[Archived] Scrap Cat A & A+ Tickets

[Jan]

Just to make you feek even better- GRIMSBY'S cheapest adult season ticket is £286.

[thenodrog]

And they've got to drive to another bloody town!

aggyblue you do not appear to know when you are well off. How would you go on supporting any of the other teams in the Prem?

It's an increasingly common attitude I find in always looking for someone else to sub your lifestyle.

[Jan]

Theno- a lot of it is actually people trying to blame the club for their lifestyle choices. Most of them would find a reason not to go to a £10 game- "it's on the telly", "it's the price of 2 pints"

While claiming that the club's stopping them- the world's greatest fan- from attending

[AggyBlue]

aggyblue you do not appear to know when you are well off. How would you go on supporting any of the other teams in the Prem?

I know how well off I am, that's why I'm still going. How many more seasons I will be able to afford remains to be seen.

It is now out of reach of a lot of potential fans though, which can't be right.

Most of them would find a reason not to go to a £10 game- "it's on the telly", "it's the price of 2 pints"

If all home games were priced at a tenner, we'd have the 'Sold Out' signs up every week.

[Jan]

I know how well off I am, that's why I'm still going. How many more seasons I will be able to afford remains to be seen.

It is now out of reach of a lot of potential fans though, which can't be right.

If all home games were priced at a tenner, we'd have the 'Sold Out' signs up every week.

Like we did for the two (three?) games last season which were a tenner?

Get real.

[AggyBlue]

Like we did for the two (three?) games last season which were a tenner?

Get real.

Read my post, it says all home games, not two that are against @#/? teams and don't get well publicised.

[Jan]

no- you said we'd have "sold out signs up evey week"

And it was advertised throughout Blackburn, on the website and on local radio- what more do you want them to do with a loss leader???

Edited August 29, 2006 by Jan

[AggyBlue]

no- you said we'd have "sold out signs up evey week"

And it was advertised throughout Blackburn, on the website and on local radio- what more do you want them to do with a loss leader???

Read my post again. Obviously you are unable to grasp the concept of my statement.

[ihateburnley]

Interesting to note that only 11 clubs out of the 92 have cheaper season tickets than we do.

8 of them are in League 2, with 3 in League 1.

That is very interesting Stuwilky, but unfortunately a lot of people can't get season tickets due to changing shifts from week to week. I work a lot of weekends and late nights during the week so a season ticket for me is not an option.

I can't help thinking though, what if the club took a radical approach and made season-tickets such a incredibly massive saving that EVERY Rovers fan would want to get one - even those like myself that couldn't get to every game. Like offering Adult season-tickets for £220 in all areas (and give the away supporters the Riverside) - works out about £11 a game. That would represent EXCELLENT value for money and even if you could only get to half the home games, you are still only really paying £22 which is still cheap compared to other clubs. With such massive savings, not only the fans would benefit but the club would benefit in the following ways;

a) A massive uplift in season-ticket sales. I for one would buy one.

b ) Doesn't matter if people don't turn up - we've already got their money upfront.

c) No outside influences affecting ticket sales - Sky dates/kick off times would not matter, or indeed the clubs performances could not affect sales in a negative way.

d) Advertising our season tickets everywhere at ONLY £11 A GAME (!) would surely attract new fans and make old fans dust off their cobwebs.

Edited August 29, 2006 by ihateburnley

[AggyBlue]

That is very interesting Stuwilky, but unfortunately a lot of people can't get season tickets due to changing shifts from week to week. I work a lot of weekends and late nights during the week so a season ticket for me is not an option.

I can't help thinking though, what if the club took a radical approach and made season-tickets such a incredibly massive saving that EVERY Rovers fan would want to get one - even those like myself that couldn't get to every game. Like offering Adult season-tickets for £220 in all areas (and give the away supporters the Riverside) - works out about £11 a game. That would represent EXCELLENT value for money and even if you could only get to half the home games, you are still only really paying £22 which is still cheap compared to other clubs. With such massive savings, not only the fans would benefit but the club would benefit in the following ways;

a) A massive uplift in season-ticket sales. I for one would buy one.

b ) Doesn't matter if people don't turn up - we've already got their money upfront.

c) No outside influences affecting ticket sales - Sky dates/kick off times would not matter, or indeed the clubs performances could not affect sales in a negative way.

d) Advertising our season tickets everywhere at ONLY £11 A GAME (!) would surely attract new fans and make old fans dust off their cobwebs.

That's as good an idea as we have seen.

[stuwilky]

How would we address the shortfall in income?

Much as it is a good idea, even if we sold 26000 of them we would still take significantly less than we do now in ticket income.

[Jan]

How would we address the shortfall in income?

Much as it is a good idea, even if we sold 26000 of them we would still take significantly less than we do now in ticket income.

They don't care about that- they'd just be able to get a season ticket for less than the market value. In my books you have to balance the needs of the club with personal needs- which I think the club does better than most.

Edited August 29, 2006 by Jan

[Eddie]

To me the only solution I can think of is that you can buy a 5 and 10 game season ticket (not just the half season) that gives you an option of going to 15 or so of our home games. I'm not even sure how much this would work, but we certainly can't make the season ticket cheaper than it already is.

[FourLaneBlue]

Stu- wash your mouth out with soap!!! Don't you understand that praising the club for its ticketing policy is NOT allowed?

Are those the same season tickets I praised as "excellent value for money" in the post above Stu's?

Stu - It all comes down to what is best for the future of Rovers. If short-term income is most imporant then ticket prices might as well be put as high as possible to maximise it. The problem in the long-term may be many disillusioned ex-fans that Rovers have now lost.

