[Football] Ending Season Ticket Culture

[portlock seagull]

So you want to try to squeeze even more money from fans that are committed enough to buy a ST and also spend serious money going to away games on top? Essentially the core of our support. How much 'more money' do you think this would generate? Bearing in mind we are now buying players for over £10m that are deemed as simply 'squad' players. 'First team ready' is well north of £20m.

Re ‘you’, I’m sure you’re intelligent enough to realise this thread is not about me; rather what might be and/or is already happening at clubs, and a general discussion about. I do however think ‘squeezing’ (subjective, emotive) more money out of fans is a given: since when has it not be this? If anything we’ve proven we’re more than happy to pay, whether it’s at the turnstile, shop kiosk or refreshment stand, and in record numbers, so not sure why you’re expressing such anger. Price increases above inflation in football are more certain than the sun rising tomorrow!

 

[Wozza]

I go to 2 or 3 concerts a year (as a treat) and spend between £40 and £60 in Brighton and these are deemed special occasions. To pay that for a footy match that occurs every couple of weeks is mad.

But of course if you're a tourist, seeing 1 or 2 games a year, that's nothing.

A ticket to see a 'premier league' music act costs at least £100 these days.

It's all bonkers.

 

[portlock seagull]

You know full well I don't have the numbers - but for what it's worth, I was a member last season, and went to as many aways as I could. I was able to (comfortably!) buy a ticket to virtually every non London or Bournemouth away game, except off the top of my head Forest, which sold out fairly quickly to members.

I thought you mentioned or alluded earlier you had some facts. My bad. I didn’t realise you were talking without any, but appreciate the clarification

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

But of course if you're a tourist, seeing 1 or 2 games a year, that's nothing.

A ticket to see a 'premier league' music act costs at least £100 these days.

It's all bonkers.

I see pre sale Black Sabbath tickets for their farewell show are advertised between. £197 and £834

 

[chaileyjem]

this thread is not about me; rather what might be and/or is already happening at clubs, and a general discussion about.

yes,. but there's very , if no evidence that its happening at Brighton and Hove Albion.

 

[portlock seagull]

yes,. but there's very , if no evidence that its happening at Brighton and Hove Albion.

That is because the general discourse is of a speculative, future nature that requires the reader to allow, that is to say, acquiesce a certain degree of reception towards the idea; beyond any stated fact, should it be known or otherwise.

 

[southstandandy]

I see pre sale Black Sabbath tickets for their farewell show are advertised between. £197 and £834

And that's why I would never pay such prices - for any event. If mugs are willing to pay those prices - more fool them. Similar to the Oasis gigs.

I will vote with my feet (or more realistically my wallet). There are loads of things in life I'd like to do but can't afford and as such have to accept I will go without. Sadly the same has become of the football in recent years. I just can't afford it anymore which I'm sad about but I'm not going to get into debt to buy or pay for 'luxuries' that are at the extent or beyond my budget.

The club will always find another 'I'm richer than you' type who will buy the seat I used to have at The Amex so I'm sure the club don't care whether I go or not. That's modern day economics and I operate my finances by what I can reasonably afford as against what I wish I could afford.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

2 to 3k tickets still listed on exchange for Friday. I wonder if that happened more often whether it would change ST culture.

 

[ac gull]

good article recently on this in WSC - predicting trends in future lot less STH seats so more for the tourists who spend more

 

[Wardy's twin]

We don't have 30k+ supporters , its that simple and that's why we don't sell out every game and that's why the club has to work hard to sell seats e.g. the deals it offers to season ticket holders.

 

[portlock seagull]

We don't have 30k+ supporters , its that simple and that's why we don't sell out every game and that's why the club has to work hard to sell seats e.g. the deals it offers to season ticket holders.

Nonsense. We had 35k in Cardiff 20 years ago.

 

[Milano]

Nonsense. We had 35k in Cardiff 20 years ago.

Oh please. Crawley sold 20k tickets to Wembley in May, are there 20k Crawley fans now?

You seem to have invented this ‘subject’ to just have a ‘debate’ about something that isn’t going to happen at BHA anytime remotely soon. Weird.

 

[bobbab5]

I placed my Everton ticket on the exchange a full week before the game. It and loads of others never sold. All this bollocks about lots of people waiting for tickets, demand outstripping supply etc. I think Barber has his head up his ass sometimes!!

I put my Everton ticket up on the Friday night and it sold almost immediately

 

[chaileyjem]

We don't have 30k+ supporters , its that simple and that's why we don't sell out every game and that's why the club has to work hard to sell seats e.g. the deals it offers to season ticket holders.

