Which one of these statements best describes your position regarding the current situation? Percentage agreeing I am completely fed up and am no longer interested in CCFC 7% I am paying to go inside Sixfields 8% I am boycotting Sixfields but am going to Jimmy's Hill and/or away games 55% I am boycotting all CCFC games 28% I would like to go inside Sixfields but cannot get there or cannot afford it 2%
In terms of the current position with CCFC, the positive finding is that the majority of people boycotting games at Sixfields are still supporting the Sky Blues in other ways such as going to away games or by standing on Jimmy’s Hill. However, the next largest group are those who say they are boycotting all CCFC games and 7% said they are no longer interested in CCFC at all.
The percentage of fans paying to go inside Sixfields (8%) is perhaps under-represented and should possibly be nearer 10% which is reportedly the number of season ticket holders compared with last season, but at the same time only 2% said they would like to go inside Sixfields but cannot get there or cannot afford it. This means there does not appear to be a significant number of fans who might boost attendances at Sixfields if say transport was provided.
Which one of these statements best describes your view of these future scenarios? Percentage agreeing I will never have anything to do with CCFC again 1% I will continue to watch the team wherever home fixtures are played 6% I will only watch home goes if we return to the Ricoh and SISU are no longer owners 29% I will only watch home goes if we return to the Ricoh and I will go even if SISU are still owners 60% CCFC no longer exists for me and I support setting up an AFC/Phoenix club 4%In terms of the future, the poll results make grim reading. The number of people saying they will continue to watch the team wherever home fixtures are played remains a tiny minority at 6% - there is no evidence that the boycott of Northampton will weaken so attendances at Sixfields are likely to remain at or about the current level. More encouragingly, even fewer people say they will no longer have anything to do with CCFC or they consider the Club to be dead and want there to be a new AFC/Phoenix team.
But the most worrying finding in the poll is that even if CCFC return to the Ricoh Arena a significant minority of those who replied, close to 1 in 3, said they will still not attend home games if SISU remain owners. So while attendances at the Ricoh would be far higher than at Sixfields, the Sky Blues could still find themselves playing in front of significantly smaller crowds than last season while SISU remain at the helm. If this poll in any way represents the views of City fans more widely, then there are some positives such as people who are refusing to pay to go inside Sixfields still supporting the team in other ways and very few turning their back on CCFC completely.
On the other hand there is no indication that attendances at Sixfields will increase significantly and what is most worrying is what happens as and when we return to the Ricoh. In reality returning to the Ricoh is very easy: Joy Seppala simply has to say ‘I will accept Gary Hoffman's offer of three years rent free at the Ricoh plus paying all compensation costs at Northampton’, and then ACL-SISU agree to binding arbitration on a longer term deal. What is more difficult is if something like a third of fans still refuse to attend home games while SISU are owners then the future for CCFC, even back at the Ricoh, may prove very tough.
Source: Coventry MAD
Source: FOOTYMAD