Season Tickets 2020-21

[Scotland1]

Don’t blame the OP. Drab football and painful to watch. Inconsistent team with a holiday lads vibe, it’s just mediocre and there’s better things to do at a weekend these days and these times where money counts more.

[Hasta]

This is a bit of a rambling post as I've only just started to think this through, but I'm undecided on next season. I'll consider whether I renew once we know what is being sold.

Firstly how much will they cost?

Then what will the match day experience be like? Just like part of the fun of away games isn't just watching the football for 90 minutes, for home games the social aspect is still important. Can I meet up with my mates who I only see nowadays at the footy and sit together? Will the concourses be in operation as normal?

In September, you aint easily going to the WMC beforehand and calling in the Fox on the way back home. So what you may be left with is just turning up, sitting apart and watching a game of football with 7500 fans spread out and no away atmosphere. That isn't the match day experience for me.

Rovers have allowed me over the last few weeks to experience sitting in my mates 'man cave garage' watching the iFollow coverage on his big TV with a beer. As there is a 'cap' on the number of fans allowed in stadia, at some clubs many home fans who normally attend may not be able to get tickets. Therefore will iFollow be opened up to UK fans for this season? Regardless, it is easy enough to get a stream even if it isn't.

I struggle to get to some midweek games anyway. Do I want to commit to a full season, when given the choice for some games I actually might prefer to stream it with mates now rather than sit apart in the JW stand.

From my point of view, the social aspect has always covered the 'drab football'. We enjoy the day and can laugh at how bad the football is for some games. Being bland on the pitch won't affect my decision, but what I feel the experience is going to be like might.

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Hasta

[MarkBRFC]

16 minutes ago, Hasta said:

This is a bit of a rambling post as I've only just started to think this through, but I'm undecided on next season. I'll consider whether I renew once we know what is being sold.

Firstly how much will they cost?

Then what will the match day experience be like? Just like part of the fun of away games isn't just watching the football for 90 minutes, for home games the social is still important. Can I meet up with my mates who I only see nowadays at the footy and sit together? Will the concourses be in operation as normal?

In September, you aint easily going to the WMC beforehand and calling in the Fox on the way back home. So what you may be left with is just turning up, sitting apart and watching a game of football with 7500 fans spread out and no away atmosphere. That isn't the match day experience for me.

Rovers have allowed me over the last few weeks to experience sitting in my mates 'man cave garage' watching the iFollow coverage on his big TV with a beer. As there is a 'cap' on the number of fans allowed in stadia, at some clubs many home fans who normally attend may not be able to get tickets. Therefore will iFollow be opened up to UK fans for this season? Regardless, it is easy enough to get a stream even if it isn't.

I struggle to get to some midweek games anyway. Do I want to commit to a full season, when given the choice for some games I actually might prefer to stream it with mates now rather than sit apart in the JW stand.

From my point of view, the social aspect has always covered the 'drab football'. We enjoy the day and can laugh at how bad the football is some games. Being bland on the pitch won't affect my decision, but what I feel the experience is going to be might.

 

Yeah, this is pretty much where I'm at with it all.

[Butty]

3 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

10,000 disappeared when Ke*n was in charge...

And they’ve never come back!

[DaveyB]

4 hours ago, darrenrover said:

The fact that season tickets are not yet on sale (or any news of when they will be) is extremely concerning. Coupled with Mowbray not having sight of a budget, is something more sinister afoot?

I realise that Rovers is not always the best run club (understatement!), but I don’t think that we can read too much into season tickets not being on sale yet. What exactly would you be buying? And how much would people be willing to pay?

For instance, given that fans definitely won’t be able to attend at the start of the season are the club going to sell IFollow season tickets? And if so, are they able to sell them to cover home & away games or would away games have to be bought separately in the way that away match tickets would be? I’m guessing, from past experience of how they work, that the EFL haven’t even thought about that question yet. 
 

Then you have the question of cost. Obviously no one is going to pay £300+ for IFollow, but say they are priced at £150-200 would people buy them anyway given that we might be able to attend games again from October and so the IFollow subscription would no longer be needed. 
Perhaps they could introduce another option - say £150 for just Ifollow and £250 for Ifollow upgraded to physical tickets when/if we can attend again? But again, are people going to buy those given that we might be back in October, but it’s just as likely to be next Jan/Feb or even next September, so effectively you’re paying £100 for potentially nothing. 
 

