[Football] Ending Season Ticket Culture

[Chicken Run]

At £65-£70 for a ticket I’m not surprised

It’s an interesting conundrum that to be sure, cold night ahead with time for no more than a couple of pre match pints, crammed train to Amex probably being verbally abused by some kunty Chelsea fans, disappointing cold piglet pie that took half an hour to get followed by a normal service resumes performance that will ruin my weekend and then the journey back to Brighton and all that entails to look forward to, and you say i have to pay for that experience?

 

[Bold Seagull]

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.

If someone was 10 the year we won League One and our last in the trees, then at 25 now as a Brighton fan you’ve only ever known progress and success. Our last relegation is now 20 years ago, so anyone under the age of 30 doesn’t really remember us ever being relegated.

That’s a lot of fans, some of whom will be started their own families of new Brighton fans. I’m agreeing with you, I think there is probably a bigger legacy than people give credit for.

My youngest plays U15s, if their game on a Sunday with a local team is given a KO that clashes with an Albion game - it’s likely rearranged given so many will be going. That wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago.

 

[Bold Seagull]

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.

The microfibre beach towel - an unusable gift!! Shame on your pat down convenient drying experience sir.

 

[Bold Seagull]

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.

I’m no longer an ST but am Albion+ and pick my games. I simply choose not to go to Cat A or A+ games as the prices are just too high. That isn’t a dig at the Albion, that’s PL home game ticket pricing generally. For me to take my son to a game of football, I’m not paying £100 or so.

Quite happy with my 10 or so games at more like £35 a pop for other Cat games, which typically with an U18 is around the £50 mark.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

I’m no longer an ST but am Albion+ and pick my games. I simply choose not to go to Cat A or A+ games as the prices are just too high. That isn’t a dig at the Albion, that’s PL home game ticket pricing generally. For me to take my son to a game of football, I’m not paying £100 or so.

Quite happy with my 10 or so games at more like £35 a pop for other Cat games, which typically with an U18 is around the £50 mark.

I could imagine this approach becoming more popular with some. in addition to cost, lower cat games are often the more traditional 3pm Saturday KO and quite nice to select games in warmer seasons than matches in the depth of winter at silly times.

 

[dazzer6666]

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.

Others do the same - because their choices/numbers don’t correlate with yours that doesn’t make them ‘mugs’. Everything has an opportunity cost and everyone makes a choice.

 

[Commander]

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

35,000 die hard fans, with 27,000 poor souls who were unable to get tickets for games at Withdean every week.

Come on, half of Sussex went to that game. Friends of fans, friends of friends of fans, people who 'went to the Goldstone once' etc.

 

[GJN1]

If someone was 10 the year we won League One and our last in the trees, then at 25 now as a Brighton fan you’ve only ever known progress and success. Our last relegation is now 20 years ago, so anyone under the age of 30 doesn’t really remember us ever being relegated.

That’s a lot of fans, some of whom will be started their own families of new Brighton fans. I’m agreeing with you, I think there is probably a bigger legacy than people give credit for.

My youngest plays U15s, if their game on a Sunday with a local team is given a KO that clashes with an Albion game - it’s likely rearranged given so many will be going. That wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago.

Similarly, when I started taking my son to Saturday morning football at Varndean when he was 5 in 2008 all the kids there were wearing Chelsea or Man Utd shirts, maybe a few Arsenal ones. Now when I drive past, it's a sea of Seagulls shirts.

 

[GJN1]

It’s an interesting conundrum that to be sure, cold night ahead with time for no more than a couple of pre match pints, crammed train to Amex probably being verbally abused by some kunty Chelsea fans, disappointing cold piglet pie that took half an hour to get followed by a normal service resumes performance that will ruin my weekend and then the journey back to Brighton and all that entails to look forward to, and you say i have to pay for that experience?

 

[portlock seagull]

35,000 die hard fans, with 27,000 poor souls who were unable to get tickets for games at Withdean every week.

Come on, half of Sussex went to that game. Friends of fans, friends of friends of fans, people who 'went to the Goldstone once' etc.

