Are United still good value?

[Hodgyman]

Given United's lowly position, how many would pay more for their match tickets if this would mean a bigger budget for players therefore hopefully better players?
As an example of what you might be expected to pay for Premiership football see:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...ket-prices-gulf-reveals-hike-costs-slash.html

Alternatively, are you happier having a moan at the football that the price that you currently pay delivers?

 

[18EDWARDS89]

Given United's lowly position, how many would pay more for their match tickets if this would mean a bigger budget for players therefore hopefully better players?
As an example of what you might be expected to pay for Premiership football see:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...ket-prices-gulf-reveals-hike-costs-slash.html

Alternatively, are you happier having a moan at the football that the price that you currently pay delivers?

think united have done ok with the prices for this season in the pub league..thumbs up from me

 

[Maidenhead]

Given United's lowly position, how many would pay more for their match tickets if this would mean a bigger budget for players therefore hopefully better players?
As an example of what you might be expected to pay for Premiership football see:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...ket-prices-gulf-reveals-hike-costs-slash.html

Alternatively, are you happier having a moan at the football that the price that you currently pay delivers?

They're fantastic value.

Season ticket on kop row JJ with unobstructed view of pitch . 23 games for £269 or was it £279? I can't remember compared to ........

...... Standing season ticket in South Stand at Headingley for Rhinos. £200. Impoossible to see bottom left corner of pitch from where we stand. View obstructed by numerous stand supports and tv gantry steps and only 13 games!!!

No doubt at all which is the better value even if the Rhinos have won super league 4 times in 5 years.

 

[oaklandrdblade]

Fantastic value as far as I'm concerned. £309 for season tickets for me AND my 10 year old. Works out at £13.50 ish per game for the pair of us. It'd cost me a lot more for the cinema, and more importantly it is something we love doing together, not just the football but seeing people who we only know at the Lane and have no idea of their names in most cases. My daughter is on her 4th season ticket and they've cost a grand total of £60.

 

[Rodley]

Agree very good value.

It's the 6 pints of ale beforehand which makes it expensive.

 

[Tuns]

Great value. We've managed to shake off 10,000 ST holders in the last few years. If we just add say another tenner next year we could get down to 8,000 if we aren't there already.

I'm glad we have rejected the ridiculous notion of trying to be dynamic and innovative with our ticket sales and instead accepted the decline in gates, fanbase, atmosphere, revenue and feelgood factor. Apathy, as ever, is king of the Lane.

Going to be some very poor gates this season.

 

[alcoblade]

Great value. We've managed to shake off 10,000 ST holders in the last few years. If we just add say another tenner next year we could get down to 8,000 if we aren't there already.

I'm glad we have rejected the ridiculous notion of trying to be dynamic and innovative with our ticket sales and instead accepted the decline in gates, fanbase, atmosphere, revenue and feelgood factor. Apathy, as ever, is king of the Lane.

Going to be some very poor gates this season.

Aye, us being one of the cheapest of the third division clubs has seen to the loss of 10,000 season ticket holders.

You seriously can't believe this?

My stab would be that falling 2 divisions from the Premiership has had an ever so slight impact - but perhaps I'm wrong and it's not following Bradford City's model that's done it.


If United had had sold season tickets for £100 we would have reduced the loss from 10,000 to about 9,500 - who would still be using pricing as an excuse.

UTB

 

[Princess Annes Dog]

It isn't good value, no matter how you dress it up. The football at this level is atrocious and no game should cost more than a tenner for an adult.

 

[alcoblade]

It isn't good value, no matter how you dress it up. The football at this level is atrocious and no game should cost more than a tenner for an adult.

Football in the UK is awful value. But to be competitive you must compete.

UTB

 

[Princess Annes Dog]

Football is pretty unique in the UK as no matter how shit you are, you'll still get diehards prepared to shell out week in week out. I used to go and watch Rotherham when the Blades didn't have a game in the 70's and I couldn't understand why they had a hard core of fans that followed them everywhere when surely they must have known that they would never be anything more than a tiny club and mostly shite. Not saying I'm a glory hunter, far from it following the Blades but as a relatively big club it would be nice to see us do something for once and whilst no demanding it we should have done something in the last 50 years.

I'm lucky enough to have been around in the Woodward/Currie years and ok we didn't win much but boy were those days special. Gone forever for me and my ilk, maybe the younger generation of Blades still feel that same excitement. I don't know, I'm old and it was only 7/6 (37.5p) to sit in the John Street stand them days....and the product was a lot better.

 

[metalblade]

If we were just looking at prices you would have to say yes we are very good value compared to the other teams in this division, I think we can safely say only one or two clubs can match or better the facilities at the lane. Sadly the prices of ST's, special deals etc don't tell the whole story, as Tuns says we have lost 10,000 ST holders in the last few years a trend that looks like it will carry on down for a while longer no matter how low they keep prices or no matter how many offers are promoted. Low prices and special offers are no good for SUFC long term. It can't be the style of football seen under DW as that has got to be considered far better than the dross turned out by Robson and the increased use of hoofball by Blackwell and Adams. Maybe the downward spiral accounts for the loss of 10,000 fans, there is very little quality left in the playing staff and every transfer window sees a further reduction in that quality.
At the end of the day when the owner has no interest the downward spiral will continue. Warnocks time in charge saw us increase attendances from 11k to 30k an increase of close on 20,000 while not playing football that was always pleasing on the eye we did a least show ambition and have a better class of player on show, that feel good factor has gone now and you can't put a price on that................ far easier to lose it than build it up.
Good value ??? no shocking value at present imo.

