The whole experience of attending football has changed in many ways but for most of us it's mainly down to getting older. Those mates of old have drifted away, found other interests, moved away with work, became bogged down with partners and children, can't justify spending on football etc.
The worrying trend is the apparent lack of interest from many of the younger generations but then these youngsters have so much else to do in life compared to say the 70's or 80's or even 90's.
Believe me, when your family home had no central heating, no home phone, 1 small TV in the corner dominated by your father with 4 channels on it, no computer, no computer games etc you couldn't wait to go out and see your mates and do other stuff. These days { my kids included} have a life of luxury by comparison and through various pieces of technology they don't have to leave their cosy bedrooms to hook up with friends !
Some very good points there.
When we were young there wasn't much on TV and if we weren't going out to a football match, we were out playing football with our mates. We used to go out and play football just about every single day.
What is needed now I feel is a match day experience, akin to what they do in the US. Don't make it just about the game, make the day an occasion.
If you go into most stadiums in the US there is so much going on. I recall going to a baseball game in Denver and was amazed at all the stuff they had in the malls inside the stadium, shops, restaurants, bars, games, video game machines, baseball pitching machines etc. etc.
The stadium was about 3/4 full, but inside the malls, it was chock a block, even when the game was going on. Whole families attending and maybe the dad and son watching the actual game and younger siblings and mums and sisters inside the mall in a restaurant or shop.
A match day experience.
If we need to keep fans going up and interested I think there needs to be a change in thinking. I think more covered, bowl stadiums may be a way to go too. For a winter game you come out of your warm house, out into the cold only to then sit in a cold stadium for 2 hours.