Planning to email the club (re ticket prices)

[amexer]

Quite agree. Our seats in East Upper are £40 on match day. My season ticket works out I think £27 per game which is good value. When one of us cant go have no problem passing on to friend for that amount. However all refuse to pay the £40 to occupy vacant seat next to us. Appreciate has to be more then season ticket price but £40 far too much. I would suggest 20% more then season ticket price

 

[WhingForPresident]

I'm assuming he will respond to me personally, so I will raise it with him, and let you know. Thanks (too many commas?)

Yup, you don't need the comma between 'so I will raise it with him' and 'and let you know'.

 

[ChickenBaltiPie]

Yup, you don't need the comma between 'so I will raise it with him' and 'and let you know'.

haha you're top! thanks

 

[Was not Was]

If you call or visit the ticket office, I think you'll be able to buy a pair of tix elsewhere in the ground (a cheaper section) and 'trade in' your season ticket for that game at the 'single match' price - so you end up buying two tickets at say £30 each, and trade in yours for £40, making it £20 extra to take your other half. I may be wrong, but pretty sure that I and friends have done this before.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

...with the following, and I am interested to know peoples thoughts. Cheers

Subject: Season Ticket Holder +1

Hello, I’ve realized that the seat next to mine is often empty, and on general sale. Having finally convinced my GF to come and watch a game with me, I went on the site to purchase the seat, and honestly was a little taken aback by the £40 price!! (For a ‘lower’ profile Preston game) This is more than I can afford unfortunately, and so won’t be purchasing, but I thought I would 1. Give my feedback, and 2. Enquire if I’ve simply missed the memo, and infact tickets can be purchased at a lower rate for season ticket holders?

…..I have to assume you know better than I but I can’t help thinking that a more reasonable ticket price(or reduced price initiative) under these sort of circumstances would encourage the sale of these empty seats on match days, and more importantly repeat business and the very strong potential to turn a standard ticket sale in to a season ticket sale.

I can categorically say, had the seat been as little as £10 less, I would have bought it. Had she of enjoyed the game, I would have bought it again, and I would be taking my pals regularly too, but not at that price.

Buy the ST for the seat next to you & take your wife, friends and relatives and give away if you can't find a taker. If we win the next 3 someone else will buy it and then what will you do? Guy in front of me fills 3 as well as his own every week
You'll have more fun, more friends and feel better for it

 

[WhingForPresident]

haha you're top! thanks

I genuinely wasn't trying to be a knob originally (obviously was on that occasion), appears you may have taken it as me being a knob, apologies.

 

[chaileyjem]

Agreed. Forty quid (even with travel) is a tad pricey for Preston , although of course at least with the Albion there's always other options, offers and schemes (the 10 quid offer, travel, the 4 game package)

PS: I've been looking at gigs at the Brighton Centre recently. They are nearly always in the £40+ range .
Standing for , cough, Duran Duran is an eye watering - £72.

PPS: The BBC does its annual Price of Football survey this week - on Thursday i think so expect Paul Barber/the club to be in the press/media this week talking cost of football.

 

[studio150]

Seems strange that the £40 match ticket doesn't seem to vary as much as ST does by area of ground. So lower west central is the same as lower west wings and east upper at £40, unlike ST prices which vary greatly.

No doubt there is a logic for this, but seems odd to me.

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

I like the idea of you ringing the club and with a straight face telling them your girlfriend is nine years old!!

They wouldn't have batted an eyelid down Medina way, back in the day.

 

[nwgull]

Buy the ST for the seat next to you & take your wife, friends and relatives and give away if you can't find a taker. If we win the next 3 someone else will buy it and then what will you do? Guy in front of me fills 3 as well as his own every week
You'll have more fun, more friends and feel better for it

This is quite a good solution, and I reckon it wouldn't be too hard to find someone that would want to buy a seat at ST price for most games (especially if we continue to do well).

