Attendances

[Mattyblue]

How will we O2G?

I doubt it puts many folk off. We have a core of people that buy tickets game by game, and nearly half of them buy on the day, ‘twas ever thus, they just now pay an even more ridiculous price for mid table second tier football. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose.

 Only a hardcore will be spending £25 for a game against Ipswich in January to start with.

Folk just won’t get ripped off for once.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Mattyblue

[only2garners]

There's no surcharge for the Ipswich game Matty. Rovers and Ipswich did a deal on ticket prices for the two games at the start of the season.

There have been a few on this thread who have said that they won't pay a surcharge.

[K-Hod]

My main point is that there’s no need for it. We need to be doing things to entice fans back and improving attendances, not dissuading them.

I’m not saying it’s putting people off in droves or it’s the reason we have a much smaller attendance than we used to, but it doesn’t help and I’ll repeat, I don’t think there’s any need for it.

[Mattyblue]

10 minutes ago, only2garners said:

There's no surcharge for the Ipswich game Matty. Rovers and Ipswich did a deal on ticket prices for the two games at the start of the season.

There have been a few on this thread who have said that they won't pay a surcharge.

I know there isn’t. 

The fact 40% of ticket buyers are paying it proves it isn’t having the desired effect to make folk buy early.

I doubt it puts off most of the 1,000 or so fans that pay it every game, this forum is rarely representative of the larger fanbase, I mean if you are willing to pay £25 to watch Rovers v Ipswich in January, then what’s 3 more quid?

That doesn’t make it right, So I’m just glad they have a week where they don’t have to.

And here’s hoping after a couple of years attempted re-training of people’s buying habits, I.e buy early, it’s quietly dropped from next season. And I would hope you will be campaigning for that in the Fans Forum.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Mattyblue

[tomphil]

Yet again this weekends game isn't one to judge it I doubt there'll be any difference a match like this on a Jan Saturday afternoon before most have been paid again post Christmas against the team at the bottom and one that's never a draw,.  Loads of ST holders will probably swerve this as well there'll be about 10k in the ground whilst the crowd is announced at around 12k.

[Stuart]

19 hours ago, only2garners said:

I noticed as I was going into the JW Upper last night that I was the only person around me using my season ticket - everyone else had paper tickets. I firstly assumed it was a lot of non ST holders but then realised a lot were probably refugees from elsewhere in the ground.

We were the same. It was weird that some people who also booked over the phone were given tickets.

It’s a good idea but a couple of tweaks. The guy on the phone didn’t want my season tickets numbers but wanted my name and then the seat numbers. Then he ‘found’ me on the system and assigned our cup seats to our season ticket cards.

Then there was no receipt or even email confirming the sale. I was assured it would be “ok because I’m now on the system”. So I turned up with no proof of purchase hoping that my ST would just work. It was unnerving when everyone else around me had paper tickets including ST holders!

Room for improvement. I definitely don’t like having to proof I’ve paid before I rock up to a match.

[Mattyblue]

I think it’s a good system, the club is actually getting with it, cup tickets on season cards, contactless payments, whatever next?

But an auto confirmation email or receipt should be sent out, for you own records as much as anything else.

[blueboy3333]

16 hours ago, only2garners said:

We have averaged about 2,000 walk-up tickets a game over the season so far and about 800 of them or 40% have been bought with the £3 surcharge.

800 people being unnecessarily ripped off every game. Shameful.

[blueboy3333]

12 hours ago, HowieFive0 said:

Believe me ...I don't want to be back on this ..but I really don't see the problem ..its there ..in this day and age of being able to buy a ticket via a pc ..phone ..there are ways to avoid the surcharge.  My point I was stating is..  is this surcharge such a big deal amongst rovers supporters or just a handful of posters on a messageboard ?

My feeling is its not really an issue.

That's alright then.

PNE don't think it's an issue either so they don't charge it. Neither do lots of other clubs. The issue is why do Rovers think it's necessary?

[JHRover]

On the subject of PNE I couldn't help but notice a tweet they put out this week about changes to their matchday shuttle bus schedule in Leyland. 

Do we provide a shuttle bus to supporters in Leyland and the surrounding areas? 

[blueboy3333]

They do, but if you get there later than two hours before departure they charge you extra. 

[JHRover]

Are those club arranged shuttle buses? How much do they charge? I've never seen it promoted on any of Rovers web or Twitter pages.

[Mattyblue]

Think Blueboy is yanking yer chain!

