Attendances: A cause for concern

[darrenrover]

8 hours ago, tomphil said:

Are you the guy who drones on the microphone at Ewood now, get behind the lads......FFS!

Decent turn out today all things considered and the crowd did well second half.

Sentence 1, categorically no but you knew that already (I hope).

Sentence 2, I thought today's turnout was poor and would have been much better attended had it been appropriately priced as an individual match, planned and marketed weeks in advance.

[darrenrover]

6 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Those kids are the future. They’ll want to be back after today.

Yes but what about St James, Darwen and Sudell Road School Darwen etc....do they not qualify similarly too?

I get the reasoning and rationale but surely it should be about integration and equality......this policy does not sit right with me but I understand the reasons for doing it.

It's either integration, equality or it's not.

Edited February 27, 2022 by darrenrover

[matt83]

I see they’re at it again. What is it with these convoluted schemes at the moment. They never learn. What’s wrong with £10 for all in any area of the ground.

What’s the next deal: if you buy a ticket for a Saturday 3pm match on the day it’ll cost £15 but only if you attended the previous midweek game and you have to sit in the Darwen end. If you arrive after 2pm it’ll cost an extra £2, unless you bought your ticket between 9 and 10am on a Tuesday providing it wasn’t raining. If you take advantage of this offer you can also bring a friend for a fiver but only if they wear a yellow hat. 

[JBiz]

46 minutes ago, matt83 said:

I see they’re at it again. What is it with these convoluted schemes at the moment. They never learn. What’s wrong with £10 for all in any area of the ground.

What’s the next deal: if you buy a ticket for a Saturday 3pm match on the day it’ll cost £15 but only if you attended the previous midweek game and you have to sit in the Darwen end. If you arrive after 2pm it’ll cost an extra £2, unless you bought your ticket between 9 and 10am on a Tuesday providing it wasn’t raining. If you take advantage of this offer you can also bring a friend for a fiver but only if they wear a yellow hat. 

A) “They need to make bring a friend schemes”

“They need to not make them so convoluted”…

Sounds like whatever they do the goalposts move!

[matt83]

28 minutes ago, JBiz said:

A) “They need to make bring a friend schemes”

“They need to not make them so convoluted”…

Sounds like whatever they do the goalposts move!

Don’t need to make bring a friend scheme nor do they need to be convoluted. Any where in the ground a tenner. Simple. No moving goal posts no stupid promotions. 

[JBiz]

25 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Don’t need to make bring a friend scheme nor do they need to be convoluted. Any where in the ground a tenner. Simple. No moving goal posts no stupid promotions. 

How do you expect to sell £400 season tickets if you’re selling every game for that? Or is this just a specific one off ticket game you suggest?

[tomphil]

Don't really mind this one other clubs do similar West Brom v Rovers ?

I remember this happening when Williams was in charge. Although it's not the groundsweller most of us would prefer it will stick another thousand on i suppose.

If not doing tenner tickets etc this season means they are going to go for something really radical with next seasons STs i'll take it. 

[Mattyblue]

Admire your optimism, tomphil!

[rigger]

32 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Don't really mind this one other clubs do similar West Brom v Rovers ?

I remember this happening when Williams was in charge. Although it's not the groundsweller most of us would prefer it will stick another thousand on i suppose.

If not doing tenner tickets etc this season means they are going to go for something really radical with next seasons STs i'll take it. 

Prepare to be disappointed.

[tomphil]

By radical i mean something a little bit more than 'price freeze' for early buyers !!!

[matt83]

9 hours ago, JBiz said:

How do you expect to sell £400 season tickets if you’re selling every game for that? Or is this just a specific one off ticket game you suggest?

Just every time they feel the need to dream up some daft promotion.

Of course if they didn’t cock up season ticket sales every summer through lateness, price, etc then they wouldn’t need to dream up daft deals. 

Edited March 4, 2022 by matt83

[JBiz]

1 hour ago, matt83 said:

Just every time they feel the need to dream up some daft promotion.

Of course if they didn’t cock up season ticket sales every summer through lateness, price, etc then they wouldn’t need to dream up daft deals. 

I guess it’s easy to criticise and expect cheaper prices if you’re not the one challenged to improve turnover.

The attendances have gone up this season, as it’s been said plenty of times, that’s down to results as opposed to the “correct” prices.

What is a suitable season ticket price and average ticket price in your opinion Matt?
 

 

[Mattyblue]

Personally think we are at our limit now and we are now a standard to upper priced club in this league, certainly not ‘cheap as chips’ anymore as some stil like to make out - bit of the boiling a frog analogy, not sure some have noticed just how much they’ve increased in price this past 3/4 years.

You can get away with £400-£500 with a decent team on the pitch, but without that key element, at this price point sales will fall away alarmingly- the fact we came into this season scraping 7k sold (lowest for over thirty years, over 3k down on what even the Bowyer era club managed) is testament to that…

Edited March 4, 2022 by Mattyblue

[Ossydave]

I think they're just trying different approaches to see what works best, its certainly better than just doing nothing.

Probably trying to line up potential season ticket holders as well rather than just swell the attendance for 1 match only.

This has been an enjoyable season on the pitch and off it, of course the ultimate bums on seat strategy would be nailing promotion.

I do think we're going to be really up against it with the cost of living increases and the pending energy price hike.  Of course that affects all clubs not just us.

