Ticketing pricing

[Pintor75]

When you've had a season ticket for so long you've got to know the people around you and are reluctant to give it up so as not to lose that position, It wouldn't be the same anymore for me if I couldn't sit in the same place, so wouldn't bother turning out to watch a team like Swansea, Oxford or Stoke if I had to pay on the day

 

[YES Blade]

If you think your gas costs too much, just don't put the heating on. Capitalism!

Everything is going up in price, football is no different, but apparently some of our fans expect prices to be left at 00s prices forever!

 

[Tickhill Blade]

Everything is going up in price, football is no different, but apparently some of our fans expect prices to be left at 00s prices forever!

I think there is a difference between a competitive market where general cost increases are passed on to the consumers, and firms exploiting their monopoly position to charge whatever they want.

 

[Sheffsteel]

When you look at the going rate for tickets to evens in general these days, our prices are very fair.
That’s another can of worm opened however.

Think it's more about how we compare to other clubs
and we are in the top 5 most expensive season tickets and match day prices in the EFL.
People complain about the prices at SWFC but if you compare we aren't much cheaper.
SWFC are probably the reason for our high prices. The Prince has looked at the competition and made sure we've slightly uncut them in all areas.

Agree with the above.
United should write to lost season ticket holders and offer them a special "welcome back" season ticket deal for a 2nd half of the season.

 

[YES Blade]

I think there is a difference between a competitive market where general cost increases are passed on to the consumers, and firms exploiting their monopoly position to charge whatever they want.

It’s not a monopoly, fans always have a choice to not attend or maybe spend their money watching non league football or go as a neutral to a game.

Clubs are also competing against other forms of entertainment where fans can spend their money. United are competing to get fans to spend as much of our disposable income on United as possible.

 

[Tickhill Blade]

It’s not a monopoly, fans always have a choice to not attend or maybe spend their money watching non league football or go as a neutral to a game.

Clubs are also competing against other forms of entertainment where fans can spend their money. United are competing to get fans to spend as much of our disposable income on United as possible.

What proportion of Blades check the fixtures on a weekend and decide to go to another local game as a neutral based on price? Pretty low I would think.

I think it is a monopoly, as the product we are addicted to is 'watching United in person', not watching any game of football. Or 'entertainment' generally. United are the only providers of the product (for home games anyway).

If substituting a completely different product means that it's not a monopoly situation, then you could argue Yorkshire Water don't have a monopoly as I could bathe in milk or just drink beer instead. Just because you have a choice to do something different doesn't mean it's not a monopoly

 

[YES Blade]

What proportion of Blades check the fixtures on a weekend and decide to go to another local game as a neutral based on price? Pretty low I would think.

I think it is a monopoly, as the product we are addicted to is 'watching United in person', not watching any game of football. Or 'entertainment' generally. United are the only providers of the product (for home games anyway).

If substituting a completely different product means that it's not a monopoly situation, then you could argue Yorkshire Water don't have a monopoly as I could bathe in milk or just drink beer instead. Just because you have a choice to do something different doesn't mean it's not a monopoly

Yorkshire Water do have a monopoly, you can’t go elsewhere for a basic human need. It’s not just about the water they provide, they also get rid of your shit and the rainwater that lands on your property. Good luck living without that service or finding another provider!

There are millions of people in this country that don’t spend a penny at United and happily get on with their lives.

Whether you like it or not, you always have a choice with United and you could easily choose to never give them another penny.

 

[brownblade]

No one will say it but everyone is thinking it

Men are fucking animals?

 

[MobileBlade]

Stoke being a Category A fixture is laughable.

There should only be two or three Category A matches this season.

Wednesday, Leeds and possibly someone like Burnley.

Suggest a bit of research mate. There are three catergories this season (and have been for a few seasons), A*, A and B. A* are the handful of games where your Wednesday and Leeds games are. A are the majority of the rest of the fixtures and then there are B for the very much less attractive games (such as Swansea at home on a Wednesday night). Prices on the Kop are £41 for A*, £36 for A and £31 for B. The only B catergory game this season has drawn the lowest crowd.

