Is the 18-21 Age Bracket Really That Important?

[Acker79]

I was just reading some of the ATC posts and saw this one.

The under-21 vendetta

why are the club ignoring such an important age bracket for the future of the club.

if the club really want a larger fanbase in the longer term, they have to include students and not exclude them.

I understand the poster is upset that the cost of his ticket has increased, and while I think he would have had to deal with this in a year or two anyway, I can understand him being upset. This is not about Seagull_10, but about the issue raised.


How important is it? By the age of 18 haven't most fans already picked their team? I got hooked by the club when my dad took me when I was a young kid. I know a few fans who went on school trips to the club and that's how they started. I don't know anyone who started when they were 18-21.

Are those that are not big enough football fans to have picked a team by 18-21 going to stick around for the long run when they only get cheaper tickets for 3 years?

How big is the market for 18-21 year olds in brighton anyway? Are the large number of students here likely to a) invest in a season ticket since they're only here for a short time, b) stick around as a life long fan thus increasing the fanbase long term? Aren't they more likely, if they do buy a ticket while studying here, move away when they have their degree or whatever, and thus be lost to the club as a regular contributor to income?

Is the number of those that are in that small group (compared to the numbers of 21-65, 65 and over, 16 and under) that are put off by having to pay full adult price 1-3 years early really that significant so as to affect the long term fanbase?

Especially when success breeds desirability, and a winning and/or higher division club will compensate for price increase?

 

[Titanic]

Why did the club offer discounted season tickets to them at Withdean then?

 

[Arthur]

When you turn 18 in the eyes of the law you become an adult. You should have to pay adult prices!

Is there a special 18-21 price at the cinema? Or on the train/bus? Do you get cheaper booze in bars?

If you were to put in a special price for 18-21 then as soon as someone turns 22 they are going to be moaning! Where do you draw the line.

The club for once have done something sensible with the ticket prices yet still people find something to moan about.

 

[clippedgull]

Not important at all. Unless you happen to be between 18-21. As has been pointed out, broken down weekly even 18-21 can pay the adult prices comfortably. If they can't then they obviously have more immediate financial items that need sorting. Football is a luxury, not a right.

 

[Titanic]

This issue effects a few hundred supporters... but for them it is an enormous and disproportionate rise in ST price that no other group has been hit with.

I think the club, having drawn these people in with ST offers at Withdean over the past few years, should at least have offered some sort of deal to them at The Amex until they reach 21 (at most two seasons).

It seem a harsh and unnecessary treatment for a small group of supporters... when no others have been singled out like that.

 

[Sheebo]

The underlying fact is the U21s only came in 2 or 3 yrs ago to boost Withdean ticket sales. They were never there before.

 

[Titanic]

The underlying fact is the U21s only came in 2 or 3 yrs ago to boost Withdean ticket sales. They were never there before.

Agreed... but having drawn them in like that, why kick them in the teeth like this - in a way that no other group of supporters has been?

 

[Sheebo]

Agreed... but having drawn them in like that, why kick them in the teeth like this - in a way that no other group of supporters has been?

And I agree with that too. Maybe they should have made them a little more expensive at Withers (Season tickets for U21 I mean) and then kept them at the AMEX on a 20% increase - nobody would moan then.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

This issue effects a few hundred supporters... but for them it is an enormous and disproportionate rise in ST price that no other group has been hit with.

I think the club, having drawn these people in with ST offers at Withdean over the past few years, should at least have offered some sort of deal to them at The Amex until the reach 21.

It seem a harsh and unnecessary treatment for a small group of supporters... when no others have been singled out like that.

This seems a fair proposal to me; have you, or your lads, written to the club (ie KB) directly?

 

[Drumstick]

Regards student questions, Brighton & Sussex uni between them have 40k students, many of whom do stay behind to live in Brighton. If they could buy a discounted student ST they may potentialy add a 1k maybe 2k to the gate, given its so close to there main uni campus. Many will go along if the price is reasonable even if there fans of other clubs to get there football fix. When I lived in Cambridge if I was unable to get to a Brighton game I went and watch Cambridge Utd. Some will leave but some will stay, those that leave will likely mention it to the newer students coming along thus keeping a steady flow of income.

It's a market I really think we need to get into. Scrap 18 - 21 tickets as alot of students are older that this anyway. Myself for example.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I'm not sure where I stand on this one; some clubs, notably Swansea used to offer a NUS discount, which perhaps we ought to do. Maybe Natterjack can tell us whether that still applies. As Drumstick says, many students are older than 21, and some people may be earning a good salary at 18.

The decision I feel could really backfire is that to charge for public transport vouchers, especially with the parking spaces at Falmer High School not being available. The whole idea of Falmer was based on most people not arriving by car. I suspect there will now be a considerable amount of parking in Moulsecoomb and Coldean, and potential annoyance between residents and the club, unless a residents' parking scheme is put in place, which will hardly be popular.

 

[Acker79]

Is there a special 18-21 price at the cinema? Or on the train/bus? Do you get cheaper booze in bars?

At cinema and on public transport there are student concession rates. (Though as pointed out elsewhere in the thread, students aren't exclusively 18-21).

