Bradford's cheap season ticket strategy... worth a read.

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by Mr Badger, Mar 7, 2017.

  1. Mr Badger

    Mr Badger Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2011
    Messages:
    9,277
    Likes Received:
    7,617
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Fillingham
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    OTHER clubs are taking notice of City's latest cut-price season-ticket campaign.

    Sales for the first week are approaching 2,500 as fans look to take advantage of the early-bird price of £149 for adults.

    The Telegraph & Argus has given its backing to the club's drive to make football more affordable to watch – and rivals have been quick to contact Valley Parade to find out the formula for City's success.

    Chief operating officer James Mason said: "Other chief execs do call and ask how we've done it. There is no rocket science, it's very simple.

    "We think we know how many hard-core fans we've got and that's way below the number we get on a match day.

    "So it's about persuading the others to come to more than the odd match and commit to the season. The way to do that is to almost take the decision of price away from them.

    "We're not saying £149 is affordable for everyone but it's as affordable as it can be for us to be a viable business.

    "I'm getting direct correspondence from fans from other clubs to commend what we are doing. You jump on the message boards and there are congratulatory tweets from everywhere.

    "We've even had one fan who's going to buy a season-ticket at Bradford City, not to come and watch us necessarily but just to say 'well done'. He's paying four times as much at his own club."

    City's current home crowds average 18,109, the second best in League One, but they have targeted cracking the 20,000 barrier for next term – which they could kick off in the Championship.

    Mason believes the #TeamTwenty to attract full houses at Valley Parade will also have wider-ranging benefits for the local economy.

    "If we can encourage all existing fans to bring a friend, tell everybody about what we're doing and we get 20,000 people next season, then the whole city wins," he said.

    "It's not just the football club but the businesses around the area. The bars on North Parade will be busier, the Broadway shopping centre will get more footfall.

    "The council will get more people to see Bradford city centre as it is changing. Everyone will benefit – but this campaign will only work if we do recruit new fans."

    Some fans have questioned the logic of initially freezing prices and not adding a small increase on season-tickets that are the cheapest in the top four divisions.

    But Mason believes the figures do add up because of the money that can be generated from getting more people into the club.

    He said: "We've also sold 10,000 shirts this season, so that's one in every two people coming to the ground. The income is coming in through other ways.

    "There are plans over the next couple of seasons to really reinvent our food offering in the kiosks. That's another way to increase our revenue.

    "There are also going to be really big changes over the next couple of years in the concourse and banqueting suites. Maybe not in time for next season but that will happen.

    "Once we've got the fans in, we're going to want them to spend once they are in the stadium. That is the economics of it."

    Fans who buy now will also be entered into a draw to win one of 11 all-inclusive places to Germany's famous Oktoberfest accompanied by the owners and directors.

    Season-tickets are available from the ground or via the website at Teamtwenty.co.uk.

    PRICE BANDS:

    March 1 – April 2: £149 (adult/senior/student); £99 (junior 11-16); £5 (under-11); £110 (25-year member); £70 (flexicard); £110 (suite membership).

    April 3 – April 16: £169 (adult/senior/student); £99 (junior 11-16); £5 (under-11); £130 (25-year member); £80 (flexicard); £110 (suite membership).

    April 17 – April 29: £199 (adult/senior/student); £129 (junior 11-16); £10 (under-11); £160 (25-year member); £100 (flexicard); £110 (suite membership).

    April 30 onwards: £299 (adult/senior/student); £159 (junior 11-16); £15 (under-11); £110 (suite membership).
     
  2. Mr Badger

    Mr Badger Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2011
    Messages:
    9,277
    Likes Received:
    7,617
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Fillingham
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Rule number one.... get a Chief Executive.
    Rule number two... grow some balls.
     
    MDG likes this.
  3. Hud

    Huddersfield Red Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2012
    Messages:
    2,346
    Likes Received:
    135
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Style:
    Barnsley
    Rule number three...move the club to the 6th largest city in England.
     
    nezbfc, sadbrewer, Skryptic and 2 others like this.
  4. Archey

    Archey Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2008
    Messages:
    24,317
    Likes Received:
    18,600
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    A big massive boat
    Style:
    Barnsley
    It just simply wouldn't work for us. If Bradford manage to get 20,000 season ticket holders at £149 then in theory if we get 10,000 at £300, we've made the same money.

    Our crowd levels would stagnate at a lower level than that of Bradford's as they have a much larger catchment area than we do. They're still likely to attract a high number of pay on the day supporters than what we are, so still have that comfortable fortnightly revenue stream which we would potentially lose if we were to reduce season ticket sales.

