[Albion] Fans' Forum follow-up on the season ticket sharing scheme

[Bold Seagull]

...and the club have readily conceded that communication could have been better around that, and I'm sure it will be next time.

What I don't really understand, looking at things beyond these specific discussion points, is how a small number of people do seem to genuinely think that the club, owned and bankrolled by a lifelong fan, who comes from a family of lifelong fans, is on a mission to make things as difficult/expensive for supporters wherever they can.

That just doesn't marry up with how I see the club being administered, and I certainly don't agree with every decision made.

The ticket sharing has been linked to Albion+ membership because Albion+ membership means a free position on the ST waiting list, and an ST waiting list gives the impression of high demand. High demand can drive sales in both ordinary tickets and for STs. The club used both these elements, 'record Albion+ membership sales', 'growing ST waiting list' in a recent news release. It's a decent marketing strategy to tie in as many people as possible through membership etc. that you can target more easily with marketing offers and tempters to get along more often with the ultimate aim of always selling out of ST ahead of each season.

The difficulty for the club is that they genuinely do have to market, use tempting offers, and encourage new people to come to the Amex and watch football, but at the same time that sort of customer focus marketing does rub fans up the wrong way who don't want to be customers. The long and the short of it is, that to fill the Amex and all the hospitality, we need more customers and to keep them coming. It's a tough balancing act and one in which they often get right, but sometimes do get wrong.

 

[South west gull]

Did the club worry about taking the 6,000 allocation at Villa in the cup when we were at Withdean? Or the allocation at Stoke? Did they sit there and think ‘We might have 1,000+ unsold tickets, so we won’t take the lot’? Clearly they didn’t and they didn’t really have a pot to piss in then, but they understood that football is nothing without the fans. Tottenham could be one of the greatest nights in our history and could’ve been backed by a massive away crowd, but they cared more about the money. Depressing.

When was the last time we didn't sell out a London away game Mr barber ?

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[Bozza]

The ticket sharing has been linked to Albion+ membership because Albion+ membership means a free position on the ST waiting list, and an ST waiting list gives the impression of high demand. High demand can drive sales in both ordinary tickets and for STs. The club used both these elements, 'record Albion+ membership sales', 'growing ST waiting list' in a recent news release. It's a decent marketing strategy to tie in as many people as possible through membership etc. that you can target more easily with marketing offers and tempters to get along more often with the ultimate aim of always selling out of ST ahead of each season.

The difficulty for the club is that they genuinely do have to market, use tempting offers, and encourage new people to come to the Amex and watch football, but at the same time that sort of customer focus marketing does rub fans up the wrong way who don't want to be customers. The long and the short of it is, that to fill the Amex and all the hospitality, we need more customers and to keep them coming. It's a tough balancing act and one in which they often get right, but sometimes do get wrong.

Undoubtedly.

I hope he doesn't mind me mentioning it, but on a call with Paul Barber a month or so back, he mentioned that at the end of each season the club commission an external independent review of the Albion's fan base and engagement metrics, and we're still short of the numbers we need to be confidently filling the Amex under all conditions, and Covid clearly won't have helped with that.

Continuing to grow the fanbase and further extending the reach of the club is vitally important to ensure the long-term health of the Albion.

 

[Seaview Seagull]

When was the last time we didn't sell out a London away game Mr barber ?

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It's a lot easier to sell out a league game at 3000 than a cup game at 9000. As has been said the answer was probably between 4500 and 9000 but that option wasn't available.

 

[South west gull]

It's a lot easier to sell out a league game at 3000 than a cup game at 9000. As has been said the answer was probably between 4500 and 9000 but that option wasn't available.

Let me tell the attendance at spurs will be around 45000 that's 16000/17000 short of capacity & we get only 5700 the same as Morecambe average gate 1500 Brighton average 30000.#dontknowwhattheredoing

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[chaileyjem]

Certainly would be in our recent history. No doubt about that.

We've already beaten Spurs, Liverpool, Everton and Man City just in the last 12 months. And drawn games v Arsenal, Chelsea (twice) and West Ham (twice)

Playing Spurs and beating them in the 4th round of the FA Cup will be a decent result of course but i think its fair to argue that a cup trip to Spurs in 2022 , when we play #teamslikeSpurs every other week and put them to the sword , is not quite the attraction for fans that it might have been in 2015 (when we played them in the League Cup) or 2010 (when we were in L1) or anytime pre 2010 to be honest.
And we have already played them a couple of times - with fans - at the new stadium as well so its hard to argue that its the first chance to see that either.

 

[South west gull]

We've already beaten Spurs, Liverpool, Everton and Man City just in the last 12 months. And drawn games v Arsenal, Chelsea (twice) and West Ham (twice)

Playing Spurs and beating them in the 4th round of the FA Cup will be a decent result of course but i think its fair to argue that a cup trip to Spurs in 2022 , when we play #teamslikeSpurs every other week and put them to the sword , is not quite the attraction for fans that it might have been in 2015 (when we played them in the League Cup) or 2010 (when we were in L1) or anytime pre 2010 to be honest.
And we have already played them a couple of times - with fans - at the new stadium as well so its hard to argue that its the first chance to see that either.

Don't forget the magic of the fa cup + people are going to away grounds for the 1st time with their parents

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[Seaview Seagull]

Let me tell the attendance at spurs will be around 45000 that's 16000/17000 short of capacity & we get only 5700 the same as Morecambe average gate 1500 Brighton average 30000.#dontknowwhattheredoing

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Apologies but I can't understand this response? We can't have more than 9000 tickets whatever the total attendance might be. It's down to the home team for the rest.