Putting up prices for the walk-ons at a time when every match can be watched in a pub thanks to foreign TV simply doesn't seem very clever. John Williams is right...it is 'killing them'...but something needs to be done to stop every home game being on TV all over the borough sooner rather than later.

People are lazy...if you give them the opportunity to walk down their road, have a couple of drinks and still save plenty of money then many will do so rather than go through all the bother of actually attending the game. They are thinking short-term too.

In the long-term...it's surely bad for Rovers. As for "much as it is a good idea, even if we sold 26000 of them we would still take significantly less than we do now in ticket income", I don't disagree. Is it better to have 26000 fans every match or is it better to get the cash in?

Mind you, as long as there are pubs everywhere showing the game I can't imagine us getting 26000 in for every game no matter what Rovers do.

Edited August 29, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[Jan]

To me the only solution I can think of is that you can buy a 5 and 10 game season ticket (not just the half season) that gives you an option of going to 15 or so of our home games. I'm not even sure how much this would work, but we certainly can't make the season ticket cheaper than it already is.

That's probably the best suggestion we've had so far. You could buy a Category A+ one, or an A one or a B one, or one which mixes them, for different prices (all giving a matchday saving). However we'd still have some numpty complaining that they can't plan their life that far in advance.

[stuwilky]

BRISA suggested a number of these options to the club some months ago.

The club was concerned about a "bundle" of tickets beign an alternative to the full season ticket rather than to the matchday option.

There are several interesting ways this could be approached, for example, the Manchester United match - always one of our big sellers - is followed by a Sunday match against Spurs live on Sky.

Presumably Spurs are Cat A and United a+, so an individual ticket to both of those matches would be £68 in the Blackburn End, or £51 in the Riverside.

Why dont the club sell a "joint ticket" to both matches - say £50 in the BBE and £40 in the Riverside?

[FourLaneBlue]

Why dont the club sell a "joint ticket" to both matches - say £50 in the BBE and £40 in the Riverside?

That is a good idea...it'd also mean that if any away fans did make it into the home areas then they'd have to buy two tickets to do so!

Rovers should make sure there were no refunds after the United game and before Spurs however...

[American]

BRISA suggested a number of these options to the club some months ago.

The club was concerned about a "bundle" of tickets beign an alternative to the full season ticket rather than to the matchday option.

They should contact some NHL and NBA teams and see how it works for them. The total number of home games is more, but the bundles end up adding more parents than anything else, people who can't afford (either time or money or both) to go to all of the games.

Maybe a Saturday at 3 home ticket plan? Of course that might only cover 2-3 matches a season....

[Hannah]

I am sure Fulham offer something like this either 5 or 10 match combinations.

Could work on a similar theme to the rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach - You could buy a 6 ticket deal and within that you get 1 a+, 2 a, and 3 b matches. Not worked out the cost but it would be discounted from buying them individually although not as much discount as buying a season ticket.

It is certainly something I personally would be interested in as I can't commit the time to a whole season of matches yet I would like to go regulary - it would mean that people had to commit to that many games, and could chose ones around their other commitments. Maybe link it into a half season ticket but over the whole season and choose haf the matches - limiting the number of top games you can attend.

[AggyBlue]

Could work on a similar theme to the rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach - You could buy a 6 ticket deal and within that you get 1 a+, 2 a, and 3 b matches. Not worked out the cost but it would be discounted from buying them individually although not as much discount as buying a season ticket.

It is certainly something I personally would be interested in as I can't commit the time to a whole season of matches yet I would like to go regulary - it would mean that people had to commit to that many games, and could chose ones around their other commitments. Maybe link it into a half season ticket but over the whole season and choose haf the matches - limiting the number of top games you can attend.

Good shout but we would need an unreserved seating area for this type of arrangement.

[Hannah]

Good shout but we would need an unreserved seating area for this type of arrangement.

Why? As you chose your six tickets they allocate seats - that way it also means that after season tickets you have second best pick of the seats

[FourLaneBlue]

Unfortunately it might make the season tickets less attractive and it is the season ticket holders that must always be considered first. However ticket bundles for three or so games may be worth looking into.

[AggyBlue]

Why? As you chose your six tickets they allocate seats - that way it also means that after season tickets you have second best pick of the seats

You just said 1 A+, 2 A's and 3 B's. Like Blackpool pleasure beach. That means you could pick any A+, any two A's and any three B's.

If, as you now say, you choose the paticular matches you wish to attend, then you do not need unreserved seating.

[Hannah]

You just said 1 A+, 2 A's and 3 B's. Like Blackpool pleasure beach. That means you could pick any A+, any two A's and any three B's.

If, as you now say, you choose the paticular matches you wish to attend, then you do not need unreserved seating.

I don't get what you mean! In my head what I have said makes sense. At the start of the season you buy into a package of 6 tickets - 1 A+, 2 A and 3B. So at the start of the season you would chose - for your A+ game either Man U, Chelsea, Eveton etc, you would chose two from a list of A games and 3 from a list of B games. So you make your choice at the start of the season. When you have chosen your 6 games at the start of the season they club allocate you your seat.

I dont think that it will impact on the number of season tickets because prices will work out that you get more of a discount the more tickets you buy. So if you buy a season ticket you tickets cost £21, if you do the package it works out at £26 and other wise it is £35(Dont start arguing with the prices because it was just to illustrate a point!)

Surely it has got to be worth a try? Nothing else seems to have worked for the club!

[92er]

I have to say I quite like this as an idea, Hannah. I would suggest it should be offered in the first half of the season , with even the option of 2/3 monthly payments. This could then lead either to a half-season ticket, or even a slightly discounted half season ticket.

As someone else suggested, the full season ticket holders must get the best treatment/discount, but it might be one way of getting more fans into the habit of attending matches.