Are often people who go to games when they can. Ive seen it argued across numerous threads that people can simply choose cheaper games. For many thats not how it works. However, if the game they can then go to happens to be deemed a top game then suddenly they might find themselves priced out. Or view it as not value for money. Or destroys the chance of bringing along a neutral. Or convincing casual fans to come. I can't be ar5ed going in to the multitude of reasons why once again this reinforces the view that we are an inconvenience rather than a valued part of the club.
I honestly don't think the club understands (or some of our fanbase for that matter) that a significant number of our supporters have limited availability for games and can't be turned into season ticket holders. That seems to be the only answer you get from these people. The day when the season ticket honeymoon is over will be glorious. Make no mistake that if we stay up, they will be the club's next price hike. I'm looking forward to the squeal when that happens.
Yep, if your not a season ticket holder your not a proper fan and you will pay through the nose to make up for not being a ticket holder.
I'd have hoped that after taking on average 23,000 fans to Wembley(3 x our average home attendance) that the club would have cottoned onto that and accept that 2/3 of that Wembley crowd dont/cant/wont attend Oakwell every match. Instead of getting them to attend matches more regulary and keep the crest of a wave scenario going theyve probably alienated them. So we may go down, get relegated. Theyre even less likely to make a return to watch L1. Then again at least we'll have fleeced the Geordies and Bens lot. Every cloud ....
I once spoke at length to Ben Mansford about the general issue of pay on the day fans - ignore the actual prices, what came from that conversation was a general feeling that pay on the day fans got in the way somehow and need to be educated to get their lives better organised to print tickets at home and buy in advance or get a season ticket. There was absolutely zero acknowledgement about working patterns in retail for example, or other sectors where hours/days worked can change at short notice. I fully get the financial planning benefits to the club around season ticket revenue and also that the club needs to increase revenue, but why occasional fans have to be so financially punished (my take on it) I do not know.
Conversation in my local on Friday night: - Mate: Who's Barnsley playing tomorrow? Me: Real Madrid. Mate: Who? Me: Burton Albion. Fancy going? Mate: How much is it? Me: Errrrrrrrr.............dunno, hang on a minute..... Mate: What? You don't know how much it is? Me: ******, can't get a signal, anyone else have internet here? Mate: How much is it, roughly? Me: Roughly £25 quid? Mate: Arrrrr much?????? Me: Well it would have been £2 cheaper if you'd asked yesterday. Mate: Forget it I'll wait until they play Newcastle. Or Leeds. Me: That will be £38 quid. Mate:.........(mouth hangs open)........
Years ago I spoke to Don Rowing on the same issue, and I suggested to him the idea about the flexi-ticket to make it easier for fans (like me) who can't get to every match. I even showed him a spreadsheet I'd done to explain how it could work (sad old git, I know!). He told me the club relied on pay on the day fans to make the finances work, and if they produced flexi tickets or any other system to get fans in cheaper, the club's income would suffer. The business model at the time relied on a certain number of pay on the day fans, paying a lot more than the season ticket price. He actually said it was a myth that the club wanted to sell more season tickets - the truth was that the club would prefer 100% of fans to pay on the day, as they would then have far more money. The discussion didn't go on much longer after that.
Wonder how that worked out at times last season with a couple of hundred pay on gate fans ? The cynic in me might suggest that he'd ay anything so as not have to explore your (good) idea in detail...
