City Fans Leaving Early/Empty seats

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I never leave if the game is in the balance, absolutely stupid.

If we are coasting to victory, I'll be off on around 85.

I have to say though, the last couple of games, I am stunned at the level of departures from 80 minutes on?

I genuinely think we have a problem in terms of how the supporter base is made up.

It's like the Darby and Joan club with so many older fans, the average age of the City fan must be at least 50 these days?

I don't see the tourists leaving early and we have lost an entire generation of late twenty somethings?

Not helped by a club that does little to attract the next generation and an older group who just don't have that passion they once had, and also translates in terms of the attendances and atmosphere.

FFS, I have people around me in tier 2 south who treat the game more like an opportunity to gossip, drink and eat fucking pork pies out of tin foil.

Cue 80 minutes, "see you next week, Joan. We were shit again, that Pep is a fraud."

 

[Bilboblue]

But what if you live in Scotland and waiting until the very end adds an hour to your already 4 hour drive back? Everybody has different circumstances mate.

That's a piss-poor excuse in my opinion.

I have a similar length journey from Southampton but I would never leave early, I don't see the point, I'd rather watch my team til the end, than be sat in my fucking armchair an hour earlier.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I never leave if the game is in the balance, absolutely stupid.

If we are coasting to victory, I'll be off on around 85.

I have to say though, the last couple of games, as an stunned at the level of departures from 80 minutes on?

I genuinely think we have a problem in terms of how the supporter base is made up.

It's like the Darby and Joan club with so many older fans, the average age of the City fan must be at least 50 these days?

I don't see the tourists leaving early and we have lost an entire generation of late twenty somethings?

Not helped by a club that does little to attract the next generation and an older group who just don't have that passion they once had, and also translates on terms of the attendances and atmosphere.

FFS, I have people around me in tier 2 south who treat the game more like an opportunity to gossip, drink and eat fucking pork pies out of tin foil.

Cue 80 minutes, "see you next week, Joan. We were shit again, that Pep is a fraud."

i dont think we have. there are loads of 18-30 year old city fans. i think thats more to do with pricing.

 

[jrb]

Yet level SS3 away section was full, of City fans. Why would the club sell that, presumably at relatively short notice, if all these other 'empty seats' are available ?

Because of the price? And because fans prefer to sit higher up instead of paying more for seats in the lower tiers. The fact that the away end has been full or part full of City fans shows that if seats are priced right, the demand is there.

And this proves my point. Thank you City.

When I last looked at the 3 away blocks in level 3 all the blocks were green and had all seats remaining. They are priced at £20. Now there is only a handful of seats left across the 3 blocks. They will sell out. The other blocks are all priced in the mid £30's. 15 blocks still yellow. So city have sold 1500 (away) seats in the last few days at £20 each. But the other blocks have been on sale for the whole season, and 15 blocks are still yellow. So that proves the demand is there for affordable tickets. And we would sell out and get 60,000-65,000 if the Etihad was expanded again. And if those running the club had the balls to be the first club to introduce affordable matchday tickets across the stadium, we'd shift 1000's of more seats. Any loss in match day ticket prices against the current ticket prices would be made up by more food, drink, and merchandise sales. Fact!

I'm not a CEO, Commercial Director, etc, but if I can see that along with other City fans, why can't Sheilkh Mansour, Khladoon, Soriano, etc?

We have 10,000's of City fans who would buy affordable match tickets.(see below) Yet those 3 above ^^^ are pricing those fans out. And don't for 1 minute think Sheikh Mansour doesn't know about what's going on. He see's the empty seats when he watches the matches. He must have asked the question. He's got the answer. He's done nothing about it yet. As the owner all he has to do is to tell Khaldoon and Soriano to change the ticket pricing policy so the stadium is full. He hasn't so far.

