Preston: Category A

[alcoblade]

Preston - Category A. Fuck me, who decided that?

 

[snootyfenooty]

Pffft, from that effort you aint ever gonna work in the SUFC Ticket Office

You need to be creative (twatish)

For example, over the years

£1 for postage
£1 processing fee
£1 booking fee
£1 cat food fee

And no, you can't bring your mate who's up from London for the weekend because he hasn't got a membership number or any loyalty points.

 

[INTAKE BLADE]

Let’s see...

Category A
Wednesday
Leeds
Forest
Villa
Boro
WBA
Derby

Category B
Rotherham
Hull
Brentford
Stoke
Norwich
Blackburn
Birmingham
Swansea

Category C
Wigan
Reading
Ipswich
Preston
QPR
Millwall
Bolton
Bristol City


A few borderline between B and C, but generally it’s pretty straight forward. Don’t think there’s much debate over that top 7 anyway.

Are you feeling lucky punk . I'd say you've got that spot on mate.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I suppose the categorisation may be based on last season’s league table. It’s the only reason I can see Preston being a Cat A game.

In any event people always find something to moan about. Tickets to watch United are still cheaper than those at other clubs.

 

[grafikhaus]

I may be wrong in this, but would the fact that Preston are quite close and may bring a few be the thinking behind the Cat A? I was under the impression that we can only charge the away fans what we're charged?

Oh they'll bring a few. Very few.


Link

 

[Worksop II]

Tickets to watch United are still cheaper than those at other clubs.

Maybe you missed the bit in week ......

Man City, Home to Shaktar in the CL = £20, £15 for consessions

and Yes, I know Shaktar aint no Preston .......

 

[Drunk blade]

£67 to take my two lads and sit in the family stand... sod that. Kick about in the park instead.... massive praise to Mr McCabe for encouraging grass roots football

 

[grafikhaus]

Does anyone think the club might not actually want to encourage pay on the day punters? Serious question. Do they do this to encourage more online sales/season tickets/mini season tickets?

Well of course they do it to encourage more online sales/season tickets, and so they should. I don't know the exact figures, but I'd guess that "transient" customers, i.e. those that just decide to go on the spur of the moment, are less than 5% of the total. So the club is right to give priority to those who plan ahead to spend their money with them. The trick though is not to discourage those who don't.

If that's the plan, it's fucking stupid. Once again, we've done well with ST sales but it's as if they're slamming the door on everybody else. What if you can't afford/don't want to commit to a season ticket? What if distance/work means you'll miss so many games that it's not worth getting a ST?

There's plenty of non-season ticket holders who are being deliberately discouraged from going to the odd game. If it is 'less than 5% of the total', that figure is not going to increase with these tactics. Kids used to get if free on the off chance they might want to return. Now it's gone too far the other way

 

[Carlton Blade]

That's a good point Carlton, but at what stage do they do the categorising? My understanding is they do it before the season starts, so the best evidence they've got to go on is where the teams finished last season. That seems perfectly reasonable to me. The club will need to plan out how many fixtures are going to be designated, A, B, whatever, to be able to forecast revenues before the season starts.
Also, don't forget, Preston finished higher than us last season. We are only 8 games into this one and Preston look poor don't they? But few would have predicted that.

I'd be interested to see if they have an equal split of A, B and C each year

 

[8lade]

View attachment 44462 Circa 1980, seem to remember it being more.

Me too it took all my paper round money, so the cash from a week without a home fixture had to last.
But I earned £2, £3, £4 in my last years doing it which would've been 80-82

 

[Boxer Blade]

Wrong.

Does Bert say this

 

[snootyfenooty]

I'd be interested to see if they have an equal split of A, B and C each year

They'll be saving the Cat C's for Dec - Feb, especially midweek games. Over a season it will balance itself out, I don't know what people are getting worked up about. Ticket prices are an issue but United are not the instigators and never have been.

 

[Jonboy60]

Me too it took all my paper round money, so the cash from a week without a home fixture had to last.
But I earned £2, £3, £4 in my last years doing it which would've been 80-82

Just checked it again.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Said the same as the OP the other day when I saw the prices for this game

No offence to Preston but it's hardly a glamour match and esp as we seem to of played them about a 1 ,000 times in the last 10 years or so ! And none of those matches have really been classics (the Po semi obviously a highlight in terms of results !)
Watch it be a 5-4 classic now !

For the occasional fans at these prices it will prob be a no go ! Just daft pricing by the power that be

They need to be shown when enougs is enough.

 

[derryblade]

Twenty nine pounds to watch a game of football, that's a pass from me. Noticed on the official site Wigan is a category A fixture, not a recipe to attract casual fans.

 

[Smirth]

We are sleepwalking our way to the ways of other clubs such as Leeds and Wednesday who we criticise (rightfully) for their ticket prices.

£30 to sit on the Kop today is daylight robbery. It’s no wonder attendances are down slightly this year, we are charging too much.

Thankfully the season tickets remain at sensible prices, for now.

 

[1993]

Think a lot of people of getting confused. The club no longer does category A, B and C. The categories for the last 2 seasons have been A*, A and B. So a category A is effectively the old category B. Most home games last season will have been category A with only the likes of pigs, Leeds, Villa etc being A*.

People moan about ticket prices and yes they are expensive but so are every other teams championship and above now and I bet in comparison with other teams we’re not too bad.