The point being that was 20 years ago; we’ve grown considerably since; we get 30k home fans every week…yet we don’t have 30k fans? ‘Come on’…

 

[Wardy's twin]

I agree we have more than 30k individual fans who have attended a game this season, that will include my grandson who has attended one game. Remember my figure was in response to the context of the original posting, IMO we don't have enough fans to say we would fil the ground every game if we were charging the standard non-STH price for a ticket and you also moved seats regularly. All about opinion as don't have access to the actual numbers but pretty sure if every game has sold out , certainly we haven't sold everything on the exchange.

 

[Zeberdi]

The OP raises some interesting points.

I disagree with the OP that they should be phased out but the gap between the sweeteners offered STHs compared to Albion+ members seems very large to me - especially when it comes to the race to get away tickets. I think the TRANSPORT issues at the Amex is the reason for so many empty seats though, it’s not just STHs not attending - especially for weekday/evening KOs. The Club HAS to sort this out - scores of empty seats at evening home matches is a bad optic, for the team playing, to the home fans who have attended and is an embarrassment in front of away fans tbh.

Obviously STHs are not going to vote for increased prices and non-STHs are going to wish for more equity so while it’s an interesting discussion, it’s largely academic.

As for moaning about costs of forking out £65 for a match ticket - here’s my moan :

Attending the Chelsea match tonight:

£80 in public transport fares
£110 - hotel for one night in Brighton because it is an 8pm KO and there is no way to get back to Norfolk tonight.
£65 - ticket
£25 - food/drink

TOTAL - £280 quid for me to watch my team play a home game tonight.

The amount of money I spend on match tickets per season, it would be much cheaper to buy a ST - but I literally can’t afford the cost of travel every 2 weeks even if my health and time would permit the commute - if I lived in Brighton still I would happily have renewed a ST at least I would be able to attend every home game and use Seagull travel to away matches - I don’t regret the choice to spend what little disposable income I have on watching Brighton play but I do find it annoying when STHs are often presumed by fans and the Club to be considered more ‘loyal’ and meritorious of benefits than non-STHs when some of us travel hundreds of miles on public transport and spend hundreds of pounds a month to support the Club.

EDIT

And I have just found out that ALL the trains from Cambridge to Brighton have been cancelled today due to a signal failure so I will need to get a taxi from Liverpool Street to Kings Cross

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

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

Blimey, doesn’t the time fly by! Seems only like a few years ago.

 

[Seagull on the Hill]

I'm the sort of season ticket holder that Barber would be glad to see the back of.
I have a concession season ticket, so each home match costs me approximately £23, I rarely buy merchandise, I don't buy food in the stadium because there's rarely a gluten free option, and my alcohol intake doesn't usually exceed 2 pints per match.
If my seat was occupied by a "tourist" the club's income from that seat would multiply four or five fold.

 

[Commander]

The OP raises some interesting points.

I disagree with the OP that they should be phased out but the gap between the sweeteners offered STHs compared to Albion+ members seems very large to me - especially when it comes to the race to get away tickets. I think the TRANSPORT issues at the Amex is the reason for so many empty seats though, it’s not just STHs not attending - especially for weekday/evening KOs. The Club HAS to sort this out - scores of empty seats at evening home matches is a bad optic, for the team playing, to the home fans who have attended and is an embarrassment in front of away fans tbh.

Obviously STHs are not going to vote for increased prices and non-STHs are going to wish for more equity so while it’s an interesting discussion, it’s largely academic.

As for moaning about costs of forking out £65 for a match ticket - here’s my moan :

Attending the Chelsea match tonight:

£80 in public transport fares
£110 - hotel for one night in Brighton because it is an 8pm KO and there is no way to get back to Norfolk tonight.
£65 - ticket
£25 - food/drink

TOTAL - £280 quid for me to watch my team play a home game tonight.

The amount of money I spend on match tickets per season, it would be much cheaper to buy a ST - but I literally can’t afford the cost of travel every 2 weeks even if my health and time would permit the commute - if I lived in Brighton still I would happily have renewed a ST at least I would be able to attend every home game and use Seagull travel to away matches - I don’t regret the choice to spend what little disposable income I have on watching Brighton play but I do find it annoying when STHs are often presumed by fans and the Club to be considered more ‘loyal’ and meritorious of benefits than non-STHs when some of us travel hundreds of miles on public transport and spend hundreds of pounds a month to support the Club.

