This Drift Towards Resentment Of The 1901 Club

[SI 4 BHA]

The current hospitality people where ahead of normal STH for the Villa game.

I don't recall that, but will take your word for it. Then again we had over 6000 tickets for Villa, so I guess I knew I would get a ticket and didn't bother to look too closely at the way the tickets were allocated.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

looking at it from another perspective , what about the present coloured membership scheme who sit on it waiting for the next big game

 

[Gritt23]

Not quite the case though, is it. Currently, all season ticket holders get the same rights for away matches, even though the ticket prices are quite different for different parts of the ground. I has always been the case that all STH are treated equally, whatever price id paid, and the 1901 club members should be no different. They have paid for better facilities at Falmer, access to parking space, match programme the opportunity for networking, etc, but for away games, they should be in the same rank as all other STH.

And what about fans who can no longer afford to be STHs? They may have been going for years, decades even, but now the price of football (or changes in their own life) means they can't afford to be a STH. The moment they can't afford to stump up the money for a STH, they are behind any old Johnny Come Lately who has shown up and paid now.

Or on a smaller scale, the difference between Blue and White Memberships is purely price isn't it, and with that different price, you have a different place in the queue.

Based on ability to pay some people stand behind others in the queue for the big games. That's how it's been for some time, and personally, even though I'm falling back in the queue, I accept this is how it is.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

And what about fans who can no longer afford to be STHs? They may have been going for years, decades even, but now the price of football (or changes in their own life) means they can't afford to be a STH. The moment they can't afford to stump up the money for a STH, they are behind any old Johnny Come Lately who has shown up and paid now.

Or on a smaller scale, the difference between Blue and White Memberships is purely price isn't it, and with that different price, you have a different place in the queue.

Based on ability to pay some people stand behind others in the queue for the big games. That's how it's been for some time, and personally, even though I'm falling back in the queue, I accept this is how it is.

you always get one , f*** sake stand and be counted you soppy twat

 

[Gritt23]

Eh? I think you've got the wrong end of the stick mate. I'm saying, that I don't see what all the sudden fuss is about. I'm not whinging, I fully accept this is the way it is, no complaints whatsoever.

Or are you saying I should be complaining and moaning?

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Eh? I think you've got the wrong end of the stick mate. I'm saying, that I don't see what all the sudden fuss is about. I'm not whinging, I fully accept this is the way it is, no complaints whatsoever.

Or are you saying I should be complaining and moaning?

YES YOU SHOULD BE MOANING , so you're quite happy to be second best to a johnny come lately then

 

[Brighton Breezy]

The way I look at is is that:

a) There will be MORE than enough room for everyone.
b) You will get a good view from any seat in the stadium.
c) If some band wagon-jumping mug has got a bit excited and pumped a few quid into the coffers, all the better.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

£500 top whack!

Assuming 23 League games that's £21.74 per game including travel.

Not bad for a state of the art stadium IMO

 

[Tooting Gull]

YES YOU SHOULD BE MOANING , so you're quite happy to be second best to a johnny come lately then

To be fair, I don't think we need anyone encouraging people to moan round here.

 

[Simster]

YES YOU SHOULD BE MOANING , so you're quite happy to be second best to a johnny come lately then

What are YOU doing for the cause then? Apart from being your usual skinny, greasy, pikey self obviously?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

There's a recession on.

The club should not assume that there will be a lemming-like rush for STs.

After the novelty of the first few games has worn off there will be thousands of tickets bookable for bread n butter games.

But if there are 15,000 STH (Club's target) PLUS the 1901 club, and 2,500 away fans (very possible if we go up) then there's only about 2,500 tickets available on a match by match basis.

Or is the club's target of 15,000 STH including the 1901 club?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I can't see what the fuss is about anyway. I reckon there are about 300 max 1901 club supporters who would go to away matches and they are pretty much all real long term Albion fans - the rest will only ever use the home facilities and won't go away matches.

Agree with that.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

1901 Club are paying over the odds, much of it up front. There are clear and necessary financial reasons for the club doing this. I'm thrilled that the club has done this so well that they have had to find more "expensive" seats to sell. All this will help our great club to grow and thrive.

I have not bought a 1901 seat - although I did consider it. I drive down from Kent and frankly the parking has an appeal. But I can't justify the additional costs. So it's P&R for me as it is every game at Withdean.

A few things do strike me:

- I'm disappointed that ALL the premium seats in the stadium have had to be used for the 1901 Club, but completely understand why;
- 1901 membership is not a lot more in than the top season ticket prices (around a grand as opposed to £600 - about £1 a day extra). Because of this, it is patently childish to label everyone in the 1901 club as prawn sandwich brigade. Many of these people will be normal fans like you and me;
- I've seen the list of companies who have signed up for seats - frankly, the majority are electricians; garages; builders; pubs; fire alarm companies; glassworks etc etc and small companies from all over Brighton. Don't kid yourself these are primarily faceless corporates of the type they get at The Emirates at al;
- there are thousands and thousands of seats left for the rest of us. We won't get as good a choce of location as we would have done, but we've agreed above that we had to sacrifice those seats;

BUT

The literature about the 1901 club clearly says that one of the benefits is "Priority tickets to "A" list away games". (whatever an A list game is). My personal view is that this wasn't necessary. 1901 is about the Falmer experience, and it wasn't necessary to gild the lilly like this. Especially as it might be at the expense of die-hard fans getting away tickets.

