Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson hopes a new ticket initiative aiming to boost Huish Park attendances beyond 5,000 will attract a new generation of fans.
The Glovers this morning revealed details of Target 5 on their official website and in the Western Gazette. The initiative promises incentives for season ticket holders, local senior and junior football club members, schools and corporate groups as the club bids to add almost 1,000 people to their current average gate of 4,005.
This season has seen Yeovil register their two lowest Football League crowds since promotion in 2003, with numbers last breaking 4,000 at the start of last month.
Target 5 will first be rolled out for Carlisle United's visit to South Somerset on Saturday, November 24, with children that attend the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust development centres and school coaching programmes able to watch the match for free. An accompanying adult can buy a ticket for £10.
Johnson said: "We have to keep fighting, we have to keep competing for their support and it would be great to get more people through the gates.
"I have shown the lads some of our games from when I was here before so they know what we have got in our minds and it shows the big crowds the games here had.
"They were very noisy, supportive and up for it and it creates such a good atmosphere. It would be lovely to get back to that.
"But you have to win games and we have to go for the young, enthusiastic supporter. That is the one that like playing football and is in the clubs and schools we are writing to.
"If we can make them feel comfortable an feel part of Yeovil Town then maybe they will be the ones writing letters in 30 years, saying 'I've been supporting the club for 30 years'. If we can entice new support, that's great."
Johnson added Target 5 would not ignore the club's current faithful, saying: "We are not not appreciating the ones here, we appreciate them.
"But the realistic side is that if we don't get the gates then you are not going to be able to aspire to the aspirations of the manager, the player and the club."
See today's Western Gazette for all the news from Huish Park
The Glovers this morning revealed details of Target 5 on their official website and in the Western Gazette. The initiative promises incentives for season ticket holders, local senior and junior football club members, schools and corporate groups as the club bids to add almost 1,000 people to their current average gate of 4,005.
This season has seen Yeovil register their two lowest Football League crowds since promotion in 2003, with numbers last breaking 4,000 at the start of last month.
Target 5 will first be rolled out for Carlisle United's visit to South Somerset on Saturday, November 24, with children that attend the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust development centres and school coaching programmes able to watch the match for free. An accompanying adult can buy a ticket for £10.
Johnson said: "We have to keep fighting, we have to keep competing for their support and it would be great to get more people through the gates.
"I have shown the lads some of our games from when I was here before so they know what we have got in our minds and it shows the big crowds the games here had.
"They were very noisy, supportive and up for it and it creates such a good atmosphere. It would be lovely to get back to that.
"But you have to win games and we have to go for the young, enthusiastic supporter. That is the one that like playing football and is in the clubs and schools we are writing to.
"If we can make them feel comfortable an feel part of Yeovil Town then maybe they will be the ones writing letters in 30 years, saying 'I've been supporting the club for 30 years'. If we can entice new support, that's great."
Johnson added Target 5 would not ignore the club's current faithful, saying: "We are not not appreciating the ones here, we appreciate them.
"But the realistic side is that if we don't get the gates then you are not going to be able to aspire to the aspirations of the manager, the player and the club."
See today's Western Gazette for all the news from Huish Park