I know it’s frustrating, but this is not a normal off-season and it really isn’t as simple as just saying ‘get the season tickets on sale’. 
(I haven’t really the time or inclination to check what other Championship clubs are doing, but I’d be amazed if any have season tickets on sale yet)

[Mattyblue]

Pretty much every other club in the league has them on sale - with most reporting thousands sold.

Just a few examples -

https://www.qpr.co.uk/tickets/season-tickets/

https://www.lutontown.co.uk/siteassets/image/ticket-office-images/20-21-season-tickets/season-tickets-2020-21---ltfc2.pdf

https://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/siteassets/pdfs/2020_21_costofrenewal_220220.pdf

https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2020/march/season-tickets-202021-on-sale-now/

Edited July 23, 2020 by Mattyblue

[DaveyB]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Pretty much every club in the league has them on sale - with most reporting thousands sold.

You may be right - however, out of interest I had a quick look at Derby, Sheff Weds, Preston & Reading (the first 4 teams that came to mind, who were clear that they would be in the Championship next season) and none of them have season tickets on sale. 
 

Derby & Wednesday had them on sale, but have stopped sales because of the current uncertainty and neither Reading or Preston had any info about season tickets on their website. 
 

I guess I must just have got unlucky given that ‘pretty much every team has them on sale already’?

[Mattyblue]

Derby have suspended sales today due to their ongoing legal issues. Sheff Wed have had them on sale previously, sold thousands in their early bird period. So those two clubs are obviously not who you would use as examples due to legal uncertainty.

But Ok then - a majority of clubs not under league investigation have them on sale. Take it you ignored the examples I gave, fair enough, but fine we are in esteemed company with PNE and Reading, but let’s not bemoan cash flow when the majority of the league has raked in millions of pounds.

Few more -

https://newstadium.brentfordfc.com/season-tickets

https://www.canaries.co.uk/season-tickets/

https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2020/june/season-ticket-renewals-now-available/

https://www.stokecityfc.com/tickets/season-cards

https://www.mfc.co.uk/tickets/season-cards/season-card-prices-and-benefits

https://www.htafc.com/news/2020/april/season-cards-renewal-deadline-extended/
 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Mattyblue

[RevidgeBlue]

24 minutes ago, DaveyB said:

I realise that Rovers is not always the best run club (understatement!), but I don’t think that we can read too much into season tickets not being on sale yet. What exactly would you be buying? And how much would people be willing to pay?

For instance, given that fans definitely won’t be able to attend at the start of the season are the club going to sell IFollow season tickets? And if so, are they able to sell them to cover home & away games or would away games have to be bought separately in the way that away match tickets would be? I’m guessing, from past experience of how they work, that the EFL haven’t even thought about that question yet. 
 

Then you have the question of cost. Obviously no one is going to pay £300+ for IFollow, but say they are priced at £150-200 would people buy them anyway given that we might be able to attend games again from October and so the IFollow subscription would no longer be needed. 
Perhaps they could introduce another option - say £150 for just Ifollow and £250 for Ifollow upgraded to physical tickets when/if we can attend again? But again, are people going to buy those given that we might be back in October, but it’s just as likely to be next Jan/Feb or even next September, so effectively you’re paying £100 for potentially nothing. 
 

I know it’s frustrating, but this is not a normal off-season and it really isn’t as simple as just saying ‘get the season tickets on sale’. 
(I haven’t really the time or inclination to check what other Championship clubs are doing, but I’d be amazed if any have season tickets on sale yet)

Fair comment.

[DaveyB]

16 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Derby have suspended sales today due to their ongoing legal issues. Sheff Wed have had them on sale previously, sold thousands in their early bird period. So those two clubs are obviously not who you would use as examples due to legal uncertainty.

But Ok then - a majority of clubs not under league investigation have them on sale. Take it you ignored the examples I gave, fair enough, but fine we are in esteemed company with PNE and Reading, but let’s not bemoan cash flow when the majority of the league has raked in millions of pounds.

