Pay on the gate is dead - and it’s a problem

[handworth52]

chansiri will cost us 5000 supporters lost and never to return within 5 years through this. I also aint handed a penny over in ground for drink ,food etc in 2 years since he banned cash ,sometimes a hot drink or pie was a must if it was freezing

[james o connor]

11 hours ago, Inspector Lestrade said:

How do we challenge for promotion and charge low prices? 

Ask Huddersfield ? Ask Fulham ?  Ask every other team that charges less that Us (every single team) . Ripping the fans off proved to be a stupid and fruitless exercise . Just lost a whole heap of casual supporters . Baring In mind for youngsters growing up we have that shower charging less and playing decent football In the premiership  or Wednesday charging obscene stupid prices for dross football with past it players . With no allegiance who’s going. To be the more  attractive proposition 

[BingleyOwl]

5 minutes ago, james o connor said:

Ask Huddersfield ? Ask Fulham ?  Ask every other team that charges less that Us (every single team) . Ripping the fans off proved to be a stupid and fruitless exercise . Just lost a whole heap of casual supporters . Baring In mind for youngsters growing up we have that shower charging less and playing decent football In the premiership  or Wednesday charging obscene stupid prices for dross football with past it players . With no allegiance who’s going. To be the more  attractive proposition 

 

Exactly. This is a testing time for Wednesday and if drastic changes are not made to ticket prices, we will soon lose a generation of fans to Sheffield United. 

 

If our owner were British, I’m sure they would be aware of this. Chansiri just doesn’t understand this. Or at least, he’s not aware that future attendances/ticket revenue are in jeopardy. 

[crookesowl]

24 minutes ago, gillyno9 said:

Interesting thread.......... rewind 3 years ago and the op would have been absolutely ran out of town.

 

The vast majority of fans were of the opinion that if we were to try and achieve promotion then we as fans, should be prepared to dig deep into our pockets and pay the high ticket prices and buy the sh!t merchandise at whatever cost.

 

fast forward to 2020 and enthusiasm has subsided dramatically, and this could well be the year fans vote with their feet. (Myself included)

 

Season tickets = still expensive 

potg = extortionate 

kits = expensive and poor quality 

catering = still shambolic

Club shop = joke

 

All this with a team that’s no further on in looking like getting promoted, and still has the same squad members (dead wood) on huge wages not delivering. Westwood, FF, Rhodes, Lee, Winnall etc.  
 

Tho whole club at present is NOT value for money in any capacity. This is making the match day/Hillsborough experience what it is at the minute.

 

 

What I didn’t say In the OP is that I am a season ticket and have been for 5 seasons. Before that I was POTG for a number of years. 
 

It was attractive POTG prices (£20 / £15 games) and ability to rock up when I wanted that got me interested again after a few years not going. 

[bladeshater]

12 hours ago, Mr Farrell said:

We know.

 

Nobody cares.

 

Sad but true.

 

Lucky them getting to spend their money and time on something other than our overpaid shower.

 

Wish them luck and keep suffering.

 

I'm happy to support my club your happy to come on here and be a miserable top hat what a sad lonely person you must be

[Guest Ferkorf]

We just dont have the support anymore.

Infact I cant remember in my lifetime us ever having a huge average attendance and im 35.

I dont know how many people don't understand that.

Yes we have a MASSIVE Fanbase but not all of them are bothered about going to games because they never go to games.

We all had the mates that went to wembley that either never went to a game before or hadnt been since the 90s.

The reason they don't isnt the ticket cost its because they arent really into football at all.

20 to 25k is our solid base, then theres those that pick and choose games if we are actually playing well.

Never going to get 30k average at Hillsborough unless we get to the prem

Edited January 4, 2020 by Ferkorf

[Rhubarb n Custard]

If you want people to continue paying premium prices you need to provide a premium product. 

We are being short changed in many regards and that will only have one result in the long run.

 

As others have noted how is this ever going to foster new generations of supporters ? 

Where is the new blood going to come from ? 

 

All most people want is to pay a fair price and to support a committed team that would die for the shirt.

It isn't necessarily about winning or losing or even which division we are in.

It's about sharing experiences with each other & feeling part of a club that we can be proud of.

 

This is why I've become so disillusioned with our club in recent years and why I currently attend less than I want to.

[torres]

1 minute ago, Ferkorf said:

We just dont have the support anymore.

I dont know how many people don't understand that.

Yes we have a MASSIVE Fanbase but not all of them are bothered about going to games because they never go to games.

We all had the mates that went to wembley that either never went to a game before or hadnt been since the 90s.

The reason they don't isnt the ticket cost its because they arent really into football at all.

20 to 25k is our solid base, then theres those that pick and choose games if we are actually playing well.

Never going to get 30k average at Hillsborough unless we get to the prem

There is a lot of truth in this.

 

Looking on here you’d think season ticket holders are billionaires with nothing else to do. The truth is they are just a loyal bunch with that extra quality that makes them put their hard earned money in and stick with their club throughout.

 

Going to matches on a whole can be a total pain in the backside. Midweek in the winter is a killer. But we get some really good people making the effort to go and support their club. 
 

Take the play off crowds, both semi finals and final - 35k-42k

 

A small percentage of them won’t be able to get to all matches at home due to differing circumstances. So no point at all getting a season ticket 

 

A tiny percentage won’t be able to afford one 

 

The vast majority just are not that bothered. Nothing wrong with that at all. But let’s not start making out that we are blocking 10’s of thousands from coming who are desperate to support their club. 
 

DC needs to reduce season ticket prices first and foremost - get 25k and the others will turn up when it’s fashionable 

[jonnyowl]

Wouldn't be a problem if we were top of league!

