Come on people - playing right into the boards hands

I agree with sentiments expressed as team continues to produce promotion form from a desperate position. It would help perhaps if Flitcroft were offered a long term contract now, a statement of positive intent from the board and in order to compete long term in the top half of the table if we maintained squad strength during the summer and did not sell our better players as has happened in recent seasons.

 

You have to buy your ticket from the box office, not the turnstile or you will be charged £23. Made that mistake, tut. My own daft fault mind. The problem is if the club spends too much of it's time and resources on publicity, it stops being cost effective.

I spoke to Rachel at length about ticketing and they really do try their best to come up with a viable, efficient system that is fair to the fans and balances out the operational costs of the club. There is a certain risk implementing new pricing structures and this new one is not looking to be too successful. Myself and Merde Tete have come up with an idea we call the 'Part-timer' and the club to their credit, have been taking it seriously. Again to be cost effective, the structure has to be simple, these endless variations actually eat into club profits.

 

Is the part timer deal the one where you buy a season ticket but it is only for x number of games rather than the full season? If so what ways have you come up with so far to make it simple and cost effective?

 

Think we need to forget about this season. For whatever reason people have "fallen out of love" with the club this season. Be it crap form, adverse publicity surrounding the previous manager stupid pricing policy, and no matter what anybody says £5 off a £28 admission price is not saving anybody a fortune. So in my opinion the club should have been thinking long and hard about next seasons package and they shouldn't forget its public knowledge the cup run brought in around £1m and Stones' transfer £3m, so coming out with the begging bowl won't wash with many people.

 

People still crying about this £3.

For **** sake it's 3 bloody quid.

Lucky to get a decent pint for that price now.

 

I'm not "crying" about it. I just think it's a **** scheme.

 

A wonderful post Mr C

 

In a nutshell. A half season ticket that can be used any time during the season. You get 12 vouchers, if you use them you pay match by match. It is a simple idea, in practical terms there are certain glitches to overcome from the club's point of view, such as what to do in the eventuality of a sell out match? That was the club's concern not mine, though I admire their optimism. Merde Tete has the answers and is working on the outline to formally propose to the club and will float the idea on here to garner support and assess it's viability. At least he said that's what he was doing. I'm more the raw ideas end of the operation, randomly plucking gems of inspiration from the cosmos.

 

I've supported the 'part-timer' ST option on here before and would be at the front of the queue for one this summer if they bring them in.

 

So a fan who allegedly wants to come is incapable of finding out a ticket price or is everything the responsibility of the club? Like I said in some cases it's just an excuse not a reason and no matter what the club does they are going to struggle to change this mindset. I recently wanted tickets to see The Who and I did everything possible to find out dates, costs, venues and seating arrangements. It wasn't difficult.

 

Between us can't we come up with some kind of brainstorming in this thread to put forward to the club for next year. Two heads are better than one and all that jazz - you'd think with a forum full of tyke fans we'd come up with something!

I personally think the club should offer three or four different promotions as obviously just one type of promotion isn't going to cater for everyone. The main issue is bums on seats.. We have 24,000 (or there abouts) so it makes little sense to just sell just 8000. Some options that come to mind (albeit without fully thinking them through!)

1) Buy 2 tickets - get a 3rd free? BOGOF probably wouldn't be viable as I imagine a lot of people go as a pair (couples, me and a mate etc) but buy 2 get a third free might bring in a few extra fans. Lets face it we have the space - may as well try creating revenue through drinks/snacks.

2) discounts for the first few thousand tickets? E.G - first 2000 tickets on general sale are equivalent of a season ticket holders ticket (£16 or whatever it works out as).

3) a 'part timer' scheme that what seems to be in discussion now.

4) Ticket, programme, beer and snack - £25. Lets be honest - a programme, mars bar and bottle of pop/pint won't cost a lot to the club when bought in bulk.

5) Make the match day experience an actually experience. Not just a turn up at 2.45 to watch the game. Work with the local pubs. Buy a ticket and get a discounted drink/lunch at some of the local boozers.

6) Buy a ticket for an adult + child and next time the child goes free. Not sure how this compares to current child prices as I never buy a child ticket.

7) Buy a category A ticket and get a lower category ticket for a tenner. Lets face it were gonna always get people wanting to go see Leeds, Wednesday - so why not make them come back to another game cheaply - again bums on seats.

As I said, I've not had time to sit down and see if any of these are viable - but I think it would be a good idea if the club tried to offer a few different incentives.

 

That may be true.

But using paying an extra £3 as a reason not to go is a poor excuse IMO.

I remember when it was £20 before game, £23 on the day. Not many complained then and it's not hard to pay the massive one off fee of £3 to become a member (considering Wednesday charge £20 for the exact same membership).

If people don't want to go they should just say so, instead of coming up with excuses how it's always the club's fault.

If people were on about going it's not hard to find out ticket prices etc etc.

However, I do think that people who can't get down to oakwell before should be able to book (either over the phone/online) without extra charge and pick the ticket up on the match day.

IMO, like.

 

I tell people stuff all the time and they don't grasp the info. Sometimes it's not that the message isn't clear, it's that people aren't listening. Two sides to any coin.

 

Do people who Don't go any more look at clubs website --think most don't.....tarnished with thinking every games £30-00.
need a new advertising campaign backed by recent win statistics in different media.real radio which covers more than Barnsley -Fans come from outside the area too.
Mr Joe public just sees where we are in league,reads national newspapers and does not see the flitcroft ,Mellon revolution
Mr Joe public has short term memory..advertising boards on key access routes into tarn....showing all home games left and all prices for KIDS under 18 will always drag parents along.then adults prices
and a win or draw at Wendy's!

 

To be honest it's neither here nor there for me personally. It's a shame it's in this thread that I got involved in disucssing it as my objections to it don't go so far as considering it a valid reason for not going. In the cost of the day out it's pretty much negligible and there's no way it would affect whether I went or not. I dislike the scheme not for financial reasons but because it's confusing and ambiguous (compare Mr C's experience with mine to see how the rules change from day to day), it still gives us the same headline price as without it and it's unfair to those who live away from Barnsley.

 

For many years I've been pro concessionary rates for supporters who live more than 50 miles from Oakwell. Add on the transport costs and it is still a bigger financial commitment than a full price ticket. It isn't a marketing strategy, more an acknowledgement of circumstances on the club's part and an effort to retain support. As Burgundy and I know, a 'home' game can easily be a £100 day out and I'm fairly confident I will have done two grand on football this season. That fact tends to knock local season ticket holders off their high horses.

I know I should have got a season ticket in hindsight, but I have been to more games than I planned to after having my time so conveniently freed up for me in October. That and the fact we have been struggling at the bottom of the league. I'm weird like that.

 

Whilst I agree attendances are disappointing

It's not 20 quid to get in..

It is if you want to make two trips to Oakwell and sign up blah blah.

Why isn't it just 20 quid to get in, end of story ?

 

Not wrong. My local charges exactly 3 quid for a pint of Carling these days.

 

Re: Whilst I agree attendances are disappointing

Because that is no longer the BFC way....