[Albion] Special Buses: Negotiations Ongoing with Alternative Bus Co + "supporter contributiion"

[Box of Frogs]

The sickening part of this whole debate is that we are probably talking about charging Joe Public an extra couple of quid here and there to eat into out losses. This from a company that is paying it's players between £10,000 and £20,000 a f**king WEEK!

Imagine how great football would be if these lads 'only' earned say £3000 a week? Cheaper ST's, cheaper shirts, cheaper food etc.

.. and relax.

Do you really think players that will make a difference to our promotion push will come here for £3k per week? Yes, cheaper ST's, cheaper shirts, cheaper food etc but also League One/Two football.

THIS - Been saying for ages on here because of players ridiculous wages even with 30k crowds the club would make losses unless tickets, food drink and and all the other things we buy are priced to the point where some people can't afford to go!
Even then we would need to be in the prem or on a cup run!

The only clubs that make money are the ones with a strict wages structure and sell players for profit whilst still having some playing success. Having a brand new stadium might have some matchday savings but the rest of the time it costs more to run day to day and players wages must be the root problem. People here are moaning about having to pay £2 more to get to the game but also expect us to sign a spanish flair genius next week on £15k a week which is the same cost as the bus fare every two weeks if we had a 30k gate every fortnight.

Players wages need to come down

Wave goodbye to the majority of our current squad if that is the case.

You can't have your cake and eat it. It you want Premier League football you have to pay Premier League wages and to finance that the price of tickets, food and drink etc will inevitably go up.

One of Barber's other tasks will be to increase other revenue streams as well, such as using the Amex for conferences and other non-football events.

How much did the JoHo's bring in for the three days they were here? How much is the Tool Show going to generate this weekend? Christmas parties, Uni parties, Wedding Fayres, this side of the business needs to increase if we want the club to progress.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Do you really think players that will make a difference to our promotion push will come here for £3k per week? Yes, cheaper ST's, cheaper shirts, cheaper food etc but also League One/Two football.



Wave goodbye to the majority of our current squad if that is the case.

You can't have your cake and eat it. It you want Premier League football you have to pay Premier League wages and to finance that the price of tickets, food and drink etc will inevitably go up.

I suspect they both meant wages need to come down across the board and not just at the Albion. I'm all for that.

 

[T soprano]

I suspect they both meant wages need to come down across the board and not just at the Albion. I'm all for that.

Exactly how can a player earn £200,000 a week -joke
Even £50,000 a week is too much

Should put a cap on it across the board maximum wage £40,000
So players coming through the ranks in years to come will know the maximum they can earn out of the game is just £40,000 might get some of them just wanting to play football for love of the game again without thinking their a rock star

 

[casbom]

That will happen in the future as the club needs to reduce the transport subsidy it provides. Another £30 on season tickets and £2 on matchday tickets for 2014/2015 ?

I'm sure in the next couple of years it will end up something like this:

- Travel costs removed from the Season Ticket completely and match day tickets.
- P&R - You pay in cash for a return ticket to get onto the Bus
- Rail - Pay for your own ticket
- Special matchday Buses - You pay a return ticket when getting on the Bus.

 

[gripper stebson]

I suspect they both meant wages need to come down across the board and not just at the Albion. I'm all for that.

Correct.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I suspect they both meant wages need to come down across the board and not just at the Albion. I'm all for that.

Correct

 

[Bozza]

Special Buses: Negotiations Ongoing with Alternative Bus Co + "supporter contri

I'm sure in the next couple of years it will end up something like this:

- Travel costs removed from the Season Ticket completely and match day tickets.
- P&R - You pay in cash for a return ticket to get onto the Bus
- Rail - Pay for your own ticket
- Special matchday Buses - You pay a return ticket when getting on the Bus.

I just can't see that happening, at least on the trains. Transport to the Amex has to work as efficiently as possible to have s chance of getting everyone to the stadium on time and then away again afterwards.

Any form of manual or automated ticket checking process at Brighton Station is not going to allow that, such is the volume of people that pass through to access Falmer trains at peak 'getting to the ground' times.

 

[gripper stebson]

EVERY time we are on a packed train from Lewes to Falmer someone shouts 'Tickets Please' to much laughter... imagine if that were real!!!

 

[casbom]

I just can't see that happening, at least on the trains. Transport to the Amex has to work as efficiently as possible to have s chance of getting everyone to the stadium on time and then away again afterwards.

Any for of manual or automated ticket checking process at Brighton Station is not going to allow that, such is the volume of people that pass through to access Falmer trains at peak 'getting to the ground' times.

Yep I get that, but there MUST be an alternative to work towards where the Club no longer pays towards our travel costs?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I'm sure in the next couple of years it will end up something like this:

- Travel costs removed from the Season Ticket completely and match day tickets.
- P&R - You pay in cash for a return ticket to get onto the Bus
- Rail - Pay for your own ticket
- Special matchday Buses - You pay a return ticket when getting on the Bus.

The club are in a catch 22 situation , bugger up the mass transportation strategy by stripping out the transport levy or continue to recover as much of the costs as possible with annual increases until there is no subsidy.

 

[Greavsey]

I just can't see that happening, at least on the trains. Transport to the Amex has to work as efficiently as possible to have s chance of getting everyone to the stadium on time and then away again afterwards.

Any for of manual or automated ticket checking process at Brighton Station is not going to allow that, such is the volume of people that pass through to access Falmer trains at peak 'getting to the ground' times.

