15,000 Season tickets to be sold by the end of the week

[Hotchilidog]

Just to put this into context I had a little look at previous attendances and I think we have only ever averaged over 18400 seven times in our history, and that's all supporters, never mind just season ticket holders. This demonstrates what under achievers we have been in the past.

Obviously running away with league has helped too, but I think the club have really thought through how to increase our supporter base and have come up with a clear strategy to shift as many season tickets as possible; revamping the young supporters club and increasing membership five fold, having a presentation suite, the plus 3 option, drip feeding news stories about the Amex and (probably the biggest one) having a DD payment option.

The last few thousand will probably sell themselves as any waverers will realise they need to get one if they want to go regularly.

Perhaps the question now isn't so much how many season tickets will we sell, but how many people will be on the season ticket waiting list next season.

Not sure about the waiting list, but the rest of this post is spot on and a TOTAL vindication of the club's policy towards ST sales. They have put together a fantastic package and marketed it brilliantly and with the DD option made it accessible to the widest number of potential supporters. An utterly fantastic job by all concerned.

 

[Tooting Gull]

We also need this stadium to be rocking as well as full, week in and week out. Passive fan-dom is not an option, it's very easy to sit there and just demand entertainment. EVERYONE needs to get involved at some level. It doesn't have to be at The Den levels (probably gets them 15 points a season though), but you don't want opposing teams enjoying a 'lovely day out in the country'.

 

[cw00]

where is that quote of redneb saying there will only be 12k ST holders next season !

 

[seagulls4ever]

But there have been NSCers who have phoned up, said "I can't get along to a presentation anytime soon, here's my card number for a season ticket please" and they've got one there and then.

I was told I HAD to go to a presentation to get a season ticket, or else I would have had to wait for the general sale. They would not let me purchase over the phone.

 

[Easy 10]

I was told I HAD to go to a presentation to get a season ticket, or else I would have had to wait for the general sale. They would not let me purchase over the phone.

Thats not what it says on the season ticket invitation packages they sent out in December.

"If any supporter finds it impossible to get to a presentation we will help by phone or email during the allotted priority period".

 

[Simster]

We also need this stadium to be rocking as well as full, week in and week out. Passive fan-dom is not an option, it's very easy to sit there and just demand entertainment. EVERYONE needs to get involved at some level. It doesn't have to be at The Den levels (probably gets them 15 points a season though), but you don't want opposing teams enjoying a 'lovely day out in the country'.

If the ground is full, then it will be rocking by default. I have no doubts Albion will sell all 18,400 season tickets and indeed build a waiting list but I do have a worry - that there will be STHs who simply won't turn up on some weeks. This will lead to the apathetic atmosphere that you talk about, and for that reason I really *really* hope they get a ticket exchange sorted, and quickly. It only needs to be a facility where STHs can register any games they don't want to attend, then once the 900 general sale tix have gone, the ticket exchange kicks in and "matches" those empty seats with waiting fans. The club then perhaps refunds the STH for the cost of the game as a pro-rata of the season ticket less a nominal £5 fee, and charges the fan on standby.

You only have to read this thread to see the number of people who will not be STHs and yet will be very keen to get to Albion games when they can. Hopefully the club make this as easy as possible.

 

[Sheebo]

where is that quote of redneb saying there will only be 12k ST holders next season !

Right here in my signature my friend - We also had a £20 bet on it - i said averages of more than 14k - he said less. So he should really pay up now we've sold 15k not even incl away fans... Redneb - i can PM u my address, oh and the money will be put towards this seasons CHAMPIONS DVD I think

 

[cuthbert]

I was told I HAD to go to a presentation to get a season ticket, or else I would have had to wait for the general sale. They would not let me purchase over the phone.

I was in priority group 1 and the club phoned me up and I got that impression too.

 

[Notters]

If the ground is full, then it will be rocking by default. I have no doubts Albion will sell all 18,400 season tickets and indeed build a waiting list but I do have a worry - that there will be STHs who simply won't turn up on some weeks. This will lead to the apathetic atmosphere that you talk about, and for that reason I really *really* hope they get a ticket exchange sorted, and quickly. It only needs to be a facility where STHs can register any games they don't want to attend, then once the 900 general sale tix have gone, the ticket exchange kicks in and "matches" those empty seats with waiting fans. The club then perhaps refunds the STH for the cost of the game as a pro-rata of the season ticket less a nominal £5 fee, and charges the fan on standby.

You only have to read this thread to see the number of people who will not be STHs and yet will be very keen to get to Albion games when they can. Hopefully the club make this as easy as possible.

Very much THIS. MK Dons made a surprising amount of noise in their place and there were only about three of them. A ticket exchange is a must, but has there been any hint from the club that it could happen? I doubt it. People without PSLs don't "own" the seats, so I doubt very much the club will pay them back for selling them on.

 

[seagulls4ever]

Thats not what it says on the season ticket invitation packages they sent out in December.

"If any supporter finds it impossible to get to a presentation we will help by phone or email during the allotted priority period".

That applies only to season-ticket holders apparently. Not sure why? Although it appears even some season-ticket holders have encountered the same problem.

