[Albion] Unsold seats

[Guinness Boy]

Brighton/Sussex has always had a demographic that includes ‘wealthy’ people - it is one of the most affluent areas in the SE outside London.

IMO, we are noticing that as Brighton fans now because the Amex was specifically designed to maximise revenue from hospitality and corporate sponsorship as was the addition of the Terrace tbh - that was always factored in as a crucial part of our financial sustainability plans to survive in the Premier League. Lower league stadia (ie smaller clubs with less overheads) don’t have or need the same level of hospitality facilities and can survive (‘just’) on a more traditional fan base.

In general though, the football industry has changed dramatically in the past 30 years and one of the biggest changes is the broader family appeal of football (especially after some fairly successful World/Euro Cup runs and the rise of women’s professional football).

I do agree. Our business model is never going to be the same as a Man U or Liverpool or Arsenal so we have to make money where we can. Player sales, 1901 and the Terrace, signing players like Mitoma who have a huge fan base abroad and targeting ticket sales at DFLs and wealthy Mid-Sussex families. None of it is very 'Goldstone' but the upside is we're financially secure and a Premier League regular, rather than fighting to save a club with no money and no ground.

I've highlighted your first sentence though because it may be that Brighton / Sussex always had a demographic that includes wealthy people but not very many of them went to the football back in the day. The group I went to games with had three lads from Moulsecoomb / Bevendean and others from Whitehawk, Portslade and Lancing. Another group was from Wick, others were part of the original A21 club. We were a Sussex club still (maybe more as many youngsters now watch non league) but from all the wrong parts of Sussex. Now at the Amex you still get a lot of old school working class fans but there's a lot more money and a lot more families too.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

This thread is making me think about how different it is now to when I was young.

Back in the 80s, as teenagers, if we were free on a Saturday there was a game on, we’d catch the train over from Bexhill, walk up and POTG at the Goldstone North Stand, and that was it.

Now my own boys are reaching that age, but for them, that kind of spontaneity and choice is non-existent. Going to a game is a complex, expensive and highly-restricted palaver*.

I know we’ll never go back to how it was, but does make me wonder if the pendulum has swung too far the other way now.




*Please refer to ‘Old fashioned words you use’ thread.

I dunno, twice this season I've made a last minute decision to go to a game, buying a ticket on the train to the ground an hour before kick-off, each time nice and central at the back of west lower. And I got to watch us turn over Spurs and Man City, which was fun I don't think its that hard expensive, I guess so, but its the Albion, so well worth it.

 

[Zeberdi]

I've highlighted your first sentence though because it may be that Brighton / Sussex always had a demographic that includes wealthy people but not very many of them went to the football back in the day. The group I went to games with had three lads from Moulsecoomb / Bevendean and others from Whitehawk, Portslade and Lancing. Another group was from Wick, others were part of the original A21 club. We were a Sussex club still (maybe more as many youngsters now watch non league) but from all the wrong parts of Sussex. Now at the Amex you still get a lot of old school working class fans but there's a lot more money and a lot more families too.

Good post.

Just re. the quoted bit, I think you, Jack and I are on the same page here with regard to the changing demographic of our supporters/fans - It’s probably a circular discussion but I would suggest ( was trying to suggest ) that there’s more than a casual link between providing sponsored hospitality areas and attracting a wealthier demographic that would want that ( as well as working hard to attract the next generation of STHs by so much kid friendly engagement). Chicken and egg maybe..

 

[Guinness Boy]

Good post.

Just re. the quoted bit, I think you, Jack and I are on the same page here with regard to the changing demographic of our supporters/fans - It’s probably a circular discussion but I would suggest ( was trying to suggest ) that there’s more than a casual link between providing sponsored hospitality areas and attracting a wealthier demographic that would want that ( as well as working hard to attract the next generation of STHs by so much kid friendly engagement). Chicken and egg maybe..

Yep

 

[amexer]

If we were ever relegated I assume gates would vary between 25k and 30k. with exchange openining very rarely. Would be interesting clubs views on passing tickets on or encouraging the less well off to attend would be

 

[Bozza]

If we were ever relegated I assume gates would vary between 25k and 30k. with exchange openining very rarely. Would be interesting clubs views on passing tickets on or encouraging the less well off to attend would be

Maybe initially, but if the club is tonking along at the top of the Championship (not guaranteed, I fully concede) then fans will come in droves. People like seeing winning football teams.

 

[The Wookiee]

My sister in law had the same problem. My nieces football match was cancelled Sunday morning and she wanted to go to the game instead. For some reason she couldn’t buy them even though she has an Albion membership but I managed to buy her two as my season tickets guests and allocated the tickets to her. This was done at about 11am Sunday morning as my cancelled Nr 2 bus drove past me!

Must have been a glitch as I was definitely logged in when I tried as I logged out and logged back in twice !

 

[chaileyjem]

Maybe initially, but if the club is tonking along at the top of the Championship (not guaranteed, I fully concede) then fans will come in droves. People like seeing winning football teams.

Burnley's attendance this season was mostly sold out , or 1-2K off full capacity.
It was sold out in PL seasons.
Leicester (in the Champ) last season was sold out bar a couple of games.

 

[BNthree]

Is the exchange open for Liverpool match yet?

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Is the exchange open for Liverpool match yet?

yes, but as only members and season ticket holders can buy it seems not much is shifting.

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

27k attendance does not mean we have 27k committed fans , far from it. Brighton probably has a worse situation than a lot of clubs because it is a town that attracts people to move down from all over the place (or stay post university) and often they bring their support of another club with them but they see going to the Amex as a 'nice thing to do' (at the moment) The good news is that lots of kids are developing the Brighton bug (based on the wearing of albion shirts) and hopefully the number of core fans will increase but it will take time.