Few more -

https://newstadium.brentfordfc.com/season-tickets

https://www.canaries.co.uk/season-tickets/

https://www.stokecityfc.com/tickets/season-cards

https://www.mfc.co.uk/tickets/season-cards/season-card-prices-and-benefits

https://www.htafc.com/news/2020/april/season-cards-renewal-deadline-extended/

 

Fair enough. Like I said I picked the first 4 teams I thought of (I’ve previously lived in both Derby & Sheffield so those are always likely to be among the first I think of)

I’m genuinely amazed that teams are selling them at the moment.
I’d be interested to know, honestly, who on here would buy a season ticket at the minute given the uncertainty about when/if crowds will be able to attend again?

 

Edit - I didn’t ignore your examples, I replied to your original message which didn’t include any 

Edited July 23, 2020 by DaveyB

[RevidgeBlue]

6 hours ago, TheRovers1994 said:

I will not be renewing my season ticket while things stay the same, i can no longer commit to pissing away hundreds a season on absolute crap like this season, square pegs and round holes as people say, last night summed up mowbray, when we are losing and the players are in need of leadership and inspiration what does he do ? Sit on his arse sulking on the back row rather than rallying his troops, neil warnock would have been bouncing round last night, we are in need of a manager with fresh ideas and serious passion, mowbray is boring as hell, talks a good game but delivers crap

We are losing so takes of two of our biggest threats and brings on our worst player, I cannot stomach it anymore it's too frustrating and wagging is too pally and not ruthless enough to say enough is enough. 

Delusional mowbrayites will make excuses all day long and it will only be the same next season if not worse, o cant even be bothered typing all the things wrong with mowbray. 

Change is needed or season tickets will be down, there is nothing for the fans to actually buy into unless your gullible enough to believe in mowbrays bollocks, not wasting my money anymore on mowbrays dull, uninspiring, predictable shite, another season if centre forwards out wide, no fixed system that suits the team just tinkering every week with 50 different formations.

 the cowley brothers would be ideal candidates, respected highly,new ideas, passionate and active on the touchline 

Unless you acknowledge this crap and and show some ambition you can shove your season ticket up your ass Mr waggot

Absolutely cracking post. Spot on.

I've been saying the same thing since this time last year but in pure footballing terms there is absolutely no incentive to get a season ticket and any renewal would have to be made on the basis of blind loyalty to the Club rather than any realistic assessment of our prospects under the current manager.

Then there are also the logistical hurdles presented by the Corona virus which unlike the football side of things are something outside of the Club's control. I would gladly attend a match as normal but I can't really see the point in purchasing a season ticket if you can't sit in the same seat every week. Nor do I fancy the possibility of having to turn up hours before a game, hang around with no facilities, sit at socially distanced intervals, wear a mask outdoors or be detained in the stadium after the game whilst a staggered exit takes place.

I might feel a lot more inclined to put up with all that crap if the owners made a bold and imaginative change of Chief executive, manager, and his coaching staff and gave us a sliver of hope but right now a season ticket in the normal sense of the word seems a particularly unappealing prospect.

Edited July 23, 2020 by RevidgeBlue

[JHRover]

2 minutes ago, DaveyB said:

 

I’m genuinely amazed that teams are selling them at the moment.
I’d be interested to know, honestly, who on here would buy a season ticket at the minute given the uncertainty about when/if crowds will be able to attend again?

 

Edit - I didn’t ignore your examples, I replied to your original message which didn’t include any 

I don't know why you are amazed that clubs are selling them. To me it is logical. 

Clubs are hard up and need money. Not many better ways of doing that than getting fans to hand over hundreds of pounds at no immediate cost to the club. 

In these unusual times a lot of people are going to come through this with very different habits. They might lose their jobs and income over the coming months and not be able to afford a ticket, whereas if they had been on sale in June they might have paid up whilst sat at home with nothing to do.

As the economy and travel begin to open up bored people will be finding things to spend on that they haven't been able to do over the last few months. Book a holiday. Go out for meals. Sign up for another year of Mowbray's Rovers way down the list.

People will change habits. It is now 4 months since the last game at Ewood and will be 7 months minimum before people are allowed back in the ground. During that period people will find other things to do. They will be lost, not to return. 

If they had been enticed into signing up with a discount in April then they would have a reason to come back.

Honestly it is basic stuff. Then Waggott wonders why crowds continue to drop.

