What is more important to you: fan affordability or reaching Premier League?

Brighton Breezy · Jul 19, 2013

Genuine question because, unless clubs address player wages and agents fees and stop just handing extra costs to supporters, it looks like we can't continue to have both.

Would you be happy to see the Albion price supporters out of of attending regularly if it allowed the club to spend on wages and fund an assault on the top flight?

Or should the priority be making the club affordable for local people of al backgrounds to enjoy and, if that means lower wages and beings less competitive on the pitch then so be it?

Thunder Bolt · Jul 19, 2013

My personal view is that fan affordability is the most important thing. I enjoyed watching us in League 2, but I can understand that a lot of people won't feel the same way.

Brighton Breezy · Jul 19, 2013

Personally, I have always watched the Albion first and foremost because I support the Albion. The likelihood of the team winning and being successful etc never really came into any decision making.

Obviously, it was more fun when we won, were successful etc but I don't think I would be more or less likely to go based on what division we were in or how well we were doing. Not all the time it is affordable.

The problem arises when high ticket prices mean you have to start justifying your attendance more in terms of value for money. £18 to watch us lose to Millwall? I can stomach that. £35-42 to see the same? I'd have to start thinking about whether it was worth it.

fosters headband · Jul 19, 2013

Thunder Bolt said:
My personal view is that fan affordability is the most important thing. I enjoyed watching us in League 2, but I can understand that a lot of people won't feel the same way.

We are so in danger of becoming a prawn sandwich club where genuine fans will not be able to afford to go.
What a horrible thought.

grawhite · Jul 19, 2013

Affordability for me too.

dougdeep · Jul 19, 2013

I'm not sure I could afford to watch us if we went up. Might try Lewes instead, standing and drinking Harveys during the game sounds pretty good to me.

Gwylan · Jul 19, 2013

I can appreciate the sentiments Richie, but I don't think it's a fair question.

Personally, I'd say fan affordability but we have a spanking new stadium to pay for and that wouldn't be paid off if we were in the fourth division or the conference. I'd go along to watch but many thousands wouldn't and for that reason, the PL has to be the goal.

It's a bit like voting at general election time: do you vote for what's best for you or what you think is best for the country? They're often not the same thing.

Brighton Breezy · Jul 19, 2013

The club seems to think the priority should be increasing revenues and cutting costs to allow them to keep paying competitive wages which will compete for promotion.

I'd rather the club used FFP as a catalyst to bring wages etc in control and make football more affordable. Not simply pass on the additional costs to supporters.

upthealbion1970 · Jul 19, 2013

Personally its affordability, and I'm glad (for me) that I don't have to choose between an extra £75 or adding upto an hour each way on my travel time for home games.

I wouldn't be unhappy to stay as a competitive championship side.

upthealbion1970 · Jul 19, 2013

Walt Jabsco said:
I'd rather the club used FFP as a catalyst to bring wages etc in control and make football more affordable. Not simply pass on the additional costs to supporters.

This is how ffp should be used imo

Husty · Jul 19, 2013

I'd happily play in League 1/2 if it meant better ticket prices, I go along to the football to have a laugh and spend time with mates and I can do that at Accrington just as easily as I can Old Trafford.

clippedgull · Jul 19, 2013

It will be interesting when we have our first 'poor' season at the Amex. Or rather, the pre-season after. I wonder how many season tickets will be dropped in favour of picking matches or not even bothering to turn up at all.

Gwylan · Jul 19, 2013

Walt Jabsco said:
I'd rather the club used FFP as a catalyst to bring wages etc in control and make football more affordable. Not simply pass on the additional costs to supporters.

I agree with the principle of this but the trouble is, Brighton can't act alone. We could reduce our wage bill by 75% but other clubs won't and we'll find ourselves playing local derbies with Lewes very swiftly. Using FFP as a catalyst to reduce wages will work only if other clubs did as well

southstandandy · Jul 19, 2013

Affordability too - this season is the first in many a year where I cannot afford it anymore. I will still go to some games but not all.

tinycowboy · Jul 19, 2013

I go to watch the football and hope we win. I like the drama and the feeling of being in a crowd who are willing something to happen. I love the new stadium, but I realise that TB may want to get some or all of his money back - we therefore have to bear with his vision of how he wants to do that. However, I do not see being in the Premier League as the Holy Grail - being an Albion fan and having the club is primary. Sporadic success is fine by me.

drew · Jul 19, 2013

This isn't really a genuine argument. Affordable to whom? When the club has done poorly, this has generally been reflected by much poorer crowds. As I see it, it is about finding the right balance between the two. If I thought I could go to watch the Albion and it would only cost me a fiver but we would sink through the leagues it may once again become a chore to go every other week. If you are not striving to be the best you can then what is the point of sport? Equally if they price me out of the ground then I can't go anyway. FFP is coming and it will only be when it is globally applicable will it actually take effect on wages so we have to live with the market place that is there in respect of wages.

