Season ticket prices next season?

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Credit crunch, dwindling attendances, poor football, even money chance of being in League Two next season.

OR

Falmer building has started, bright new future for the club, investment in new players, possible Wembley appearance, another Football League awards nomination.

Which way do you think the club will dress this up?

I hope we try something really different to get things moving. How about the really low price tickets if a certain number sign up as some other clubs (Bradford?) have tried recently?

 

[BensGrandad]

Even if the price didnt come down, I reckon they would sell more season tickets by giving the option of a monthly direct debit over 6 months say.


T

I suggested that to the club ages ago but was told that they factor out the payment of season tickets and the company they use would not do it over a longer period of payments, but they were going to approach them again.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Apparently they are due to be sent out shortly - prices haven't been announced[/QUOTE

I expect them to come out the day after we get to Wembley!

Buy a ST and get a JPT final ticket free!

Actually I can't see HOW the club would consider sending them out at the moment whilst we are in the bottom 4 and playing such CRAP football.

There will have to be major reductions and the ability to spread the cost better.

 

[blue'n'white]

I realise it's all very worthy of them to want to encourage kids etc.

But frankly I couldn't give a shit, from a purely selfish point of view I want to know why so many other clubs are reducing their prices while I'm expected to be satisfied simply because it stays the same (and even then, only if I pay within a ridiculously short timeframe).

Last time around, they basically said screw you to all the adult fans who've stuck with the club and the worst facilities in the entire football league, bar none, for nearly ten years, by leaving prices the same. I wonder if the credit crunch will alter things, or we'll yet again be taken for granted? Season ticket renewals could well be shocking if (1) prices stay as they are and (2) we go down.

Dead right.
It's not in the slightest bit selfish. I don't care if kids come or not - in the latest dismal run of games the Family Stand hasn't exactly been overflowing with kids anyway.
The season ticket HAS to be reduced if for nothing else then as an apology for the last two years "football". Many other clubs are reducing payments - Niall Quinn at Sunderkand said that he'd rather have a full stadium and a decent atmosphere with people paying less than a half empty stadium with no atmosphere. That is the way to go about it.
My suggestion would be - £250 if paid in one instalment before June 1st, £350 which could be split over 3 instalments - first instalment to be paid by June 1st or £430 which could be split into 8 instalments and first payment to be paid by May 1st. That gives money for the summer transfer window and a modicum of income for the January window.
Any way the ticket prices simply have to be cut - £470 for what is currently 3rd division rubbish and shortly to be 4th division rubbish is far far too much.
Quite honestly I doubt whether I will bother - I simply cannot afford it and certainly not at the proces the tickets were at for this season.I know what'll happen though - it'll be a "price freeze" like it has been for the last few years and we'll have 2500 or 3500 fans at the ground next season and this will all be the fault of the club. It is not attractive pricing and it's not an attractive product either at the moment. The club needs to do some proper market research - asking questions like "What do you feel is a proper price for you to watch BHA next season ? " Make it at least seem that they've got the fans interests at heart. But I have seen nothing to suggest that they have

 

[portlock seagull]

I whinged for a couple of years before taking the plunge and going on my Albion Gap year this season after being a STH for past 11 years. A top decision in hindsight! What I eventually learnt is that whinging won't change anything because the Albion don't really listen as clubs go. Prices will not go down, especially for those who've been entrenched in their same seats since Withdean opened. They might stay the same. But they won't go down.

For me, the club has not tried hard enough to negotiate its way out of the obligatory transport tax that's included in the ticket price. Club should just refuse to pay it and instantly knock off £3. Call the council's bluff etc. In these times, radical actions are required rather than accepting the status quo. I'd also make everyone reapply for their STH seats (existing ones can have first pick) and then based on the results make entire sections 'seat yourself' so we can all come with mates and not have to have an A level in planning just to organise a trip to the footy.

 

[cjd]

Thankyou Alan.....


It shows that for a Southstand centre Season ticket was £413 if you bought it by 4th April..............however if you wished to pay by 3 instalments (£147 each instalment) you would have to pay a total of £441 by 4th June.

This represents an effective interest rate surcharge of almost 41% p.a.........! At the 4th June, we were still more than 2 months away from the season actually starting.

