Is the 18-21 Age Bracket Really That Important?

[Guy Fawkes]

There are students who do not go home for holidays and do not even have terms. I am still at uni working now with around 10 students and term "finished" last week. So that argument does not really hold.

Maybe your 10 students are too poor to afford the bus / train home so unlikely to afford a ST anyway

I'd be interested in how many currently take advantage of the U21 ST price, i'd imagine it's quite a low percentage of the crowd anyway.

The club have a very saleable product and it would be foolish for them not to try to maximise revenue without making it cost prohibative to as many people as possible. Maybe it's been done to prevent fans missing out to 'plastic fans' who are only there based on cost rather than a support of the club and are unlikely to continue to attend once they leave uni? - Imagine the binfest if ordinary fans lost out because of a high uptake in U21 tickets!

Also maybe by losing the U21 prices, it's helped keep normal adult ticket prices lower, benefitting more fans than a select few based on a norrow age range? and U21 / student prices could be introduced later as demand drops

 

[seagull_10]

Of course season tickets are a luxury. But most football clubs accept that younger people have far lower incomes and need an incentive to buy season tickets. The whole reason for offering 18-21 season tickets is to retain STH once they reach 18. This makes sense because then they are much more likely to buy an adult season ticket at 21, giving the club increased long-term revenue.

We've been getting average attendances of 6-7,000 at the Withdean so anyone who thinks the Amex will be full in 5 years time if we're not in the Premier League is being unrealistic. The club need to grow its fanbase to fill this stadium, and the best way to do that is inclusive ticket pricing. That's the same logic behind having family tickets. It's the same logic that most other clubs use. Get people into the ground, get them into the habit of going to every home game and soon they'll pay adult prices themselves, they'll buy the merchandise and they'll bring other supporters to the club. As a student, you can watch Premier League football for £15 a match so the club need to have a good reason for scrapping 18-21 tickets.

If it's simply because they think they can sell out season tickets at full adult prices, that is very shortsighted because they should not be alienating any section of our current fanbase. While we all hope the Amex will be full regardless of how well the team does, we need to be realistic.

 

[seagulls4ever]

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.

Is there a special 18-21 price at the cinema? For students there is, yes.

Or on the train/bus? Yes, I get a third off travel by virtue of my 16-25 railcard.

Cheap booze in bars? Yes, my local does a discount (albeit very small) for students. Also, I can go to the SU and get cheaper drinks there.

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

you are welcome to support another club. Brighton and Hove Albion have stated their prices, if you dont like them.......please stop moaning and piss off.

Doesn't seem like a very adult response, how about thinking for the future, many Young Fans may be put off going, losing a long-term support base for the club. Your view is in fact very narrow-minded and some may say bigoted. If Young People today don't support the Albion, then who will in the future? Their children won't, as they will be supporting a club who greeted youngsters with open arms. Like Charlton, or Portsmouth - which no-one wants to see?

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

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.

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.

This and this

 

[Drumstick]

Its simple supply and demand, while it has the new stadium smell its unlikely to see discounted tickets, I fully understand that and accept it being myself in the 300% hike. If I want to go I'll have to find the money and I will.

But I'd expect the club to have some incentives in the next 2/3 years if/when crowds start to tail off. Given that its between two uni's each with 20k students it'd be mad not to.

 

[The Large One]

Its simple supply and demand, while it has the new stadium smell its unlikely to see discounted tickets, I fully understand that and accept it being myself in the 300% hike. If I want to go I'll have to find the money and I will.

But I'd expect the club to have some incentives in the next 2/3 years if/when crowds start to tail off. Given that its between two uni's each with 20k students it'd be mad not to.

Is about the size of it.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I didn't become a student until I was 29 for the first time. I am now an MA student. Would you include me in your discount group? Surely it has to stop somewhere, doesn't it?

 

[Acker79]

I'd be interested in how many currently take advantage of the U21 ST price, i'd imagine it's quite a low percentage of the crowd anyway.

According to TLO:

Copied from the Q&A featuring Ken Brown and Martin Perry a couple of weeks ago...

Q. 18-21 year olds are getting a big price hike. What is the thinking behind the U21 / student rate not being offered - especially as we are right next to the Universities?

A. The U21 rate was introduced a couple of seasons ago. In fact out of a 19,000 student population, we had only 300 season ticket holders. We will look at match specific promotions for the new season

Which says to me they're confident of selling all 15,800 season tickets (something they said in a different answer) without selling at a student discount rate.

Perhaps the club are doing this for the students; by pricing them out of season tickets, they are removing a potential distraction, freeing up time for studies and revision, thus improving their grades and increasing the chances of earning a first, and improving their chances for a better job when they finish, thus giving them more disposable income in the long term.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Is there a special 18-21 price at the cinema? For students there is, yes.

Or on the train/bus? Yes, I get a third off travel by virtue of my 16-25 railcard.

Cheap booze in bars? Yes, my local does a discount (albeit very small) for students. Also, I can go to the SU and get cheaper drinks there.

In that case they can use all of that money their saving with those deals to pay for a full price adult season ticket

 

[Paxton Dazo]

"Include Students" .

If you c.unts can't afford it, go and do a days work, you slobs. Why am I calling them slobs? They'll still be in bed..

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Perhaps the club are doing this for the students; by pricing them out of season tickets, they are removing a potential distraction, freeing up time for studies and revision, thus improving their grades and increasing the chances of earning a first, and improving their chances for a better job when they finish, thus giving them more disposable income in the long term.

or the club have realised that Students will be far too busy protesting to have a ST anyway

 

[The Large One]

or the club have realised that Students will be far too busy protesting to have a ST anyway

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

I think that perhaps the club should have scrapped the U18 price band and had an U21 price band instead, however as it seems that there will be a huge surge in interest when Falmer opens and the fact that there are only currently 300 U21 STHs at Withdean, they have obviously decided against this option for the time being.

Can we also stop talking about students in this debate? There are plenty of people U21 in work that are on low wages, not just students. In fact there are people of all ages in low paid work who will struggle to buy a season ticket at Falmer.

In 1988 when aged 17 I started my apprenticehip in Royal Mail I was paid approximately £85.00, which is about £175.00 in today's money. I paid rent at home of £40.00 per week which left me with £45.00, which is £93.00 per week for myself in today's money.

So I think if I was 17 today and had the equivalent of £93.00 in my pocket I think I could afford the £7.59 per week that it would cost to buy a Zone A season ticket at Falmer.

 

[SNOOBS]

"Include Students" .

If you c.unts can't afford it, go and do a days work, you slobs. Why am I calling them slobs? They'll still be in bed..

What a ridiculous comment.