Goldstone1976 · Jul 19, 2013

Surely, the most important question is what TB wants? He (together with his family) owns the majority of the club and is Chairman. He therefore has complete say over how hard we try to be successful on the field. I don't know the man, but do know other multimillionaires who have put money into businesses, even businesses that they feel passionately about (as TB evidently does about BHA). To a man (yes, the ones I know are all men), they want the business to be as successful as possible - it's how they get their kicks. As in other businesses, success at BHA is measured financially - critically, is it profitable and growing? Nearly uniquely though, football also has another measure of success - results on the pitch. We know there is a 5 year plan to get to the PL - so that's where we're headed (or at least, that's what the club will try to achieve) whether individual fans like it or not.

I suspect that the club will try to keep as many fans on that journey as they possibly can, but if some fall away that won't stop the journey. The club will be reasonably sure that other fans will take their place. Sure, they may be more affluent than the current average fan &/or more "plastic"/glory hunting, but the club will push ahead anyway.

I don't recall TB ever saying that part of what he intended to do was to keep every existing fan happy (an impossible task anyway, of course). No - many will make the journey with the club, but a sizeable, probably vocal, minority will not. They will probably be replaced by other fans (actually - more like customers) who will enjoy (and fund) the rest of the journey.

By the way - don't be surprised if, after achieving the objectives of the current 5 year plan, there aren't others to follow. Objectives of those plans? Who knows - but I wouldn't be surprised if they included things like "top 10 finish", "FA Cup winners", "Europa League Spot" and even "Champions League Spot" (in the 10+ year horizon). We know that TB is massively successful as a businessman. We know he's also ambitious. Why wouldn't he want to eventually see us in Europe?

So, imo, PL is the first of many targets on the pitch. Others will follow. All will make following the club more expensive, more corporate (and therefore less community) and, arguably, more fun.

Mad as my Mother · Jul 19, 2013

Seems a little Damned if we do damned if we don't scenario.
If we don't spend the money on players and their wages it's quite possible that we would be languishing in the bottom half of the table at best and the new money that our success has brought may well drop off back to PL London clubs etc. So there could be a sharp drop off of season tickets being sold.
If we do spend the money and have to pass that onto us the fans, there may be many that just cannot afford to buy a season ticket any more and the attendance may drop off accordingly.

Brighton and Hove is a pretty affluent city and probably has many more people waiting in the background for prem football with money no option. So a push for the prem may well push out the ones that have been loyal to the club for many many years and bring in new 'plastics' (for want of a better word)

I would personally go for affordability, I was just expressing some thoughts about the possibilities.

Hugh'sDad · Jul 19, 2013

clippedgull said:
It will be interesting when we have our first 'poor' season at the Amex. Or rather, the pre-season after. I wonder how many season tickets will be dropped in favour of picking matches or not even bothering to turn up at all.

That is a good point.It'll be part of the process of the club finding it's natural level, which I think is probably Premiership struggler's.

Ie: not in the European qualifying elite and possibly making mid table in an exceptional year. The JCL's ( for want of a better phrase) don't really appreciate that as yet, and if they can can come to appreciate that the huge strides that have been made recently are a one off quantum leap,and still attend regularly and accept the vicissitudes of being a true 'fan', then the club has a happy future. I think Bloom knows this, and that we are in safe hands. Gus was a 'shit or bust' merchant.......these things take time. :albion2:

Spun Cuppa · Jul 19, 2013

fosters headband said:
We are so in danger of becoming a prawn sandwich club where genuine fans will not be able to afford to go.
What a horrible thought.

Spot on. When (hopefully rather than if) we reach the Premiership, there is a whole new tranche of local moneyed JCL's who will be clamouring for ST's at The Amex, rather than travelling to the London Prem clubs. We tend to live in hope that we can live the glory days forever, but it won't, and probably can't, be like that again

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