Ballsy move by the Couhigs. I did wonder if they would pause this inevitable increase but they haven't
They are assuming a lower drop off in regular season tickets holders and don't seem fussed with early purchase discounts.
Are they assuming some will take the refund now to balance thd extra cost?
Let's see what happens.
Anyone know how these compare with others in League One?
As steep as some of the increases may seem, I think it is about what I expected. As Rob said, the club needs to be financially stable. We can't keep making losses. At the end of the day for all the Couhig's passion, enthusiasm and the giving hope of a bright future for the club..... It is a business to them.
I think they've taken the view that if you've already got a season ticket on the Frank Adams stand then you can afford to pay more. They might be right, they might be wrong.
The matchday prices will be interesting. They can probably rely on a certain number of fans to renew season tickets no matter what. But don't forget their entire pitch to take control of the club was based upon filling the stadium week after week and increasing matchday revenue.
If we don't go up and get off to a poor start next season they might struggle to sell many tickets at a 25% increase once non season ticket holders are allowed back in the stadium
@Alexo said:
As steep as some of the increases may seem, I think it is about what I expected. As Rob said, the club needs to be financially stable. We can't keep making losses. At the end of the day for all the Couhig's passion, enthusiasm and the giving hope of a bright future for the club..... It is a business to them.
I expected higher and expect higher on match day prices.
No season ticket for me this year. I know we need to get more money into the club but I dont think this is the way to do it. Make money on match day experience not the tickets. I like the German route, cheaper tickets get more people into the stadium ! It works.
I am in the Frank Adams, both my boys were Under 12 last season, one is 13 and the other 9 now.
My season tickets have jumped from £352 to £969, a 275% increase.
Last year (with early bird) tickets in FA for me and my 2 kids (under 12) was £356. This year total would be £874. That is not an option. Yes, I could move to the family stand, but I’d still be paying more and I prefer the view from FA. So realistically I am looking at not renewing or not bringing the kids. I am edging towards the former.
We've always had some of the most competitive pricing in the league, which has always been quite surprising given we operate in a more expensive part of the country than some of the other clubs in L1/L2.
It's a steep increase, but its only really bringing us in line with most other clubs.
Really hard to judge value without knowing what the ticket price for each match will be. Useful to know that I can miss x number of matches and it is still better value than getting a individual tickets.
The problem is we are being asked to commit before too many unknowns become known. 1/ Will Stadiums be allowed to have spectators in 20/21? 2/ if so when and how many ? 3 / what league will we be in ? It makes some sense if each ground has been given an idea about capacity allowed and a promise not to start the season until spectators are allowed in. At moment it seems to be a hell of a lottery with our hard earned money. Must admit don't know what to And I suspect a lot of people feel the same
Well, it's certainly ballsy in current climate, if we don't go up, and can't get back in soon this is pretty bad at a time when jobs aren't certain. I'm in the terrace so it's not huge numbers for me but for families with multiple tickets in other parts of the ground this is quite bad. I know we were losing money and we could go up so it might be partially inevitable but it's also not the time to alienate and lose people.
As someone put on the Facebook page, which is surprisingly mostly sensible today, this on the back of people donating back refunds and buying wall items and expensive merch is going to rub people up the wrong way. They could at least put out more of an acknowledgement that it isn't ideal but it's needed.
Discussing this with a few of my Vere pals and the increase stings, feels like the loyal supporters are being hit too hard. If we buy at this price and then if things open up and half STs go on sale for a much reduced rate (as in the past) we will not be happy. Thinking twice about fully waiving the refund now....need to go count my pennies to see if I can renew or not. Not the thought process I wanted today as was so excited about getting a new ST.......
My maths might be off but including the refund waive my year on year increase looks to be about 48%.....that can't be right can it...? Need to think twice on this now......
@HolmerBlue said:
I like the German route, cheaper tickets get more people into the stadium ! It works.
We have tried that approach for years though - at one point in L2 I think we had the cheapest tickets in the EFL. We haven't gotten close to filling the stadium and we weren't sustainable under that model. The increases today seemed inevitable really.
That said, some of the individual increases that people are listing above are really eye-watering. I also think it's regrettable the club haven't introduced any special pricing / support schemes for loyal ST holders whose incomes have been affected by COVID.
