The official 'Price of Football' thread

[Tooting Gull]

only if fans buy them, I gave up early last season and I find it rare to see a fan with a programme on the train after the game or sitting in the stands reading them at half time

I agree with that.

And this might sound weird...but is it possible to have too much in a programme? Does anyone actually read it all? Not having a go at club, I just wonder if there is some optimum amount of content. Mind you, if there wasn't enough people would I'm sure moan about that.

 

[El Presidente]

Yes because interest is soooooo high these days!

Average credit card rates are 18%

Average Wonga loan is 4532%

 

[Seagull27]

THat would be valid, if you didn't have QPR, Reading, Watford. All of whom offer cheaper tickets than us.

And what has the area we live in got to do with the price of a programme.

Equally, costs for the club are generally not more expensive because of where we live. A high proportion of the cost to the club is the players wages, they are pretty uniform across the land. So we live should not mean we pay more.

I take your point, and agree with you when it comes to programmes. But my point was more about food and drink - and the club's competition is with other food and drink vendors in the city, not other football clubs.

Why so?

I couldn't tell you all the reasons why, but I'm pretty sure it applies, The same for where I live, in Bristol - you're lucky to find a pint for less than £3.50 here within a couple of miles of the city centre. That's certainly not been the case when I've visited friends in other cities (London excepted).

 

[El Presidente]

Blackpool fans seem to get very good value.

But they have to live in Blackpool

 

[Tooting Gull]

But they have to live in Blackpool

Lytham, actually.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Erm, no.

I can assure you food is exactly the same price in Sheffield as it is in Brighton. No excuses for our food being more expensive. Does paper cost more in Brighton too? Is that why our programme is more than every other single club?

It'll all be part of preparing us for The Premiershite. You'll be thanking the club in the end - for their foresight & attention to detail. Honest.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I know this will sound fairly pessimistic but I can't help but think we may see a dip in season ticket retention next year. If the prices go up again, or even if we are still the most expensive ,yet fail to challenge in the league or add some quality players some peoples interest may start to dwindle. People will not pay over the odds to watcj average football just because it's in a nice stadium.

 

[trueblue]

All vaguely interesting but pretty much sums up modern society - everything rated by cost rather than value. Same reason that so many industries are up the spout. No account is taken of regional variations in prices, income, comfort of the stadium, standard of meat in the pies, quality of the programme etc etc Watching the Albion isn't cheap but living in Brighton isn't cheap. The size of the crowds would suggest the club isn't too far off the mark (though I agree it would be good to see some cheaper season tickets made available for those that can't afford the current ones).

 

[Seagull27]

Erm, no.

I can assure you food is exactly the same price in Sheffield as it is in Brighton. No excuses for our food being more expensive. Does paper cost more in Brighton too? Is that why our programme is more than every other single club?

I'm not excusing anything, just saying that it's one possible thing that could be taken into consideration.

Food prices do vary. I accept that this is the daily mail, and Hammersmith/Hull is an extreme comparison, but:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...North-Price-divide-pub-food-film-tickets.html

Also (while outdated), for beer:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15186705

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

Only problem being, they have to spend that money to watch Blackpool week in, week out.

Must be grim watching a team top of the championship for under £200/season...poor *******s !!

 

[saafend_seagull]

We seem to be the only club with a £3.50 programme. We're too expensive, and it does make me wonder where all this money is going...

£100M stadiums and training facilities don't come free.

So many deluded fans.

 

[PWA]

Interesting reading.

 

[Foolg]

I'm not excusing anything, just saying that it's one possible thing that could be taken into consideration.

Food prices do vary. I accept that this is the daily mail, and Hammersmith/Hull is an extreme comparison, but:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...North-Price-divide-pub-food-film-tickets.html

Also (while outdated), for beer:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15186705

As you say, pretty extreme comparison. I had a beer and burger in a Wetherspoons last Friday before the England game in London, it was more expensive than the exact same deal in Brighton, as were all the drinks. QPR manage to offer cheaper food than us, and cheaper programmes, and they are less than a mile from Hammersmith.

Interesting.

 

[Giraffe]

I know this will sound fairly pessimistic but I can't help but think we may see a dip in season ticket retention next year. If the prices go up again, or even if we are still the most expensive ,yet fail to challenge in the league or add some quality players some peoples interest may start to dwindle. People will not pay over the odds to watcj average football just because it's in a nice stadium.

Provide the club don't over egg it I would think the DD scheme will keep the season ticket level pretty similar for a number of years.

The bigger worry is that the club is struggling to sell the additional seats not occupied by season ticket holders. That suggests the match by match price is too high.

 

[Gazwag]

That suggests the match by match price is too high.

Any why hasn't "the shelf" been occupied so far this season, does this suggest the offers to local clubs and schools are to expensive

 

[The Large One]

I take your point, and agree with you when it comes to programmes. But my point was more about food and drink - and the club's competition is with other food and drink vendors in the city, not other football clubs.

But then the club (or rather the caterers) don't necessarily buy beer and pies from the cheapest supplier.

 

[nwgull]

Any why hasn't "the shelf" been occupied so far this season, does this suggest the offers to local clubs and schools are to expensive

More likely because we haven't had a home game since the schools have been back from summer holidays.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dave the OAP]

£100M stadiums and training facilities don't come free.

So many deluded fans.

All paid for by a benefactor who doesn't want it repaid.........

Did you not know that?

 

[virtual22]

I know this will sound fairly pessimistic but I can't help but think we may see a dip in season ticket retention next year. If the prices go up again, or even if we are still the most expensive ,yet fail to challenge in the league or add some quality players some peoples interest may start to dwindle. People will not pay over the odds to watcj average football just because it's in a nice stadium.

If the price goes up again the same as it did this year I am going to have to really think hard about whether I buy our two season tickets next year or just buy the games I really want to see.

I love watching Brighton every home game and get to some away as well but there is a limit to how much we can pay and we're not that far off it now. Before it was an issue as if you didn't have a season ticket the chances of getting a pay per game ticket were slim. Now though there are empty seats at pretty much every game, plus there seems to be countless mates offering their season ticket for games they can't attend.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Having accumulated 50 years of programmes, none of which get re-read or reviewed, I decided not to add to this incomplete collection that takes up loads of space. Today they are too big, too much information and too expensive. All I really ever wanted from a programme was the teams, some pen pictures, some tables, youth and reserve results, some comments from the manager and may be some photos. I can now get all this from a variety of sources in a number of media, so why fork out over £100 a season for a paperback?

We will have FFP and the cost of the ground/training complex shoved down our throats for years to come. That doesn't stop our football being the most expensive in the division, despite us having the highest gates.