 

[Sirius]

Football is pretty unique in the UK as no matter how shit you are, you'll still get diehards prepared to shell out week in week out. I used to go and watch Rotherham when the Blades didn't have a game in the 70's and I couldn't understand why they had a hard core of fans that followed them everywhere when surely they must have known that they would never be anything more than a tiny club and mostly shite. Not saying I'm a glory hunter, far from it following the Blades but as a relatively big club it would be nice to see us do something for once and whilst no demanding it we should have done something in the last 50 years.

I'm lucky enough to have been around in the Woodward/Currie years and ok we didn't win much but boy were those days special. Gone forever for me and my ilk, maybe the younger generation of Blades still feel that same excitement. I don't know, I'm old and it was only 7/6 (37.5p) to sit in the John Street stand them days....and the product was a lot better.[/quote

] I'm pretty sure the young 'uns will build up a store of memories about the Blades. As a kid I believed that the guy on my avator was next to God Then there was the Currie Era as you say and we look back with some sort of pride at those teams. IMHO each generation will do that. My own Grandfather was about when it all began.
His views were different to those of my father as to who were the best players and which was the best team we ever put out. I look ahead and would give my right arm if perchance we could produce a team better than those I have mentioned
UTB

 

[StarBlade]

Football is awful value, truly horrendous. United are no exception to this rule.

I hear alot about comparisons with the market, but then, if all petrol stations are charging between £1.30 to £1.40 per litre of unleaded, then United charging £1.32 per litre we'd proclaim is good value. It's not, it's a rip-off. And, football isn't essential like food, water, utilities & fuel, it's not something that gives the customer any return other than an emotional return. I got the same emotional return whether I pay £20 a ticket or £5 a ticket as when I was a young lass. So, in terms of "value", the only return I get is about the same, but it's costing me more which means football is less value-for-money than before.

The entertainment value of games is subjective, but for me, I want to see a win, simple as that as my main priority. I'm mature enough to know that's not going to happen often, so when we draw or lose then I want to be entertained and for me, that means seeing a good game between two teams, plenty of chances, good passing moves etc. But, when we lose in some JPT cup or other, with our second-string starting against a team who don't care either, there's no price that can be considered to be good value. Is £10 a game good value for L1 though? No, it's not. You're watching players who are much better than we'll ever be, sure. But you're watching players where you could argue there are thousands of players better than them in the game, just in this country alone.

And what do you get for your money? 90 minutes of said poor players kicking a ball about. Don't get me wrong, it's been that way since the mid-19th century, but to somehow think we're paying all of this money for some far-off quality astounds me.

And what is all the money that circulates in the game. They charge fans, rich or poor, a substantial amount to then give to people who are essentially millionaires, even at the lower league levels (maybe not a typical L1 player, but you get my drift). There are millionaires in the lower leagues I'm sure.

Has the money in the game improved the quality? Sure, if you are top of the pile. For those in the middle and bottom, it's just meant about the same quality as decades ago at many times thrice the price.

United will never be good value, but they're among friends.

 

[StarBlade]

Just to add to my post, as we're now discussing this in the office (I work with 2 Villa fans, 1 Spurs, 1 Man Utd, 2 Liverpool, 1 Preston, 2 other). The real problem with the fans are they are the mugs, we're the idiots. There should have come a point where we've said "ohh, that's too much for a game of football". But we didn't. £1 here, £2 there, it's only the price of a cup of tea etc, except that the rest of the world wasn't going up by the same rate, and neither were our wages.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...ague-football-tickets-soar-1-000-decades.html

I don't know what the comparison is at United, but I dare say that we're above inflation, even now with our now supposed cheap tickets. And, once you're conditioned to pay high prices, a small subtle drop suddenly seems like you're getting a bargain (think gas and fuel bills) and everything is ok.

We'll have 15000 seats at games generating £0 for United, yet we'll concentrate on making money out of those who have already paid rather than trying to encourage new fans to come in. It's a business model that should fail, yet somehow football keeps proving it wrong. I don't understand it and I doubt I ever will.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I agree with StarBlade, football as a spectator sport does not represent value for money....be it watching the Blades or any other club in the FL/PL. Making a comparison with what other clubs charge just isn't relevant to me with the greatest respect to those who justify it that way. 91 wrongs dont make a right in my opinion.

Competitive....yes perhaps. Value for money....no not a chance.

The whole product is over priced for what you get out of it, be it match tickets, replica kits, programmes etc etc. The only reason the whole thing hasn't gone bust is because its a unique market where the core of its customer base will follow blindly rain or shine.

For the umpteenth time I came away from Wembley in May feeling dejected, miserable and about 200 quid lighter....it was as if I'd just been mugged. Despite that and like many others I know that I'll do it all again the next time they turn up for their triennial defeat at the national stadium. Football abuses that loyalty and we let it!