@Mr67 said:
I waived my st balance yesterday thinking it was the right thing to do by the club wish I had delayed I now feel a little cheated
Completely agree. I happily waived it yesterday and expected a price increase in my season ticket. But never did I imagine it would be a 40% increase, if I'd known then I'd have offset some of the increase with the refund
I think it will upset a lot of families with lower incomes on a purely financial level. I guess bottom line is we put our trust in these guys and we don’t want our football club to go out of business. Costs are rising and the club has to find stability. I may only buy one instead of my usual two otherwise my increase on last year would be 120%
Does seem like the club have gone down the route of 'These are the prices if you, as a loyal supporter, can't afford it the next person down the line will pay'.. It it works for then then fine.. Will these new supports still be here if it goes a little wrong..
No season ticket for me this year. I like the German route, cheaper tickets get more people into the stadium ! It works.
Doesn't work if the Government only allow one third or one half capacities next season due to social distancing. We may end up being only allowed 3-4000 in the ground. Regrettably, I can't see the virus going away in the near future.
Where are all these new supporters coming from ? If we are trying to entice youngsters then they can now go and watch some Premier teams for the same or even less than us
Initial shock has gone and I think I'm going to let my renewal period lapse and then look to buy once we know what division we'll be in, what individual ticket prices will be, and possibly more clarity on if we'll even be able to get into the stadium. I might lose my seat but can't imagine there'll be a huge rush on ticket sales so worth the risk of maybe having to be moved.
@HolmerBlue said:
I like the German route, cheaper tickets get more people into the stadium ! It works.
We have tried that approach for years though - at one point in L2 I think we had the cheapest tickets in the EFL. We haven't gotten close to filling the stadium and we weren't sustainable under that model. The increases today seemed inevitable really.
That said, some of the individual increases that people are listing above are really eye-watering. I also think it's regrettable the club haven't introduced any special pricing / support schemes for loyal ST holders whose incomes have been affected by COVID.
Your first paragraph is spot on. Our season tickets and match day tickets were extremely cheap and the attendances were fairly disappointing considering that.
I doubt the club are in any position to offer discounts as they likely need every penny right now to not pile on debt, if there's any capacity restrictions imposed, I expect it's a case of stemming the bleeding in any way possible
Price increases were inevitable and I'm sure necessary, but these do seem steep.
I'm actually in a fortunate position, that although furloughed, not forking out a huge amount of my wages on commuting to London (even when working, I'll be based at home for the foreseeable) means I've saved enough that I may just about be able to afford a season ticket for myself and my daughter for the first time in years, if there's any availability. The prices are right at the limit of my budget though. I understand the reasoning, I hope this doesn't backfire on the club though.
So the Senior reductions no longer apply to 60+, it’s now 65+, which is probably more typical of other clubs but still an extra increase for those affected. (Not that the ‘senior’ discount was ever that much anyway). I never really supported have kids FOC in all parts of the ground, it devalued the differential of a ‘family stand’, but it’s another significant increase for many. (A 62 year old used to sitting in the upper FA with 2 grand kiddies will be particularly badly hit!). And this all comes on top of the club effectively asking supporters to waiver their refund on current ST’s when, knowing what was coming, they could’ve just issued refunds (as per their obligation). Not good really.
@HolmerBlue said:
I like the German route, cheaper tickets get more people into the stadium ! It works.
We have tried that approach for years though - at one point in L2 I think we had the cheapest tickets in the EFL. We haven't gotten close to filling the stadium and we weren't sustainable under that model. The increases today seemed inevitable really.
That said, some of the individual increases that people are listing above are really eye-watering. I also think it's regrettable the club haven't introduced any special pricing / support schemes for loyal ST holders whose incomes have been affected by COVID.
I have to say I agree. Our tickets were too cheap. At less than £15 per game I'd still consider my terrace ticket good value, especially if we do go up.
Note that the club's communication does say that they went through a benchmarking exercise to get to this point. Without actually doing the research myself, I suspect our prices are now more aligned to peers.
A one-off price hike like this does really make it stand out and will mess up some people's budgeting if you're expecting to pay the same as last year.
The reality is that some people will attend fewer games as a result, and I sympathise with those struggling with costs, especially if they've suffered a loss of income at the moment.
Nonetheless, if you compare the ticket prices to other recreational activities, I still think it represents good value. Hopefully if the standard of football and overall quality of the 'matchday experience' improves then some of those people will consider cutting back on their other discretionary spends in order to find the money for watching football.