    It's just not financially viable for a club of our size in a town of our size to reduce ticket prices by so much.

    Maybe to £250 or £225 at a push, but certainly not £149. It doesn't make much business sense.

    Sent from space using satellites and things
     
    LiverpoolRed likes this.
  5. dreamboy3000

    dreamboy3000 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2005
    Messages:
    53,975
    Likes Received:
    21,381
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    DB3K Towers
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    How wonderful to read the views of a forward thinking club. One that has enough club shop stock that it can sell five figures worth of shirts alone. That has control over what happens at their own club so bigger crowds mean it's them not someone else that benefits with catering, programme sales etc. We should have full control of every aspect of our own club. We don't need to go posh on the food but catering is poor at best with quality of service and quality of product.

    Fleetwood Town have a better supporters bar and scoreboard than us. They wouldn't be top 18 in league two on average crowds but could be in the same league as us next season and probably with a profit too. If we improved off the field in many different ways we might be less dependable on selling on assets to weaken our squad to make a profit (although we haven't in 5 of the last 7 years). Standing puddles of water in the stands with the slightest bit of rain, a scoreboard that shows replays that are hard to make out, club shop with little stock, no pre match entertainment worth getting to the ground before 2:55 to see and spend, breeze block surroundings, 13% of our ground out of use that could be sold to make money, very little done when it's not a matchday to get people to the ground, PA system that crackles regularly during a game, breeze block walls that could be covered in decent pictures, Admiral sign still up painted over that could have been taken down twenty years ago, hand dryers where you could blow your hands dry faster. The list is endless.
     
    JamDrop likes this.
  6. Con

    Conan Troutman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2011
    Messages:
    17,469
    Likes Received:
    2,694
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Professional Football Fan
    Location:
    Tarn
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    You do know that Bradford only averaged 8,200 in the last season before they introduced cheap season tickets? It can work but won't for us as we have lost 13% of our capacity due to the CBA attitude.
     
    MDG likes this.
  7. Con

    Conan Troutman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2011
    Messages:
    17,469
    Likes Received:
    2,694
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Professional Football Fan
    Location:
    Tarn
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Come on nar Dreamboy, you know these things aren't possible at Oakwell. Don't know why but there's always a reason. Just because Fleetwood on gates of 2,800 can do it, doesn't mean we can. Or should.
     
  8. Archey

    Archey Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2008
    Messages:
    24,317
    Likes Received:
    18,600
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    A big massive boat
    Style:
    Barnsley
    I didn't know that but I suppose that proves my point a little. We certainly wouldn't be looking at an increase of the same magnitude of that. For one we'd need to double the number of season ticket holders just to make the same money. Then there's the reduction in pay on the day etc revenue.

    In theory we could increase other revenue streams because of it, but I can't honestly say I trust this club enough to make those revenue streams available, such as shirt sales and food and drink etc etc.

    Sent from space using satellites and things
     
  9. Con

    Conan Troutman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2011
    Messages:
    17,469
    Likes Received:
    2,694
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Professional Football Fan
    Location:
    Tarn
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Your last paragraph sums it all up - but that's not an argument for why it wouldn't work. It's an argument for why the club wouldn't make it work. Back to the CBA attitude.
     
  10. troff

    troff Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2009
    Messages:
    9,078
    Likes Received:
    12,179
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    donny
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Not saying I completely disagree - but if it was so likely to work why are only Bradford doing it?

    There are plenty of other clubs, championship to league two, with ten thousand plus empty seats every week.

    The answer is mentioned above.

    Bradford City was the perfect storm for this to work. 6-7k 'hardcores' that would go every week regardless.

    However they are also in the 6th largest city in the U.K. People assume it to be the small little brother of Leeds - Leeds is bigger, it's the third city and bigger than Glasgow, but Bradford has a catchment bigger than Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh, Newcastle. They have a significantly bigger pool of people locally to attract, and as a result have a much larger pool of occasional fans this offer would appeal to.

    And they have one pro football club these days, Park Avenue having fallen from grace decades ago.

    The rugby side have also fallen from grace somewhat.

    All in all it's worth the risk for them. You'll note they've never claimed to have made more money.

    Our club competes with two Sheffield clubs and Leeds for supporters within the metropolitan borough - Bradford likely to lose significant numbers only to Leeds. Our walk up and occasional fans are smaller in number but the fans who come to a couple, five, maybe ten games a season keep the club afloat. We can't risk that income by letting st's go for half price; if you sell twice as many st's you get the same income initially, but no prospect of any more throughout the season.