But We literally do sell out every home game and nearly all away games. All the 1901 are sold out. All season tickets sold out months before the start of the season and i suspect they will for 25/26. Match day tickets all sell out in the Premier League and nearly all away ends come to that.
What doesn't sell out - i guess, is is all the tickets TWICE...ie: the ones that go on the exchange that the club have sold once already. Although many of those sell as well .

The "deals" offered to season ticket holders (travel, small percentage rises most years, interest free / admin fee free loans) are just normal and have been in place since the Amex was built. Its a long time since the club have offered half season tickets for example.

Is a supporter a A+ member ? thats quite a commitment - £35 per year etc. What about those that attend a few times a year . Must be thousands and thousands. I'd argue we have way more than 30K+ supporters just on that basis.

 

[chaileyjem]

High spending tourist type supporters are temporary, legacy fans are permanent

Paul Barber has been in the same job for 13 years and says he'll be doing it until 2030, Bloom is a lifelong fan and has owned the Albion for 16 years and has no intention of stopping for a long time soon. This idea that the club are literally about to change tack, and do over er, fans like us or er, them is definitely worth keeping an eye on but there's no evidence of it whatsoever. Good for NSC threads but come on. Now Man United...its a different story.. .

 

[Eeyore]

They won't though, will they? Remember Palace going on about how all our new fans would disappear in the 2nd season at the Amex?

When I was a kid I was the only Brighton fan at my school. The only person I knew who owned a Brighton shirt. Go to any kids football coaching session anywhere in Sussex and the ratios of shirts go 30% big 6, 20% random other teams, 50% Brighton. The Amex is full of a new generation of young fans, who come accompanied by their parents, who have gradually started to get hooked. I know so many people like this. There is just no way on Earth they are all going to disappear if / when we get relegated. It's a complete nonsense idea. Yes, gates would drop- how many Championship teams get 30,000+ every week?

It's this demographic that swells the Amex attendances, and they are here to stay. The 'tourists' are people like the Japanese here to watch Mitoma, and the odd person or family who wants to watch a Premier League match for the first time. That is a tiny percentage of the Amex crowd.

So in fact, maybe the 'tourists' might vanish overnight if we were relegated, but it would make virtually no difference, and be completely within the normal parameters of a team getting relegated, and we'd still be in the top 2 or 3 supported clubs in the Championship.

I know it bothers some people,, but our 'legacy fans' (and yes I am one of them) aren't special. Sorry.

Currently eight Championship teams averaging 25,000+ and Birmingham City in Div 3. I suspect our crowds would drop, not least to smaller away attendances, but we'd hold among those eight. Possibly not as much as 30,000 (Leeds United and Sunderland)

 

[Eeyore]

But We literally do sell out every home game and nearly all away games. All the 1901 are sold out. All season tickets sold out months before the start of the season and i suspect they will for 25/26. Match day tickets all sell out in the Premier League and nearly all away ends come to that.
What doesn't sell out - i guess, is is all the tickets TWICE...ie: the ones that go on the exchange that the club have sold once already. Although many of those sell as well .

The "deals" offered to season ticket holders (travel, small percentage rises most years, interest free / admin fee free loans) are just normal and have been in place since the Amex was built. Its a long time since the club have offered half season tickets for example.

Is a supporter a A+ member ? thats quite a commitment - £85 per year etc. What about those that attend a few times a year . Must be thousands and thousands. I'd argue we have way more than 30K+ supporters just on that basis.

I'm an A+ member- even though I never go. I think it's about £35 a year. But I do get a thank you letter and a pretty unusable gift each year.

 

[Eeyore]

I always struggle with this tourist bashing.

It seems ironic that, even in NSC, I have seem folk posting abut their favourite overseas teams and how they have visited their grounds and seen them play.

 

[portlock seagull]

Oh please. Crawley sold 20k tickets to Wembley in May, are there 20k Crawley fans now?

You seem to have invented this ‘subject’ to just have a ‘debate’ about something that isn’t going to happen at BHA anytime remotely soon. Weird.

Except you said there aren’t 30k Albion fans, yet there are at every home game never mind following elsewhere. And then for removal of any doubt, you’ve also compared us to Creepy Look, if you’re going to drink please drink responsibly.

 

[mile oak]

High spending tourist type supporters are temporary, legacy fans are permanent

Individually maybe but can soon be replaced by other tourists