£43 to buy a ticket for Millwall in WSL......

[Canonman]

Whilst I don't like the fact that many ordinary working class supporters are getting priced out of football we have to remember it is an entertainments business.

Compare it with other events of a similar duration. The average pop concert lasts approx 2 hours. People have to part with ridiculous money to see there favourite artists. Take the theatre, an almost perfect example, two hour play with a half hour interval. You'd be lucky to get a seat and view as good as the WSL for £43. It just doesn't happen. I could go on...

The fact is the entertainments industry is big business these days and with that customers/fans are being asked to pay a premium. Unfortunately it's the nature of the beast and isn't simply confined to football.

The days of walking to the Goldstone and handing over a couple of quid are long gone. The sooner people realise that the better. I'm not saying its right and I'm not saying I like it but football is now an expensive hobby. Until the governing bodies introduce a wage cap price hikes won't go away.

Maybe it's the reason why The Amex doesn't generate the passion it should, less working class supporters (if that's the right term) more 1901 types that prefer the food and drink to singing, it's only a theory.

 

[chrisg]

On a slightly different note, out of the 8 or so games on sale , only 1 is category C - the Burnley game. Seem to think there will be no more than 2 or 3 of these lower priced matches for the entire season, unless the club is going nowhere mid table come April.
Even Sheff Wednesday on a Tuesday night is a B price match! Attendances on Tuesday nights are guaranteed to be lower than Saturday matches, so why on earth not make that a C match to encourage people along?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Barnsley , Doncaster and Yeovil are nailed on category C games unless we're in the mix with a few games to go in which case Yeovil will be upgraded to category A.

 

[£1.99]

When I first started watching the Albion as a kid in 1968/69 with my mates in the Chicken Run I think we paid about 1/3d to get in. Have I got this right? seems really cheap now!

 

[portlock seagull]

Don't go. Or get a £20 ticket in the north. It's a business, big business. And if you can't afford to go then don't. In life no one is owed anything. Other than a funeral. That is the sad state of English football I'm afraid and it should not shock anyone. Been like this for years. Anyone thinking our move to Amex would cause prices to do anything but go up is naive. We're trying to compete with the big boys.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

There are a lot of people missing the point. £43 is the most expensive for category A games, but that doesn't negate the fact that it is an expensive ticket for a football match. Whether you want to/are capable of paying it.

What's so hard to understand about that?

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Don't go. Or get a £20 ticket in the north. It's a business, big business. And if you can't afford to go then don't. In life no one is owed anything. Other than a funeral. That is the sad state of English football I'm afraid and it should not shock anyone. Been like this for years. Anyone thinking our move to Amex would cause prices to do anything but go up is naive. We're trying to compete with the big boys.

"trying" AT A COST TO THE SUPPORTERS , all the time people try to paper over the cracks the club will lap it up , stadiums filled with the right types, soul less and sterile ................. lovely
regards
DR

 

[sams dad]

When I first started watching the Albion as a kid in 1968/69 with my mates in the Chicken Run I think we paid about 1/3d to get in. Have I got this right? seems really cheap now!

Probably about right.
My first season was 1962/63 and it cost 1 shilling ( 5p) to get into the East terrace and another 6d ( 2.5p) to transfer to the North Stand.
It would be interesting to see what that equates to now, and how it compares to current ticket prices.

 

[poidy]

I just don't buy this argument at all. In the case of pop concerts, for £43+ you will only be seeing the most famous acts on the circuit. This is not something that anyone does every week. Therefore, if I want to see Beyoncé or Robbie or whoever it may be, I will happily part with £50-£80 to do so because it'll probably be the only time I ever do so, and I might only go to a concert on that scale once a year. I'm certainly not seeing them every week for nine months in a row. On a similar theme, the theatre/West End shows are an occasional treat for the vast majority of people. They also tend to have only 1,500 or so seats to sell, so again a high price can be justified by both those charging it and paying it. Football clubs like BHAFC are appealing to the same audience and they are asking them to pay week after week for the same 'show' in the same venue. No match is a 'treat' that people will splash out on. To attract huge crowds above and beyond a club's hardcore base on such a regular basis it HAS to be value for money. There is no way that £43 to watch Millwall or any other SBC side is even close to that.

The point I was trying to make was it is the entertainments business as an entirety that is over priced not just football.

That said I take your points on board, however, I will say that whether the theatre or a concert is considered a treat is irrelevant. The thread is about the price of a £43 ticket in the WSL. In essence a non season ticket holder purchasing a matchday ticket. What's to say this isn't a treat or a one off? I doubt everyone pays these prices and attends week in week out. Why would they, it would work out costing around twice as much as a season ticket over the course of a season.