    We could do better from a merchandise and food sales point of view definitely- but we currently have those contracted out so until they can sort that, it would not be worth it.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  11. Andy Mac

    Andy Mac Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2006
    Messages:
    10,195
    Likes Received:
    9,225
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    IT
    Location:
    Sweet Home Bingley.
    Style:
    Barnsley Dark
    Half of that 'large' population have zero interest in football, and within the Manningham community there are groups actively trying to drive football out of that area. Check out the City fans matchday threads about that particular issue.

    So I don't think the larger population argument is entirely plausible. If it was, they'd have been getting larger crowds than 8k when tickets weren't on offer. Proportions, 'n all that.
     
    Conan Troutman likes this.
  12. andytyke

    andytyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2006
    Messages:
    12,891
    Likes Received:
    2,679
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Featherstone
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    We'd just have 10k more fans Moaning they can't get s Shirt because the club had put in same late order they have for the past 10 years
     
  13. Jimmy viz

    Jimmy viz Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2012
    Messages:
    28,244
    Likes Received:
    17,432
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Ballet Dancer
    Location:
    Hiding under the bed
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Bradford's average gate was below ours when they started. Huddersfield's not much different. Of course it can work. Whether we as a club could make it work is a different matter as you have to be in control of commercial operations and be good at that side of things which we are not.
     
  14. Gordon Owen

    Gordon Owen Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2009
    Messages:
    19,786
    Likes Received:
    9,859
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Tarn, sithi
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Hartlepool did a £100 ST offer for the 11/12 season after their average had dropped to 2,933 and the crowds were on a three year decline. That season they averaged 4,961 (69% increase), since that offer they have dropped down a division and never had an average below 3,700. Fanbase has increased by 26% since that offer.

    .
     
    Redstar likes this.
  15. Spirit Ditch

    Spirit Ditch Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2008
    Messages:
    3,061
    Likes Received:
    1,038
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    South Deedahland
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    I was teaching in Featherstone today and when the students in one class asked which team I supported, at least a couple of them were also Barnsley season ticket holders. you might be surprised how our catchment area suddenly grew into such places if a parent and child could get a whole season of matches for £155 or so. Not to mention the consequence of them and their descendants being hooked in future generations. I agree that we should think differently as we can't compete in terms of conventional finances
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2017
    Redstar likes this.
  16. red

    redrum Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2013
    Messages:
    22,166
    Likes Received:
    16,001
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)

    I don't get it one thread you are moaning that the club lost 1million pound. The next your having a pop because the won't do season tickets at 150 quid meaning we would have to sell around 20k to break even on this seasons season ticket sales.... make your mind up

    By the way I'm not saying the 150 season ticket offer cannot work for us because the catchment area of bfc is bigger than just the town of barnsley but it would be a gamble. Maybe the club could do it for one season try grow the fan base.
     
  17. Red

    RedAllOver Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2015
    Messages:
    2,041
    Likes Received:
    342
    Trophy Points:
    83
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Our support hit top when we were in the Premier League, and hasn't dropped back to the level it was prior to that. It has stayed roughly between 8,000-12,000 over those 20 years. However it seems to me we have hit the 'saturation point'. We have plenty of fans; but how many of them would be prepared to go week in, week out?

    It's perhaps supporters that have this 'CBA attitude'. When you look last season, albeit in League One, we sold just over 20,000 for Wembley each time. Perhaps the most telling figure is only about 14,000 tickets were sold for the home semi-final against Walsall when tickets were just £15. This season we haven't once sold out the home areas, even when tickets were £15 for Forest or £10 for Huddersfield. So what would be the point of opening up the rest of the West Stand when we can't fill the rest of the stadium?
     
  18. troff

    troff Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2009
    Messages:
    9,078
    Likes Received:
    12,179
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    donny
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    My argument wasn't about that we wouldn't increase gates - it would do that - what it would also probably do is lose us income over the season when all is considered


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  19. troff

    troff Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2009
    Messages:
    9,078
    Likes Received:
    12,179
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    donny
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    All of Barnsley and surrounding areas are interested in football then?

    There's probably a good half that don't like football in most areas of the country



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  20. Shy Talk

    Shy Talk Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2005
    Messages:
    7,626
    Likes Received:
    4,239
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tarn
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    1. To halve our ST price we need to (minimum) double our number of ST holders
    2. We haven't got that many seats available
    3. Go figure
     

Share This Page