I think that the reason that there is such a large differential between ST prices and 1-off match prices is probably because any club would want as many ST holders as possible to be able to make a firm playing budget in July, as opposed to offering transfers and wages based on attendance estimates and hope.

 

[Dolph Ins]

My son started uni last Sept (unexpectedly....don't ask) so I was left with his season ticket. I sold it to friends for every match last season and 3 people have shared it between themselves this season.

Season ticket is £20.22 per match if you go to every one (most people seem to have to miss a few). In our area it is £32 for matchday ticket for most popular matches, this includes travel which is £6.30 from Haywards Heath. I really don't think that is too unreasonable.

 

[Ron Manager]

I think that £37 (+p&p) for Leeds on Saturday is horrendous. Still going though. My choice, I either accept it or I don't. It ain't gonna change.

 

[Beach Hut]

I think that £37 (+p&p) for Leeds on Saturday is horrendous. Still going though. My choice, I either accept it or I don't. It ain't gonna change.

It is a bargain to see the former Champions of Europe

 

[Beach Hut]

I

...with the following, and I am interested to know peoples thoughts. Cheers

Subject: Season Ticket Holder +1

Hello, I’ve realized that the seat next to mine is often empty, and on general sale. Having finally convinced my GF to come and watch a game with me, I went on the site to purchase the seat, and honestly was a little taken aback by the £40 price!! (For a ‘lower’ profile Preston game) This is more than I can afford unfortunately, and so won’t be purchasing, but I thought I would 1. Give my feedback, and 2. Enquire if I’ve simply missed the memo, and infact tickets can be purchased at a lower rate for season ticket holders?

…..I have to assume you know better than I but I can’t help thinking that a more reasonable ticket price(or reduced price initiative) under these sort of circumstances would encourage the sale of these empty seats on match days, and more importantly repeat business and the very strong potential to turn a standard ticket sale in to a season ticket sale.

I can categorically say, had the seat been as little as £10 less, I would have bought it. Had she of enjoyed the game, I would have bought it again, and I would be taking my pals regularly too, but not at that price.

I would just team up with the fairy and Rev and collectively write about how expensive the Amex experience is despite repeated offers from the club.

 

[Munkfish]

If I didnt have a season Ticket I wouldnt go to games as I really dont find Match by Match tickets Value for Money.

I did similar to the OP a few months ago went to buy a ticket and it came out at around £38 instead I just took her next time a friend couldnt go.

 

[seagulls4ever]

The match day prices are very off-putting. I didn't go all of the previous two seasons because it was too expensive. People talk about the travel but it doesn't include everyone's travel, for various reasons.

I've been twice this season because of how well we are doing and to see Zamora in action, combined with the fact that I recently moved to Brighton. £30 for the Rotherham game (cat C) and £34 (cat B) for the Cardiff game in the WSU. I used the print-at-home feature to avoid the booking fees. The deals they do don't seem to include the WSU. I think that will be it for me until after Christmas at the very least.

Friends who don't support Brighton also mostly find the match day prices too much. So talking from personal experience, the club would get more money out of me and my friends if they made things more affordable for those without season tickets. We have lots of season ticket holders but match day sales are poor.

I also don't understand why the club don't advertise student deals for the vast number of students who live in the area, which could provide repeat custom and future revenue.

I think there is too much short-termism going on at the club (I don't know what long-term financial incentives Barber has?), and if we don't continue to do very well it could show significantly in future seasons.

As an aside, the catering is still rubbish! So slow and apparently no training on how to pour a pint (thus resulting in loads of unnecessary wastage and a slower service!).

 

[maltaseagull]

Agreed, but live music prices are crazy too. Seen some silly prices for Dome concerts recently. I suppose it is a case of if you want it that's the price for one offs. I have never had a season ticket as when I lived in the UK I worked most Saturdays. If I lived in there now, I would probably buy a season ticket as it's good value with the travel.
However, when I come over for a game I usually have to pay £30 + for a seat in the corner.