As far as I’m aware any bus that gets put on from Darwen, Accy, Rishton etc. is independent, usually from a pub.

I believe Waggott is ‘looking into’ club run buses.

[JHRover]

Interesting. Seems we're well behind the competition with even PNE making more effort to tap into a Rovers supported area.

In other news Norwich, who don't know what league they will be in next season, have today put season tickets on sale for next season. I wonder why they are doing that and not waiting until May or June like we do?

[rigger]

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Think Blueboy is yanking yer chain!

As far as I’m aware any bus that gets put on from Darwen, Accy, Rishton etc. is independent, usually from a pub.

I believe Waggott is ‘looking into’ club run buses.

They should have been providing this service since September when the trains have been effected by industrial action every Saturday.

[gumboots]

I know I keep harping on about it but Sale Sharks put on free shuttle buses from the Trafford Centre to the AJ Bell stadium. Not suggesting Rovers do that but it shouldn't be beyond them to offer low cost transport from some areas, especially those that are caught between 2 clubs. Parking is a nightmare around Ewood and buses would help a lot. Even when I was a kid, extra buses were put on to get fans to Ayresome Park from towns and villages around. 

[JHRover]

Indeed. But shuttle buses aren't some radical pioneering concept. I think most clubs have them in some form or another. Even Accy Stanley did a deal with Pilkingtons buses to make it cheaper for football fans to get from across Hyndburn to the ground on matchday.

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

Think Blueboy is yanking yer chain!

As far as I’m aware any bus that gets put on from Darwen, Accy, Rishton etc. is independent, usually from a pub.

I believe Waggott is ‘looking into’ club run buses.

I can only speak for the Darwen ones and they are independently organised by two or three people. We go from the Craven Heifer and it's £3.50 for adults.

Going back some time there used to be a line of Corporation buses outside Woolworths in Darwen and these left when they were full. The return buses queued at the bottom of Cravens Brow to go back to Darwen. It was the same from Blackburn Boulevard. It probably wouldn't work now as a park and ride because there are very few free car parks in any towns.

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, blueboy3333 said:

800 people being unnecessarily ripped off every game. Shameful.

As long as they keep paying, Waggott will keep charging.

Wonder how many of those 800 have booked earlier next time (the official line of what Waggott wants), how many have been so disgruntled they stopped going, and how many don’t really care about the surcharge?

You have to blame those people who happily pay it week in week out as the reason Waggott charges.

[JHRover]

Coventry doing a repeat of their 'Community Day' by selling tickets at £5 in advance and have donated 12,000 to local schools. Impressive.

[HowieFive0]

29 minutes ago, JHRover said:

Coventry doing a repeat of their 'Community Day' by selling tickets at £5 in advance and have donated 12,000 to local schools. Impressive.

And there you go ..exactly what me and others said months ago . Start with the kids and get them hooked. 

[HowieFive0]

3 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

That's alright then.

PNE don't think it's an issue either so they don't charge it. Neither do lots of other clubs. The issue is why do Rovers think it's necessary?

sorry Blueboy ..my .."my feeling is its not an issue " was meant to mean that ive never heard anyone outside this messageboard actually complain about the surcharge so hence not a major issue. As Stuart states people seem happy to continue paying it.

Im not for one moment saying the surcharge is right ..but that its seems to be very low down on the long list of gripes that fans have about rovers at the minute.

[Sparks Rover]

21 minutes ago, HowieFive0 said:

sorry Blueboy ..my .."my feeling is its not an issue " was meant to mean that ive never heard anyone outside this messageboard actually complain about the surcharge so hence not a major issue. As Stuart states people seem happy to continue paying it.

Im not for one moment saying the surcharge is right ..but that its seems to be very low down on the long list of gripes that fans have about rovers at the minute.

Well, they've removed the surcharge for the Ipswich game. Sounds like a failure to me.

[HowieFive0]

On a side note ..Rovers seem to be  one of the only clubs that DONT charge admin fees when purchasing Home  match day tickets. Boro £2.50  Bolton £1.00 WBA £1.00 Norwich £1.50 all for booking over the phone or online and that does not include delivery . 

Hats off to Rovers on that score ..? Maybe not fleecing the fans as much as people think.

 

[AAK]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

Coventry doing a repeat of their 'Community Day' by selling tickets at £5 in advance and have donated 12,000 to local schools. Impressive.

Funny how they've started this after waggot left.