Lots of valid points in the thread and agree with this too.

Essentially I support Brighton because it’s my home town and I lived nearby til leaving for Uni. Therefore my allegiance was forged predominantly in the old Division Three(League One for youngsters).

Youngsters now find their local league club is in the Premier League and well respected. I’m sure the club do a lot to forge links with schools and that is where the long term growth lies.
It is disappointing when I visit my sister in Hassocks to see kids in bloody Chelsea tops for instance - parents even worse! Support your local team!!!

 

[chaileyjem]

i coach football with 5 and 6 year olds for a mid sussex village club. The number of Brighton shirts the kids sport to sessions has gradually increased over the last 10 years from practically zero. . Last week there were 9 Albion related shirts, 1 Leeds, 1 Newcastle, 1 Arsenal, 1 random sport shirt, 1 Barcelona, 1 Spider Man top, and 3 club shirts (ie: our club).

 

[Bry Nylon]

Last week there were 9 Albion related shirts, 1 Leeds, 1 Newcastle, 1 Arsenal, 1 random sport shirt, 1 Barcelona, 1 Spider Man top, and 3 club shirts (ie: our club).

I'd imagine that's not too dissimilar to a first team training session at Lancing tbf

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

The thread title is slightly misleading. All the seats on Saturday were sold, as they have been for every single Premier League match. There are just quite a lot of people who, after buying their tickets, decided not to go.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

The thread title is slightly misleading. All the seats on Saturday were sold, as they have been for every single Premier League match. There are just quite a lot of people who, after buying their tickets, decided not to go.

Yes, it's two debates

1) are more season ticket holders not bothering to go or is it just more apparent now the club are sending shirty emails about listing tickets

2) Why are tickets on the exchange seemingly not selling

 

[maresfield seagull]

What seems a new thing is the removal of ticket history on the exchange
sold / unsold fixture etc
Still showing previous seasons though ?

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Question on the membership/passing tickets on to mates subject… Wasn’t this partly done to stop away fans in the home end? An issue that many have moaned about on here before. From that point of view the club have been successful (at least where I am in the WSU) as there’s been a definite decline in opposition fans bluffing in.

I do agree though that at this point the club could extend their offer of how often you are able to transfer your ST for free. All they’d need to do is make it abundantly clear that if you transfer it to an opposition fan you will end up with a ban.

I also wonder if there’s scope for a mini referral reward scheme with this. For example, you transfer your ticket for free to Friend A 3 times in a season. As a result of their perked interest, Friend A purchases a season ticket for the next year. You then receive a club shop voucher or pie and pints vouchers. I know it shouldn’t necessarily need to be incentivised but it might help convert a few potential new fans. It also helps to present the club and fans working together to recruit new fans/convert casuals to STH. The added benefit for the club is that they can frame the change in a positive light rather than a row back on their initial decision on the transferring of tickets.

I think after 10+ years at The Amex and sustained PL football it would be easy to suppose the battle to win our fan base back is complete. To some extent it is, because you wouldn’t find more than a handful of people on here who expected us to pull in the numbers we do. That is an astonishing success from the club when framed in the widest context.

Ultimately though, the battle for our core fan base is never over, largely because of the nature of the population and Brighton and Hove, and because we still have the issue of a ‘lost generation’. This issue shouldn’t need to arise again with another generation, but it will do if young people are priced out to the point where they can’t make going to football part of their social culture. Most fans become STH when The Albion is embedded in the fabric of their life: it almost has to be a non-negotiable bi-weekly event that happens with their family or peer group.

If you capture people in this culture when they’re young/transitioning to the age when they start going to football with their mates, then it is much more likely to stick long term and manifest as core support. The same can’t be said for some of the middle aged Amex newbies who view their ST as a little bolt-on to their social life that they pick and choose when to utilise. Not that these types of fan aren’t also needed to fill bums on seats, but they should be lower on the list of the club’s long term strategy.

Ended up on a long old tangent there, sorry to anyone who read the whole way through.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Burnley's attendance this season was mostly sold out , or 1-2K off full capacity.
It was sold out in PL seasons.
Leicester (in the Champ) last season was sold out bar a couple of games.

Sold out or pretended attendances?

 

[timbha]

Sold out or pretended attendances?

Isn’t that the same?

 

[Dave the OAP]

Yes, it's two debates

1) are more season ticket holders not bothering to go or is it just more apparent now the club are sending shirty emails about listing tickets

2) Why are tickets on the exchange seemingly not selling

For my tuppeny worth, I think there is a combination of issues at play..

yes your point about not bothering is actually a good one. I have a few mates who are all STH whose priorities have changed and although we all remain STH through loyalty to the club and it is because we have “ always done it” most of us have put more and more tickets on the exchange.

travel when you look at it has always been a ballache wether it is by a sporadic train service, or massive queues on the roads leading to the ground from the day it opened. We all knew that and have signed up for it..moans and all! The last couple of weeks with the A27 has exacerbated the travel issues and at the end of the day, Falmer was the only option and we all knew getting to and away was going to be an issue…sometimes when it is bad it is really bad and people think twice about if they want to have that “ experience ”

we have a lot of fans who do come from a decent distance like @hans kraay fan club etc and they are really dedicated to the cause that they battle through roadworks etc to get here. That is NOT a criticism of those who “ cant be arsed” but more a example of people who in effect put up with what we have.

your perspective on life changes as you get older and there is a bit of a feeling about of “ we have seen it all” ( from the bottom of the 4th division to the week we were top of the premier league) and therefore, like Sunday, I wasn’t that fussed that we didn’t get back to Brighton in time to sit on a bus for 2 hours to get to the game. Years ago I wouldn’t hesitate to have tried to go