 

[jt64]

Think a lot of people of getting confused. The club no longer does category A, B and C. The categories for the last 2 seasons have been A*, A and B. So a category A is effectively the old category B. Most home games last season will have been category A with only the likes of pigs, Leeds, Villa etc being A*.

People moan about ticket prices and yes they are expensive but so are every other teams championship and above now and I bet in comparison with other teams we’re not too bad.

So because everyone else is taking the piss with pricing it's alright for us to do the same? Apart from vs Pigs it should be 25 quid tops (inclusive of all booking, postage, collection, venue, processing and cat food fees), I'm just thankful that a season ticket offers a huge saving as frankly I wouldn't be able to afford to go to many games otherwise

 

[Bert]

Think a lot of people of getting confused. The club no longer does category A, B and C. The categories for the last 2 seasons have been A*, A and B. So a category A is effectively the old category B. Most home games last season will have been category A with only the likes of pigs, Leeds, Villa etc being A*.

People moan about ticket prices and yes they are expensive but so are every other teams championship and above now and I bet in comparison with other teams we’re not too bad.

They can call it whatever category they like but 29 quid to sit on the Kop today is far too much for the casual supporter...... they type of person we need to be trying to attract.

 

[awblade]

Think a lot of people of getting confused. The club no longer does category A, B and C. The categories for the last 2 seasons have been A*, A and B. So a category A is effectively the old category B. Most home games last season will have been category A with only the likes of pigs, Leeds, Villa etc being A*.

People moan about ticket prices and yes they are expensive but so are every other teams championship and above now and I bet in comparison with other teams we’re not too bad.

That makes it even worse then if it can cost £29, anywhere in the ground, and there being a more expensive category above this one too!

As pointed out just because others do it, doesn't make it right. I barely do away days now cos of price. And if home prices keep going up then I'll barely do those either. I'm obviously not a proper blades fan though for thinking this...

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Think a lot of people of getting confused. The club no longer does category A, B and C. The categories for the last 2 seasons have been A*, A and B. So a category A is effectively the old category B. Most home games last season will have been category A with only the likes of pigs, Leeds, Villa etc being A*.

People moan about ticket prices and yes they are expensive but so are every other teams championship and above now and I bet in comparison with other teams we’re not too bad.

It's an absolute joke what they're charging. The inevitable pricing out of watching Championship matches, will take its toll on many.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Maybe you missed the bit in week ......

Man City, Home to Shaktar in the CL = £20, £15 for consessions

and Yes, I know Shaktar aint no Preston .......

Probably aren’t. Go look at ticket prices at other Championship clubs.

I think comparing to clubs in the same competition is more relevant.

 

[INTAKE BLADE]

Nearly 24k, great attendance considering we played at home on weds. Solid support

 

[Inter_blade83]

I suppose the categorisation may be based on last season’s league table. It’s the only reason I can see Preston being a Cat A game.

In any event people always find something to moan about. Tickets to watch United are still cheaper than those at other clubs.

I don't understand this argument. Just because others are charging more doesn't make it right!

 

[Birdwell Blade]

I’d love to be able to offer some better input on this but I really don’t know what to suggest. We haven’t been bad in recent years price wise, particularly for season tickets, but at the same time I don’t think we do enough to get more kids through the gate.

By that, I don’t mean kids season ticket prices, because they are good value. What I mean is incentives in schools etc. I just think we (and every other club) should be thinking “right it’s 5 days to the next home game, we’ve got x thousand spare seats as it stands so realistically we will have x number spare on the day” Go and distribute those tickets around the schools to kids and get them through the turnstiles. Kids need an adult with them, they eat and drink more than the original ticket price and they will (hopefully) be hooked for life.

I’ve probably overlooked some genuine reasons for Uniteds strategy on ticketing, but that’s why I’m not the Head of Marketing/Ticketing.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I don't understand this argument. Just because others are charging more doesn't make it right!

Doesn’t make what right?

 

[Inter_blade83]

Doesn’t make what right?

Current price

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Current price

If Sheffield United charge the going rate, even perhaps slightly less than what rival clubs in the same division are charging I would say it’s fully justified.

People want rock bottom ticket prices, cheaper replica shirts, cheaper sky subscription but they also want the club to spend lots of money on players.

Clubs have to stay with the market when it comes to tickets. As a good number of our rivals are charging £30-40, I would say that the club is doing well to keep the average ticket price under that.

 

[Bert]

If Sheffield United charge the going rate, even perhaps slightly less than what rival clubs in the same division are charging I would say it’s fully justified.

People want rock bottom ticket prices, cheaper replica shirts, cheaper sky subscription but they also want the club to spend lots of money on players.

Clubs have to stay with the market when it comes to tickets. As a good number of our rivals are charging £30-40, I would say that the club is doing well to keep the average ticket price under that.

Who charges £40 to see Preston?

 

[Inter_blade83]

If Sheffield United charge the going rate, even perhaps slightly less than what rival clubs in the same division are charging I would say it’s fully justified.

People want rock bottom ticket prices, cheaper replica shirts, cheaper sky subscription but they also want the club to spend lots of money on players.

Clubs have to stay with the market when it comes to tickets. As a good number of our rivals are charging £30-40, I would say that the club is doing well to keep the average ticket price under that.

Couldn't disagree more.

At a time where football costs are going up, normal people haven't seen wages increase for nearly a decade. 10 years ago we were paying under 30 quid to see us play Man Utd in the prem.

It's disgusting. Simple as.

It's either... Get a season ticket or fuck off.