Support
With both Manchester United and Manchester City around 7 miles (11 km) from Edgeley Park, Stockport County have always struggled for local support. During the mid sixties the Football League introduced a minimum admission price for all clubs in all four divisions, attempting to help boost revenue for lower clubs. It had the desired effect only in small towns miles from big city teams. It had the opposite effect in places like Stockport, where people had the choice of paying the same price on Saturday afternoon to stand on the terraces and watch Stockport or to watch Manchester City or Manchester United. Stockport devised a unique solution, moving all their home games to Friday evening kick-offs, which generated larger crowds and extra business in surrounding pubs and restaurants. Even during the 1998–99 season, crowds averaged around 20,000 less than local rivals Manchester City, who were a division below County at the time.
County achieved a notable milestone in 2004, when the club attracted a more than as more than 20,000 crowd for one of its tour matches in China. Both Manchester United and Barcelona achieved less in their subsequent tour matches in the country in the same year. County were watched by 22,000 in Yingkou against their then sister side Stockport Tiger Star whom they beat 4–0; perhaps this high attendance was down to Stockport County's association with their affiliate team, and Tiger Stars' name change to include 'Stockport' two years previously.
Although the club has had great misfortunes on the pitch from 2000–01 onwards, crowds have continued to be rather healthy. In fact, during the 2005–06 season home attendances (that is, given attendances minus away support) increased slightly on the season before, helped by a 10,006 crowd against Carlisle on the final day of that season; this game in particular attracted such a high crowd as the town of Stockport fully got behind its team at Edgeley Park, because had County lost that particular game, they would have been relegated for the second successive season, and more significantly would have been relegated from the Football League for the first time ever, as County have competed continuously in the Football League since 1900. County eventually drew the game with Carlisle, and survived the drop, while Carlisle themselves gained the league championship.
The 2006–07 season saw the club average the fourth highest average attendance in League Two, and was the highest average since the club's last season in the First Division.
The 2007–08 season saw a further increase in attendance. Away support increased in recent seasons, due to a combination of lower ticket prices, improved results and the close proximity of sides such as Bury, Rochdale & Macclesfield Town, with Stockport's away support outnumbering home supporters on a number of occasions. In the 2007–08 season, Stockport County had an average away attendance of over 900; the highest in the league. Only two teams in the league above surpassed this figure.
Stockport County's average attendance for the 2008–09 season in League One was 6,129.
Vocally, the support from Stockport fans has often been cited by managers and players as inspirational and a huge boost to the team during play, with their influence likened to having a twelfth player on the field, and Stockport supporters often receive praise from other players & managers, both at home and away, for their loyal and vocal support.
Between the 2006–07 and 2009–10 seasons the squad number 12 was allocated to the 'Blue & White Army', in reference to the supporters being the team's 12th man on matchdays. However, for the 2010–11 season, the number reverted to one of the players. Stockport fans also have a wide variety of songs, being ranked 6th on FootballChants.org for the number of individual chants.
Stockport County fans are known for singing the club's anthem, "The Scarf My Father Wore", and, similar to Tottenham Hotspur fans, the "Blue & White Army"; in this chant, the supporters sing the manager's name, followed by "blue & white army", as the team play in blue & white. Songs of the Cheadle End – was a CD that a group of Stockport County fans recorded; It contained 46 popular fan chants that spanned over four decades. The CD also contained the club's anthem which was re-recorded in 2011
Some Famous Stockport County fans include BDO Darts Player Tony O'Shea and Singer-songwriter Daz Sampson. Tony writes an article in the club programme every home match and also wears the club colours in all of his televised darts matches. While Daz became a life member of the Stockport County Supporters Trust after he released 'The County Song'; The song pays tribute to Stockport County's football league record of nine consecutive wins without conceding a goal.
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Famous quotes containing the word support:
“What has been the effect of [religious] coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“Surely, ‘tis one step towards acting well, to think worthily of our nature; and as in common life, the way to make a man honest, is, to suppose him so ... so here, to set some value upon ourselves, enables us to support the character ... of generosity and virtue.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)
“A clergyman, again, can hardly ever allow himself to look facts fairly in the face. It is his profession to support one side; it is impossible, therefore, for him to make an unbiased examination of the other.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)