If this ticket was paid over a ten month period...(as a previous poster suggested) the final cost for the £413 ticket would be............£553.......! Your 10 month period would end on the 4th February........long before the season ended.

I wish to apolgise for giving the above figures, showing an equivalent annual surcharge for paying in 3 instalments........they were done while I was in a hurry, and they are incorrect. Below is a more accurate account.

A Southstand Season ticket cost £413 if purchased by the 4th April.

If you wished to pay by three instalments (4th April, 4th May and 4th June) the cost was £441.

Given that £147 was already paid by the 4th April......the remaining balance (£413 less £147) is £266.

This £266 balance attracted an additional £28 surcharge for a mere 2 months.£266 owed for 1 month and £119 owed for a further 1 month. This represents an annual surcharge of 77%.....yes.........77%...!

As pointed out in my previous post.........even with paying in 3 instalments, this would have been completed, more than 2 months before the season started.

With the parlous state of the economy, and presumably, the club already doing their sums, I feel this excessive surcharge should be brought to the clubs attention.

There will be many supporters I,m sure who will be unwilling to pay for a whole season 4 months before it's even started.

With this in mind, I sincerely hope the club will approach the matter of Season ticket renewals in a more sensible manner.....and not be tempted to put these extortionate surcharges on for those who need more time, as a way of making a complete early purchase of a Season ticket appear ....." a good deal...." in comparison.

 

[The Large One]

I whinged for a couple of years before taking the plunge and going on my Albion Gap year this season after being a STH for past 11 years. A top decision in hindsight! What I eventually learnt is that whinging won't change anything because the Albion don't really listen as clubs go. Prices will not go down, especially for those who've been entrenched in their same seats since Withdean opened. They might stay the same. But they won't go down.

For me, the club has not tried hard enough to negotiate its way out of the obligatory transport tax that's included in the ticket price. Club should just refuse to pay it and instantly knock off £3. Call the council's bluff etc. In these times, radical actions are required rather than accepting the status quo. I'd also make everyone reapply for their STH seats (existing ones can have first pick) and then based on the results make entire sections 'seat yourself' so we can all come with mates and not have to have an A level in planning just to organise a trip to the footy.

I'm all for new ideas, but let's keep them real.

Firstly, a drop - at least a dramatic drop, someone suggested 25% at the top of the thread - in season ticket prices will mean income has to found elsewhere, and that basically means the directors chipping in more and more. Seeing as they plug the club's losses to the tune of £2.5m every year, they're not going to really accept voting to have to replace that lost revenue.

Secondly, the transport management plan is part of the planning permission to play at Withdean. A unilateral withdrawing of funds to the transport company means the Albion are in breach of that contract, which would incur financial penalties, court costs and ultimately loss of permission to play at Withdean, leading to expulsion from the league.

 

[BensGrandad]

I wouldn't expect the season ticket prices to be reduced as we are losing more money this season through our performances. I would think that had we been in or around the play off places we would have been getting probably another 1000+ tickets sold each game at £24 each is nearly £50k per month.

This has to be funded by somebody.

 

[Hotchilidog]

I'm all for new ideas, but let's keep them real.

Firstly, a drop - at least a dramatic drop, someone suggested 25% at the top of the thread - in season ticket prices will mean income has to found elsewhere, and that basically means the directors chipping in more and more. Seeing as they plug the club's losses to the tune of £2.5m every year, they're not going to really accept voting to have to replace that lost revenue.

Secondly, the transport management plan is part of the planning permission to play at Withdean. A unilateral withdrawing of funds to the transport company means the Albion are in breach of that contract, which would incur financial penalties, court costs and ultimately loss of permission to play at Withdean, leading to expulsion from the league.

Fair points all Al. But The prospect of paying £475 for my seat next year just does not seem realistic at this moment. The club cannot afford to stick their head in the sand and ignore the effect of the credit crunch at the moment. Something has got to give, and the the fact is other teams have made substantial decreases in an effort to get fans back in. I understand the difficulties the board face, but the fans are facing difficulties too and for this to be ignored would feel like an insenstive slap in the face. The annual charitable appeal will have little effect when we are continually served the pathetic shit that we have to endure this season, in a stadium I cannot bear to be in for more than a minute longer than neccessary. Everyone has been dipping in their pockets over the last few years supporters and directors alike, but this is the time for the deeper pockets to take the hit.

