The official 'Price of Football' thread

[chaileyjem]

Interesting move from Leicester (also part of the Price of Football) is that they are now offering fans a partial refund on their tickets if a lot (they've priced it at 6 which is unlikely i'd say) of games are on TV >>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24051718

 

[chaileyjem]

And finally last #priceoffootball thing...
Here's David Burke being fairly robust, as you'd expect him to be, on Financial Fair Play (in case you missed it)
"There are a number of clubs that we know already will not be within the financial limits.
We hope the Football League will be really strong with the transfer embargos and the fines, or taxes, are imposed properly.
..The idea is that these clubs will be penalised."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24024109

 

[Biscuit]

Fair play to Blackpool, £195.30 for their cheapest season ticket. Ours is £455!

£1061 for the premium season ticket at Ipswich! Didn't expect to see that!

 

[Laridae]

Don't forget 0% Season Tickets..

 

[Seagull27]

I guess you do have to take into account to a certain extent the area that we are based in. They don't list the price of a pint, for example, at any of the grounds - but you can be sure that you'd pay more, on average, for a pint in a pub in Brighton than you would in most places in the UK. I guess the same would apply to food too.

 

[Grombleton]

Blackpool fans seem to get very good value.

Only problem being, they have to spend that money to watch Blackpool week in, week out.

 

[Giraffe]

I guess you do have to take into account to a certain extent the area that we are based in.

THat would be valid, if you didn't have QPR, Reading, Watford. All of whom offer cheaper tickets than us.

And what has the area we live in got to do with the price of a programme.

Equally, costs for the club are generally not more expensive because of where we live. A high proportion of the cost to the club is the players wages, they are pretty uniform across the land. So we live should not mean we pay more.

 

[Giraffe]

Don't forget 0% Season Tickets..

Yes because interest is soooooo high these days!

People talk about that as a good thing, and marginally it is, however what the club gain is a much more loyal season ticket holder base. It is a fact that for anything that you pay DD for there is a much bigger retention rate.

It is far easier to maintain your DD throughout the year, than lump up a sum of money in one go. It provides a good steady base of income that the club can budget on. It is not to make things easier for us.

 

[kevo]

I think people should remember what a fantastic stadium we have - to some extent, we are paying for that. I would certainly moan if I was paying that much to watch us at Withdean, but not so much at our fab new home.

 

[keaton]

Who is going to pay £480 a year to watch Forest Green Rovers?

 

[Lethargic]

Yes because interest is soooooo high these days!

People talk about that as a good thing, and marginally it is, however what the club gain is a much more loyal season ticket holder base. It is a fact that for anything that you pay DD for there is a much bigger retention rate.

It is far easier to maintain your DD throughout the year, than lump up a sum of money in one go. It provides a good steady base of income that the club can budget on. It is not to make things easier for us.

But Direct Debit is not linked to the rate of interest set by the Bank of England, many companies eg insurance put up to 20% interest on paying by direct debit so I know we are working in hyperthetical numbers but if it could have been a significant extra. I am glad we get interest free DD (granted they probably put an extra £10 on every season ticket to cover - pure speculation) but I understand your point the club as a fully fledged business will always think of the club benefit before the fans.

 

[mikeyjh]

I guess you do have to take into account to a certain extent the area that we are based in. They don't list the price of a pint, for example, at any of the grounds - but you can be sure that you'd pay more, on average, for a pint in a pub in Brighton than you would in most places in the UK. I guess the same would apply to food too.

Why so?

 

[Tooting Gull]

I'm pleased our prices have been highlighted in this way at a national level, maybe is the way to shaming people into keeping them more reasonable.

Nothing locally seems to be working, the Argus have never got involved properly, and there are far too many apologists for the pricing.

Some of us have been saying this for a year or more, so we can't be accused of a knee-jerk reaction to this survey.

 

[Laridae]

Yes because interest is soooooo high these days!

People talk about that as a good thing, and marginally it is, however what the club gain is a much more loyal season ticket holder base.... It is not to make things easier for us.

I personally don't mind if the club are doing a 0% APR DD scheme for their own benefit. What benefits *me* is that it is easier to pay £40-odd per month rather than £500 in one hit... perhaps it's a "mutual benefit".

If they took that away, fans would have to finance this cost using different methods.. using a credit card perhaps.. which unless you're getting a new card/introductory rate would surely incur extra fees so imo the 0% DD is something I would consider as a monetary benefit. And I guarantee Paul Barber will be reminding us of this in the coming days!

 

[Greavsey]

I personally don't mind if the club are doing a 0% APR DD scheme for their own benefit. What benefits *me* is that it is easier to pay £40-odd per month rather than £500 in one hit... perhaps it's a "mutual benefit".

If they took that away, fans would have to finance this cost using different methods.. using a credit card perhaps.. which unless you're getting a new card/introductory rate would surely incur extra fees so imo the 0% DD is something I would consider as a monetary benefit. And I guarantee Paul Barber will be reminding us of this in the coming days!

Well said. This is nothing other than a benefit for fans and for the club. My estimation is that it is a huge reason why we attract such large crowds for Championship football. It is innovative in that as far as I'm aware, no other club offers such a service, or certainly didn't when we launched it. The comparitive figures for ticket prices are an eye opener, but the DD scheme is nothing but positive.

 

[Napper]

I know the reasons for it etc etc and I love the club and stadium etc etc but it does smart a bit to be pretty much the most expensive in all sections.
Prices never or rarely go down, if the team struggles then this pricing structure will bite us on the arse.

 

[The Large One]

THat would be valid, if you didn't have QPR, Reading, Watford. All of whom offer cheaper tickets than us.

And what has the area we live in got to do with the price of a programme.

Equally, costs for the club are generally not more expensive because of where we live. A high proportion of the cost to the club is the players wages, they are pretty uniform across the land. So we live should not mean we pay more.

All of whom are within 25 miles of each other, and are therefore competing - with other clubs besides - for fans on a local basis.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Yes because interest is soooooo high these days!

People talk about that as a good thing, and marginally it is, however what the club gain is a much more loyal season ticket holder base. It is a fact that for anything that you pay DD for there is a much bigger retention rate.

It is far easier to maintain your DD throughout the year, than lump up a sum of money in one go. It provides a good steady base of income that the club can budget on. It is not to make things easier for us.

It's a good job that the DD Scheme is of mutual benefit, frankly: otherwise a good number of us wouldn't be in the position to go to every home (League) game. The pips are well & truly squeaking!

 

[Gazwag]

We seem to be the only club with a £3.50 programme. We're too expensive, and it does make me wonder where all this money is going...

only if fans buy them, I gave up early last season and I find it rare to see a fan with a programme on the train after the game or sitting in the stands reading them at half time

 

[Foolg]

. I guess the same would apply to food too.

Erm, no.

I can assure you food is exactly the same price in Sheffield as it is in Brighton. No excuses for our food being more expensive. Does paper cost more in Brighton too? Is that why our programme is more than every other single club?