Support matters and we need to fill our stadium

[In the box]

On the 29th December 1949 saw the largest ever crowds to watch a full English Football League programme  averaging nearly 30,000 per game over 4 league.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Those set of circumstances leading to those attendances were totally unique.  A  national outpouring of relief and people able to exercise their freedoms following the huge human sacrifices and restrictions of WWII. Football was a symbol of life returning to some form of normality.

Ask yourself, why attendances slowly declined following that period of post war austerity and struggle. Rationing was still in operation post war.

[colincramb]

I think we can average 9/10k this season if we get off to a good start and are up there

[Metalmicky]

On the 29th December 1949 saw the largest ever crowds to watch a full English Football League programme  averaging nearly 30,000 per game over 4 league.

But the average of those figures is under 15k....?

[BobG]

I read that as the average attendance over all 4 leagues was nearly 30k. Div 1 'subsidised' Div 4 sort of thing. Dunno if that's right though!

BobG

[MachoMadness]

I know it had the big main stand at that time but my mind boggles trying to imagine old Belle Vue with that many people in it, never mind the nearly 40,000 that's our record. I only ever knew it as a charming but run down place with loads of barrels in the car park for some reason.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I know it had the big main stand at that time but my mind boggles trying to imagine old Belle Vue with that many people in it, never mind the nearly 40,000 that's our record. I only ever knew it as a charming but run down place with loads of barrels in the car park for some reason.

I was in a crowd of 22,000 as a kid for the cup replay against Liverpool in 1974. That was absolutely rammed. God alone knows how they got 36,000 in there once.

[drfchound]

I was in a similar crowd number for a match against Darlington, which think  that we lost by a goal to nil.

[graingrover]

Many things are so different but one thing I remember that would be a good thing still was the establishment of local supporters’ club groups in all the outlying villages .The common activity amongst those groups was the organisation of transport to and from Belle Vue in co operation with  Blue Line buses , Felix , and that bus company with the flashy green double deckers .The same went for organising transport to easy games ( by train too) now the single domain of Paul Mayfield .

[idler]

I thought that the most  packed that I ever felt was when we lost to   
Burnley 0-4 in the League Cup. We tried to get to our usual spot but couldn’t move from behind the town end goal.

[Juddy]

Idler that game against Burnley was my first ever rovers game as a kid I had never been among so many people nearest to that at that time would have been on Cleethorpes beach

[idler]

Idler that game against Burnley was my first ever rovers game as a kid I had never been among so many people nearest to that at that time would have been on Cleethorpes beach

It was a great atmosphere  Juddy but Andy Lockhead was a class above that night. All pay on the gate as well.

[ravenrover]

Was it Leighton James who was taking the pi$$ in front of the pop stand?

[idler]

Leighton James was later. It could have been Willie Morgan. He was there at that time I think.

[scawsby steve]

I know it had the big main stand at that time but my mind boggles trying to imagine old Belle Vue with that many people in it, never mind the nearly 40,000 that's our record. I only ever knew it as a charming but run down place with loads of barrels in the car park for some reason.

I think you're thinking of the big pop side stand and terrace, MM. The main stand was never that big, and didn't seat that many.

The old Rosso end was big, and reputed to hold about 15000. The pop side probably about the same. Those areas were where most of the big crowds were made up.

As a kid, I was there for the FA Cup 5th round tie against Spurs. There were over 30000 there that day.

[graingrover]

My memories of the times illustrate the contrasts especially about societal context .
.As an eleven  year old I went alone to matches at Belle Vue and had to arrive very early  to get against the perimeter wall to be sure of a view .I got expert at estimating the crowd .I knew that once I could see no more bare  terracing that we had 20.000 in .It happened  quite regularly under the Peter Doherty régime , though he used  to complain we were not well enough supported by Doncaster folk and sure enough we became a selling club and he left ..Gregg was the first to go ..then my hero Bert Tindill  ( the most popular player ) What I remember  vividly was listening to comments from supporters as they left the ground …off to carry on conversations ar the Salutation no doubt .By the time I had walked up to Christ Church bus terminus . kicking a tennis ball all the way and occasionally whirring my wooden red and white rattle ..the Green Un would be on sale with all the days results and at least a report on our match up to half time .The Blind Paper seller Les on the corner opposite Cooplands  no only knew the scorers but how Tindill  was again man of the match (before  such attributes were ever attributed officially by anybody ) .That was before TV brought football into our homes in an homogenised form .I relied on Charles   Buchan monthly magazine tho see which star was to be centre page in colour ..Doherty , Shackleton ,Finney , Mathews …Happy Days ..jeez what feelings thst evokes  though !

[scawsby steve]

My memories of the times illustrate the contrasts especially about societal context .
.As an eleven  year old I went alone to matches at Belle Vue and had to arrive very early  to get against the perimeter wall to be sure of a view .I got expert at estimating the crowd .I knew that once I could see no more bare  terracing that we had 20.000 in .It happened  quite regularly under the Peter Doherty régime , though he used  to complain we were not well enough supported by Doncaster folk and sure enough we became a selling club and he left ..Gregg was the first to go ..then my hero Bert Tindill  ( the most popular player ) What I remember  vividly was listening to comments from supporters as they left the ground …off to carry on conversations ar the Salutation no doubt .By the time I had walked up to Christ Church bus terminus . kicking a tennis ball all the way and occasionally whirring my wooden red and white rattle ..the Green Un would be on sale with all the days results and at least a report on our match up to half time .The Blind Paper seller Les on the corner opposite Cooplands  no only knew the scorers but how Tindill  was again man of the match (before  such attributes were ever attributed officially by anybody ) .That was before TV brought football into our homes in an homogenised form .I relied on Charles   Buchan monthly magazine tho see which star was to be centre page in colour ..Doherty , Shackleton ,Finney , Mathews …Happy Days ..jeez what feelings thst evokes  though !

Bloody hell, Graing, that whole post could have been about me. Every detail in there I experienced.