I-Follow & City:The Future or The end of the Away Day?

So maybe the compromise is that the home club can only take income from ifollow sales equal to what their away capacity is.

 

Ifollow has existed for several seasons for use outside of the UK. There have always been ways round the geographical restrictions. Ie. Using a VPN etc etc but to make it widely available to all will harm the game in my opinion.

 

But that's a different point. Of course professional sport wouldn't survive long term without fans. But no one's suggesting that, are they?
LoyalBantam stated that football without fans is pointless and I pointed out that's not true, because people are still following and watching it.

EDIT Actually, I'm not even sure that's true. There are millions of armchair fans all around the world who only follow their chosen clubs via TV. It's clearly not pointless to them, even though they rarely if ever set foot in their 'home' stadium. In the 70s, before I moved to Bradford, I went to every home game at Upton Park. I haven't been to a live WHU game for decades but I still follow them avidly via the TV.

Allowing iFollow for home fans, once crowds are back, would obviously be a stupid idea. But I think it would have minimal impact on away attendances. The minority of supporters who go to away games fall into two main groups - 1. the hardcore fans who go to every game and 2. those who like to go to a few away games per season, either because they have family or friends in the home club's area or because it's near enough to travel and they fancy the craic. I believe that allowing iFollow coverage for away games would have little or no impact on either of those groups' attendance at away games. The hard core are the hard core and will go come hell or high water. The 'few games a season' types, such as me, are still going go away to those within easy reach and those that can be combined with visiting friends and family. I don't see another set of away fans that is going to be deterred because it's live on iFollow.
Going away is about the craic. There's nothing quite like being in a packed away end with fellow City nuts cheering on your team. Watching on iFollow can't replace that. TBH when I'm watching games on iFollow I hardly notice the absence of a crowd. Viewing on TV is purely about what is happening on the pitch. Going away is about so much more than that and for the small minority of fans who choose to go to away games, it will never replace it. But having iFollow for all away games would mean that people can watch the away games that they wouldn't have gone to anyway, rather than just listening on the radio, and provide additional revenue to clubs while doing so.

 

I disagree I think it would definitely have an effect on away followings that’s why the smaller clubs won’t agree to it

 

I'm interested in your reasoning. Which sort of away fans do you think will be deterred from going?

 

On a cold winters day many fans will be tempted to swap a possible difficult journey for the comfort of their own tv. I appreciate some will always travel but others will take the easy option

 

I definitely fall into that category.
Used to travel to every away game years ago.
Circumstances changed and attend only a few now.
Watched every away game this season and would definitely do the same next season if it’s made available.
It’s an absolute no-brainer for me.

 

Only going by my own thoughts I come to every home game a round trip of 160 miles I actually dread the journey back on a cold winters night and would be tempted to watch on line. I think there would be a lot who would do the same for away matches

 

You are basing your thoughts on your experience of travelling to home games though. The majority of people going to home games do not have to travel the distance you do (and I take my hat off to you that in normal times, you do that on a regular basis). Away games are a completely different kettle of fish - a much smaller percentage of fans travel to away games than go to home games, that has always been the case and won't ever change for a multitude of reasons that have already been covered on this thread. However, there are many fans that would pay to watch away games at home if they could, and they are fans that would never have travelled to the away game in person in the first place. It's about tapping into that potential that is clearly there, and that is why Ryan is keen for for offer of ifollow to continue to be available.

 

Without going through all your points I have watched every match on I player this season before that I watched it once a Tuesday night when the weather was bad. I pick and choose away games these days after years of travelling up and down the country.
Exeter Cheltenham and Newport are examples where some (not the most committed ) might decide to watch online. Nearer examples like Oldham or Bolton most people who would travel but a few wouldn’t which is why smaller clubs won’t want this adopted

 

If we are going to ensure we live in a Covid-secure world we need to allow iFollow for those who don’t want to take the risk travelling to areas where cases may be higher or who don’t want risk spreading the virus.

A much safer option is just watching from home going forward.

 

iFollow is the future, Just needs improving on camera and content, Now the box has been opened it will not go back, Make no mistake the big clubs are watching with interest and it may replace Sky and BT at some stage and bring televised football back in the hands of the game

 

What I find strange is that when I'm watching Ifollow I think, 'Oh good, we've scored', whereas if I was in the ground I'd be jumping up and shouting myself hoarse.