Other clubs feeling the pinch

[The Red Baron]

http://www.coventrycity-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/something_better_change_565263/index.shtml

Low crowds at Coventry. Although at first I thought it was an article about a good old single by The Stranglers.

[eastender]

Middlesbrough's Riverside stadium as also seen it's lowest ever league attendance this season  since it opened in 1995,only 14,633 turned up for their televised game against Sheff Utd.

[Snods Shinpad 2]

Interesting to have a look at how other clubs are getting on.

Overall attendances are down with a few exceptions.

[hoolahoop]

It's an alphabetical thing, once you get past Cardiff, Crystal Palace,Brizzle and Barnsley ......fans run out!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Hardly surpising.

You could say that clubs have been slow to react.

Next season will see clubs recording very low season ticket sales unless, they smell the coffee.

[washyrover]

Very slow but we tried to tell the club that the fans were finding times very hard.

[Bikka]

The worrying thing is that once they lose people from attending, they will lose them for sometime even if prices are reduced next season.

People find other hobbies to do, and when you consider bring 2 parents and 2 teenagers to a game today will set them back 92 quid, you can do alot of other things for that!

The only way you'll buck the trend is if you have a great season on the field which won't materialise in sales until the second half of the season.  It won't help the sale of the early season ticket.

Football is overpriced, and people are begining to use their vote by non attendance.

Alternatives for a family of 4

[ul]Super League final at Old Trafford 84 quid
Ski'ing at Xscape for an hour 70 quid
Ten pin bowling 2 games 33 quid
Local cinema 16 quid[/ul]
(I'll be at the Keepmoat but many will find alternatives for far less)

[Keenstonian]

Football is detached from the real world.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

The worrying thing is that once they lose people from attending, they will lose them for sometime even if prices are reduced next season.

Correctomundo ! Once people get out of the habit and the feel they have been disenfranchised, it's hard to get them back, That's why the club got it so wrong with both season tickets and the match day pricing.

The magic 8 and vouchers etc., are only really trying to patch the holes up so the club has to limp along this season and come up with a real plan of action for next season.

Season Tickets are the bread and butter and, the club must address the idiotic price range for kids match day tickets.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

DonnyBazR0ver wrote:

The worrying thing is that once they lose people from attending, they will lose them for sometime even if prices are reduced next season.

Correctomundo ! Once people get out of the habit and the feel they have been disenfranchised, it's hard to get them back, That's why the club got it so wrong with both season tickets and the match day pricing.

The magic 8 and vouchers etc., are only really trying to patch the holes up so the club has to limp along this season and come up with a real plan of action for next season.

Season Tickets are the bread and butter and, the club must address the idiotic price range for kids match day tickets.

Exactly, but from the clubs point of view, 6000 STH, 4700 paid £25-£28 if adults and a fair whack if they were kids, the sad thing is financially they've got it right, we couldn't possibly make that money at a lower price as the difference needed to attract people would mean we'd need more in than the stadium capacity, it's tough and I hate it but the accountant in me says \"actually, from a financial point of view it's spot on\".  What's the focus, getting a crowd in or making money?  5 years ago it was increasing the crowd, it seems to me the shift shows that the goal is to make money and that kind of goes against a factor I liked about our club, disappointing, but people would complain if we had to sell players or lower the wages, I think the likes of Oster, Woods etc have demonstrated that they wouldn't have signed had the playing budget been lower, very disappointing but that's modern football.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

We couldn't possibly make that money at a lower price as the difference needed to attract people would mean we'd need more in than the stadium capacity

I don't agree. Do some maths. However the bottom line is the club failed to pitch ST sales and payment options at a level to maintain numbers that they already had in their grasp.

To make matters worse, on top of that, they got greedy by trying to exploit more revenue from games like today, resulting in less revenue than what could have been had they have left alone.

Look at the South Stand today. Appeared nearly half empty. This should be nearly full of folk opting for the 'cheap' seats. Just because the club want to exploit an extra £3 or £6 from away fans.

[Crowle Rover]

The prices are too high.
I took my 5 year old son to his first game today.I have a season ticket in the south stand.When I went to the ticket office the lady found us 2 seats in the south stand and the price for a 5 year old?£14!!!!!!
We eventually went in the family section in the east but that was still £9.When you factor in programmes,drinks,etc it does become a very expensive day.
By the way,he really enjoyed it and wants to come again!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I wish more people like your good self would write to JR and tell him about your match day experience and how rediculous it is for a kid of 5 being charged £14.

ALL UNDER 16S A FIVER PLEASE

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

DonnyBazR0ver wrote:

We couldn't possibly make that money at a lower price as the difference needed to attract people would mean we'd need more in than the stadium capacity

I don't agree. Do some maths. However the bottom line is the club failed to pitch ST sales and payment options at a level to maintain numbers that they already had in their grasp.

To make matters worse, on top of that, they got greedy by trying to exploit more revenue from games like today, resulting in less revenue than what could have been had they have left alone.

Look at the South Stand today. Appeared nearly half empty. This should be nearly full of folk opting for the 'cheap' seats. Just because the club want to exploit an extra £3 or £6 from away fans.

Really, I'm not so sure, look at last season against Forest for example where the price was at most £23, a crowd 2,000 higher but around 800 of that 2000 was extra away fans as Forest were riding high and sold out that day.  They'll have taken in less with the extra 1000 STH aswell negating that somewhat.

[Crowle Rover]

But would it do any good?
I do think they have to do more to encourage a new generation of fans and I agree,all kids under 16 a straight fiver.
500 or so extra youths=£2500 per game
Other clubs do good kids offers,why not the Rovers?