AFC Fylde

[Roadrunner]

The famous 8v0 would be nice at some point!

times running out so it better be at Lowestoft

[Jonty]

Fylde have been growing as a club on and off the pitch and are probably a step or two further ahead than us when it comes to the structure needed to progress. Their new ground has started, they have their 2020 vision. etc
On the pitch- They came to Holker Street for a pre-season just after we were relegated and Bayliss was struggling to put together a team under embargo's and all sorts. Quite frankly they took us apart - albeit a friendly, but a team that looked like they were going places. Fast forward to now- new rivals going forward I'm sure.

[madplumpy]

The fan base has doubled every season since so why would it stop here? Are all you Barrow fans afraid that you can't compete with a small club like Fylde? No need to slate us because we are simply better run than you are.

Do you truly believe your fanbase has doubled every year? or is it not just a case that you are now playing 'bigger' teams, who travel to away games in greater numbers. Just looking at your home attendances, I recon the away support of just the games against ourselves and Stockport will have added a minimum of 10-12% to your entire seasons average gate. if you analysed the figures correctly, I recon a large chunk of your % increase is actually made up of a bigger away following and not more home supporters.

[Moribund]

How many Barrow fans would have supported a new "start-up" franchise had Barrow AFC gone to the wall at any point over the past 20 years? I don't mean an AFC Barrow phoenix club, just someone chucking money at, say, a club in Askam calling itself AFC Furness...

That's my issue with Fylde, it feels like a new MLS-type franchise, and I doubt very much I'd want to support them if I lived in that area - though it's impossible to say for definite.
On the issue of them being "better run" than Barrow - that's hardly true. Who's chucking £85,000 down the drain on ground improvements for a ground that they're not even gonna be using in 12 months time? Who's building a stadium that won't even be filled after 10 years of league football? It's just a play-thing for a bloke who wants to show a bit of bravado for a while.

No real hatred for Fylde, but for them to give it the Big I Am is a bit embarrassing. It's the same as the lads my age who somehow ended up Chelsea fans despite having never even heard of the likes of Frank LeBoeuf and Dan Petrescu.

[hrb]

...... i live in the fylde and i go to watch them because they try to play football and when it comes off they are good to watch - they've scored more goals than any other team in the division and conceded the least number of goals (only one other team - hearts - has done that i think in all the levels down to this level in england and scotland) - if it all goes wrong eventually i'll do something else on a saturday but i'll have had a few years of watching good football

as for wasting money on the old ground - most of the cost will have been for the new stand which came in sections and will probably be taken down and resold when they move

i said at the start of the season that barrow would win the league and that still seems the most likely outcome, i just find it hard to believe we are seeing fylde playing against teams such as barrow and stockport and possibly many more such teams next season if they get promoted

[Chris Benoit]

I really hope Fylde host Stockport in a league game next season. I would hate to think you could miss out on that.

[Suffolk Blue]

The only thing that Barrow have over Fylde is history. A lot of it. The bulk of which has been painful. But it gives a sense of identity, of continuity and of purpose. Especially for those of us who have watched the club for decades.

Fylde do not have this sense of history for obvious reasons. Both clubs are now dependent upon rich owners and whilst there are many of us that attribute success to other factors, the reality is that money talks. Without it, both clubs would plummet. Whether Fylde would plummet out of existence and whether Barrow would plummet less due having a faithful core support is not really the point.

A lot is made of our "core" support (sleeping giant etc.) and after a 2700 gate on Saturday its easy to bang on about how we took 7000+ to Middlesbrough or Sunderland. However I remember it wasn't too many years ago that 800 turned up to watch us beat Luton 1-0 under Bayliss (many of whom were from Luton) and I can still recall his observations about the fickleness of supporters.

If both Fylde and Barrow are promoted and spend the season in lower mid table (perhaps acceptable to both clubs for the first season) my guess is that the Fylde average gate would be 500-600, the Barrow gate 1000-1200 or thereabouts. 600 additional fans probably generate around £9,000 -£10,000 per game additional revenue or £230,000 in a season. In the old days we would consider this to be a huge amount of additional revenue. My guess is that its probably less than a third of the current average Conference national club budget. So whilst its not irrelevant neither in the face of a wealthy benefactor is it necessarily a serious issue.

[hrb]

............. barrow's problem isn't history of course, it's geography - that's probably the main reason they lost their league status - nowadays they are doing better than the team that replaced them though - i think this has been a good league this season - nobody was certain of beating anybody else - fylde didn't beat hyde in either match but did the double over barrow

could be a good season to get promoted as fc united might be a force to be reckoned with next season as well as all the current front runners and surely stockport county will improve

[barrowfan_chris]

If both Fylde and Barrow are promoted and spend the season in lower mid table (perhaps acceptable to both clubs for the first season) my guess is that the Fylde average gate would be 500-600, the Barrow gate 1000-1200 or thereabouts. 600 additional fans probably generate around £9,000 -£10,000 per game additional revenue or £230,000 in a season. In the old days we would consider this to be a huge amount of additional revenue. My guess is that its probably less than a third of the current average Conference national club budget. So whilst its not irrelevant neither in the face of a wealthy benefactor is it necessarily a serious issue.

No way will we have less than a 1400 average next season if we are mid table. Away attendances will be higher especially if Tranmere and Hartlepool come down from league 2.

[K_BFC]

... No need to slate us because we are simply better run than you are.

