[Football] Ending Season Ticket Culture

[Happy Exile]

Every ground is a library. Away fans always say so.

True, kind of, but even Pep has called out their own fans for it. I've also been to plenty of grounds that aren't a library.

 

[Jim in the West]

As long as demand isn't massively outstripping supply, and as long as the ticket exchange works, a STH is very useful for the club. Using my North Stand ST as an example: I have already paid £31.30 for my Chelsea ticket (ie, 1/19th of the total season cost), and the club had this GUARANTEED income, many months ago. If I can't go, and I use the exchange, the club give me back my £31.30 (less the admin fee), and sell it for £48.

I can see that the likes of Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc would like to reduce the number of STHs because they know the demand from tourists etc will be there. We're not (yet) at that stage - and I don't think we will be for many years (if ever).

 

[portlock seagull]

Not if they can't afford it......

The point being 'likely', but not exclusively

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

True, kind of, but even Pep has called out their own fans for it. I've also been to plenty of grounds that aren't a library.

If you’re an away fan you still have to sing it, it’s the law, a bit like “is this a fire drill?” sung at Newcastle despite literally no one leaving their seat.

 

[Hamilton]

As if that matters.

Ask Leeds, Southampton, Burnley etc etc

 

[Arthur]

I'd just leave 'em to it. The club would come crawling back to the 'legacy fans' sooner or later. Some might argue the 'legacy fans' and the wider local community are the club

They've already done that in recent years. Post covid where the waiting list was obliterated and people weren't renewing they were very active in trying to push season tickets on people.

A pal of mine had a 12 month stadium ban. The club rung him up and said we notice you aren't renewing your season ticket next year. He said it wasn't worth it as he'd miss half the season. Couple of days later he got a letter from the club saying the ban had been reduced to 5 games which was very conveniently the number of home games we had left that season.

 

[Vicar!]

With demand at an all time high, and the failure of many to use the ticket exchange, should ST’s now be paying a premium above the pro-rata matchday cost for the right to have first dibs on a seat for home (and to an extent away) matches? I wonder how long it will be before PL clubs phase out ST’s and the associated discount, to encourage more high spending tourist type supporters instead of legacy fans?

No ST no deal. Red line crossed. Ta rah!

 

[Hamilton]

With demand at an all time high, and the failure of many to use the ticket exchange, should ST’s now be paying a premium above the pro-rata matchday cost for the right to have first dibs on a seat for home (and to an extent away) matches? I wonder how long it will be before PL clubs phase out ST’s and the associated discount, to encourage more high spending tourist type supporters instead of legacy fans?

As we are constantly told that we have a fan that owns the club, this won’t happen. Or will it?

 

[portlock seagull]

So you don't want more fans/supporters of a football club you want to turn every game into an FA Cup final where the real fans, the life blood of clubs, cannot attend because they are not part of the rich elite.

I'm not rich, possibly elite though, but definitely life blood and would be able to go to the occasional away game if increased prices deterred enough 1st dibs to skip a few as it's currently it's a bit of a closed shop. We'd continue to sell out. Club makes more money and more people get to see the Albion, so win win as I said

 

[portlock seagull]

True, kind of, but even Pep has called out their own fans for it. I've also been to plenty of grounds that aren't a library.

The paradox of football. Everywhere's a library according to the away fans. Except their own home. But not according to the away section. I think people are being mischievous really

 

[portlock seagull]

As we are constantly told that we have a fan that owns the club, this won’t happen. Or will it?

Anything is possible I guess, and business is business.

 

[Gazwag]

I'm not rich, possibly elite though, but definitely life blood and would be able to go to the occasional away game if increased prices deterred enough 1st dibs to skip a few as it's currently it's a bit of a closed shop. We'd continue to sell out. Club makes more money and more people get to see the Albion, so win win as I said

You can go to an occasional away game now

 

[portlock seagull]

No ST no deal. Red line crossed. Ta rah!

See that River called Rubicon? Football drained it years ago

 

[portlock seagull]

You can go to an occasional away game now

If the stars align yes. But this way make things easier, and club makes more money. Remember, we're inclusive so it's unfair the same JCLs get to follow the Albion away...

 

[pigmanovich]

I'm not rich, possibly elite though, but definitely life blood and would be able to go to the occasional away game if increased prices deterred enough 1st dibs to skip a few as it's currently it's a bit of a closed shop. We'd continue to sell out. Club makes more money and more people get to see the Albion, so win win as I said

It's not a closed shop, the majority of away games go to all STHs and even members

 

[portlock seagull]

It's not a closed shop, the majority of away games go to all STHs and even members

That being the point.

 

[pigmanovich]

That being the point.

Did you miss the "even members" part? I'm pretty sure only five aways (out of 14) have sold out to STHs so far this season: Arsenal, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Fulham, West Ham

Happy to be corrected if you've been monitoring sales and observed otherwise though.

 

[seagullwedgee]

My 25/26 season ticket will cost me £32 per game. Add on my train fare of £35, parking fee of £5, and without beer or food it costs me £72 per home game. I’m retired and comfortable, and everyone has to work to a budget, but if my match ticket became more than £40 per game, I would be out, after 50 years and 1000+ matches (home and away) attended. I watch about 30 games per season now. If the club want to go down the route of maximising revenue, by reducing season tickets, and increasing the number of clueless tourists, then they will suffer two major impacts, which are the fast and slippery slope to oblivion: one, a loss of secure, predictable, stable income; two, a silent stadium half filled with one -off people with no allegiance except for a bag of cack from the club shop. Increasingly, that is what is happening at ManUre and Arse. But it won’t work here. Our problem here is that our CEO has performance objectives weighted towards short term revenue maximisation, regardless of the impact on performance and sustainability.

 

[BrightonCottager]

A lot of Fulham fans are worried that the CEO is chasing high spending tourists in preference to looking after ST holders, unlike Brentford. Given you've got zero local competition, perhaps Barber / Bloom think they can get away with whatever they're doing, but in our case it's a high risk strategy.

 

[portlock seagull]

Did you miss the "even members" part? I'm pretty sure only five aways (out of 14) have sold out to STHs so far this season: Arsenal, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Fulham, West Ham

Happy to be corrected if you've been monitoring sales and observed otherwise though.

No, but it’s fair to say most if not all away tickets get snapped up by STHs before Members become eligible, and then you’ve got to be one of the lucky ones. Anyway, point was increase income / widen numbers. Win win.