[Doogs]

I have decided not to renew my season ticket. Fed up with what's been offered this season. The lack of ambition at the club. Then we have Tony. Constant team changes, players out of position, playing Brazil every week. Then finally being bored to death at Ewood wathing backwards, sideways football...No thanks..

[Herbie6590]

7 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

This summer isn’t normal. 

If it was, another middling season, but no Kean or Coyle in the hot seat as a fan repellant, I would have expected a similar number sold (you always get some, ‘bloody shite, won’t be going on again until x’, but it would still be in the ball park of last summer).

But in this new world, the tail off of form just adds to the mess the club is in - being pretty much the only club in the league with 0 ST holders (most clubs have had STs on sale for months with thousands signed up), a massive recession, worries about health and safety and 6 to 9 months out of the ground so habits beginning to break, tells me it will be a disastrous figure sold.
 

I've just looked at 3 Championship club websites....no season tickets on sale at any of them...small sample size but...

[Mattyblue]

But bizarre that I keep getting taken to task on this when I’ve literally posted numerous links to examples, but ok.

By my reckoning they are currently on sale at around 14 clubs that will be in the league next season (was more until Derby and Sheff Wed took them off sale, for obvious reasons), I wasted my time so no one else has to!

End of the day, it will be us trying to fight an uphill battle in August/September or whenever we finally get them on sale in an almighty headwind of multiple negative factors... whilst the majority of our peers will be sitting pretty on thousands of renewals and a steady cash flow.

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Mattyblue

[DaveyB]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

I don't know why you are amazed that clubs are selling them. To me it is logical. 

Clubs are hard up and need money. Not many better ways of doing that than getting fans to hand over hundreds of pounds at no immediate cost to the club. 

In these unusual times a lot of people are going to come through this with very different habits. They might lose their jobs and income over the coming months and not be able to afford a ticket, whereas if they had been on sale in June they might have paid up whilst sat at home with nothing to do.

As the economy and travel begin to open up bored people will be finding things to spend on that they haven't been able to do over the last few months. Book a holiday. Go out for meals. Sign up for another year of Mowbray's Rovers way down the list.

People will change habits. It is now 4 months since the last game at Ewood and will be 7 months minimum before people are allowed back in the ground. During that period people will find other things to do. They will be lost, not to return. 

If they had been enticed into signing up with a discount in April then they would have a reason to come back.

Honestly it is basic stuff. Then Waggott wonders why crowds continue to drop.

I’m amazed because they’re selling a product which may not exist. 
And whilst clubs are hard up and season ticket sales provide some immediate cash flow, if there’s a 50% chance you’ll have to refund some or all of that money I’m not sure how prudent it is to spending that. Otherwise you’re just creating problems for yourself down the line. 

[DaveyB]

Plus, my other question still stands.
 

There seems to be a clamour on here for them to be on sale, but who on here is actually wanting to buy one at the moment?
If, as I suspect, the number is minuscule, then having them on sale wouldn’t bring in much money anyway 

[JHRover]

Just now, DaveyB said:

Plus, my other question still stands.
 

There seems to be a clamour on here for them to be on sale, but who on here is actually wanting to buy one at the moment?
If, as I suspect, the number is minuscule, then having them on sale wouldn’t bring in much money anyway 

I would yes. 

Selling a product that doesn't yet exist is clever. If people are willing to pay then why not?

[Mattyblue]

How have all the other clubs sold so many then? Even the likes of Port Vale are announcing record sales.

I’d buy one.

[Ossydave]

I can't really think of a single incentive to buy a season ticket at this moment in time, absolutely nothing to do with Mowbray or the team or the Venkys - just that they're such uncertain times and IF they go on sale and I want one there'll be no issues at all getting one. I'd at least need some concrete assurances that I'll be able to use the season ticket first and foremost. I don't think football will completely stop again next season, but theres a very high possibility fans may be forbidden again for a period.

 

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

I don't know why you are amazed that clubs are selling them. To me it is logical. 

Clubs are hard up and need money. Not many better ways of doing that than getting fans to hand over hundreds of pounds at no immediate cost to the club. 

In these unusual times a lot of people are going to come through this with very different habits. They might lose their jobs and income over the coming months and not be able to afford a ticket, whereas if they had been on sale in June they might have paid up whilst sat at home with nothing to do.