 

[MobileBlade]

The membership scheme is a rip off and purely exists to get some cash out of non ST holders who might want to use their loyalty points.

It'd be like Tesco rewarding their loyal customers by letting them use their Clubcard, but only if they paid £40 a year first.

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[Panini]

There are many valid perspectives on this but one thing I can't understand is why so many people believe making season ticket less attractive will mean cheaper prices for POTD and more people in the ground.

On Tuesday we're saying, what, 23k of the 25k there were ST holders (or had got in on one). No club in their right mind is going to see that as a problem. Games like Swansea on an autumn Tuesday are just nature of the beast.

I also think some people significantly underestimate inflation.

40 quid today is the equivalent of 30 quid in 2017. Don't believe me? Check. It sounds wild, but it's correct.

This is just what things cost today. Yes it's shit and yes your wages should've gone up at the same rate. Yes it's going to have a consequences on going to football like it's had a consequence on everything in life.

 

[ancientblade]

I'm a former ST holder now pay on the day due to work commitments. I have no kids and I'm on a comfortably higher than average salary round our parts.

This week the club could've taken 2 matches worth of gate money from me, but I can't afford that. Not at the prices they charge. If the prices were more reasonable they'd have made £50 from me this week plus whatever else I decided to spend my money on in the ground across 2 fixtures. Instead they'll make £31 for one fixture.

If I can't afford it in my circumstances how do they expect the thousands of other POTD fans that have kids and maybe don't earn as much to? Where is the sense in charging what we do for second tier football? We don't seem interested whatsoever in having supporters in the ground.

excellent post and spot on the money (pardon the pun) potd prices are just too high and were seing that this season with dissapointing attendances despite our great start the club are showing no insight or helping fans on low income to be able to afford to go to games at the lane and the kids prices are a joke yes season tickets are fantastic value but the club are doing nothing to attract new fans or fans who simply cant afford a season ticket or through work or other reasons miss a lot of games its time uniteds hierachy had a major rethink on their current pricing policy

 

[Sheffsteel]

It’s not a monopoly, fans always have a choice to not attend or maybe spend their money watching non league football or go as a neutral to a game.

Clubs are also competing against other forms of entertainment where fans can spend their money. United are competing to get fans to spend as much of our disposable income on United as possible.

Agree it starts off like that for new and neutral fans but after a while you get hooked.

Going to the Lane for me has an element of going to church or showing your face at a family event, there’s a sense of duty and loyalty.

For decades I used to go to 66% of home match’s and preferred to pay on the day as I saw it as an insurance policy.

My logic was when we had crap seasons my attendance would dip down to 50% and I’d save money over buying a season ticket. Where as when we had promotion chasing seasons I’d attend 90% of matches and didn’t mind paying over the odds compared to ST holders.

I’ve been a ST holder since when Wilder took over in league 1 for 2 reasons.

1: These days we’re close to capacity and it’s harder to find 2 tickets next to each other in decent seats.

2: The main reason is the huge savings compared to pay on the day. If I wasn’t a ST holder. at £40 I’d be picking and choosing my matches and probably attending 50% of matches.

 

[relish]

Believe me, if we do end up getting taken over by an American hedge fund, ticket prices are only going one way….

 

[Sheffsteel]

yes season tickets are fantastic value

They are only “fantastic value” compared to pay on the day prices. Sheff Wed use the same blackmail tactic but it’s worked on me. I”d prefer to pay on the day and go to 66% of matches but I can’t afford it, buying a ST works out much cheaper.

Also let’s not forget we still have some of the highest priced “season tickets” in the entire EFL. Think we are 4th or 5th highest behind Leeds, Middlesboro, Wednesday and maybe Norwich.

 

[Tuns25]

They are only “fantastic value” compared to pay on the day prices. Sheff Wed use the same blackmail tactic but it’s worked on me. I”d prefer to pay on the day and go to 66% of matches but I can’t afford it, buying a ST works out much cheaper.

Also let’s not forget we still have some of the highest priced “season tickets” in the entire EFL. Think we are 4th or 5th highest behind Leeds, Middlesboro, Wednesday and maybe Norwich.

