we are going to be expanding it?

In the world in which the club owners buy it. Until I read the @Raith_C_Chattonell post above I hadn’t realised that development creep  had got so close to the ground. Now is probably a better time to sort out the ownership of the ground rather than wait until it’s worth considerably more.

Whilst we’re in the championship they’re never going to have a justifiable reason to spend 40M on the stadium financially it’s a massive ask, and would probably cost us championship relegation similar to what have happened to Oxford this year all money goes to stadium none to the squad.

We realistically need the prem income money to be able to afford it 

Crispywood said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

QPR, Millwall and Brentford average attendance this season looks to be either side of 17k. Palace looks like it’s around 24k. Our 20k for the season doesn’t look too shabby, more so when you consider we don’t have the PL attraction boost or a promotion chasing season firing up the bandwagon.

All of those would have bigger attendances if their capacity allowed though.

I suspect it’s more likely the capacity at The Valley will be increased long before any of those 3 grounds will be. QPR will have to move. Millwall could increase theirs but I suspect that would only come if they do go up and stay there. Palace have plans that don’t seem to have progressed for ‘years’ and we are now at the stage where it’s probably a big ask to fund them.

it wouldn’t be cheap expanding the capacity at Charlton but we are still at a low point in a rising curve. Averaging 20k this season, particularly when our home form took a dive, is pretty impressive. More importantly, we broke the playoff ‘Jinx/curse’ of being promoted at Wembley and getting relegated straight away. Next season could  now see another big step forward. Ideally levelling up the roof of the East stand so it wraps around from the Upper North and filling that resulting void should be the next stage but I would guess developing the South stand would be a lot cheaper and the less disruptive option for us than expanding the capacity for those other 3 clubs if we do it before we really need it if the curve keeps rising.

We don't even own our stadium, in what world do you think we are going to be expanding it?

In the world in which the club owners buy it. Until I read the @Raith_C_Chattonell post above I hadn’t realised that development creep  had got so close to the ground. Now is probably a better time to sort out the ownership of the ground rather than wait until it’s worth considerably more.

Whilst we’re in the championship they’re never going to have a justifiable reason to spend 40M on the stadium financially it’s a massive ask, and would probably cost us championship relegation similar to what have happened to Oxford this year all money goes to stadium none to the squad.

We realistically need the prem income money to be able to afford it 

If we wait until we are in the PL then the club probably won’t be able to afford it. This may be the last sweet spot to buy the ground and restart the development that was planned years ago. Easy for me to say because it’s not my money.

if there is development creep getting close then the value of the Valley is only going to go one way, up. I suspect Roland, or his future successors would probably like to put his association with the club behind him, though I may well be wrong on that. Selling the ground back to the ‘club’ is what everyone thinks would be the obvious outcome but I doubt that’s now the only option, it is a performing asset that generates a return, now has a that development creep aspect to it and if the club did return to the PL it will more critical to own and develop it (which will only push the price up further. Buying and developing it now when there looks like an upward curve in the clubs fortunes ahead of us is probably the best time to do it.

Oxford basically neglected a 3 sided stadium for too long and left it too late, that’s why they went down this season. Playing catch up is both more expensive and too late

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Crispywood said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

QPR, Millwall and Brentford average attendance this season looks to be either side of 17k. Palace looks like it’s around 24k. Our 20k for the season doesn’t look too shabby, more so when you consider we don’t have the PL attraction boost or a promotion chasing season firing up the bandwagon.

All of those would have bigger attendances if their capacity allowed though.

I suspect it’s more likely the capacity at The Valley will be increased long before any of those 3 grounds will be. QPR will have to move. Millwall could increase theirs but I suspect that would only come if they do go up and stay there. Palace have plans that don’t seem to have progressed for ‘years’ and we are now at the stage where it’s probably a big ask to fund them.

it wouldn’t be cheap expanding the capacity at Charlton but we are still at a low point in a rising curve. Averaging 20k this season, particularly when our home form took a dive, is pretty impressive. More importantly, we broke the playoff ‘Jinx/curse’ of being promoted at Wembley and getting relegated straight away. Next season could  now see another big step forward. Ideally levelling up the roof of the East stand so it wraps around from the Upper North and filling that resulting void should be the next stage but I would guess developing the South stand would be a lot cheaper and the less disruptive option for us than expanding the capacity for those other 3 clubs if we do it before we really need it if the curve keeps rising.

We don't even own our stadium, in what world do you think we are going to be expanding it?

In the world in which the club owners buy it. Until I read the @Raith_C_Chattonell post above I hadn’t realised that development creep  had got so close to the ground. Now is probably a better time to sort out the ownership of the ground rather than wait until it’s worth considerably more.

Whilst we’re in the championship they’re never going to have a justifiable reason to spend 40M on the stadium financially it’s a massive ask, and would probably cost us championship relegation similar to what have happened to Oxford this year all money goes to stadium none to the squad.

We realistically need the prem income money to be able to afford it 

If we wait until we are in the PL then the club probably won’t be able to afford it. This may be the last sweet spot to buy the ground and restart the development that was planned years ago. Easy for me to say because it’s not my money.

if there is development creep getting close then the value of the Valley is only going to go one way, up. I suspect Roland, or his future successors would probably like to put his association with the club behind him, though I may well be wrong on that. Selling the ground back to the ‘club’ is what everyone thinks would be the obvious outcome but I doubt that’s now the only option, it is a performing asset that generates a return, now has a that development creep aspect to it and if the club did return to the PL it will more critical to own and develop it (which will only push the price up further. Buying and developing it now when there looks like an upward curve in the clubs fortunes ahead of us is probably the best time to do it.

Oxford basically neglected a 3 sided stadium for too long and left it too late, that’s why they went down this season. Playing catch up is both more expensive and too late

We didn't sell out, or even get close to selling out, a single league game this season.

Our owners are not going to spend tens of millions buying the ground off Roland, and then spend even more to redevelop it, until there is an absolute necessity to do so.

Also when you look at Bournemouth, Palace, Brentford and Fulham who all have similar or smaller capacities than us, you could argue if there's even a need to expand if we do get the premier league.

I think we'd have to get up, and then stay there for 2-3 years before anyone deemed an expansion to be necessary.

Bournemouth have been up there for 4 years and only now have decided to expand their ground to 20k.

LargeAddick said:

Crispywood said:

Promotion is worth 150M Sandgaard isn’t suddenly going to up the asking price by 150M and if he does then he’s kidding himself if he thinks he’s getting that. 

He’s going to get desperate at some point because promotion to the premier league is the only way he’s ever going to get the 40M and make his money back would be his only chance of ever being rid of us 

What's Sandgaard got to do with it? The ground is owned by Duchatelet.

Yep had a moment