As the economy and travel begin to open up bored people will be finding things to spend on that they haven't been able to do over the last few months. Book a holiday. Go out for meals. Sign up for another year of Mowbray's Rovers way down the list.

People will change habits. It is now 4 months since the last game at Ewood and will be 7 months minimum before people are allowed back in the ground. During that period people will find other things to do. They will be lost, not to return. 

If they had been enticed into signing up with a discount in April then they would have a reason to come back.

Honestly it is basic stuff. Then Waggott wonders why crowds continue to drop.

I'm going to stick up for the Club a bit on this one, would you be happy paying for a normal season ticket on the strength that it was thought limited numbers would be allowed in at the start of next season then being offered an I follow subscription like now instead because the Government subsequently bottled it and only decided to let fans in grounds in January or with ten games to go?

I'm guessing not but how could you unspend and refund money that had already been spent? It might be that it is sensible at the moment to wait and see how the land lies generally before committing to a final decision.

[rigger]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

I'm going to stick up for the Club a bit on this one, would you be happy paying for a normal season ticket on the strength that it was thought limited numbers would be allowed in at the start of next season then being offered an I follow subscription like now instead because the Government subsequently bottled it and only decided to let fans in grounds in January or with ten games to go?

I'm guessing not but how could you unspend and refund money that had already been spent? It might be that it is sensible at the moment to wait and see how the land lies generally before committing to a final decision.

when was the last time we did the sensible thing

[Paul]

6 hours ago, DaveyB said:

Fair enough. Like I said I picked the first 4 teams I thought of (I’ve previously lived in both Derby & Sheffield so those are always likely to be among the first I think of)

I’m genuinely amazed that teams are selling them at the moment.
I’d be interested to know, honestly, who on here would buy a season ticket at the minute given the uncertainty about when/if crowds will be able to attend again?

 

Edit - I didn’t ignore your examples, I replied to your original message which didn’t include any 

I'm in full agreement with you. I can't for the life of me understand why any fan at any club would buy a season ticket now. There are simply too many questions which remain to be answered. Decades ago when I sat in Nuttall Street I would buy an ST the week they went on sale. Why? I wanted to support the club financially. I knew how important my money was to Rovers. The harsh reality is my money is probably equally important today as it was then. That though is a whole different discussion.

Would I buy an ST now? No, absolutely not. Does this mean I don't want to support the club financially at a time when I'm sure the need is very significant? No, it doesn't. There is though one huge difference today from the 70s/80s - back then I knew I would be getting to watch football. Today football clubs are selling a promise they may not be able to fulfill and then as fans we would face a battle to get our money refunded. I'll buy an ST to watch football, I won't buy an ST to be fobbed off with iFollow and a promise.

For all the bluster coming out of the FA, PL and EFL there is in fact nothing to show we will back at Ewood in the foreseeable future. The FA are talking about September. Those running the game are having a laugh and clubs selling STs are exploiting their fans. SIX weeks till September. Lets be serious Rovers are going to organise getting 10,000 in to the ground safely for 90 minutes in a six week period? October is ten weeks. Not a prayer.

Tomorrow and mask wearing will give us a clue. My money is on less than 30% of shoppers wearing masks. Then what will happen in shops? Extraplolate that to a football stadium. Fans are directed to sit at a certain distance apart, wear masks etc. Some fans decide not to follow the rules/guidelines, it will happen, and what happens next? The stewards are expected to ensure guidelines are adhered to? I've yet to see stewards get fans to sit down. "£2 an hour" - we've all heard it.

Whatever rules/guidelines fans are to be expected to follow enforcing them will be a Herculean task and I very much doubt football has the ability or resolve to address the problem. Liverpool last night proves the point - those fans did harm to the possibility of getting supporters back in to grounds. We won't be back at Ewood any time soon so why would I buy an ST?

Edited July 23, 2020 by Paul

[Oldgregg86]

I don’t even understand the financial support and loyalty to the club when they take it off you and give it to Richie Smallwood to spend on new Range Rover or Sam harts blow dry.

Hard mostly working class people paying the wages of deadwood to go to the gym and have a kick about with there mates .

they can jog on. We’re committed , are you 

 

NO !

[Mattyblue]

Yet, yet, the majority of clubs have thousands sold...