EDIT

And I have just found out that ALL the trains from Cambridge to Brighton have been cancelled today due to a signal failure so I will need to get a taxi from Liverpool Street to Kings Cross

With respect though, the £280 cost is largely down to your own choice of living in Norfolk. You aren’t the club’s main market. If you lived in Sussex like the overwhelming majority of fans, you would lose £200 of those costs straight away.

I completely agree that the transport issues at the Amex are the reason we have empty seats. But what can the club actually do about it? I think they’ve tried their best by making the Amex an attractive place to get to early / stay late, but I can’t see what else they can do.

If the stadium had its own Trainline (or monorail!) with constant non-stopping shuttle services to and from Brighton station, it would be one of the best stadiums in the country.

 

[southstandandy]

With respect though, the £280 cost is largely down to your own choice of living in Norfolk. You aren’t the club’s main market. If you lived in Sussex like the overwhelming majority of fans, you would lose £200 of those costs straight away.

I completely agree that the transport issues at the Amex are the reason we have empty seats. But what can the club actually do about it? I think they’ve tried their best by making the Amex an attractive place to get to early / stay late, but I can’t see what else they can do.

If the stadium had its own Trainline (or monorail!) with constant non-stopping shuttle services to and from Brighton station, it would be one of the best stadiums in the country.

Give the Amex to the ladies team and build a new 40,000 seater in the centre of town! Simples.

Just demolish the whole of Churchill square area and put Amex - Mk 2 there! They might have to increase ticket prices for this option though....

 

[chaileyjem]

I'm the sort of season ticket holder that Barber would be glad to see the back of.
I have a concession season ticket, so each home match costs me approximately £23, I rarely buy merchandise, I don't buy food in the stadium because there's rarely a gluten free option, and my alcohol intake doesn't usually exceed 2 pints per match.
If my seat was occupied by a "tourist" the club's income from that seat would multiply four or five fold.

Paul Barber has been here 13 years and in that time has increased the number of season ticket holders not reduced them. Which routinely sell out. It’s true they plan to reduce the concessionary discount , I can see why but I disagree with it . Unnecessary given the small revenue. - but there’s no sign whatsoever that the club wants to “see the back of “ season ticket holders. Or the travel zone, or no fee, interest free season tickets.

 

[heathgate]

It will when the tourists all vanish overnight with any future loss of EPL status

Exactly, once Mitoma moves on, watch the regular Japanese tourists disappear...other than those in the home stands supporting the opposition money teams.

 

[Zeberdi]

With respect though, the £280 cost is largely down to your own choice of living in Norfolk. You aren’t the club’s main market. If you lived in Sussex like the overwhelming majority of fans, you would lose £200 of those costs straight away.

As I said it is ‘my choice’ to support the Club and travel from Norfolk to do so - no one is forcing me! I choose to spend my disposable income on supporting Brighton rather than on beer, cars, holidays abroad or eating out. You also (wrongly) presume I had a choice about living where I do - I moved for health and financial reasons and I was offered a job opportunity here.

We ALL have a choices in life though - including how much we spend on our enjoyment of football and how much effort we put in to supporting the Club.

The point is for thousands of fans, buying a season ticket is neither viable nor appropriate but it is wrong to presume they are any less dedicated or imagine they are mostly tourists so they should IMO get a fair whack at away tickets or maybe a proportion of Albion + tickets can go on sale with the first and second tier.

As I said, I don’t agree ST prices should increase or be phased out but I think the points system could be more equitable for fans that are no longer STH but like me have been supporting the Club since the 1960s. Maybe the threshold criteria for attending matches to qualify for an ST can be lower for fans that live more than a certain distance away from Sussex too?

As for empty seats and travel issues exiting the Stadium, the fan zone will probably help especially in lighter, warmer months and maybe staggering the exit of fans - by eg letting the family section out earlier, holding away fans back?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm the sort of season ticket holder that Barber would be glad to see the back of.
I have a concession season ticket, so each home match costs me approximately £23, I rarely buy merchandise, I don't buy food in the stadium because there's rarely a gluten free option, and my alcohol intake doesn't usually exceed 2 pints per match.
If my seat was occupied by a "tourist" the club's income from that seat would multiply four or five fold.

So am I, but giving mine up this season for health reasons. I hope to get to an occasional game next season as a member.