[Albion] 23,661

[Thunder Bolt]

And guess who that was against

Yep. It had to be, didn't it.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Indeed. November 2013 was following a season when we'd made the Playoffs, whereas November 2015 followed an absolutely HORRIFIC season of almost non-stop trauma. Then there was the fact it was honking down most of the day. And no trains. So no great surprise to be 4k down on 2 years ago.

EXACTLY. In November 2013 we had a record number of season ticket holders who had been attracted by a successful team. In November 2015 we still have a huge number of season ticket holders but two years of mainly disappointing home matches has seen the number drop by about 15%.

It isn't difficult to understand.

As for the idiots citing our 1980s Div One crowds as evidence of something or other... please just don't.

WHEN we get promoted to the Premier League (this year or another year soon) then we will see all available season tickets sold out and 95%+ capacity filled every season we stay in it.

 

[Bold Seagull]

It's just too expensive for your casual football fan. £30 for the cheapest available tickets anywhere in the ground isn't going to fill the stadium v most Championship sides. It really is as simple as that. Cheapest ticket v Charlton is £32! Your walk up fan on the day is not getting the benefit of the travel supplement either.

Once you've got the reputation of it being a bit expensive to the general populous, then it's going to be difficult to suddenly attract more fans, even if we're doing well.

 

[Peter Grummit]

I wonder whether anyone has considered making the South Stand an Away/Neutral area and charging 20 pounds a seat? There already is a "Twenty is Plenty" campaign going on among supporters groups for away fans. Got to be better than empty seats I would have thought.

The problem is, if we drop prices for those seats, we have to drop them for the away fans as they are the equivalent seats (them's the League rules). Personally, I don't have a problem with that, I think all the North and South stand seats and the corners should be £20 as it segments the market better for lower income fans. But, the bean counters will see a bigger drop in income than if we could just drop the prices for the 'empty' south stand seats.

Expect some more offers for games in the run-up to Xmas.

PG

 

[Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms]

I'm not sure my point from way back in this thread really got picked up, so I'm going to make it again.

23,000 is still amazing, but the difference between these two is pretty startling, I think:

9/11/13 Albion (12th) v Blackburn (9th) - 27,912
7/11/15 Albion (3rd*) v MK Dons (20th) 23,661

(* - where 3rd was actually joint top on points, undefeated and playing for a club record sequence of undefeated league games)

I don't think you're comparing like with like. Some of us have to pick and choose our games for a variety of reasons. If I was to write a list of the teams in the division I'd like to see Brighton play against, MK Dons would be in 561st place behind a load of teams who aren't even in the division, including a non-league womens team from Timbuctoo and the Partridge Green under 3s.

 

[SAC]

It's just too expensive for your casual football fan. £30 for the cheapest available tickets anywhere in the ground isn't going to fill the stadium v most Championship sides. It really is as simple as that. Cheapest ticket v Charlton is £32! Your walk up fan on the day is not getting the benefit of the travel supplement either.

Once you've got the reputation of it being a bit expensive to the general populous, then it's going to be difficult to suddenly attract more fans, even if we're doing well.

Nail on the head.

The club could drop on the day ticket prices to £20 but they would have to spend a fortune on marketing just to let the casual fans know that they were doing this.

Unless/until promotion to the PL comes, (imo) attendances will drop year on year to more realistic levels.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Nail on the head.

The club could drop on the day ticket prices to £20 but they would have to spend a fortune on marketing just to let the casual fans know that they were doing this.

Unless/until promotion to the PL comes, (imo) attendances will drop year on year to more realistic levels.

I disagree. The club has contact details (email and/or mobile) for all registered fans who have bought a ticket at some point. Targeted direct marketing is simple and cheap.

PG

 

[El Presidente]

I know and as I'm sure you know (and therefore I cant work out why you raise this), crowds in the 1980s (for reasons I could bore you with) everywhere dipped hugely, to such an extent that Brighton would get 14000 to 25000, Arsenal between 18,000 to 30,000 and Newcastle between 15000 to 25000 and Chelsea could get less than 10,000 for div 2 games. So why raise a pointless statistic? Also list the names in your head, not bad company is it? Then think to yourself, blimey, what if we ever did half a half decent side in the top flight.

You mean the side that won at Anfield, beat Arsenal at the Goldstone, was at one point fifth in the top division?

 

[El Presidente]

I'm not sure my point from way back in this thread really got picked up, so I'm going to make it again.

23,000 is still amazing, but the difference between these two is pretty startling, I think:

9/11/13 Albion (12th) v Blackburn (9th) - 27,912
7/11/15 Albion (3rd*) v MK Dons (20th) 23,661

(* - where 3rd was actually joint top on points, undefeated and playing for a club record sequence of undefeated league games)

I think a lot of people in 2013/14 had been happy with the previous season (night of shame excluded) and renewed ST's.