The flip side of this is that bar the really big away games, like huge cup games, or whisper it, Premiership away games, there won't be a problem. The 1901 club members who signed up for business won't got to away games and those that will go away are probably the fans just like you and me who joined 1901 for their own reasons and who would be competing with you/me for away tickets anyway.

Conclusion: necessary, and very succesful, fund raising but with one ill thought out benefit that could have been omitted with no effect on sales.

Sums it up perfectly.

 

[Gritt23]

YES YOU SHOULD BE MOANING , so you're quite happy to be second best to a johnny come lately then

LOL, this place is great. You are moaning that I'm not moaning?!

"C'mon, what's with all this lack of moaning? Altogether now ...
Whadda we want - MOANING!
When d'we wannit - NOW!"

 

[Steve Foster]

But if there are 15,000 STH (Club's target) PLUS the 1901 club, and 2,500 away fans (very possible if we go up) then there's only about 2,500 tickets available on a match by match basis.

Or is the club's target of 15,000 STH including the 1901 club?

15,000 includes the 1901 club. Don't forget this is the target! As it stands right now, we cannot get 7,000 BHA fans into Withdean. The present 5,000 STH at Withdean will need to increase by 10,000. Most unlikely unless we are pushing for the Premiership.

Also the 2,500 away fans will not be filled except rare big games. Again some of the away end can be used for Albion fans if needed.

There will be plenty of tickets for us all.

 

[les dynam]

Interesting - 300-odd posts in this thread and the first time someone has made that point. It goes against what I have been arguing for (no away priority for 1901 members) but actually it makes a lot of sense.

IF STH believe they should have priority over non-STH because they put more money in the club, then they should accept 1901 members having priority over STH.

And if not, there should be no priority system at all other than one based on attendance.

I think this might be the first time I have changed my mind in an NSC discussion, ever. Blimey.

that doesn't really stack up. before the creation of the 1901 club the debate revolved around STHolding FANS and the away-only crew of FANS. point is both groups were genuine albionites.

we're now talking about a group of ticket holders who, the chances are, won't all be proper fans. many will be owned by companies sticking money into the 1901 club for purely commercial reason (taxation... and client jollies).

i don't think anybody, hand on heart, thinks it's right that these people get first dibs on tickets when we play a championship title decider away to, let's say, chalton who have only give us 2,000 tickets.

 

[Peter Grummit]

I read the first few pages of this thread then lost the will to live, so apologies if some of this has been covered.

I'll give you my view as an economist (the dismal science) and then my personal view.

What the club and their marketing agents are doing very effectively is called price discrimination. This aims to capture the "willingness to pay" of us fans for seats at Falmer. The most effective way to do this is to segment the market by quality of product offer, view etc. And the most effective way to do that is to offer the top quality first, to entice all those tempted by that. Ideally, they would then offer the higher priced STs, down to the cheapest seats. That is why they are now offering the East Stand 'new' 1901 seats and lounge offer and delaying the ST details.

All very "profit maximisation". Now the good news is that if they do the whole thing effectively then the cheapest seats should be just that, (relatively) cheap. This is because the last market segment will be aimed at people with lower "willingness to pay" who are not sure whether to take out a ST or take their chance on a match-by-match basis.

Take an extreme example, all seats 1 price. Then tickets would be rationed not by price but by some other method, probably 'the most deserving' or in the extreme, by lottery. This would be the least efficient in economic terms because the club would miss out on the higher price some would be willing to pay and lose fans who wouldn't be willing to pay the 'average' price.

So in economic efficiency terms, they are doing the right thing not just by the 1901 club but by segmenting the singing market (North Stand) and the Family market (East Stand part), the latter likely to have the lowest WTP (hence cheap kids offers/deals).

Now economists long battle over 'efficiency' impacts and 'distributional' or normative impacts. And the distributional impacts relate to the 'fairness' debate ie I had a ST at Gillingham, went to Rochdale on Tuesday night etc. (it's true I did both!).

My own personal view is that IF 1901 members have Grade A away priority then the balance between efficiency and distribution has gone too far. In economic terms, more to the point, I am not sure the incremental marketing benefit to selling additional 1901 seats is worth it, given that (obviously) the away gate money doesn't accrue to BHA.

Much of this is a formalised version of the current debate, but it does provide a rationale for why the Club are holding out on the ST info/sales.

PG

 

[The Large One]

that doesn't really stack up. before the creation of the 1901 club the debate revolved around STHolding FANS and the away-only crew of FANS. point is both groups were genuine albionites.

we're now talking about a group of ticket holders who, the chances are, won't all be proper fans. many will be owned by companies sticking money into the 1901 club for purely commercial reason (taxation... and client jollies).

i don't think anybody, hand on heart, thinks it's right that these people get first dibs on tickets when we play a championship title decider away to, let's say, chalton who have only give us 2,000 tickets.

I'm sorry - I read this a lot from various posters, and it doesn't make sense.

Is there any evidence that there is anyone who has signed up for the 1901 Club that is not an Albion fan? Or that they don't go to away games? Why would anyone who is not an Albion fan RUSH to the head of the queue and cough up a over a grand a year on a Third Division team they don't support?

I don't get it.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Oh and my other (personal) point is that I can't stand grounds with a load of empty 'premium' seats either side of halftime, leaving early etc. Why are people obsessed with eating/drinking at games. It's less than 2 hours in total!

PG

 

[Storer68]

I thought that part of the reason it wsa called the 1901 Club was to reflect the year of our foundation AND the restricted number of members.

From what I read it might as well have been called the 3026 Club for all the historical relevance of the name.

Out of interest,
Hull City (similar size club, new stadium, similar capacity) charge £425 - £495 for adults season tickets