 

[TottonSeagull]

I'm assuming he will respond to me personally, so I will raise it with him, and let you know. Thanks (too many commas?)

What a waste of PB's time. He probably will take the time to respond to your request for a £10 ticket in one of the more expensive areas of the ground and politely tell you why the seat isn't £10. Either shell out £40 (I'm sure the other half is worth it) or get a ticket in a less expensive part of the Amex.

 

[Acker79]

PPS: The BBC does its annual Price of Football survey this week - on Thursday i think so expect Paul Barber/the club to be in the press/media this week talking cost of football.

They've already started...

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/football-league-reveals-average-ticket-price-2722102.aspx

For the first time, the Football League has revealed the average price paid per paying spectator at matches across its competition as £14 per spectator.

Brighton & Hove Albion's average price was calculated at £20.68 - but that figure includes the cost of matchday travel within the average ticket price.
...
Albion's chief executive Paul Barber said, "This is a very interesting study by the Football League, and shows that Brighton & Hove Albion, like other Football League clubs, offers live football at an affordable price, in a great environment.

"Whenever we see these surveys, it's important to take into account that our prices are always slightly skewed given the innovative travel and transport system we operate for every league match.

"Once you deduct the included cost of travel, our average ticket price is very much in line with the Championship and wider Football League average prices.​

How are they working out these average prices? Because the ticket prices for an adult for Albion home games are:

Grade A (in pounds)
32, 32, 36, 38, 42, 42

Grade B
30, 30, 34, 36, 40, 40

Grade C
25, 25, 30, 32, 35, 35

And they claim the average price at the albion is £20.68.

No full paying adult can buy a regular match day ticker for less than £25, yet the club are proudly saying an average ticket price is almost £20% less than that? The cheapest under 21/over 65 ticket is only 68p below average ticket price. A simple average of the numbers above (I think perhaps it would be fairer to proportionally average them, but I don't have the time or inclination to work it out more thoroughly) puts the average adult price at £34.11.

I get that they must have included under 10 prices, but doesn't that show how misleading this average ticket price is?

 

[dazzer6666]

They've already started...

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/football-league-reveals-average-ticket-price-2722102.aspx

For the first time, the Football League has revealed the average price paid per paying spectator at matches across its competition as £14 per spectator.

Brighton & Hove Albion's average price was calculated at £20.68 - but that figure includes the cost of matchday travel within the average ticket price.
...
Albion's chief executive Paul Barber said, "This is a very interesting study by the Football League, and shows that Brighton & Hove Albion, like other Football League clubs, offers live football at an affordable price, in a great environment.

"Whenever we see these surveys, it's important to take into account that our prices are always slightly skewed given the innovative travel and transport system we operate for every league match.

"Once you deduct the included cost of travel, our average ticket price is very much in line with the Championship and wider Football League average prices.​

How are they working out these average prices? Because the ticket prices for an adult for Albion home games are:

Grade A (in pounds)
32, 32, 36, 38, 42, 42

Grade B
30, 30, 34, 36, 40, 40

Grade C
25, 25, 30, 32, 35, 35

And they claim the average price at the albion is £20.68.

No full paying adult can buy a regular match day ticker for less than £25, yet the club are proudly saying an average ticket price is almost £20% less than that? The cheapest under 21/over 65 ticket is only 68p below average ticket price. A simple average of the numbers above (I think perhaps it would be fairer to proportionally average them, but I don't have the time or inclination to work it out more thoroughly) puts the average adult price at £34.11.

I get that they must have included under 10 prices, but doesn't that show how misleading this average ticket price is?

It says 'per paying spectator' so presumably includes STH, which for us make up a massive proportion of the total gate - and if you take into account concessionary STHs, the average price of all STHs is maybe around £15 so once you add the rest I can see where an average of £20 comes from ?