Season tickets ... again!!

 

[sir albion]

Hope those idiotic people who stated averages of 14-15k average really do stick a banana up there arse

Im not surprised one little bit as i was always confident we could get 30kIts not been that straight forward getting season tickets,if we could actually buy online with a straight forward pick and pay we could easily shift thousands more,not to mention the casuals who also like to flock in the thousands.

Great news but no surprise to me

 

[Jesus Gul]

got my ST...and I live in Saudi Arabia

 

[philgull25]

From a personal point of view I'm gutted there will be limited tickets available on a match to match basis as I'm unable to make the commitment of a season ticket next year due to personal circumstances.

From a club view it worries me that attendances could fall if the club struggles next year once the novelty of the new stadium wares off.
Everyone on this board who has been a STH knows how a cold winter evening game against a small club like Doncaster can be a chore if the team is on a bad run.

Still, it's great there is such a high demand and from a business point of view sounds great!! Bring in the money!!!

Bring on the good times down the AMEX!!!!

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Just shows what this county is crying out for.
Can they find somewhere to stick an ice rink next?

 

[Drumstick]

Very much THIS. MK Dons made a surprising amount of noise in their place and there were only about three of them. A ticket exchange is a must, but has there been any hint from the club that it could happen? I doubt it. People without PSLs don't "own" the seats, so I doubt very much the club will pay them back for selling them on.

I do! Very pleased now after all the negativity I got given of certain NSC members. Back Row Northstand center too, not that I can forsee myself missing anygames.

Surely they'd set one up for the PSL people?

 

[Rugrat]

by Simster, and others ... I've said it before but the notion of many STH's not showing up and real fans not being able to get a seat is very real ... we need the place rocking week in week out, not just for big games or when we are on a roll ... hopefully the club are giving this some thought

 

[Triggaaar]

As it is, Albion are benefitting from a perfect storm scenario. We are going to be a decent sized provincial club in the appropriate division thanks to Gus and the lads. It's a fairly big city, with an even bigger catchment area, we have a brand new state of the art stadium and STs can be paid for by a monthly direct debit at a time when people are spending more at home on "little treats" at the expense of lavish holidays, cars and the like. The sales team couldn't have asked for a better set of circumstances IMO, which is why I'm still expecting a 18,400 sell out.

We've got things going for us - top of the league and going up, Gus getting the team to play good football, the likelyhood that Sir Tony will invest a bit more in players next season (trying not to get my hopes up), and a new ground which is truely stunning. Not sure I agree about people staying at home and spending more on little treats, I'd think that generally a recession harms season ticket sales rather than helps them, so not quite a perfect storm.

The biggest home League gate I ever attended was, I think, the 19k we got against Bristol Rovers on the last day of the 1987-88 season.

The first game I ever saw, a great introduction.

Its just not the club I know and love (and I mean that in a good way, like it's just gone and got an amazing boob job).

 

[Seasider78]

by Simster, and others ... I've said it before but the notion of many STH's not showing up and real fans not being able to get a seat is very real ... we need the place rocking week in week out, not just for big games or when we are on a roll ... hopefully the club are giving this some thought

Not sure what you mean by 'real fans' or understand any of these claims that we have countless season ticket holders who will only make a handful of games. I am sure most ST holders (myself included) will not make all of the games as the odd commitments come up but the idea that a significant majority of those who have purchased ST are not going to turn up is quite frankly ridiculous.

However given the limited availability of general sale tickets I think there is a need for a ticket exchange so others can fill your seat on those odd occasions you cannot make it

 

[y2dave]

At my ST presentation the PSL salesman showed a mock up of a ticket market place / exchange site. Seems to be officially on the radar.

 

[AlastairWatts]

Had a chat this morning with one of my work colleagues who wants to buy a pair of STs in the North Stand. He is FRUSTRATED by not being able to purchase said tickets due to the club apparently still being busy processing existing demand. He just wants to phone someone up and give them/pledge £800 for the tickets but is apparently not able to at the moment...

To still have people in his situation having already sold 15,000 is staggering.

Yes he could have done and they would have taken his money. Frankly I wish I'd done that.
I've been off work sick and staying with relatives in Patcham (you may remember we all met @ The White Horse pub in High Wycombe, where I’m the landlord, when the Seagulls played Wycombe the season before last) night so I did the phone thing and went to the 'presentation.' Given the amounts of money that everyone present was committed to spend I thought the whole thing pretty dismal. Car parking arrangements were zero, their list of those attending was clearly inaccurate (although it was compiled from phone calls) and the presentation itself was made by someone called ‘Matt’ who is unconnected with the club and was, I thought, largely inarticulate. ‘Highlight’ of the whole thing was a trip complete with loaned high viz jacket and hard hat half way down to the stadium to see into a corner.
I brought three season tickets for myself and the family, but I would have done that anyway. And, frankly, if I hadn’t been in the area I doubt if I would have gone through all this nonsense. Wasn’t like this when I had a ticket in the South stand @ the Goldstone, even if it did catch fire from time to time!