Not slating you at all, sorry if it comes over that way. I think it is remarkable what your club has achieved and the fact your are one of the smallest clubs at this level that actually looks capable of gaining promotion to non-leagues top tier is a real talking point. Clubs of Fylde's size rarely if ever make it beyond this level anymore. Money or not your here.

I think your comparing past with present, we are actually very well run. Money helps but you already know that, try running a large club with an old ground with no money which was the case. Many see Fylde and Barrow not well run because of the amount of money being spent, we both know it is investment for the future but others don't see it that way. Just as Fylde's owner is building a new ground for Fylde's future, Barrow's owner is re-building our ground and adding additional facilities to increase the clubs revenue. Not much difference there.

... The fan base has doubled every season since so why would it stop here? ...

I've not seen attendance figures for previous seasons but they have not doubled this year and you have had a lot of away fans visit your ground which will have increased the figures with a number of bumper crowds.

... and also out played you twice this season. ...

As for out playing us , all points are relative and subjective. You've got some good players but 2 narrow victories in which Fylde hung on to the points, I think would be more accurate. You played Barrow at the right time, we had 4 first choice players missing and carried a 5th for the first 45minutes at your place with a foot injury. We had a legitimate goal ruled out at your place and you won on a penalty to win it, some excellent and last ditch back to the wall defending with a bit of luck helped Fylde to 3 points that day. In the 2nd game at Holker St our keeper handed you the lead, your keeper kept us out that was the difference. Won both games and still behind.

Wish you well for future promotions (just not automatic this time out )I think you'll go up at least another level. Sadly the level we are at now is really the last level of the real non-league. The league above is full of a lot of recent ex-league sides all bitter about their lot, with fans that still think they are league sides. Many will show little respect and won't acknowledge the achievements of small clubs. You loose to one and they may be magnanimous in victory but if they loose it won't be because of anything your team did . People think Fylde and Barrow are paying over the odds for players, wait till your in the National League, you have to keep spending in just to stand a chance of staying there. Every season other clubs will poach your players for ridiculous wages if you don't keep up, we couldn't keep pace last time. Hope you roll a few of them over on your travels.

[bigmac95]

Think it'll all end in tears for Fylde, never want to see a club go out of business but i can't see how its sustainable in the long term!

[TheDarkLord]

AFC Fylde aren't a new club, they were originally Kirkham & Wesham FC who the season before the name change won the FA Vase. Kirkham & Wesham has been around for years and its only now a local business man who has interest in the local area has taken over that AFC Fylde have started to progress.

AFC Fylde haven't thrown money at anything... the club isn't over paying players, and the stability of the club is looking sound. However I do accept the points that the Conference is another step up. We may struggle in the next division, but there is money to spend should we need it. I'm sure everyone said the same about Fleetwood Town, but Fylde are here and here to stay, whether you bigger clubs like it or not...

[The Tomahawk Kid]

The only thing that Barrow have over Fylde is history. A lot of it. The bulk of which has been painful. But it gives a sense of identity, of continuity and of purpose. Especially for those of us who have watched the club for decades.

Fylde do not have this sense of history for obvious reasons. Both clubs are now dependent upon rich owners and whilst there are many of us that attribute success to other factors, the reality is that money talks. Without it, both clubs would plummet. Whether Fylde would plummet out of existence and whether Barrow would plummet less due having a faithful core support is not really the point.

A lot is made of our "core" support (sleeping giant etc.) and after a 2700 gate on Saturday its easy to bang on about how we took 7000+ to Middlesbrough or Sunderland. However I remember it wasn't too many years ago that 800 turned up to watch us beat Luton 1-0 under Bayliss (many of whom were from Luton) and I can still recall his observations about the fickleness of supporters.

If both Fylde and Barrow are promoted and spend the season in lower mid table (perhaps acceptable to both clubs for the first season) my guess is that the Fylde average gate would be 500-600, the Barrow gate 1000-1200 or thereabouts. 600 additional fans probably generate around £9,000 -£10,000 per game additional revenue or £230,000 in a season. In the old days we would consider this to be a huge amount of additional revenue. My guess is that its probably less than a third of the current average Conference national club budget. So whilst its not irrelevant neither in the face of a wealthy benefactor is it necessarily a serious issue.

I remember it wasn't too many years ago when we used to attract home gates of 4-5,000. Okay; it was our Football League daze but it goes to show that a successful Conference/League Club in Barrow might still attract 2-3,000 regularly for home games. I know of a few people who used to attend in the 70s who have said that they would return if the club returned to the Football League. And I bet there are others who have heard the same thing from their friends, work colleagues, etc.

Getting back to the topic of this thread - after having read through the comments from Fylde fans - memories of a certain club, who are now lanquishing in obscurity, spring to mind. Their fans proclaimed that they were destined for glory c/o a director who also had more money than sense.
Poor old Kettering.

[spirit of 1990]

AFC Fylde aren't a new club, they were originally Kirkham & Wesham

So AFC Fylde are a new club!

AFC Fylde haven't thrown money at anything

Don't talk ridiculous, of course your throwing money at it, do you think them players came to Fylde for the sights, and sea breeze?

the stability of the club is looking sound

It will look sound so long as DH isn't attracted back to Blackpool (his first choice team) Your first team and bench players wage bill must be near that of Barrow's but you have to have rely on larger amounts of money falling out of Haythornthwaite's wallet due mainly to the size gates you get, and will probably get for the foreseeable future.
If (if) you get promoted and struggle, seriously, how many of these new fans that have been following your quick promotions will stick by your club? they'll drop like flies.

[mickycarrol]

Colne Dynamoes