Stay Away "Fans" To Blame For Price Inceases.

Lack of progress due to lack of funds or lack of funds due to lack of progress. Chicken and egg but fans should turn up if they can and not make excuses. If they dont want to go then fine just say so.

 

Right you seem totally convinced people are not going just because they cant be arsed - cuckoo.

 

I know for a fact that there are fans who have stopped going for all sorts of reasons, some financial, some are out of the habit, some have just fallen out with football and some just can't be arsed any more due to a variety of reasons. I think reducing prices would have some effect in the long term if we were winning but whether it would be a significant increase is doubtful IMHO.

 

Conan. You're still wrong.

 

If you can't increase revenue you have to reduce the cost base....

...hence players from lower divisions or grow your own. Unfortunately, like a catering business, if you use cheap ingredients and produce an inferior product fewer people buy it and so the downward spiral continues until you go out of business.

The trick is to find a balance.

I think BFC have managed the cost base as well as they can under the current financial situation but the benefits of that are negated by the way they are trying to boost revenue through overpricing tickets against a background of not only financial hardship for the fanbase but also a general apathy towards football that is becoming increasing apparent from many emails, blogs, and postings not only on this BB but others too.

I am one of the many people who has become disillusioned and apathetic towards football which makes me sad. It seems also that prudent clubs like BFC are not rewarded as they should be and until some of the profligate clubs go bust that trend will continue.

 

You've got it completely arse about tit

It wasn't a case of the fans staying away so the club put the prices up. The club announced the prices before the season started and subsequently the fans didn't come.

 

If we got 18000 every week then prices would be down

and we'd also afford better players.

Now, how do we get 18000 in the ground do you reckon ? Because you've argued consistently that reducing prices doesn't work, so how else do we do it ?

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

True.
And, for the umpteenth time, we lost 1500 ST holders in the summer. So, having seen the obscene price-rise in a matchday ticket, you would have been forgiven for assuming that there would have been an upturn in ST sales. But no. 1500 folk didnt renew. The way people are going on about CAT A prices you would think we had lost 2000 POTD supporters, but we havent. We have lost - on average - around 4 to 500. But the ticket price increase will have negated any loss in income I would imagine, but dont quote me on that. And you can bet your bottom dollar that the club are making more on away fans this term. For instance, Hull brought 1400 tuesday night. Last year they fetched 998...
I am against a 2nd tier match costing more than 20 sheckels. And my ST should never have topped £300. So I am not defending the club or their pricing structure. But come on folks, it was the non-renewal of 1500 season tickets in June, July etc, that have caused the fall in attendances.
I must have repeated this ten times in ten weeks and naybody ever argues with it. Because as Mr Troutman (James) says at the top, its a fact.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

Attendances were dropping off last season before the prices were announced.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

Where did you get the actual figures for the past two summer's season ticket sales from, mate?

 

Even if your figures are right

You'd think a lot of these 1,500 lost season ticket holders would come to a few matches as pay on the gate customers. It's not usual behaviour to go to every match then suddenly go to none. But that's what appears to have happened. In my opinion the £30 match tickets are a lot to do with that, so I would suggest we have lost a lot of pay on the day supporters.

 

What is gally?

If I was asked to guess then I would have said that the season ticket money is our biggest source of income. Is that not the case?

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

Whilst people may not be going for a variety of reasons, I think the most common reason for them stopping going in the first place is the increasing costs and not being able to justify it. After that then they drop out of the habit. Almost any business will say, it costs more to attract back a lost customer than it does to keep them in the first place.
The fact we are in a recession doesn't help, many people have either lost their jobs, had to take a pay freeze or pay cut and coupled with increasing prices in all areas they have to look at where they can cut back.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

