[Archived] Club Cash

[RevidgeBlue]

37 minutes ago, Paul said:

I don’t think I expect something for nothing RB but I do object to being charged to buy food or drink. I don’t know any pub or similar which does this. 

I can see beam backs are a different case asthere is a service element. However I can walk in to any pub which shows football and watch a game for free!! The footie being used to attract custom. I don’t see why Rovers should be any different. 

I fully accept I might not find a pub showing League 1 which strengthens the argument over the service element but these are Rovers own fans and not some random bloke who fancies a beer and watching a game. 

Hi Paul. 

The thing that strikes ma about the beam back is that I doubt Wimbledon let Rovers have it for free out of the goodness of their hearts, I would imagine we have to pay for it. Blues holds a maximum of 280, at £6 a pop that's only £1680 so I doubt the Club are making much if anything at all on screening it. Even if it were free to the Club, I still feel £6 to watch an important game live represents good value.

On your point about Pubs in general, fair enough, but they don't have to pay Charlie Mulgrew or Danny Graham 15 k p.w. to play in their football team! Also, have you never been a member of a golf/cricket/tennis/sports and social/conservative or working men's club that charges an annual membership fee? Even at just £10 p.a. that equates to 10 visits to Blues on match days!

[Stuart]

5 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I believe ‘beam backs’ must have an entrance fee, league rules.

Obviously didn’t need to be £6, but looking at the sell out in there for Wimbledon, there are plenty of folk like me who stumped up without much hestitation!

What would be your limit for beam back though? £10? £20?

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, Stuart said:

£1 nominal charge makes it even more petty. Not going to make much of a dent in any debt if that’s what it is supposed to be going towards. (Not even at £6 per head)

As for £6 for “beam back” (a clever marketing word to mean “on TV”), if you think that’s a fair price then pay it. But would you feel the same way if pubs were charging £6 to enter because the had the TV on?

However, as always with these things it’s supply and demand. If fans pay it then that’s what they will charge.

As I have the full Football package on Virgin media (including BT) at home then obviously I wouldn't actively seek out a Pub that was charging to watch it. If however a group of mates wanted to meet at a particular venue that was charging £6 to get in for whatever reason it wouldn't put me off.

I take your point about entry to Blues not making a dent in the overall debt. However if you extend that argument to its logical conclusion then there'd be no point charging for anything and you might as well let everyone in for free. You've got to try and cover some overheafs somewhere along the line. As things stand up until legends became available there was a bar facility holding 280 and around 8 (?)k season ticket holders so I dont think its unreasonable at all to charge for Blues on match day given door staff are needed to control numbers etc.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, Stuart said:

What would be your limit for beam back though? £10? £20?

I would say up to £10 was reasonable. Above that progressively less so.

[Mattyblue]

Hmmm, probably a £10.

They have me over a barrel, I try and be at as many aways as I can and when I can’t make one it’s the radio, which I find unbearable, so I jumped at the chance to watch the Wimbledon game.

I suppose there are 600 like minded souls that will fill Blues Bar.

[Stuart]

Sorry gents but to me that’s madness. £10 to watch a game on TV! And not even an attractive game. Probably stood up with a crap view, and queuing for a drink. I’m obviously missing something.

This season of regularly winning (although almost as regularly drawing) has gone to people’s heads I think. Surely nobody would pay £10 to watch Rovers v Chelsea in a PL game, would they? This is a League One promotion contender thing, right?

[Mattyblue]

It can only be shown if we’ve sold out our allocation. So for me, it would only be a low allocation midweek away game  (that’s sold out) that would potentially attract me anyway, otherwise I’d be at the game. So an odd tenner (though actually £6) is fine with me.

What’s an ‘attractive game’ anyway? They all are when you are trying to get promoted, I’m going to be on pins till May, surely that’s why we carry on with this strange hobby of ours?

[Stuart]

16 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

It can only be shown if we’ve sold out our allocation. So for me, it would only be a low allocation midweek away game  (that’s sold out) that would potentially attract me anyway, otherwise I’d be at the game. So an odd tenner (though actually £6) is fine with me.

What’s an ‘attractive game’ anyway? They all are when you are trying to get promoted, I’m going to be on pins till May, surely that’s why we carry on with this strange hobby of ours?

