Will you RENEW your season ticket ?

chaileyjem said:

We've had a couple of midweek games in the last 4 months or so (Wigan ?, Ipswich ) where the attendance (not tickets sold) was below 20K on basis of insight posted on here and the empty seats.

We've also had 10-11 Saturday/Friday games where the attendance (not tickets sold) has been well above 20K+ I'd argue . Thats not "averaging closer to 16000 gates" in terms of attendance even on the most gloomy of analysis... We've had a couple of attendances that have been close to that is what you mean ?

Our actual average so far this season in terms of tickets sold is 25,182. the 3rd highest in the league behind Derby and Norwich.

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Left Footer said:

All the time I can afford to go I will, what league we are in makes no difference to me.

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Monsieur Le Plonk said:

Big 'this'.
Take for example my 7 yr old boy. He gets to all Saturday afternoon games and every time he turns up it's a case of "ah no, sorry son, those two players you were growing fond of, Bent and Colunga, well they have now gone actually but we got this great new Israeli fellow and this amazing forward called Best'. His favourite player last year was Lingard and his favourite player this year is Tex. He can't keep up with who's with us and who isn't. "But why is Bent playing at Derby with Lingard" he asks - now there is a question.
The lack of continuity amongst the playing staff is a hugely prohibitive factor in keeping the interest of the new and young fans.
When I first started following you had Mellor, Maybank and Poskett and for good or for bad you at least knew they'd more than likely be with you for a season at least.
The Chelsea team that is on telly every week (which seems to have a far more stable starting eleven irrespective of their massive squad) is a hugely seductive alternative to an impressionable 7 year old and leads to some serious BHA public relations work from his old man in order to keep this particular newbie on board.

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DarrenFreemansPerm said:

Two things, firstly you're basing the 20k+ attendances on your opinion, I remember earlier in the season when I mentioned the attendance of a game was 16k and you scoffed at me, then I pointed you towards a post by a member of staff who confirmed what I'd suggested. Our attendances have been less than what you care to believe.

Secondly, being 3rd behind Derby and Norwich for tickets sold is a completely irrelevant, what matters is that an average of 25k tickets are sold but several thousand are choosing not to attend even though they've already paid. This, in my mind, is extremely worrying with regards to next season as people that have a season ticket now but aren't attendind a very very unlikely to renew.

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DarrenFreemansPerm said:

Two things, firstly you're basing the 20k+ attendances on your opinion, I remember earlier in the season when I mentioned the attendance of a game was 16k and you scoffed at me, then I pointed you towards a post by a member of staff who confirmed what I'd suggested. Our attendances have been less than what you care to believe.

Secondly, being 3rd behind Derby and Norwich for tickets sold is a completely irrelevant, what matters is that an average of 25k tickets are sold but several thousand are choosing not to attend even though they've already paid. This, in my mind, is extremely worrying with regards to next season as people that have a season ticket now but aren't attendind a very very unlikely to renew.

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T soprano said:

@OfficialBHAFC: Q: When will season-ticket renewals be announced? PB: Process and details will be announced on Sunday. #BHAFC

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Ernest said:

Get the Pringles ready , could be a long night on NSC

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MonkeyGland said:

I voted No but that is purely because I missed 6 home games because of work commitments and that is unlikely to change next year so makes financial sense to just pay to see the games I can actually make (although I will really miss my seat (East Stand Upper - Half Way line).

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granny weatherwax said:

One thing that a casual fan said to me the other day is the revolving door policy at the albion that is putting him off renewing.

over the last few seasons, we have seen so many players come and go, it feels like the very soul has been ripped out of the club with journeymen coming and going with no love for the club and its fans. Now fans are talking about ripping the team up again and next year starting again! So here we have come full circle.

What we need is a stable group of players, where loans are only required to cover long term, or short term specific injuries!

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Lincoln Imp said:

There will be a number of reasons why people don't renew and yes, the quality of the football will be up there among them. We needn't criticise these people - let's be grateful that they have given the club their money and support over the past few years.

The underlying point is that four years ago the Albion's season ticket holder base more or less quadrupled. An astonishing achievement but the club needs to be careful. we can argue about the exact percentages but it's certain that more than half of the club's 'account customers' are by definition less committed to the cause than their equivalents at other clubs. They just haven't been around as long. They may have looked out for the club's results for years, but watching a bad team lose on a Tuesday evening is something new for them.

It was a key task of the club, led by its senior management and marketing team, to nurture this unusually fragile supporter base so that when things turn bad, as they always will, for every club, the effect on attendances is kept down.

They haven't done this. Far from making us feel that we're all in this together, they have achieved the opposite. As some on this thread suggest, too many supporters now feel disconnected from the club. The tone of its communications is poor, the culture seems to be more like Chelsea than Everton. Whether this has anything to do with the fact that every single director appointed by the present chairman is a money man I don't know. Whether it's relevant that the chief executive has no experience of the life and soul of a provincial English football club and its supporters, well I don't know that either.

What really worries me is that the huge legacy of the immediate past is being squandered. If supporters go it won't be easy to get them back. I just hope that the content and approach of the season ticket renewal letter don't bolster my fears. We shall see.

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BensGrandad said:

I believe that as our destiny for next season wont be known by renewal date as many as 5000 may not renew especially as it would appear tickets will be readily available game by game.

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Icy Gull said:

I think, depending on what happens between now and next season, that we could lose up to 10,000. The honeymoon is well and truly over.

What is the average season ticket sales in the Championship? Anyone know what Derby's were when they weren't challenging but were less shit than we are now and what they are now?

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Icy Gull said:

Arsenal?

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Weststander said:

Good post, reminding us of facts from this season and the major concern coming up.

Some home wins and good football, needed very soon, could turn this around. Otherwise many new or returned fans, added to the hassle of transport to/from games, will call it quits.

The 'clever' strategy of seeing the back of Barnes, Bridcutt, El-Abd, Buckley, Kuzschak and Ulloa; not replacing the quality of Orlandi, Lopez and Vicente; failing to secure Hammond, Bridge/Ward or Upson; and not replacing the ageing Greer and Calderon ... has given 18 months of dire and low scoring football. Die-hards can say "UTA" as many times as they like, but the Amex business model would be based on far greater crowds than a few loyalists.

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Del Fenner said:

I realise that this poll is about retention of existing ST holders, but wonder if the overall picture is a bit more complex than that with other trends going on which are mainly unnoticed.

Would any useful purpose have been served by having a fourth option on the poll - "I will apply for a season ticket, not currently got one"?

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