Since then the quality of football has fallen, especially last year, and the more marginal fan has walked away.

It would be interesting to know

(I) ST sales this year compared to 2013/14, and
(2) The actual attendance at both fixtures.

 

[goldstone68]

I choose to be a STH because I get the seats I want to sit in, in the part of the stadium I want to be in, I have no problem with on the day tickets being cheaper than mine, if it will fill the stadium and create a better surrounding atmosphere then that's fine by me. The days have gone when you paid on the day and pushed your way through the fans on the terraces to stand where you wanted to, which was great fun by the way.
£20 - £25 for a on the day ticket is better than empty seats and no money at all.

 

[Peter Grummit]

I think a lot of people in 2013/14 had been happy with the previous season (night of shame excluded) and renewed ST's.

Since then the quality of football has fallen, especially last year, and the more marginal fan has walked away.

It would be interesting to know

(I) ST sales this year compared to 2013/14, and
(2) The actual attendance at both fixtures.

In fact STHs would have renewed in the Feb/March when we were riding high and with prospects of the PL the next season.

It would also be interesting to compare the walk-up prices and how much they have increased.

PG

 

[rippleman]

Greed!

ST holder taking four newbies to their first Amex game and charged £1.50 booking fee EACH! One transaction. Cost to the club (in staff time) is the same; they've just got to hit "5" rather than "1".

West Stand ST holder since Amex opened. Wanting to move to cheaper seat in NS for one game. Charge? £5!!

Surely your ST holders are the very fans you don't want to be taking total bloody liberties with. Crazy pisstake.

 

[chaileyjem]

We penny pinched last season AND I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE ****ING SAYS.

I won't say anything then

 

[El Presidente]

Greed!

ST holder taking four newbies to their first Amex game and charged £1.50 booking fee EACH! One transaction. Cost to the club (in staff time) is the same; they've just got to hit "5" rather than "1".

West Stand ST holder since Amex opened. Wanting to move to cheaper seat in NS for one game. Charge? £5!!

Surely your ST holders are the very fans you don't want to be taking total bloody liberties with. Crazy pisstake.

This sounds poor. If this is the case, has anyone taken it up with the club?

 

[wsupp]

Good turn out in my opinion! remember the old days??

 

[Thunder Bolt]

This sounds poor. If this is the case, has anyone taken it up with the club?

Yes, but the club say it's a booking fee. It's my biggest grumble.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Greed!

ST holder taking four newbies to their first Amex game and charged £1.50 booking fee EACH! One transaction. Cost to the club (in staff time) is the same; they've just got to hit "5" rather than "1".

West Stand ST holder since Amex opened. Wanting to move to cheaper seat in NS for one game. Charge? £5!!

Surely your ST holders are the very fans you don't want to be taking total bloody liberties with. Crazy pisstake.

Book them online and print at home, no booking fee.

PG

 

[8ace]

Yes, but the club say it's a booking fee. It's my biggest grumble.

The "booking fee" is just a tax dodge isn't it

 

[El Presidente]

I choose to be a STH because I get the seats I want to sit in, in the part of the stadium I want to be in, I have no problem with on the day tickets being cheaper than mine, if it will fill the stadium and create a better surrounding atmosphere then that's fine by me. The days have gone when you paid on the day and pushed your way through the fans on the terraces to stand where you wanted to, which was great fun by the way.
£20 - £25 for a on the day ticket is better than empty seats and no money at all.

Yup, but the club is sensitive to upsetting some STH (not those such as yourself) by cutting prices too much, too often.

26,391 for Cardiff at the 'mate for a tenner' was great, but after you strip out VAT and transfer levy the club made less than £6 per person who took up the deal.

 

[chaileyjem]

I think a lot of people in 2013/14 had been happy with the previous season (night of shame excluded) and renewed ST's.

Since then the quality of football has fallen, especially last year, and the more marginal fan has walked away.

It would be interesting to know

(I) ST sales this year compared to 2013/14, and
(2) The actual attendance at both fixtures.

Agreed re: why season ticket sales have declined in last 2 seasons.

ST Sales this year are I'm guessing between 19K and 20K . The club have, afaik, never confirmed a figure. Paul Barber said at one point they were on target for 20K but it clearly never actually reached that figure..
The Football League say that in previous 4 seasons they've been
2010/11 - 5,095
2011/12 -17,167
2012/13 - 22,467
2013/14 - 23,175
2014/15 - 21,245
(via http://www.football-league.co.uk/documents/season-ticker-holders549-2598173.pdf )

So although its not completely like for like then the 4K drop in tickets sold is almost entirely due to the drop in Season Ticket holders.
The average walk up has remained relatively flat or to put it another way outperformed season ticket sale performance.
I suspect walk up will rise over the season if our top 6 position is cemented, there are attractive fixtures to come and i expect half season ticket trade will be considerably higher this season. (going on sale in a week or so)