Which was kind of my point.

[Mattyblue]

Exactly, so I want to watch the lot by hook or by crook!

It’s my one and only vice!

[bob fleming]

32 minutes ago, Stuart said:

Sorry gents but to me that’s madness. £10 to watch a game on TV! And not even an attractive game. Probably stood up with a crap view, and queuing for a drink. I’m obviously missing something.

This season of regularly winning (although almost as regularly drawing) has gone to people’s heads I think. Surely nobody would pay £10 to watch Rovers v Chelsea in a PL game, would they? This is a League One promotion contender thing, right?

Won 22, Drawn 10, Lost 5.

What's an attractive game? Chelsea arguably, but the chance to watch your team win? You nailed it, maybe it has gone to peoples heads, maybe people are actually enjoying it. £10 for a beam back, regardless, is too much. I agree. Clearly though £6 was well priced as it sold out. To contradict myself, Charlton away, we need it to go up (fingers crossed), say I can't get there - I'd pay a tenner. 

[Paul]

@RevidgeBluepoint taken. Yes I do belong to two sports clubs both of which charge £20pa. 

 

[Paul]

28 minutes ago, bob fleming said:

Won 22, Drawn 10, Lost 5.

What's an attractive game? Chelsea arguably, but the chance to watch your team win? You nailed it, maybe it has gone to peoples heads, maybe people are actually enjoying it. £10 for a beam back, regardless, is too much. I agree. Clearly though £6 was well priced as it sold out. To contradict myself, Charlton away, we need it to go up (fingers crossed), say I can't get there - I'd pay a tenner. 

........errrrrrr. Of course I’m now in BIG trouble. In those circumstances I’d shell out £10. Though I’m hoping to get there somehow.

Think I’ll just slink away quietly now ?

[JHRover]

I think that it is a good idea the club are looking at opening up the Darwen End lounge. I've been saying it for a while, this club is blessed with facilities which are not being put to full use.

I'm a little bit confused by the naming of it. The 1875 Club Lounge suggests to me that it is designed for the benefit of members of the 1875 club, and yet any supporter can go in. So it isn't really anything to do with the 1875 Club, as members will still have to pay £2 to enter like anyone else has to.

I think it would have been better if:

- This was a club solely for use by 1875 members, nobody else

- 1875 members could get in for free with their membership whereas non-members have to pay a fee

- 1875 members get reduced price drinks compared to non-members.

I hope it is a success however they will need to expand their range of drinks to include cask beer to attract me.

[only2garners]

You're all missing a key point on beambacks - the cost. This is the minute from the last Fans' Forum: -

The League charged £700 for a beam back, plus a further £350 for commentary and £360 for an engineer to be on site for any technical issues. So the ticket price to fans covered the costs and the club could make a profit on bar sales. The success of the beam back had led to the club considering opening up some lounge space as well for future games with some food and drink packages offered.

So pretty much the whole entrance cost goes on fees to the EFL, leaving the club to make a profit on food and drink.

[only2garners]

8 minutes ago, MCMC1875 said:

Then use a bigger lounge!

? That's what they're planning to do.

[Stuart]

4 hours ago, bob fleming said:

Won 22, Drawn 10, Lost 5.

What's an attractive game? Chelsea arguably, but the chance to watch your team win? You nailed it, maybe it has gone to peoples heads, maybe people are actually enjoying it. £10 for a beam back, regardless, is too much. I agree. Clearly though £6 was well priced as it sold out. To contradict myself, Charlton away, we need it to go up (fingers crossed), say I can't get there - I'd pay a tenner. 

It’s definitely me then Bob.

As you were.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, only2garners said:

You're all missing a key point on beambacks - the cost. This is the minute from the last Fans' Forum: -

The League charged £700 for a beam back, plus a further £350 for commentary and £360 for an engineer to be on site for any technical issues. So the ticket price to fans covered the costs and the club could make a profit on bar sales. The success of the beam back had led to the club considering opening up some lounge space as well for future games with some food and drink packages offered.

So pretty much the whole entrance cost goes on fees to the EFL, leaving the club to make a profit on food and drink.

I actually assumed the home Club got the money but pretty much what  I said earlier in my reply to Paul. You can't expect the Club to put a beamback on as a treat for the fans and run it at a loss.

