"If you took into account inflation, Falmer isnt going to be dearer than Withdean. "

[Mendoza]

"If you took into account inflation, Falmer isnt going to be dearer than Withdean. "

That's what Martin Perry has said about Falmer ticket prices in todays Argus

"There will be no hike in price because we are going to a new stadium. That is our promise to the fans.

Effectively if you took into account inflation, it isnt going to be dearer than Withdean.

The important thing is there will be a huge range of prices"

So how much do you think it will cost for the average single match ticket come Falmer. It would be nice if it stays at £24.50, but realistically is that going to happen? What will inflation be like between now and 2011?

 

[Gazwag]

If you assume inflation runs at 5% (its actually come down a bit now) then 2009/10 season would be £25.73 and 2010/11 £27.02 and 2011/12 £28.37. But I certainly dont think the most expensive seats will be anywhere like that cheap.

 

[warsaw]

I think that your average price will be the same as now, £24.50, but if I wanted to sit next to the Directors then expect it to be double that or more.

 

[Notters]

Gunshow? Did I miss something? What you on about Brett?

 

[e77]

There will be a lot more corporate hospitality.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

More than most other non-Premiership clubs. STILL.

 

[Simster]

More than most other non-Premiership clubs. STILL.

Though I for one would definitely pay the equivalent of £24.50 to watch soccerball in that stadium. I'm going to SPUNK a grand on season tickets for the family if we're in one of the top two divisions. Perhaps just a s/t for me if we're not.

 

[Spider]

The problem is that once we have our new stadium we don't really have the "high running costs" excuse at Withdean for expensive tickets, and yet the club could justify a price hike easily because of the better experience and the cost of building the thing.

However, in the current footballing climate I think it would be naive of the club to raise the prices, and if anything I think they need to reduce them a fair bit to get the ground full. They certainly have to be competitive with other clubs in whatever league we are in's prices even if they're at the upper end of that.

 

[El Presidente]

The problem is that once we have our new stadium we don't really have the "high running costs" excuse at Withdean for expensive tickets, and yet the club could justify a price hike easily because of the better experience and the cost of building the thing.

Whilst we won't have the same type of running costs as at Fortress Withers, there is the financing of the debt. Even if the board borrow half the cost of the stadium, that is still £30 million at (let's say) 8% interest, giving a finance cost of £2.4 million.

Given that gate receipts were only £2.2 million last year, and the wage bill was over £3 million, then it shows that there is still a HUGE funding gap on the operational side of things.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Personally, I think they're taking bloody liberties by crowing about the fact that it won't be more expensive (at least not in inflationary terms).

Considering the shit facilities and extortionate prices that season ticket holders have had to put up with, for, what is it now, 8 or 9 years, the club should be bending over BACKWARDS to thank people by making some kind of gesture on prices, not expecting us to fall over with joy because they're only slightly increasing.

We could all have buggered off and gone shopping on Saturdays, or gone to watch local non-league teams (or less local league teams), yet we've stuck with the worst ground in the entire Football League. Not to mention most of the Conference. I was pissed off enough that they didn't reduce prices last time season tickets were up for renewal, given the falling gates, but I accept grudgingly the excuse that Withdean overheads justify it.

If we have 22,000 seats to fill, there's no way on earth they will do it with prices equivalent to what some Premier League and many Championship clubs charge, unless by some miracle the team has dragged itself up to a decent standard. They are going to have to come up with some innovative pricing, a la Bradford and Huddersfield, surely?

Football clubs, and the Albion in particular, have got away with treating their paying customers like crap for too long, and some of them are starting to realise that they won't get away with it for much longer. I hope the Albion cotton on, though I don't hold out much hope, and fully anticipate seeing Dick Knight and Martin Perry standing in front of a new stadium, triumphantly announcing on TV that prices have only gone up by 5%.

 

[clippedgull]

Whilst we won't have the same type of running costs as at Fortress Withers, there is the financing of the debt. Even if the board borrow half the cost of the stadium, that is still £30 million at (let's say) 8% interest, giving a finance cost of £2.4 million.

Given that gate receipts were only £2.2 million last year, and the wage bill was over £3 million, then it shows that there is still a HUGE funding gap on the operational side of things.

But I was led to understand that the stadium would be in use for 365 days of the year, corporate, conferences, a couple of gigs plus educational lease facilities etc etc. So football wouldn't be the only revenue stream. Not sure how the numbers stack up though!