If an expensive theatre or concert ticket is deemed acceptable as a treat whats not to say the same applies to those fans handing over £43 to watch the albion.

I can assure you that we do not have 26,000 die hard albion fans at The Amex every other week.

If there is a market for one off clientele happy to hand over there hard earned cash then I'm all for exploiting it to the albions gain

 

[Stat Brother]

If there is a market for one off clientele happy to hand over there hard earned cash then I'm all for exploiting it to the albions gain

All the time they are selling and there are cheaper seats available.

 

[poidy]

I just don't buy this argument at all. In the case of pop concerts, for £43+ you will only be seeing the most famous acts on the circuit. This is not something that anyone does every week. Therefore, if I want to see Beyoncé or Robbie or whoever it may be, I will happily part with £50-£80 to do so because it'll probably be the only time I ever do so, and I might only go to a concert on that scale once a year. I'm certainly not seeing them every week for nine months in a row. On a similar theme, the theatre/West End shows are an occasional treat for the vast majority of people. They also tend to have only 1,500 or so seats to sell, so again a high price can be justified by both those charging it and paying it. Football clubs like BHAFC are appealing to the same audience and they are asking them to pay week after week for the same 'show' in the same venue. No match is a 'treat' that people will splash out on. To attract huge crowds above and beyond a club's hardcore base on such a regular basis it HAS to be value for money. There is no way that £43 to watch Millwall or any other SBC side is even close to that.

The point I was trying to make was it is the entertainments business as an entirety that is over priced not just football.

That said I take your points on board, however, I will say that whether the theatre or a concert is considered a treat is irrelevant. The thread is about the price of a £43 ticket in the WSL. In essence a non season ticket holder purchasing a matchday ticket. What's to say this isn't a treat or a one off? I doubt everyone pays these prices and attends week in week out. Why would they, it would work out costing around twice as much as a season ticket over the course of a season.

If an expensive theatre or concert ticket is deemed acceptable as a treat whats not to say the same applies to those fans handing over £43 to watch the albion.

I can assure you that we do not have 26,000 die hard albion fans at The Amex every other week.

If there is a market for one off clientele happy to hand over there hard earned cash then I'm all for exploiting it to the albions gain

 

[Stat Brother]

Secondly, I quite agree that it is only right to try and cash in on a market if it is there, but the attendance figure from the Derby match and the online seat plans for Burnley and Millwall suggest it is not. As others have said in this thread, it is reasonably to assume that little more than 1,000 tickets are selling to one-off buyers for these matches.

I don't understand the hang up of 'must sell out'.

As said early if the club were to sell 3,501 of the remaining seats @ £40, they make more money than selling all 7,000 @ £20.

They already have the monthly money coming in from 23,000 seats, pretty much guaranteed.

Sure a full house would be nice, but I wouldn't be surprised if a full house of 30,000 generates less money overall, than 26,501 with the non S/T's all being sold for £40.

 

[poidy]

I think your argument is a fair one, but the other point I would bring to the table is that if you are paying £43 or more for a concert or trip to the theatre you are pretty much guaranteed to be watching the best in the business. That sort of money buys you a seat in the West End, or at Wembley/The O2 for the biggest acts. Here, we are talking about second division football, with largely unknown players to all but true fans. I have no problem with Man United or Chelsea charging £50 to get in because there you can see RVP and Juan Mata, but we're watching Keith Andrews and Andrew Crofts and not paying an awful lot less.

Secondly, I quite agree that it is only right to try and cash in on a market if it is there, but the attendance figure from the Derby match and the online seat plans for Burnley and Millwall suggest it is not. As others have said in this thread, it is reasonably to assume that little more than 1,000 tickets are selling to one-off buyers for these matches.

If you can get decent theatre tickets in the west end (via official ticket offices) for £43 or less than you're a better man than I am

 

[Buzzer]

Major is a confirmed bachelor, living at home with mum

This thread is not for you, Palace troll. Now be a good boy and piss off.

 

[TSB]

12 pages of Bedwetters Annonymous, with a few realistic long-suffering souls for company.
You can either see Jimmy Carr for £26 (plus travel) or the Albion for £32 (inc travel).

 

[sams dad]

12 pages of Bedwetters Annonymous, with a few realistic long-suffering souls for company.
You can either see Jimmy Carr for £26 (plus travel) or the Albion for £32 (inc travel).

You would have to pay me a lot more than £26 to get me to watch Jimmy Carr

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I've seen Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys in recent months at less than £43 a ticket.

There is no way to say that without sounding a bit gay, I admit.

I saw The Mousetrap in the last couple of months for £38.