Regards student questions, Brighton & Sussex uni between them have 40k students, many of whom do stay behind to live in Brighton. If they could buy a discounted student ST they may potentialy add a 1k maybe 2k to the gate, given its so close to there main uni campus. Many will go along if the price is reasonable even if there fans of other clubs to get there football fix. When I lived in Cambridge if I was unable to get to a Brighton game I went and watch Cambridge Utd. Some will leave but some will stay, those that leave will likely mention it to the newer students coming along thus keeping a steady flow of income.

It's a market I really think we need to get into. Scrap 18 - 21 tickets as alot of students are older that this anyway. Myself for example.

Scrap 18-21 but keep a student offer?

See, when I was at sussex I knew only two other people who supported the albion, one as a second team and he'd go maybe once a season, the other a season ticket holder. All three of us were locals, all three of us already hooked by the albion long before we started matriculating.

But what I meant was that the number of students that will stick round is low, the number that stick around and become lifers with the club is even lower, maybe I'm lowballing it, but I'd say less than 10 each year. 5 Grand is not to be sniffed at, but in a 22500 seater stadium, is it worth the money lost selling 18-21 tickets just to gain 10 adult tickets at the end of the three years?

 

[Biscuit]

Brighton & Sussex uni ...have 40k students, many of whom... will go along if the price is reasonable...It's a market I really think we need to get into. Scrap 18 - 21 tickets as alot of students are older that this anyway...

This. 1000000% this.

 

[seagull_10]

In my post I wasn't directly referring to students who aren't Brighton fans but those who are Brighton fans between 18 and 21 for whom adult ticket prices are very expensive.

Without an under-21 season ticket, fans who go to uni at 18 are suddenly (unless their parents pay) priced out of the market for a season ticket. The under-21 ticket allows fans to keep going to Brighton games while they are not earning, and then the hope is that they can afford to buy an adult season ticket when they leave uni and ideally get a job. The concern for the club should be those fans who stop going at 18 and fall out of the habit of going to home games. In the long-term, the club lose out on the revenue of their adult season tickets (and other revenue) in the future.

Also, the Argus said on Monday that 28,000 people between the ages of 16 and 25 are not in education, employment or training in Sussex. Even those with jobs earn roughly half as much as those who are 10 years older. If the club want to keep fans in this age group, they need to reduce ticket prices.

 

[clippedgull]

Of course this 18-21 offer could be resurrected after the initial 'Amex" euphoria has worn off in seasons 2/3/4 etc! Right now the club have supporters feeding out of their hands regarding the Amex and 'transient' students at lower prices are not really needed. Harsh, but this is a business, not a charity.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Not that important at all.

We will have a state of the art stadium and all the tickets are very reasonably priced. People should stop comparing them with Withdean prices - they're not comparing apples with apples.

Personally I'm bored with the complaining - either buy a ticket or don't - I'll be there and it's everybody else's choice if they want to be there.

 

[Titanic]

I agree with the point about students too, but also understand that the club don't want or need a huge influx of discounted season ticket holder because they can fill the majority of the seats at premium prices.

Perhaps students will be encouraged with special offer one-off ticket prices.

 

[Freddo]

Is there a special 18-21 price at the cinema? Or on the train/bus? Do you get cheaper booze in bars?

Have you ever heard of a Young Persons Railcard? Or student nights at a bar? Or the 2 for 1 cinema offers from NUS?

 

[clippedgull]

In my post I wasn't directly referring to students who aren't Brighton fans but those who are Brighton fans between 18 and 21 for whom adult ticket prices are very expensive.

Without an under-21 season ticket, fans who go to uni at 18 are suddenly (unless their parents pay) priced out of the market for a season ticket. The under-21 ticket allows fans to keep going to Brighton games while they are not earning, and then the hope is that they can afford to buy an adult season ticket when they leave uni and ideally get a job. The concern for the club should be those fans who stop going at 18 and fall out of the habit of going to home games. In the long-term, the club lose out on the revenue of their adult season tickets (and other revenue) in the future.

Also, the Argus said on Monday that 28,000 people between the ages of 16 and 25 are not in education, employment or training in Sussex. Even those with jobs earn roughly half as much as those who are 10 years older. If the club want to keep fans in this age group, they need to reduce ticket prices.

But these same students will probably go out at the weekend, have mobile phones etc, go on holidays to Ibiza etc etc. As said earlier, they can choose priorities. Why shouldn't unemployed 30/40/50 yo's get discounts as well?

 

[seagull_10]

If you argue that those who can't afford a ticket shouldn't buy a ticket, then you should also be arguing against under 18 and over 60 tickets too. In fact, any discounted tickets, for anything.

The whole point of the discounts is to reduce the price for those with lower incomes. The separate advantage of under 18 tickets is that the club can attract new, younger fans, as it has successfully done over the past few seasons. It just doesn't make sense for the club to then price younger fans out of tickets at the age of 18.

£400-£600 is not reasonably priced for this age group, especially when you consider that, for example, a student can buy individual match tickets for £15 at Fulham to see Premier League football.