This meeting with Gibson

[Frozen Horse]

True. I’m just saying there isn’t always a direct correlation between pricing and attendance, as it’s not a consistent product.

Reducing / increasing the price by £100 doesn’t automatically mean we’ll sell x thousand more / less tickets.


I remember some matches under Strachan where we could have sold tickets for a quid and we’d still only get 15,000 there. I couldn’t give my season ticket away for matches I couldn’t make.

I think there's truth in that: I've always argued that the ticket offers we used to offer forced gates down overall.

I've defended club policy on tickets in the past: the gap between walk up and ST prices, the premium paid by new ST holders. It's kept gates far higher than following our relegation in 09 (COVID aside) despite the likes of Pulis, Warnock and Monk doing their worst to the team.

But there is no denial that, prices across the board are very high compared to what other clubs in the division charge.

I get that this is a tax-and-spend type model, that all the money we pay goes back into the team (and still not profit is made), but we don't get the better service to justify our higher prices.

 

[davidmills]

some desperate people on these threads trying to justify there own selfishness

 

[morrissey]

If we play good football, people find the money for tickets regardless of if season tickets are £350 or £500.

We've scored 17 goals in 16 home games this season, were unable/unwilling to bring a striker in to address this (with both CF's injured), lost more home games than we've won and slap bang in the middle of all this, issue that crass renewal email, demanding a very quick and increased payment
Talk about not 'not reading the room!'

 

[The Ruthsayer]

Absolutely spot on, people always find the money.

The poor old Teesside argument is a load of rubbish in my opinion.

Perhaps you should familiarise yourself with the wealth indices published by our very own government?

 

[TheBlueButterfly]

As I’ve said on other threads, I’m massively against the rises, but to say we have the most expensive tickets in the league in simply not true. Not doubt we are up there, but there are only 4 clubs in the championship who have even announced their prices for next season, and we’ve got cheaper starting prices for standard adult tickets than atleast 1 of those.

This is the issue every time there is a price rise. People kick off and bizarrely try to justify it by comparing our prices going forward with other clubs prices for the previous/current season. It's madness. I can't see many clubs freezing their season ticket prices for next season. I will be paying £510 next season and looking at the prices provided previously for other clubs, I wouldn't be able to get in at Norwich for that price and would only be able to get in one stand at Sheff Wed, for £25 less at £485, and that will probably be watching league 1 football. In both cases, thats using their 'early bird' system too. As Indeedio and others have pointed out, our season tickets are decent value, its the timescale to renew and walk ups that are the issue.

They also do 12 months interest free

I'm not arguing for and against this, and someone might correct me, but I'm sure its has been explained previously that Boro, and a lot of other clubs, offer the finance option over 10/11 months because if it was spread to a full 12 months, it would then need to become a credit agreement, with full credit checks etc performed. I'm sure by doing this, it makes it nigh on impossible not to get the finance for it. Like I said, forgive me if that info is incorrect but sure that is the case.

 

[The Ruthsayer]

This is the issue every time there is a price rise. People kick off and bizarrely try to justify it by comparing our prices going forward with other clubs prices for the previous/current season. It's madness. I can't see many clubs freezing their season ticket prices for next season. I will be paying £510 next season and looking at the prices provided previously for other clubs, I wouldn't be able to get in at Norwich for that price and would only be able to get in one stand at Sheff Wed, for £25 less at £485, and that will probably be watching league 1 football. In both cases, thats using their 'early bird' system too. As Indeedio and others have pointed out, our season tickets are decent value, its the timescale to renew and walk ups that are the issue.


I'm not arguing for and against this, and someone might correct me, but I'm sure its has been explained previously that Boro, and a lot of other clubs, offer the finance option over 10/11 months because if it was spread to a full 12 months, it would then need to become a credit agreement, with full credit checks etc performed. I'm sure by doing this, it makes it nigh on impossible not to get the finance for it. Like I said, forgive me if that info is incorrect but sure that is the case.

It’s not the length of the credit option, but the interest charged.

