[Albion] Season Ticket Numbers

[Blue3]

At current (and increasing) rates, first doses will be finished way before September. More like April/May - assume say 50m left to do at 4m per week, will be done in 3 months or so. Once we have virtually everyone vaccinated they won’t need to insist on proof of vaccine because the numbers that haven’t had it won’t be material anyway.

It is incredible how the NHS, army and Volentary services have achieved this to date but I fear the supplies of vaccines will prove to be its downfall.

With regards to vaccine passports it's almost certain to be adopted the problem is the uk cannot do this in isolation all nations need to have them in the way passports are standard worldwide the cost and logistics are huge far better to have a reader chip in with the vaccine!

 

[BNthree]

Given the club usually get existing season ticket holders to commit to renew way before the season has ended relegation shouldn't be a big factor in the number of renewals/cancellations. Going to be more financial situation and people getting out of the habit of it. As long as they don't expect payment while no fans are permitted (and continue the direct debit scheme) I think the majority of fans will renew.

 

[chaileyjem]

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said I can't imagine life without live football. Now I have learnt to live without it.
No more leaving home at 12:30 for a 3pm ko and getting back gone 6pm. I can now do other things on a Saturday and still be on the settee for ko.
It will be a tough call for me but as long as tv coverage is still there, I can see me giving up my ST.

Agreed that for many reasons (habit, cost, watching Albion lose a lot !, convenience) season ticket holders might rethink. We've never had a pause like this before . Although there is a turnover every season for many of those reasons anyway. However the blanket live tv coverage - ie: every Albion game - including 3pm live football will not continue for much longer - assuming that 21/22 sees fans return (even at lower levels) .

 

[Arthur]

Think it will certainly be interesting to see what they do with the prices. Will it just be the few percent increase we get every year or will they whack a premium on to try and cover some of the losses.

1901 prices will be interesting as well as they are a 5 year commitment. Last period was started in the championship but the majority was spent in the prem. They've already made a song and dance about new and improved lounges so I wouldn't be surprised if they went up a fair whack.

Out of interest anyone know what the train companies did for annual season tickets? Didn't see the usual Train Prices to increase X% news stories for obvious reasons at the end of last year.

 

[dazzer6666]

It is incredible how the NHS, army and Volentary services have achieved this to date but I fear the supplies of vaccines will prove to be its downfall.

With regards to vaccine passports it's almost certain to be adopted the problem is the uk cannot do this in isolation all nations need to have them in the way passports are standard worldwide the cost and logistics are huge far better to have a reader chip in with the vaccine!

I’m sure it’ll be adopted for cross-border travel, but within a country that knows it’s status regarding infections, vaccination % etc it won’t be necessary. De facto we’ll only be back at a full Amex when lockdown has ended so can’t see how checking will be necessary.

 

[dazzer6666]

Sorry but that is a lot of assumptions, I'm not sure we will see full houses again until Easter 2022 - love to be wrong - maybe 20-30% capacities come this autumn.

You’re basically saying there will be restrictions for at least another 15 months then. I’m not that pessimistic.

 

[Blue3]

I’m sure it’ll be adopted for cross-border travel, but within a country that knows it’s status regarding infections, vaccination % etc it won’t be necessary. De facto we’ll only be back at a full Amex when lockdown has ended so can’t see how checking will be necessary.

Yes I agree re returning to the Amex I was more thinking general travel

 

[Doonhamer7]

I was having a conversation with our H&S Director last night and the earliest he predicts any normality will be at August at the earliest and even that will be pushing it. So expect Amex won’t be full until 2022

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Weren't we led to believe there was a waiting list not so long ago of about 7000?

Surely many not renewing (sadly like myself) will have their seats snapped up by many on the waiting list (finances depending).

The power of marketing .... no.

I think you'll find last time some came up for grabs many posted on NSC how they'd been offered them and only been on the waiting list a very short while.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I expect ( hope ) that the Everton, Leeds, West Ham and Man City matches will allow ballots for 2000 fans each if the vaccination program keeps going at current speed.

I also reckon direct debits / renewals for next season will happen in May or June.

 

[studio150]

Sorry but that is a lot of assumptions, I'm not sure we will see full houses again until Easter 2022 - love to be wrong - maybe 20-30% capacities come this autumn.

A sensible view on the return to full capacity. I just can't see the Government going from no fans to full capacity in one hit.
I think the best we can hope for is a return to the tier system around Easter, with the chance of 2,000 or 4,000 being allowed depending in whether in tier 2 or 1.
This will probably be followed by an increase in each tier as the 2021/22 season starts, possibly to 12,000/8,000/4,000 then following a review of the data specifically from those attending games, combined with the national situation, then a further increase would follow before a return to capacity just before the end of next season.

Just need the roll out of vaccines to be successful and no deadly variants

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

The power of marketing .... no.