 

[Rich Suvner]

In these times, radical actions are required rather than accepting the status quo. I'd also make everyone reapply for their STH seats (existing ones can have first pick) and then based on the results make entire sections 'seat yourself' so we can all come with mates and not have to have an A level in planning just to organise a trip to the footy.

Think you're onto something about reallocating options and a more flexible approach to ticketing.

I have been put off going to some games in the past as most of the people I know mad enough to spend good money on the crap at the Withdean are STHs, and the thought of sitting on my tod is not particularly appealing

There should be a reallocation system, whereby if a mate wants to invite 2/3/4/5/6 friends etc, they can be sat together somewhere close to their STH's original location (wherever possible). I know the club will say this is absolutely impossible, but in 2009 why should that be the case? Surely to cancel/reissue tickets isn't bloody rocket science and if is, get some better software. If the process brings in extra £££s from additional ticket sales then I'm sure it would pay for itself.

Free seating sections are the obvious way to go, especially when you're falling so short of capacity. But these never seem to get the light of day.

 

[Rich Suvner]

I wouldn't expect the season ticket prices to be reduced as we are losing more money this season through our performances. I would think that had we been in or around the play off places we would have been getting probably another 1000+ tickets sold each game at £24 each is nearly £50k per month.

This has to be funded by somebody.

7,000 paying £16 a ticket = £112,000

4,500 paying £25 a ticket = £112,500


I'd pay £16 a ticket no matter how shit we are. I'd also buy a programme, some food, make repeat visits and make the club significantly a greater part of my life than it is right now. And that is how to build towards Falmer.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

There should be a reallocation system, whereby if a mate wants to invite 2/3/4/5/6 friends etc, they can be sat together somewhere close to their STH's original location (wherever possible). I know the club will say this is absolutely impossible, but in 2009 why should that be the case? Surely to cancel/reissue tickets isn't bloody rocket science and if is, get some better software. If the process brings in extra £££s from additional ticket sales then I'm sure it would pay for itself.

You can do this though. I'm an STH and have "moved" my seat for specific games this season in order to sit with friends.

 

[Rich Suvner]

You can do this though. I'm an STH and have "moved" my seat for specific games this season in order to sit with friends.

fair dos - wasn't aware that was possible.

 

[Knotty]

7,000 paying £16 a ticket = £112,000

4,500 paying £25 a ticket = £112,500


I'd pay £16 a ticket no matter how shit we are. I'd also buy a programme, some food, make repeat visits and make the club significantly a greater part of my life than it is right now. And that is how to build towards Falmer.

That looks good...on paper, and will work IF we are playing well and fighting for promotion. If not, it would be a financial debacle.

You and I might be prepared to pay £16 regardless of the standard of football, but plenty wouldn't. That's the dilemma the board have when fixing prices. I would hate to be making the decision because whatever you do will be a huge gamble.

 

[Dave the OAP]

You can do this though. I'm an STH and have "moved" my seat for specific games this season in order to sit with friends.

As have I as well as 5 other people who have moved from their seats to the front of the H block.

We have done this as there are spare seats and have found as in the man City game, when its full ( remember those days) that option is not available.

The other thing I find now is that you can sit basically where you want on the edges ( ie block A/B and H/F) so the idea of a st for the ground when the gates are as bad as now is a good idea.

I ummed and aared last year and finally plumped for one to take away the hassle and have missed most evening games, and had problems selling the tickts ( even giving them away is not easy) so if there is any icrease whatsoever I will certainly not renew. I dont see the point, especialy if we are playing 4th division football

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

7,000 paying £16 a ticket = £112,000

4,500 paying £25 a ticket = £112,500


I'd pay £16 a ticket no matter how shit we are. I'd also buy a programme, some food, make repeat visits and make the club significantly a greater part of my life than it is right now. And that is how to build towards Falmer.