[only2garners]

The game has to be sold out to away fans and the home club has to give their permission to have the game beamed back but the fees are to the EFL.

Given we have to sell all our tickets first it's probably only going to be Bristol Rovers where we will get another one this season, unless results go such that either Doncaster or Charlton is a game where we can clinch promotion, where we therefore might sell out.

[Stuart]

7 hours ago, only2garners said:

You're all missing a key point on beambacks - the cost. This is the minute from the last Fans' Forum: -

The League charged £700 for a beam back, plus a further £350 for commentary and £360 for an engineer to be on site for any technical issues. So the ticket price to fans covered the costs and the club could make a profit on bar sales. The success of the beam back had led to the club considering opening up some lounge space as well for future games with some food and drink packages offered.

So pretty much the whole entrance cost goes on fees to the EFL, leaving the club to make a profit on food and drink.

Lol! The league charge the club to watch?? We are the product!! The costs of filming and editing the match are already covered in the match ticket for those already attending.

Double bubble. It was bad enough before but even more reason to not pay if the club doesn’t benefit.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, Stuart said:

Lol! The league charge the club to watch?? We are the product!! The costs of filming and editing the match are already covered in the match ticket for those already attending.

Double bubble. It was bad enough before but even more reason to not pay if the club doesn’t benefit.

What absolute nonsense. As far as im aware the EFL pay League 1 Clubs c 1m p.a.and in return presumably the EFL owns the rights to the Wimbledon game and all the other games in rhe same way the Premier League owns the rights to the Premier League games and can sell them to anyone who's interested either at home or abroad. The cost of televising the game doesn't come into it.  Using your reasoning if the cost of televising games at the Etihaad /the Emirates/Anfield etc was covered by the fans in the ground then the Premier League should give away the rights to watch the games to broadcasters abroad for free!

Nor is it in any way "double bubble." The live match and the beam back are two entirely different products for two completely separate audiences. You can choose to take the day off work and travel 10 hours in atrocious conditions midweek returning at 3 or 4 in the morning or nip across the road to watch it in the warmth for £6. Pretty exceptional value to me.

The final point is that as a a consumer I can't see whether it matters who is getting paid to show the game as long as the quality of the feed is good and in any event if Rovers had a larger facility than Blues and /or charged a bit more maybe they would be able to make an element of profit out of it. It's up the Club what they do with the feed once they've purchased it but all credit to them for keeping the price reasonable and not attempting to fleece the fans.

[Stuart]

Just a tip Rev. When you start a post with “What absolute nonsense “ I stop reading.

[JHRover]

If the size of the venue is a problem the club could hire a large LED screen, erect it on the side of the pitch and then open up one of the stands at Ewood and sell thousands of tickets.

It's been done before at other clubs.

[only2garners]

There's a world of difference between opening up another lounge space, which is already there, fitted with bars and TV screens, and hiring what would need to be a huge new screen on a one-off basis.

Whilst the last beamback sold out, they haven't always done so. The club is sensibly considering opening up more space that they already have to meet the extra demand that they might very well have for the Bristol Rovers game.

Just a tip Stuart. When you make a cheap remark re another poster rather than admitting you're wrong, it's a fairly obviously diversionary tactic.

[Stuart]

Just now, only2garners said:

Just a tip Stuart. When you make a cheap remark re another poster rather than admitting you're wrong, it's a fairly obviously diversionary tactic.

In your opinion.

[JHRover]

2 minutes ago, only2garners said:

There's a world of difference between opening up another lounge space, which is already there, fitted with bars and TV screens, and hiring what would need to be a huge new screen on a one-off basis.

Whilst the last beamback sold out, they haven't always done so. The club is sensibly considering opening up more space that they already have to meet the extra demand that they might very well have for the Bristol Rovers game.

Just a tip Stuart. When you make a cheap remark re another poster rather than admitting you're wrong, it's a fairly obviously diversionary tactic.

The only difference is hiring the tv screen. If they're charging £6+ for entry and can get thousands in the BBE lower rather than a couple of hundred in the Blues Bar then it would pay for itself comfortably. The bars and toilets are already there either way.

Demand probably won't be there to do it but it could be done. If Charlton sells out at 3,000-4,000 I'd like to think they'd consider it.