In Attendance: Part II (The Atmosphere Edition)

This article was inspired by Col’s recent The Good, The Bad and The Ugly review of Bromley’s FA Trophy tie with Aveley. In his Ugly section, Col spoke about the lack of atmosphere at the game, linked to a poor uptake of full-priced tickets.

“Visitors to Hayes Lane on Saturday would have noticed that the ground was much quieter than usual. Cup games can be wonderfully atmospheric when both teams are going at it in front of a packed house. But a half-empty ground rarely inspires great football, which only adds to fans’ sense of feeling short-changed.”

I wrote an article in September 2023 that viewed Bromley’s attendance fluctuations through the very personal lens of my hometown club, Raith Rovers. Col’s observation about the Aveley game challenged me to delve a little deeper into the debate.