Yeah never going to happen, or you will get the situation we had in the first season at the Amex where most people were travelling for free on the trains. Can't see Southern Rail wanting to support that forever!

The answer can only be to put the cost of the travel subsidy up... which of course is going to upset some people. But, unfortunately what else is realistic? I just can't see why the club should be expected to subsidise my travel to a match, which they currently do, probably to the tune of £2 a game and I only travel from London Rd to Falmer by train, so the subsidy is huge for those travelling from the boundaries of the transport zone.

You can't please all of the people all of the time.. But I'm sure we'd all prefer a success on the pitch and pay a bit extra to travel?

 

[ROSM]

This is the point I cant get my head around to be honest. The club (TB) is obsessed with stopping rumours and unsubstantiated speculation, then does absolutely nothing to counter this relevant and important announcement from the bus company. I suspect he may have been too busy sunning himself in his 'cost-cutting' five star luxury in the Madrid suburbs.

Some of us having been saying for a while that whilst financially he may well be doing what he was asked to do (and i certainly do support moves to make the club financially sound) that the manner and approach for doing this is appalling.

This isnt a 'barber out' post, but it is a plea to engage with professional comms people and to develop a strategy and deliver on it. At the end of may I commented on big changes happening to the club and the pressure being on how they handled them (non gus items) as I had forewarning of many of them (travel being one, aitc being another and the membership scheme being the third). I know its only my view, but the delivery of the change management comms has been woeful.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

I don't understand the need to separate out the transport cost.

Yes, the subsidy etc MUST cost a fortune. But, without it, the club would not have The Amex and all its associated income streams. No transport scheme? Stay at Withdean and play to crowds of 6,000.

Also, let's not forget that, however reasonable and positive the direct debit scheme is, our season tickets ARE expensive. THAT is revenue for the club. How they use that to balance the books is up to them but Brighton fans already contribute an awful lot of financial support.

 

[ROSM]

Yep I get that, but there MUST be an alternative to work towards where the Club no longer pays towards our travel costs?

Do they? When at withdean it was included in the ticket cost. No transport levy, no supporter contribution etc. The club worked out a ticket price that they believed reasonable. Its the vat position I expect that needs to see a strip out.

 

[Greavsey]

Some of us having been saying for a while that whilst financially he may well be doing what he was asked to do (and i certainly do support moves to make the club financially sound) that the manner and approach for doing this is appalling.

This isnt a 'barber out' post, but it is a plea to engage with professional comms people and to develop a strategy and deliver on it. At the end of may I commented on big changes happening tongue club and the pressure being on how they handled them (non gus items) as I had forewarning of many of them (travel being one, aitc being another and the membership scheme being the third). I know its only my view, but the delivery of the change management comms has been woeful.

Has it been though or has it been a matter of the club being pre-empted in their communication plan by leaks or disgruntled parties? Albeit perhaps they have been naive not to think that this might happen and get communications out earlier...

 

[ElectricNaz]

This sounds like a ridiculously simple idea, but how about

The club sell all season tickets at 'face value' eg no subsidy
If you don't want to use public transport, you don't pay the transport costs added on
If you use the train within certain boundary zones (could be set like London with zones 1-6), you pay for a 'football train season ticket' on top
If you want to use a bus within certain boundary zones you pay for a 'football bus season ticket on top'

Season tickets for transport issued seperately and only available for use on match days before and after game within specific zones
Club only pays a transport subsidy for those that use it
Use of 'zoned season tickets' means club and bus company know exactly how many buses/coaches they will need to maximise efficiency in each zone. Could even look at STH's specifying a pick-up location to make things even easier for routing/


General Sale ticket holders just pay for their travel as they would on any other day for any other purpose (or can pre-book at the time of booking their ticket if they want to use a 'special bus service e.g. Rottingdean'.)

It's not really rocket science, makes things cheaper for those who walk / drive, saves money for the club by no longer subisiding travel for those who don't use it.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Yep I get that, but there MUST be an alternative to work towards where the Club no longer pays towards our travel costs?

I cannot see travel costs being totally eliminated but in the future there could be technology where you wave a smartcard at the ticket barrier instead of "tapping in" for train journeys. Still needs human intervention with chancers trying to get a free ride.

 

[skipper734]

I don't think there are any other business models in the entertainments industry, that pays the travel costs for their punters to turn up!
As I pointed out in a previous post on another thread, we are almost in the low cost airline model, of which 1901 is the first example.
I expect no less, the worst problems to me are the lack of any apparent working public relations department and the apparent disrespect by the Club of it's own Club Charter.
There will come a point when.....If you build it, they will come, no longer works.

 

[ROSM]

Has it been though or has it been a matter of the club being pre-empted in their communication plan by leaks or disgruntled parties? Albeit perhaps they have been naive not to think that this might happen and get communications out earlier...

All good objectives led comms plans have a what if factor. What if a disgruntled party leaks the information, what if negotiations fail, what if regulators stop us from doing this etc etc. They should have planned for this and had reactive and proactive statements ready. Simply they didn't. And this isnt the first time this has happened.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I don't think there are any other business models in the entertainments industry, that pays the travel costs for their punters to turn up!
As I pointed out in a previous post on another thread, we are almost in the low cost airline model, of which 1901 is the first example.
I expect no less, the worst problems to me are the lack of any apparent working public relations department and the apparent disrespect by the Club of it's own Club Charter.
There will come a point when.....If you build it, they will come, no longer works.

Re the first bit...how many claim that a portion of your ticket is to help pay for the transport?
I agree with your comment about the public relations dept.