[JHRover]

I suspect an earlier poster was correct when suggesting that Waggott doesn't really want substantial growth or increases in attendances. He will be more than happy if an increase is minimal or small/manageable for him but at the same time he can turn around to supporters and to his bosses and show that he personally has done "all he can" to address falling crowds.

Come the summer he will have portfolio of evidence of steps he has taken to try and increase attendances. Half season tickets, the London Double Decker, the Final Five, the Bristol City deal.

"We've done all we can" is his motto.

Every one of these deals has strings attached. Joe Bloggs on the morning of a game cannot wander down to Ewood and get a cheap ticket for one game. Joe Bloggs has to either commit to more than one game, including televised/evening fixtures, at considerable expense, or has to get one in conjunction with an existing season ticket holder (the other issue is that most season ticket holders will already sit next to friends and there won't be spare seats around them, meaning extra people will have to sit on their own or relocate with season ticket holders to where there is space for them both).

No strings attached would introduce an element of the unknown, and especially risk 'undesirables' attending Ewood and causing aggravation. The absolute last thing the people down there want is droves of people turning up on matchday to take advantage of cheap tickets and then having to accommodate them. These deals ensure that most people will buy in advance, enabling the club to 'plan' on numbers attending and then if anyone buys they can be very quickly traced or tracked down in the event of any trouble. It will also deter spur of the moment or last minute decision makers which they don't really want.

 

[Mattyblue]

24 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

I think they're just trying different approaches to see what works best, its certainly better than just doing nothing.

Probably trying to line up potential season ticket holders as well rather than just swell the attendance for 1 match only.

 

No issue with your second paragraph, there is a place for a suite of marketing strategies, and trying to increase ST holders, the bedrock of any support base is vital. Though there’s also a place for an actual no strings cheap game to get a real big crowd in just like in the 2001 run in.

However, your first paragraph, what they’ve tried this season are strategies they know don’t work. Bundles, but this time a bundle restricted to one section of one stand. Bring a mate, failed in the past and is a bizarre way of discriminating against fans who don’t know any ST holders.

The Final Five is pretty much a quarter ST, but is pro rata substantially more expensive than a half ST, working out at £24 a game in the JW, so why would you sign up for that as a floating fan? If you can’t make just one of the five you are well out of pocket, so you’ll just continue picking your games.

I would have launched a proper quarter ST, priced at half ST levels (pro rata) to attempt to capitalise on the success of the half STs. Plus, a targeted game in the run in at £10 a ticket, no strings, ‘Operation Fill Ewood’.

Seems very simple to me, but the club always seems to come up with these convoluted and half arsed offerings that make little impact…

Edited March 4, 2022 by Mattyblue

[rigger]

Tickets for the away trip to Reading are two different prices for season ticket holders and non season ticket holders. Why is this for an away game ? The Rovers marketing staff really know how to rub people up the wrong way.

Edited March 4, 2022 by rigger

[JHRover]

I'd have just released tickets for every remaining home game at £20 a head. No strings, no packages, no deals, all on sale from January.

18 minutes ago, rigger said:

Tickets for the away trip to Reading are two different prices for season ticket holders and non season ticket holders. Why is this for an away game ? The Rovers marketing staff really know how to rub people up the wrong way.

I think Reading have been up to this sort of thing for a few years. Nothing to do with Rovers.

[tomphil]

22 minutes ago, rigger said:

Tickets for the away trip to Reading are two different prices for season ticket holders and non season ticket holders. Why is this for an away game ? The Rovers marketing staff really know how to rub people up the wrong way.

There's a family area available to ST holders i think.

[rigger]

3 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I'd have just released tickets for every remaining home game at £20 a head. No strings, no packages, no deals, all on sale from January.

I think Reading have been up to this sort of thing for a few years. Nothing to do with Rovers.

Why would Reading sell reduced tickets to our season ticket holders ?

[MarkBRFC]

1 minute ago, tomphil said:

There's a family area available to ST holders i think.

Its actually 3 separate prices for Rovers fans.

£18 to sit in the family area 

£20 in the away end if a season ticket holder

£25 in the away end if a non season ticket holder

[rigger]

2 minutes ago, tomphil said:

There's a family area available to ST holders i think.

The family area is a different price, but again, it is two different prices for season ticket holders and non season ticket holders. I have never known this for an away game. 

[rigger]

3 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

Its actually 3 separate prices for Rovers fans.

£18 to sit in the family area 

£20 in the away end if a season ticket holder

£25 in the away end if a non season ticket holder

Actually it's 4 seperate prices. £23 family area for non season ticket holders

[JHRover]

13 minutes ago, rigger said:

The family area is a different price, but again, it is two different prices for season ticket holders and non season ticket holders. I have never known this for an away game. 

It's definitely happened before at Reading - I remember it the last time I went. I'm not sure what their logic is in doing it but maybe they offer cheaper tickets to their own season ticket holders so have to do the same for away ones. I'm not sure.

I've not come across it elsewhere - Cardiff offer cheaper tickets for the 'family' area.

[rigger]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

It's definitely happened before at Reading - I remember it the last time I went. I'm not sure what their logic is in doing it but maybe they offer cheaper tickets to their own season ticket holders so have to do the same for away ones. I'm not sure.

I've not come across it elsewhere - Cardiff offer cheaper tickets for the 'family' area.

If you have a home season ticket, why would you need to buy another ticket ?