 

[Malaguena]

Beer and food and it would be close to half a season ticket price, but they’d all have paid it

But the "season ticket price" isn't the full cost for the season is it - you need to add on travel, food, drink, programme etc etx x 23 (then x 2 or 3 again if you're taking kids) for the true cost of attending for a season ..... and yes, yes you don't have to eat and drink but it's all part of the experience. I reckon as a minimum you can double the bottom line of just the season ticket

 

[AytonMews]

My pre match pint is included in the price

 

[TheBlueButterfly]

My pre match pint is included in the price

To be fair, it's madness that they don't include a free pint for every season ticket sold. I've lost count the amount of times i've bought other pints on the back of drinking my freebie one!

 

[Quicksilvera]

Perhaps you should familiarise yourself with the wealth indices published by our very own government?

My point wasn’t to do with wealth on Teesside it was a point about fans buying football tickets, that’s a separate argument.

 

[Geoff_B]

My point wasn’t to do with wealth on Teesside it was a point about fans buying football tickets, that’s a separate argument.

Hi Steve, any feedback from the meeting yet?

 

[supermfc]

Certainly seems that way. Either the club are going to make an announcement (unlikely) and asked those that attended not to say anything. Or those that went lapped up everything Gibson had to say and now agree with the club’s stance.

I suspect this!

 

[Jimmy_Salmon]

View attachment 72342


They seem to have pretty much a stadium wide price which makes them expensive at entry level behind the goals but are cheaper down the sides of the pitch.

Interesting that their ‘early bird’ deadline was also March 15th. There must be some significance to that date unless it’s entirely coincidental?

 

[MickaelDebevePhenomenal]

This is the issue every time there is a price rise. People kick off and bizarrely try to justify it by comparing our prices going forward with other clubs prices for the previous/current season. It's madness. I can't see many clubs freezing their season ticket prices for next season. I will be paying £510 next season and looking at the prices provided previously for other clubs, I wouldn't be able to get in at Norwich for that price and would only be able to get in one stand at Sheff Wed, for £25 less at £485, and that will probably be watching league 1 football. In both cases, thats using their 'early bird' system too.

There is 24 teams in the championship, you have been able to use Two as an example for comparative prices. For a team located in an impoverished area, with a recent history of not spending beyond transfer revenue, there is little justification in the overall ticket price, let alone the rises.

 

[AytonMews]

with a recent history of not spending beyond transfer revenue,

Still spending well above overall revenue though

 

[Nano]

True. I’m just saying there isn’t always a direct correlation between pricing and attendance, as it’s not a consistent product.

Reducing / increasing the price by £100 doesn’t automatically mean we’ll sell x thousand more / less tickets.


I remember some matches under Strachan where we could have sold tickets for a quid and we’d still only get 15,000 there. I couldn’t give my season ticket away for matches I couldn’t make.

This is just a misunderstanding because a model can have more than one variable. It's the sort of thinking that will get you employed by MFC to create these models though.

Price and performance are two variables. When we are doing well, demand goes up. When things are cheaper, demand goes up. Just because doing better means more people will turn up it doesn't mean you should stop trying to attract additional people by making the cost more reasonable. If you have empty seats but you know there are potentially people that will fill them if the conditions are right then make those conditions right.

If you have an ice cream van and nobody is buying your product because you are at the beach on a cold day where there are no people you wouldn't sit there until summer waiting for them to turn up, you'd go to where the people are and people will buy ice cream even when it's not hot. Location and temperature affect demand. If you sit at the beach then someone else will offer your customers something. Football is the same. If you wait for performances to pick up and it's 5, 10, 15, 20+ years before they do then fans will go elsewhere whether that is kids choosing a different team to support or adults finding something else to fill their weekends.

 

[AytonMews]

When things are cheaper, demand goes up

Not necessarily enough to cover the reduction in price though, particularly when performance is down

 

[Quicksilvera]

It literally isn’t. You’re either a moron or doing a superb impression of one.

Of course it is, football isn’t exactly an essential cost In life is it.

It is most definitely a luxury In the grand scheme.

 

[ForssAwakens]

Absolutely spot on, people always find the money.

The poor old Teesside argument is a load of rubbish in my opinion.

People get into debt for things that could be deemed once in a lifetime game, because is a lifestyle not a hobby to people.

 

[AytonMews]

If you wait for performances to pick up and it's 5, 10, 15, 20+ years before they do then fans will go elsewhere whether that is kids choosing a different team to support

What team at a decent level is a kid from Berwick hills going to get a season ticket for instead?

We have a captive customer base