[Guest Ferkorf]

5 minutes ago, torres said:

There is a lot of truth in this

Didnt want to quote the full episode

I can bet theres a lot in my boat, people like me that have had 20 odd season tickets. Infact widen the net to those that have had half a dozen in their young or old lifetimes. We all love the club but something made us throw the towel in when it came to buying season tickets.

A lot from my generation and my friends that had season tickets faded gradually from about 2008 to 2014 cant blame them. Ask them now if they fancy the match Saturday most would say how much is it now, erm £38 on kop, well lets just watch sky sports news in pub and have a few bets instead is the answer I get.

For me personally it was the jos season mentally I was exhausted, the crowd around me was toxic, atmosphere was like the wild west with fans fighting each game. But mainly those midweek games and games having kick off times moved really nailed my coffin. I was having to swop days at work with my pig friend or use holiday days. Over the years its got that bad that a season ticket is only good value for money for my mate that got it for free when i couldnt go.

 

 

[gbear05]

I used to travel up for home games a few times a year from London but have stopped in the last 2 years and just go go away games.

 

The additional costs of travel etc combined with high prices, means I just can’t justify it. 

 

I don’t really even consider going anymore. It’s often cheaper to get tickets to a club like West Ham for premier league football.  

[Guest Ferkorf]

5 minutes ago, jonnyowl said:

Wouldn't be a problem if we were top of league!

We have been this season and in the top 6 most of it.

Still no where near 30k gates

[Guest Ferkorf]

1 minute ago, gbear05 said:

 

I don’t really even consider going anymore. It’s often cheaper to get tickets to a club like West Ham for premier league football.  

We had a home game last season I believe midweek cant remember who against but on the saturday we were away at Blackburn or Bolton.

I added together the away ticket price and fuel against the home ticket.

Lord behold it was a few quid cheaper for me to drive to the away game than go to Hillsborough

[torres]

3 minutes ago, Ferkorf said:

Didnt want to quote the full episode

I can bet theres a lot in my boat, people like me that have had 20 odd season tickets. Infact widen the net to those that have had half a dozen in their young or old lifetimes. We all love the club but something made us throw the towel in when it came to buying season tickets.

A lot from my generation and my friends that had season tickets faded gradually from about 2008 to 2014 cant blame them. Ask them now if they fancy the match Saturday most would say how much is it now, erm £38 on kop, well lets just watch sky sports news in pub and have a few bets instead is the answer I get.

For me personally it was the jos season mentally I was exhausted, the crowd around me was toxic, atmosphere was like the wild west with fans fighting each game. But mainly those midweek games and games having kick off times moved really nailed my coffin. I was having to swop days at work with my pig friend or use holiday days. Over the years its got that bad that a season ticket is only good value for money for my mate that got it for free when i couldnt go.

 

 

while the 20k current season ticket holders loved the Jos era!

[Justbeanz]

2 hours ago, toooldforthis said:

 

Westwood and Fletcher are the highest paid players and they have a combined salary of £3m per season (£1.5m each). We have 8 players on more than £1m per season and their average age is 29 (Murphy is 24 and without him the average age would be 30).

Truly turned my stomach reading this. The mind boggles.

[Harrysgame]

13 hours ago, crookesowl said:

Ok so I get the strategy - make season tickets attractive vs POTG but how many people are we losing through the pain of buying tickets on match day? 
 

I see at every match the long queue at the south stand ticket hut and I think it’s disgraceful that we make it painful for fans to hand over their money on match day. 
 

We have a good core of season ticket holders but where is everyone else? I used to be a POTG as I would decide last minute. I would not do that now - too expensive and painful. 
 

Its a major problem IMO. We should be doing everything to attract ALL fans, and making it easy for them to watch our club. 

Agree in part although would expand this to all clubs. Many a weekend would go to an away game if not working but can't buy tickets even in home end. Surely we have moved on from the 80s. Pretty sure my 8 year old son would start kick off and start windmilling!

[fatzooma]

13 hours ago, cowl said:

I'd like an owner that learns from his mistakes rather than keeps making them.

 

I'll not lie, I'm utterly sick to my back teeth of him.

 

It's not the mistakes themselves; some you win, some you lose, after all, and that's fine. But to keep getting the ticketing so wrong!

It’s not even as if the extortionate ticketing is actually balancing the books....or the taxi company.....or the energy drink....or the in-house kit manufacture...

[ReadingOwl]

No point re-opening this. What is done is done.

 

The ticket prices are locked in, so is the poor recruitment and terrible retention.

 

It will take a generation to change. 
 

You have to stick with it - for the long term now, and just hope the Chairman sees it through too.

[Mr Farrell]

3 minutes ago, fatzooma said:

It’s not even as if the extortionate ticketing is actually balancing the books....or the taxi company.....or the energy drink....or the in-house kit manufacture...

 

And that's the killer.

 

What has totally destroying our POTG support and future fan generations achieved ?

 

Absolutely nothing.

[kobayashi]

52 minutes ago, Ferkorf said:

We just dont have the support anymore.

Infact I cant remember in my lifetime us ever having a huge average attendance and im 35.

I dont know how many people don't understand that.

Yes we have a MASSIVE Fanbase but not all of them are bothered about going to games because they never go to games.

We all had the mates that went to wembley that either never went to a game before or hadnt been since the 90s.

The reason they don't isnt the ticket cost its because they arent really into football at all.

20 to 25k is our solid base, then theres those that pick and choose games if we are actually playing well.

Never going to get 30k average at Hillsborough unless we get to the prem

You do understand that an average crowd of say 25K including 5K of non season tick holders equates to 35K of "regular attendees" if those non season ticket holders average go to say every 3rd game. The 5K of non season ticket holders are not he same 5K people every week.