 

[Spider]

Whilst we won't have the same type of running costs as at Fortress Withers, there is the financing of the debt. Even if the board borrow half the cost of the stadium, that is still £30 million at (let's say) 8% interest, giving a finance cost of £2.4 million.

Given that gate receipts were only £2.2 million last year, and the wage bill was over £3 million, then it shows that there is still a HUGE funding gap on the operational side of things.

But my point is that other clubs have built new staidums and still manage to charge competitive rates. We've always paid more for Brighton because of the difficulties of Withdean, and we all accept that. I just don't want it to be a situation where we end up paying over the odds twice over (ie more expensive because of high Withdean running costs and then more expensive again because of Falmer). I would guess that the average League 1 ticket is about £20, therefore we shouldn't really charge too much more than this.

Ideally I'd have a pricing structure like (for League 1 - not too much more for Championship):

Best Seats (other than Corporate) - £25
Seats on length of pitch - £22
Seats at either end - £20

 

[Trigger]

No game of football should EVER cost more than £20.

 

[Acker79]

Considering the shit facilities and extortionate prices that season ticket holders have had to put up with, for, what is it now, 8 or 9 years, the club should be bending over BACKWARDS to thank people by making some kind of gesture on prices, not expecting us to fall over with joy because they're only slightly increasing.

Erm... y'know, the people who spend out on individual tickets use the same facilities. Those of us that spent £250+ to go see ten games had to use the same crappy facilities, had to sit exposed to the same elements, etc.

The club should be making it up to them just as much as tey do the season ticket holders.


And the comment about inflation worries me. It sounds like he's playing on words, giving himself some wiggle room to increase prices. I don't believe ticket prices should increase at all.

 

[northstandnorth]

anyone think the club can borrow money at 8% is living in cloud cookoo land.
that article by the tangoed one from palarse recently posted here stated that the scum can only borrow at 15% due to the crap risk footie presents.
this is also the figure that the bunch of venture capitalists quote as the rate they are paying on money borrowed to buy my employer last year.

 

[steward 433]

anyone think the club can borrow money at 8% is living in cloud cookoo land.
that article by the tangoed one from palarse recently posted here stated that the scum can only borrow at 15% due to the crap risk footie presents.
this is also the figure that the bunch of venture capitalists quote as the rate they are paying on money borrowed to buy my employer last year.

Yet the last company i worked for brokered a deal with the bank for a £1 Billion loan at just under 6% in a fairly risky business.

 

[northstandnorth]

if a major (possibly one of the biggest)bunch of venture capitalists cant borrow at less than 15% and palarse,according to simon jordan, are regarded as a (his quote)"basket case" then the chances of the albion borrowing at a better rate are none.

the banks took a hiding from footie in the past, leeds leicester derby ipswich and others have taken the banks money,folded and come back under a new identity and left the banks to carry the debt whilst they have nice new shiny grounds virtually free

 

[steward 433]

if a major (possibly one of the biggest)bunch of venture capitalists cant borrow at less than 15% and palarse,according to simon jordan, are regarded as a (his quote)"basket case" then the chances of the albion borrowing at a better rate are none.

the banks took a hiding from footie in the past, leeds leicester derby ipswich and others have taken the banks money,folded and come back under a new identity and left the banks to carry the debt whilst they have nice new shiny grounds virtually free

You have a valid point there but you also forget the fact all the time we have the current board we will never go into administration.

 

[northstandnorth]

find a thread where i slag off the board, manager or the team(o/k i slag off some of the fans and sometimes the stewards)

BUT footie is a risky game for banks and many a new ground has been built and not paid for and the new( after administration)club has reaped the benefit,hence the heavy points penalty the F.A. now imposes.

i have no wish or intention to slag off D.K.and the board but banks will only finance footie on the basis of a high risk and with a consequent high interest rate.i have faith in the board delivering a stadium at Falmer but i fear for the price they will need to place on a ticket

 

[steward 433]

find a thread where i slag off the board, manager or the team(o/k i slag off some of the fans and sometimes the stewards)

BUT footie is a risky game for banks and many a new ground has been built and not paid for and the new( after administration)club has reaped the benefit,hence the heavy points penalty the F.A. now imposes.

i have no wish or intention to slag off D.K.and the board but banks will only finance footie on the basis of a high risk and consequent high interest rate.

Time will tell. All i know is it will be ok for 3 seasons time.