 

[South west gull]

We've already beaten Spurs, Liverpool, Everton and Man City just in the last 12 months. And drawn games v Arsenal, Chelsea (twice) and West Ham (twice)

Playing Spurs and beating them in the 4th round of the FA Cup will be a decent result of course but i think its fair to argue that a cup trip to Spurs in 2022 , when we play #teamslikeSpurs every other week and put them to the sword , is not quite the attraction for fans that it might have been in 2015 (when we played them in the League Cup) or 2010 (when we were in L1) or anytime pre 2010 to be honest.
And we have already played them a couple of times - with fans - at the new stadium as well so its hard to argue that its the first chance to see that either.

So we sell 5700 tickets in 4 days and you say it's not attractive better only give us 2000 tickets next season then at fulham

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[South west gull]

Apologies but I can't understand this response? We can't have more than 9000 tickets whatever the total attendance might be. It's down to the home team for the rest.

What I am saying is there will be at least 15000 empty seats when we could have taken at least 3000 more.

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[chaileyjem]

So we sell 5700 tickets in 4 days and you say it's not attractive better only give us 2000 tickets next season then at fulham

Its going to be a good night , a fantastic night if we win and i certainly didn't say it wasn't attractive - just saying its fair to argue that playing Spurs in 2022 in a cup game is different when you've been in the PL for 5 years. I also think the club have made a reasonable case as to why they bought 5,700 tickets not 9000 - which [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] has shared from the forum and in other posts and of course i get that some fans have missed out but i'm just the messenger here. Talk to Jenny or her team via supporter.services@brightonandhovealbion.com if you're not convinced.

 

[portlock seagull]

What an over complicated mess. Just increase the season ticket price by 1.5% and make the sharing free to the season ticket holder, keeping the Albion membership requirement (but reducing the cost of it imo). Too much emphasis by the club on being able to promote "freezing" prices and then confusing all and sundry with the options. Keep it simple and a £8-12 rise is less likely to stop ST renewal than a perception of "too much palava/red tape/ control" by the club, imho.

Totally this. What the club are doing is called “shrinkage” in the food industry eg There’s a reason that packet of crisps has stayed 70p for years…it’s because it’s now 18g!

A lot of fans are mugs let’s face it. Me included before anyone accuses!

 

[South west gull]

Its going to be a good night , a fantastic night if we win and i certainly didn't say it wasn't attractive - just saying its fair to argue that playing Spurs in 2022 in a cup game is different when you've been in the PL for 5 years. I also think the club have made a reasonable case as to why they bought 5,700 tickets not 9000 - which [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] has shared from the forum and in other posts and of course i get that some fans have missed out but i'm just the messenger here. Talk to Jenny or her team via supporter.services@brightonandhovealbion.com if you're not convinced.

I am just saying a lot has changed in the last 5 years & every year more fans will want to go to local away games a few times a season particularly with family & friends.good debate chaileyjem keep the faith.

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[Javeaseagull]

Spurs know they can sell those tickets because everyone wants to see Brighton, obviously.

 

[doogie004]

According to spurs season ticket friend they already asking for friends of season ticket holders so they not going g to sell out


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[South west gull]

According to spurs season ticket friend they already asking for friends of season ticket holders so they not going g to sell out


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As I said earlier the attendance might reach 40000 .spurs crowd well down on numbers post covid have a look at there recent home crowd numbers

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[Bold Seagull]

I am just saying a lot has changed in the last 5 years & every year more fans will want to go to local away games a few times a season particularly with family & friends.good debate chaileyjem keep the faith.

I don't really have an issue with them thinking we'd only take sub 6k at 8pm on a Sat night with difficult trains and travel, not suiting families with late night etc. kids with their football matches in the morning etc. etc. I think what they got wrong is not indicating at the outset that 5700 tickets might be the limit. I know it's difficult to word that, but nonetheless, had they done so they may have had the rapid sales of tickets they were looking for and then had the confidence to go for the extra. By not announcing there maybe this limit, sales were slow because so many people were going to wait to buy with friends and family on the Monday when that ticket window opened. Only they sold out. It wasn't just a miscommunication, it was an own goal on their part.

 

[Harold]

I don't really have an issue with them thinking we'd only take sub 6k at 8pm on a Sat night with difficult trains and travel, not suiting families with late night etc. kids with their football matches in the morning etc. etc. I think what they got wrong is not indicating at the outset that 5700 tickets might be the limit. I know it's difficult to word that, but nonetheless, had they done so they may have had the rapid sales of tickets they were looking for and then had the confidence to go for the extra. By not announcing there maybe this limit, sales were slow because so many people were going to wait to buy with friends and family on the Monday when that ticket window opened. Only they sold out. It wasn't just a miscommunication, it was an own goal on their part.

100% this.

 

[Creaky]

I don't really have an issue with them thinking we'd only take sub 6k at 8pm on a Sat night with difficult trains and travel, not suiting families with late night etc. kids with their football matches in the morning etc. etc. I think what they got wrong is not indicating at the outset that 5700 tickets might be the limit. I know it's difficult to word that, but nonetheless, had they done so they may have had the rapid sales of tickets they were looking for and then had the confidence to go for the extra. By not announcing there maybe this limit, sales were slow because so many people were going to wait to buy with friends and family on the Monday when that ticket window opened. Only they sold out. It wasn't just a miscommunication, it was an own goal on their part.

And [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] revealed that the club acknowledge they got it wrong, earlier in this thread ..

and the club have readily conceded that communication could have been better around that, and I'm sure it will be next time.

I don’t see the point in flogging a dead horse

 

[dazzer6666]

Unless I'm mistaken, tickets appear to be on general sale already with no membership requirement. Plenty available if you don't mind sitting in the home seats.