For some reason we picked up a tag of being cheap a while ago and it stuck. In part pushed by pig fans to explain any decent attendances we got and a lazy local media went with it. As you say the facts are very different particulary in recent years. The pigs massive tag works in the same way

It's not too late to arrest the decline this season.

One good move would be to re-launch season tickets - and do it before the half season stage, pro rata.

Let's face it the support was battered after last season. We were asked to renew at a time of peak despair and before we had any idea how this season could look.

It was a one-off season and why not offer something back to those who couldn't bring themselves to renew or even those who didn't have an ST. Maybe a discount if you have a membership. Backed by a half decent marketing campaign it's surely worth a try.

Obviously not something we could make a habit of each season but I know several Blades who would normally have renewed and now wish they had one who will instead only go to a handful of matches.

 

[blade62]

I think the many live EFL games being shown on SkySp+ has had some effect on attendance for many clubs. Sadly I didn’t get the United game this week as
I have to admit that the bad weather convinced me to stay at home this week as I live 30 miles away, trains cancelled and didn’t fancy the drive through wildest Derbyshire.

 

[Ecco1889]

Back in the day,Kevin McCabe introduced a Category C game which was promoted as a match which was affordable to low income families,think maybe £10 adults and £5 concessions
Wonder why that was stopped?

 

[leppingslaneblade]

There is another reason people have stopped going out on evenings into our towns and cities that isn't to do with money. It's no longer safe - particularly for girls and women. Sheffield and England have changed considerably, and not for the better. I'll leave it at that.

A bit ott that pal.

 

[Blademan18891889]

I'm not sure

Back in the day,Kevin McCabe introduced a Category C game which was promoted as a match which was affordable to low income families,think maybe £10 adults and £5 concessions
Wonder why that was stopped?

Same reason why it's so expensive, those on the pitch earning absolutely catastrophic sums of money. Every little extra penny is needed to fund there beyond obscene wages.

 

[FinchleyBlade]

Men are fucking animals?

Yes. Sweden becoming the rape capital of Europe and Germany having over 700 gang rapes last year just happened out of the blue and totally organically. Absolutely no other reason for it. Native Swedish and German men clearly just woke up one morning and decided to start raping at unprecedented levels.

 

[wak1889]

Men are fucking animals?

Im sure thats illegal but what happens behind closed doors and all that

 

[YES Blade]

There are many valid perspectives on this but one thing I can't understand is why so many people believe making season ticket less attractive will mean cheaper prices for POTD and more people in the ground.

On Tuesday we're saying, what, 23k of the 25k there were ST holders (or had got in on one). No club in their right mind is going to see that as a problem. Games like Swansea on an autumn Tuesday are just nature of the beast.

I also think some people significantly underestimate inflation.

40 quid today is the equivalent of 30 quid in 2017. Don't believe me? Check. It sounds wild, but it's correct.

This is just what things cost today. Yes it's shit and yes your wages should've gone up at the same rate. Yes it's going to have a consequences on going to football like it's had a consequence on everything in life.

That’s the thing, tickets to watch United aren’t really that expensive when you consider the cost of other forms of entertainment.

Go to the pub - You can easily spend the cost of a match ticket on 5 or 6 drinks.
Order a takeaway - that can be £50 easily for a family of 4
Trip to the cinema - again not cheap, can blow £30 easily
Go see a band - can be a hell of a lot more expensive than a trip to the lane!

It just comes down to an individuals choice with how they spend their money. If someone really wanted to go to the Lane, I’m sure they could easily miss a trip to the pub or not order a takeaway.

 

[JayGreen17]

Don’t we have a new fans group to raise these issues, I’m extremely concerned about the prices specifically for the under 11s, these kids are our future and we need to be encouraging as many new young blades as possible as these turn into full paying adults at some point. Needs raising with the club.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Suggest a bit of research mate. There are three catergories this season (and have been for a few seasons), A*, A and B. A* are the handful of games where your Wednesday and Leeds games are. A are the majority of the rest of the fixtures and then there are B for the very much less attractive games (such as Swansea at home on a Wednesday night). Prices on the Kop are £41 for A*, £36 for A and £31 for B. The only B catergory game this season has drawn the lowest crowd.