Having said all that, I would like to see the club make free tickets available to local charities and other clubs for children, in particular those with difficult home circumstances. For instance, it is already being reported in the media that there is likely to be a significant increase in the number of children and young adults taking on caring responsibilities at home as a result of the current crisis. Offering free tickets (e.g through a charity like Carers UK) will give some people the opportunity to watch a game which they otherwise wouldn't be able to. These sorts of things ensure the club continues to play an important community role without undermining the value of tickets through indiscriminate giveaways.
On a (sort of) related note, I'm also glad that selling old training gear in the bar will be discontinued. It undermined the selling of 'proper' replica kits. I'd rather see used kit recycled or donated.
Comments
Ballsy move by the Couhigs. I did wonder if they would pause this inevitable increase but they haven't
They are assuming a lower drop off in regular season tickets holders and don't seem fussed with early purchase discounts.
Are they assuming some will take the refund now to balance thd extra cost?
Let's see what happens.
Anyone know how these compare with others in League One?
As steep as some of the increases may seem, I think it is about what I expected. As Rob said, the club needs to be financially stable. We can't keep making losses. At the end of the day for all the Couhig's passion, enthusiasm and the giving hope of a bright future for the club..... It is a business to them.
Will be interesting to see what the new on the day prices increase to.
Bad time to turn 12?
I think they've taken the view that if you've already got a season ticket on the Frank Adams stand then you can afford to pay more. They might be right, they might be wrong.
The matchday prices will be interesting. They can probably rely on a certain number of fans to renew season tickets no matter what. But don't forget their entire pitch to take control of the club was based upon filling the stadium week after week and increasing matchday revenue.
If we don't go up and get off to a poor start next season they might struggle to sell many tickets at a 25% increase once non season ticket holders are allowed back in the stadium
Then what?
I expected higher and expect higher on match day prices.
No season ticket for me this year. I know we need to get more money into the club but I dont think this is the way to do it. Make money on match day experience not the tickets. I like the German route, cheaper tickets get more people into the stadium ! It works.
I am in the Frank Adams, both my boys were Under 12 last season, one is 13 and the other 9 now.
My season tickets have jumped from £352 to £969, a 275% increase.
Last year (with early bird) tickets in FA for me and my 2 kids (under 12) was £356. This year total would be £874. That is not an option. Yes, I could move to the family stand, but I’d still be paying more and I prefer the view from FA. So realistically I am looking at not renewing or not bringing the kids. I am edging towards the former.
We've always had some of the most competitive pricing in the league, which has always been quite surprising given we operate in a more expensive part of the country than some of the other clubs in L1/L2.
It's a steep increase, but its only really bringing us in line with most other clubs.
Really hard to judge value without knowing what the ticket price for each match will be. Useful to know that I can miss x number of matches and it is still better value than getting a individual tickets.
The problem is we are being asked to commit before too many unknowns become known. 1/ Will Stadiums be allowed to have spectators in 20/21? 2/ if so when and how many ? 3 / what league will we be in ? It makes some sense if each ground has been given an idea about capacity allowed and a promise not to start the season until spectators are allowed in. At moment it seems to be a hell of a lottery with our hard earned money. Must admit don't know what to And I suspect a lot of people feel the same
Well, it's certainly ballsy in current climate, if we don't go up, and can't get back in soon this is pretty bad at a time when jobs aren't certain. I'm in the terrace so it's not huge numbers for me but for families with multiple tickets in other parts of the ground this is quite bad. I know we were losing money and we could go up so it might be partially inevitable but it's also not the time to alienate and lose people.
God knows how it will pan out, but the Couhigs were clear that there would be price increases and that decisions would be painful.
Well I’ve just grabbed an adult and child ticket in the family stand for a total of £399, not too far off what I paid last year to be honest.
As someone put on the Facebook page, which is surprisingly mostly sensible today, this on the back of people donating back refunds and buying wall items and expensive merch is going to rub people up the wrong way. They could at least put out more of an acknowledgement that it isn't ideal but it's needed.
Discussing this with a few of my Vere pals and the increase stings, feels like the loyal supporters are being hit too hard. If we buy at this price and then if things open up and half STs go on sale for a much reduced rate (as in the past) we will not be happy. Thinking twice about fully waiving the refund now....need to go count my pennies to see if I can renew or not. Not the thought process I wanted today as was so excited about getting a new ST.......
I waived my st balance yesterday thinking it was the right thing to do by the club wish I had delayed I now feel a little cheated
My maths might be off but including the refund waive my year on year increase looks to be about 48%.....that can't be right can it...? Need to think twice on this now......