I keep the back page of the Chron every week. Have done for years as a tool to refer back to, and also for keepsake value, sumat to show the kids (if I have any!) further down the line.
And on the back page on August 6th last year, it said this:
'Oakwell season ticket sales are down on last season. The Reds have currently sold more 8,800 tickets - but that is four per cent down on last term.
Sales have risen in recent weeks, following a successful Open Day and a good pre-season from Mark Robins' new-look team, and the club predict to top 9000, perhaps before Crystal Palace come calling for the first home league game of the new season on August 14.'
Unfortunately, I have no evidence such as that to substantiate THIS years figures. But I always politely ask the box office staff when renewing my ticket, what the sales have been like so far etc. And usually they give you a rough estimate.
Only, this year I didnt get mine sorted out until a week/10 days before the Forest match. Because I waited weeks for my mate to make up his mind about whether he was renewing or not. He didnt (poof), and I then went down and even ended up moving seats for a change of scenery etc.
When doing so, I asked the lady how many we had sold, and I said "about 9000 again?" and she asked another lass at side of her "what was the figure for season tickets?" and the other lass said 7474 (I think). I was quite shocked at that and asked her if they expected a late surge. She said they normally sell a fair few hundred through the first month of the season. So, my 7474 figure was 10 days before kick off. Yet, my ST book is numbered as 7103, so its all guesswork I suppose. I was amazed that she gave me a figure. Normally, they say "about" this much or what have you. Or, similar to last year. But she gave that very specific figure.
So, maybe we sold another 1000 since, maybe just 20... who knows?
But the gates etc, speak for themselves and IMO the 7500 guesstimate is about right.
Sorry for the long explanation.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

Much appreciated, mate, thank you. The worrying aspect is that the missing 1500 have simply stopped going. Usually, if someone stops purchasing a season ticket (be it for financial issues, work or family commitments, etc.) they would still try to get down to Oakwell as often as possible, rather than cease altogether. It is my opinion the £30 admission fee plays a huge part in their total absence. I feel it is somewhat arrogant and condescending to tell these people that they have the opportunity to watch a couple of games for £16 during the season and if they don't attend then they are entirely at fault for the high cost of admission for the other games. I fail to see how that approach is conducive in attracting these former season ticket holders back into the fold, nor in bringing other less committed people down to Oakwell.
I don't claim to have all the answers, if any. These are simply my views and opinion.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

I think it is principally financial. With frozen pay, reduced hours etc and rising inflation something has to give, and football is not a necessity. The £30 will stop people coming regularly as pay on the gate. They might turn up now and again for derbys and the like but even £20 I reckon won't bring back people who can't afford £20.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

You could well be right, mate.

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

Glad you asked me mate.
And I agree with the above. Id say at least a third of those ST holders are or have still attended as POTD supporters. If I ever fail to renew, I couldnt just quit full-stop. Id have taken in the 23 and 16 quid games for sure. But, out of the 1500, a lot will no doubt be that person AND their kid/s

 

Re: You've got it completely arse about tit

I think there's a lot of assumptions made in this thread about people's circumstances. I had a season ticket throughout my teens and stopped when I went to uni because I couldn't get to every game. Then after uni I got the chance to play at a decent standard of Saturday afternoon football and decided that I could watch football forever but only play for a limited time. Consequenly I could only make mid-week games or when I was injured (I would add I have to travel to games from York).

Unfortunately last season I had an injury which means I can't play football so had intended on going to lots of games this season. However, I've so far managed three. One game I was on hoilday, one game was my 30th and I had a weekend with the family, three games I was at weddings where I was either the best man or the usher. I'm not making excuses - these are things I throughly enjoyed just as much if not more so then the game, but it just shows how things can stop people attending games.

The only two games I could make which I decided not to where in the League Cup because I couldn't be arsed finishing work early to fight my way down the M1 (which proved to be a great decision) and the Hull game on Tuesday which I have to admit I probably would have made more effort to get to if it had have been cheaper. However, £30 combined with the fact my dad's on holiday so I'd have had to sit on my own and I just got back from America on Sunday meant I decided not to.

But the key is, its a free choice! Don't get me wrong, if I lived in Barnsley I would have gone Tuesday and to every game. I accept I don't have as much right to comment on the team or can class myself as fan of the year but it doesn't mean I don't care about the team. I just don't think people should be made to feel guilty if they make the choice not to go to match for any reason. Free will and all that. To be honest if we are playing ****e or brilliant doesn't have loads of baring on it (well maybe a little)

 

Would you go for something like this?

http://v2.barnsleyfc.org.uk/showthr...ting-up-a-meeting-with-the-Don.....&p=1059118