It's still bollocks mate.

They should all be in the lowest price bracket apart from the three that I mentioned.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

To put it into perspective, my season ticket renewal would have been just over £400, so for arguments sake call it £400. If you POTD every game of the season assuming an average price of £30 it would come to £690, so you pay £290 more, that would put off alot of POTD fans attending regularly. If POTD was capped at £20 POTD over the season would pay £460, so incentive is still there for ST holders but also encourages POTD. Id take an educated guess tickets capped at £20 would mean we could easily achieve an average attendance of 30000. Pulling in more casual fans and families, they will buy a programme, buy items from the club shop etc increasing those revenues.

But what do i know?

Yes, I agree the icing on the cake has always been the ability to get casual fans through the turnstiles. A more reasonably priced day ticket might encourage more merch, pies and beer etc to be sold. If it wasn’t for my season ticket I’d probably have given the Swansea game a miss, and saved all my ammo for Saturday.

 

[MobileBlade]

It's still bollocks mate.

They should all be in the lowest price bracket apart from the three that I mentioned.

My comments wasn't about whether the prices were correct or not. Just saying that there are three levels. Majority of games are in the middle level so the question is whether £36 on the kop is too expensive or not. But if people are saying that they are not going because prices are too high then the lowest attendance of the season has coincided with the lowest price of the season (£31). So the question become is £31 too high then? At which point do you draw the line? The debate above is around the cut of point for season tickets. I think the cut off if we are talking money wise is 15 games (not taking account of any other benefits such as same seat, near friends etc). So if you attend more than 15 games a season then you need a season ticket!

Given we have circa 23,000 season ticket holders, it means there are around 5000 POTD tickets available for every game. Its a fluctuating thing with price of junior tickets etc but using adult prices only the difference for the club if they sell out between £36 and £31 is about £25,000. The would argue that don't sell out at £31 (as testified on Wednesday night). Would they have sold out at £10? Probably not. So is it better to have 2500 pay at £31 = £75,500. The cut off point to reach the same revenue woud be £15.10 on a sell out. So if they sold ticket at £15 on Wednesday would they have sold out?

 

[brownblade]

Yes. Sweden becoming the rape capital of Europe and Germany having over 700 gang rapes last year just happened out of the blue and totally organically. Absolutely no other reason for it. Native Swedish and German men clearly just woke up one morning and decided to start raping at unprecedented levels.

I'm not clued up on this. But a very brief Google suggests Sweden has always had highest cases of rape. So when are you suggesting it "became" the capital?

No need to answer that question. We're not in general chat.

 

[nopigfansintown]

There's a few reasons tickets are so high. One is the batshit football market forces in which the average Championship club ultimately loses 13 million a season and nobody bats an eye. In no other business, including the other entertainment industries, would this happen for this long. Every penny more we - or the club - spend, goes directly in a player or agent's pocket. It's long past the time this stupid system was sorted for the good of the whole game, but don't hold your breathe. The clubs could sign a new TV deal for a trillion quid and it seems nothing would change - the additional money would go straight to the same people and the owners would still have to plough a ridiculous amount of personal capital in. Ticket prices wouldn't reduce either. I don't accept the inflation argument: necessities vastly increasing in price should mean that this false economy needs sorting even more, for the good of the game. Prices should be reducing, not increasing to help the game continue to prosper. Get the money from the playing budgets. If the players fuck off abroad, toodle pip.

Our local rival happens to be the pigs who have one of the worst at normalising these tickets prices. This obviously helps to enable our owner to charge similar prices. We know about the financial issues of the recent past: our owner can't compete with the other owners in terms of the personal wealth stakes = our tickets are even less likely to reduce. It's particularly sad to see kids getting charged what they are imo. There's no way I'd have been a seaon ticket holder for 25+ years if it wasn't for the cheap McCabe era kids tickets.

 

[Ecco1889]

Another thing to consider is we have a quite lot of tickets that are restricted view and the club doesn’t offer any discount for these.
I noticed that when I was buying a ticket for Leeds away,they offer at least a small reduction in price for a seat with a restricted view