Did they not have some games last season (Walsall perhaps) that were £10 a ticket but did not sell out. Perhaps only got a few hundred more sales.

Although in principle the idea of cheaper (or even free) tickets and fuller houses is a good one if you have somone able to market this to the extra 2 to 3,500 people needed to fill the ground.

 

[The Large One]

Fair points all Al. But The prospect of paying £475 for my seat next year just does not seem realistic at this moment. The club cannot afford to stick their head in the sand and ignore the effect of the credit crunch at the moment. Something has got to give, and the the fact is other teams have made substantial decreases in an effort to get fans back in. I understand the difficulties the board face, but the fans are facing difficulties too and for this to be ignored would feel like an insenstive slap in the face. The annual charitable appeal will have little effect when we are continually served the pathetic shit that we have to endure this season, in a stadium I cannot bear to be in for more than a minute longer than neccessary. Everyone has been dipping in their pockets over the last few years supporters and directors alike, but this is the time for the deeper pockets to take the hit.

Every year we say this, and every year the prices have remained the same.

You can argue that they've gone up insofar as we no longer have the 'one cup match' ticket - fair enough - but some assume the staff at the club live in a bubble, and end up worrying that they are ignorant of many people's current predicament, and they're there to get us to drop our trousers and bend over.

Last season, if I recall correctly, the club were well praised for the initiative of pricing kids' tickets pretty cheaply. The fact that people then moaned that it's the adults who are the lifeblood and why aren't they given consideration etc shows that - short of wholesale drastic price reductions (and all of those problems that that will bring - see above) people are not going to be happy no matter what happens.

I'm going to wait until the new prices and methods of payments are announced before I comment on next season's prices. To moan now has no point.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I wonder what our gates would be now if we didnt do the kids ST for £100 or whatever it was.

Sitting behind us on Saturday were a group of about 10 kiddies who all had this ST and earwigging on their conversation I heard the phrase..." what is the point in coming here" quite a few times.

Presumably if they didnt have a ST they wouildnt bother coming

 

[portlock seagull]

I'm all for new ideas, but let's keep them real.

Firstly, a drop - at least a dramatic drop, someone suggested 25% at the top of the thread - in season ticket prices will mean income has to found elsewhere, and that basically means the directors chipping in more and more. Seeing as they plug the club's losses to the tune of £2.5m every year, they're not going to really accept voting to have to replace that lost revenue.

Secondly, the transport management plan is part of the planning permission to play at Withdean. A unilateral withdrawing of funds to the transport company means the Albion are in breach of that contract, which would incur financial penalties, court costs and ultimately loss of permission to play at Withdean, leading to expulsion from the league.

But you won't know until you've broached the subject and those rules were set over a decade ago; reality has moved on a bit and the club needs to really fight hard against this unfair tax and get it changed to optional. It's a very fair point that to my knowledge has not been explored enough. Club needs to make its business case and make it public. Put pressure on those in authorities that they're killing the club and for the last 2 years at Withdean the conditions etc need re-evaluating etc

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

As have I as well as 5 other people who have moved from their seats to the front of the H block.

We have done this as there are spare seats and have found as in the man City game, when its full ( remember those days) that option is not available.

The other thing I find now is that you can sit basically where you want on the edges ( ie block A/B and H/F) so the idea of a st for the ground when the gates are as bad as now is a good idea.

I ummed and aared last year and finally plumped for one to take away the hassle and have missed most evening games, and had problems selling the tickts ( even giving them away is not easy) so if there is any icrease whatsoever I will certainly not renew. I dont see the point, especialy if we are playing 4th division football

Similar with me DtG.
I've only been to one league game at Withdean since throwing a strop at the first Carlisle fiasco (away) in early November and usually struggle to give away my ticket. Will probably renew as I see the ST, like SxCCC membership, as my investment in the club I've followed for 40+ years. Very unlikely to go regularly though unless I see us delivering a game plan that looks like it could be entertaining - just having one that's credible would be a step forward imo.
Surprisingly, the home league gates were slightly up prior to the Peterbrough game (just over 6,000 on average) but will have dropped back since; I think the average 2007/8 gate was about 120 down on the previous season.

I was in Cardiff on Saturday - nice try from the LI full-back.