Just noticed it’s only a fiver for the Salford game, hopefully get a big crowd in for that.

Maybe around the 5000 mark

They'd have to pay me much more than a fiver to watch a game in this devalued competition.

Kairdiff Exile wrote:They'd have to pay me much more than a fiver to watch a game in this devalued competition.

Each to their own.

So you wont be joining us all at Wembley then.

Great entertainment throughout the rounds for peanuts

I've not been to any of the other games in this competition but I shall certainly be there next Weds and definitely at our 2nd home in London if we win.

The football I've seen so far in this comp has been better than FL

I haven't attended any matches in this season's competition, but will make the effort this time. It's not the five pound ticket that makes the difference. A shot at another Wembley appearance is the attraction. If we get a crowd close to a league attendance (3000+) then that surely gives the team a better lift to complete the task. I hope those with Sky TV, living in the Newport area, make an effort to get to the match.

Frank Nouble 3 wrote:

Kairdiff Exile wrote:They'd have to pay me much more than a fiver to watch a game in this devalued competition.

So you wont be joining us all at Wembley then.

Nope. A boycott is a boycott, and a man's gotta have his principles.

I don't begrudge those fans who would go to Wembley if we got there - I blame the Football League for putting fans in such an invidious position in the first place. It's mad that a competition organiser can't see that fans opting to miss a Wembley final is a damning indictment of the format they've chosen.

Incidentally, I thought David Squires' cartoon this week perfectly encapsulated the depths to which the Football League have sunk in its craven, toothless capitulation to the avarice of Premiership clubs. See panel below.

Kairdiff Exile wrote: It's mad that a competition organiser can't see that fans opting to miss a Wembley final is a damning indictment of the format they've chosen.

Maybe like last season? Just over 85,000. The year before? 41,000. The year before that 74,000.

County v Tranmere? 25,000.

GSB, you can prove anything with statistics. I'm not disputing the figures you've highlighted, but the Football League have been fortunate in recent years that the clubs making the final have had relatively big followings. If this year's final was Newport v Tranmere, I'd wager it'd attract fewer fans than the playoff final did last year.

It's also worth looking at the overall attendance figures for the competition which show a year-on-year decrease in support. Premiership teams are covering the losses incurred by lower-league clubs hosting poorly-attended games; you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to conclude that they're not doing so out of sheer altruism.

All of which is besides the point I was making - if even one fan boycotts a Wembley final because of how the Football League have mismanaged this competition, that should worry the competition organiser.

Kairdiff - you're the one who brought boycotting Wembley into it and the point doesn't stand any scrutiny. The 41,000 gate was Lincoln v Shrewsbury. If Pompey and Sunderland fans felt strongly, 85,000 wouldn't have shown up.

It would stand some research into comparative gates for the final before and after the U21 teams were allowed in. Were they bigger?

All about opinions. I will be there next Weds and taking about 20 kids from my local junior club plus their parents and siblings.

I happen to agree with the format of this competition and particularly because it gives the country's best young players an opportunity to play real football and not just academy games. It gives players and fans of lower league teams a better chance of a trip to Wembley than is offered in the other cups. I've been to two finals already and hope to get there again with County.

Just out of curiosity, is the final allowed to be a cut price offer? I assume it's at a price set by the EFL and not open to negotiation.

The football in this competition has been a joy to watch, much better than the kick and rush of league two, you carry in with your b team boycot, league three would never happen anyway

I haven’t been to a cup game this season, mainly because the 7pm kick ofF time would be a bit of a mad rush mid week.

The 7:45 time, fiver ticket and chance of Wembley makes it a more attractive option.

Are the prices set by the EFL or the clubs? Does anyone else think £5 is a bit too cheap?