I think you'll find last time some came up for grabs many posted on NSC how they'd been offered them and only been on the waiting list a very short while.

The list is still of similar size as you are allowed a years grace when top of the list and eligible for a ST if you don’t want to take one up now (group, financial, health etc)

This is why people further down the list have been offered tickets as people higher up have deferred their option / place.

This isn’t to say the same reasons won’t be applicable again in March, which would shorten the list somewhat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dazzer6666]

A sensible view on the return to full capacity. I just can't see the Government going from no fans to full capacity in one hit.
I think the best we can hope for is a return to the tier system around Easter, with the chance of 2,000 or 4,000 being allowed depending in whether in tier 2 or 1.
This will probably be followed by an increase in each tier as the 2021/22 season starts, possibly to 12,000/8,000/4,000 then following a review of the data specifically from those attending games, combined with the national situation, then a further increase would follow before a return to capacity just before the end of next season.

Just need the roll out of vaccines to be successful and no deadly variants

I don’t think we’ll see a return this season.....we’ll be lucky to get to T2 during April, more likely early May - by which time the season is done. might get a couple of games with 2k perhaps if previous protocols are applied.

However, essentially what you’re saying is the tiers will continue, with significant restrictions, for at least another 8-9 months. If everyone has been vaccinated (twice), infections have dropped to virtually nothing (which will be the case if the vaccines work) and the NHS is fully under control (and there are no more nasty variants) why do you think we’ll still be in T2 in say August/Sept ? Football won’t be a special case with it’s own data - we’ll either be in forms of restriction or not.

 

[rippleman]

Of course, if the club really are getting hammered financially, then there must be discussions at a higher level that if they only allow say, 20% of the stadium capacity in, the cost could be £50 a ticket or something like that to recuperate the lost revenue...also if food and beverages are not allowed to be sold yet.

Someone above mentioned relegation and how that could be a major game changer. I think that is a real issue that will be playing on the mind of every club outside the top 10 of the prem. losing TV income could really be a issue for many clubs like ours

Whilst the club are obviously suffering some degree of financial hardship the fact that they just paid out £25K for IT for kids (that Boris promised the government would supply - and then didn't) I'm not sure that the club is quite at the point of "rummaging down the back of the sofa" just yet.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Enochlophobia I think is the word for fear of crowds?

No, that's a fear of racists.

 

[Gazwag]

You’re basically saying there will be restrictions for at least another 15 months then. I’m not that pessimistic.

Until we get to Nov/Dec we won't know what will happen next winter so I cannot see the government allowing 100% attendances until data is clear. Not many of us would have predicted that we would be in twice as bad position now when football stopped on 14 March 2020, so I have moved to the position that it will be a massive bonus if I get to a game(s) before Christmas at the Amex and then an away match in the next 15 months.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I think that the events over the last few months or so have taught me that it's best not to get carried away and look too far ahead, it will be baby steps for some time yet, but we will get there eventually.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I think the big unknown at present is what sort of behaviour the presence of the vaccine drives in the population at large, and what implications this has for curtailing the spread of Covid.

We know at present that even without the vaccine a small but significant enough majority have basically two-fingered the regulations, leaving us all in the shit. There seems to be a growing view that the emergence of the vaccine means "Hooray! - Life back to normal once I've had my first jab then!" whilst the scientists obviously are saying nothing of the sort.

I guess at the moment the most pragmatic approach is to administer both doses to all have can / want the vaccine and see where the data leaves us then. Failure to do that means this will just drag on forever.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I guess at the moment the most pragmatic approach is to administer both doses to all have can / want the vaccine and see where the data leaves us then. Failure to do that means this will just drag on forever.

It might be a long wait then! Many people who have already redeived their first jab are having to wait a couple of months or longer for their second.

Two questions need to be asked here, how much protection does just one inoculation give you? and how long will it last for?

 

[studio150]

I don’t think we’ll see a return this season.....we’ll be lucky to get to T2 during April, more likely early May - by which time the season is done. might get a couple of games with 2k perhaps if previous protocols are applied.

However, essentially what you’re saying is the tiers will continue, with significant restrictions, for at least another 8-9 months. If everyone has been vaccinated (twice), infections have dropped to virtually nothing (which will be the case if the vaccines work) and the NHS is fully under control (and there are no more nasty variants) why do you think we’ll still be in T2 in say August/Sept ? Football won’t be a special case with it’s own data - we’ll either be in forms of restriction or not.

Because I think that this time the Government will take a slower approach to opening society back up, and large attendance events will be towards the rear. The focus will be in schools and High Streets to enable financial support to be vastly reduced.
I also believe that will be a significant number of people who won't (for whatever foolish reason) be willing to have the jab, leaving the virus circulating.

Hopefully I'm wrong and things move quicker, but I'm just a pessimist.