Ambitious Chesterfield chiefs hope to replicate 'Newcastle United effect' at Spireites

The Magpies are supported by 52,000 passionate and loyal fans at St James’ Park every week and attendances have remained impressively high in the past even when they have fallen on hard times.

Going to watch Newcastle is often said to be a ‘religion’ to the people in the north east of the country. It is what the majority of people in that area look forward to every weekend and that is what they spend most of their hard-earned money on.

Although the two clubs are worlds apart in pretty much every department, the emotional connection of the Newcastle fans is something Chesterfield hope to replicate on a smaller scale.

The Blues’ fanbase is growing, with the club getting bigger attendances in the National League than what they were 10 years ago in League One. And since returning to the EFL they have been averaging crowds of about 8,500, including away fans, and the aim is to increase attendances to 9,000 on a regular basis.

To do that the clubs want to make coming to watch Chesterfield the best big thing to do on a Saturday, no matter how they performing, and make it part of people’s routine.

Chairman Ashley Kirk said: “To me, it is about the town. It is trying to get something akin, and we are getting there, it is something akin to the Newcastle effect. If you are from Chesterfield, if you you are born in Chesterfield, you support Chesterfield, you go to the game. It doesn’t matter, in Newcastle’s case, whether you are in the Premier League or League Two. We need to sell that emotion of the club and the town.

"We are always going to get people grumbling but we have undoubtedly taken the club from a place where it was struggling for crowds relatively to where we are now where we are getting 7,500-8,000 home fans in, sometimes 9,000 home fans in, and we want to get it to a point where we are virtually always getting 9,000 home fans in. But they have got to be able to cope with disappointment and only by selling the fact we are all Chesterfield, we are all in it come rain or shine, and that is a long process.”

Mr Kirk revealed that they believe the ‘appetite’ is there, explaining they sold out their 2,000 allocation for this month’s trip to Notts County in just eight minutes, while revealing that they have plans in place and upcoming talks with the council as to how they can achieve their target.

He added: "It’s that ‘what do we do on a Saturday?’ And the answer being ‘we are doing down to the SMH, that is what we do as a town’.”

The dedicated work of the community trust is reaping rewards, chief executive John Croot said, with kids who they first engaged with many years ago now young adults and season ticket holders themselves.

Croot: “To get 8,000 regularly is unbelievable from where we were five years ago. I think the foundations are in place, it has not been a quick fix, I think the community trust has played a massive part. It is no coincidence that attendances have grown with the community trust growing.”