Well I said the pricing would be interesting. Pretty eye watering if we don't go up.
We have tried that approach for years though - at one point in L2 I think we had the cheapest tickets in the EFL. We haven't gotten close to filling the stadium and we weren't sustainable under that model. The increases today seemed inevitable really.
That said, some of the individual increases that people are listing above are really eye-watering. I also think it's regrettable the club haven't introduced any special pricing / support schemes for loyal ST holders whose incomes have been affected by COVID.
Completely agree. I happily waived it yesterday and expected a price increase in my season ticket. But never did I imagine it would be a 40% increase, if I'd known then I'd have offset some of the increase with the refund
I think it will upset a lot of families with lower incomes on a purely financial level. I guess bottom line is we put our trust in these guys and we don’t want our football club to go out of business. Costs are rising and the club has to find stability. I may only buy one instead of my usual two otherwise my increase on last year would be 120%
Does seem like the club have gone down the route of 'These are the prices if you, as a loyal supporter, can't afford it the next person down the line will pay'.. It it works for then then fine.. Will these new supports still be here if it goes a little wrong..
@HolmerBlue said:
Doesn't work if the Government only allow one third or one half capacities next season due to social distancing. We may end up being only allowed 3-4000 in the ground. Regrettably, I can't see the virus going away in the near future.
Where are all these new supporters coming from ? If we are trying to entice youngsters then they can now go and watch some Premier teams for the same or even less than us
Initial shock has gone and I think I'm going to let my renewal period lapse and then look to buy once we know what division we'll be in, what individual ticket prices will be, and possibly more clarity on if we'll even be able to get into the stadium. I might lose my seat but can't imagine there'll be a huge rush on ticket sales so worth the risk of maybe having to be moved.
Your first paragraph is spot on. Our season tickets and match day tickets were extremely cheap and the attendances were fairly disappointing considering that.
I doubt the club are in any position to offer discounts as they likely need every penny right now to not pile on debt, if there's any capacity restrictions imposed, I expect it's a case of stemming the bleeding in any way possible
Price increases were inevitable and I'm sure necessary, but these do seem steep.
I'm actually in a fortunate position, that although furloughed, not forking out a huge amount of my wages on commuting to London (even when working, I'll be based at home for the foreseeable) means I've saved enough that I may just about be able to afford a season ticket for myself and my daughter for the first time in years, if there's any availability. The prices are right at the limit of my budget though. I understand the reasoning, I hope this doesn't backfire on the club though.
So the Senior reductions no longer apply to 60+, it’s now 65+, which is probably more typical of other clubs but still an extra increase for those affected. (Not that the ‘senior’ discount was ever that much anyway). I never really supported have kids FOC in all parts of the ground, it devalued the differential of a ‘family stand’, but it’s another significant increase for many. (A 62 year old used to sitting in the upper FA with 2 grand kiddies will be particularly badly hit!). And this all comes on top of the club effectively asking supporters to waiver their refund on current ST’s when, knowing what was coming, they could’ve just issued refunds (as per their obligation). Not good really.
I have to say I agree. Our tickets were too cheap. At less than £15 per game I'd still consider my terrace ticket good value, especially if we do go up.
Note that the club's communication does say that they went through a benchmarking exercise to get to this point. Without actually doing the research myself, I suspect our prices are now more aligned to peers.
A one-off price hike like this does really make it stand out and will mess up some people's budgeting if you're expecting to pay the same as last year.
The reality is that some people will attend fewer games as a result, and I sympathise with those struggling with costs, especially if they've suffered a loss of income at the moment.
Nonetheless, if you compare the ticket prices to other recreational activities, I still think it represents good value. Hopefully if the standard of football and overall quality of the 'matchday experience' improves then some of those people will consider cutting back on their other discretionary spends in order to find the money for watching football.
Having said all that, I would like to see the club make free tickets available to local charities and other clubs for children, in particular those with difficult home circumstances. For instance, it is already being reported in the media that there is likely to be a significant increase in the number of children and young adults taking on caring responsibilities at home as a result of the current crisis. Offering free tickets (e.g through a charity like Carers UK) will give some people the opportunity to watch a game which they otherwise wouldn't be able to. These sorts of things ensure the club continues to play an important community role without undermining the value of tickets through indiscriminate giveaways.
On a (sort of) related note, I'm also glad that selling old training gear in the bar will be discontinued. It undermined the selling of 'proper' replica kits. I'd rather see used kit recycled or donated.