JETS defender Jordan Elsey remembers the atmosphere when he travelled to Newcastle with Adelaide United before the COVID-19 pandemic and was greeted by crowds of 10,000-plus at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The role that the Newcastle faithful played in the Jets' ride to the grand final in 2018 has never been under-stated. Home attendances that season averaged more than 12,000, highlighted by a "full-house" of 29,410 for the controversial 1-0 loss Melbourne Victory in the grand final.
After two COVID-impacted seasons in which support waned, the Jets take the first step towards re-engaging their fan base when they host Perth Glory at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
A strong band of supporters braved extreme weather conditions to travel to Central Coast Stadium last Saturday for round one, only for the derby to be washed out.
Elsey is hoping those hearty souls turn out at home on Saturday and bring plenty of mates with them.
"This first home game is very important for us as a whole club," said Elsey, who is in his second season with the Jets. "Results put bums on seats."
As well as build a competitive roster under Arthur Papas, Jets management have rolled out initiatives to attract fans, especially families, back to Turton Road.
"We are excited about our first game now being a home game," executive chairman Shane Mattiske said. "We are hoping for a really strong crowd. There is real confidence about this team. We know they play attractive football. We have some great new players and it will be the first time for our fans to see these players compete.
"Our membership is strong but we need to continue to grow membership. This is our first opportunity to step forward with our big focus on families and getting the football community together."
The Jets are on track to surpass 6000 members by kick-off on Saturday.
A fine day and healthy walk-up crowd should take the attendance beyond the 6,424 on hand for the first home game last season - a 2-1 loss to the Mariners.
COVID-19 has hit the Jets hard in the past two seasons. The average attendance at McDonald Jones Stadium last season was 4843, around half the 9070 that came through the turnstiles each home game in the 2018-19 season - before the pandemic struck.
Crowds across the league fell off a cliff due mainly to ad hoc scheduling, midweek games and caution in the community regarding large gatherings.
The average gate across the league last season was 5,602. Melbourne Victory were the biggest drawers, with an average of 9,893. Champions Western United attracted 3616 fans at home, more than only Macarthur (3,118).
It's not a co-incidence that two of Jets' three biggest crowd-drawing campaigns were their most successful.
In the 2007-08 championship season an average of 14,176 turned out at home. In 2017-18 the average was 12,560.
It will take time - and a winning run - to return to those figures.
The average crowd for the A-League in round one was 11,034, bolstered by the 21,840 for the "Big Blue" between Sydney FC and Victory at Allianz Stadium.
Now that the worst of COVID-19 appears over, the Jets are working hard to win the fans back.
They have introduced a "kids go free" promotion and there will be a host of entertainment for younger fans.
"There are a lot of activities for kids to engage in both outside the stadium and at the ground," Mattiske said.
"We will be releasing our new player trading cards. Every kid who comes to the game will receive two player cards. That is part of a series that will unfold through the course of the season. Kids will be able to collect them.
"The other celebration will be the success of our academy teams. The players will be there and we will celebrate the four grand final victories against teams from Sydney.
"The weather forecast is good. The impacts of COVID are behind us. We are looking forward to having a great turnout and presenting a team we know will compete strongly in this competition."