 

[manygoose]

we say we're the club from manchester and yet everyones got a train to catch or a long drive home? doesnt add up.
can't afford to go often, only go a couple of times a season, but atmosphere is always quiet

 

[wattle]

What if they are on a night shift, what if they have a train to catch, it's going to finish close to 10, personal choice if people leave or stay.

Obviously if they HAVE to that's different. But your not telling me 10000 have that excuse because that's what it usually is at least. Zaba deserves a proper send off

 

[YaYa's Left Peg]

we say we're the club from manchester and yet everyones got a train to catch or a long drive home? doesnt add up.
can't afford to go often, only go a couple of times a season, but atmosphere is always quiet

Good point.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

we say we're the club from manchester and yet everyones got a train to catch or a long drive home? doesnt add up.
can't afford to go often, only go a couple of times a season, but atmosphere is always quiet

its not everyone. the majority of our match going fans come from manchester/greater manchester. plenty of people get the train to surrounding areas swell. i.e. salford, stockport.i dont get why some people are leaving early, i can get home in twenty minutes. no one from manchester/ near by should be really bothered about traffic of going on a long drive home.

 

[wattle]

This will be done at Watford not mid-season.

Richards and Corluka got nothing, neither did Andy Hill, Richard Edgehill or Ray Ranson for that matter.

Did you need to look up those names on the Internet? You did didn't you?

 

[Saddleworth2]

That's a piss-poor excuse in my opinion.

I have a similar length journey from Southampton but I would never leave early, I don't see the point, I'd rather watch my team til the end, than be sat in my fucking armchair an hour earlier.

Each to there own. That must make you a far better fan than me then.

 

[Dribble]

I don't think we have. there are loads of 18-30 year old city fans. I think that's more to do with pricing.

Spot on.

Football is an expensive thing to afford for those with young families The club should build that new stand and make both extensions as cheap as chips. As a consequence of FFP, we have to maximise our revenue in order to keep up in the financial stakes with our competitors and many of our younger fans with less disposal income are the ones who suffer.

 

[Corky]

Did you need to look up those names on the Internet? You did didn't you?

Don't judge me by your standards

I will be at Watford unlike the plastics, for his last game. I bet your blood is boiling again being an overnight superfan.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Spot on.

Football is an expensive thing to afford for those with young families The club should build that new stand and make both extensions as cheap as chips. As a consequence of FFP, we have to maximise our revenue in order to keep up in the financial stakes with our competitors and many of our younger fans with less disposal income are the ones who suffer.

its not even young families mate. when you turn 21 the prices go up so much there should be a 18-25 ticket category. the majority of 18-25 dont earn a lot of money or are on minimum wage jobs - myself included. i agree if we want to decrease the average age and get the atmosphere back, make season tickets cheap in an expanded north stand and attract the younger fans back.

i know so many city fans that are my age - 23 or younger who dont go to games or stopped going when they turned 21.

 

[wattle]

Yesterday was a joke, where are so many people needing to be at 2.15 on a saturday afternoon with the game still in the balance but hey you pay your money its every individuals choice...

It just looks shit

Yeh but their 'choice' means I'm up and down like a blue arsed fly trying to watch the game whilst these twats push past without a care in the world. Sometimes there might be a good reason to leave, but like one poster says, he leaves on 90 mins every match. Really don't get it

 

[Dribble]

Because of the price? And because fans prefer to sit higher up instead of paying more for seats in the lower tiers. The fact that the away end has been full or part full of City fans shows that if seats are priced right, the demand is there.

And this proves my point. Thank you City.

When I last looked at the 3 away blocks in level 3 all the blocks were green and had all seats remaining. They are priced at £20. Now there is only a handful of seats left across the 3 blocks. They will sell out. The other blocks are all priced in the mid £30's. 15 blocks still yellow. So city have sold 1500 (away) seats in the last few days at £20 each. But the other blocks have been on sale for the whole season, and 15 blocks are still yellow. So that proves the demand is there for affordable tickets. And we would sell out and get 60,000-65,000 if the Etihad was expanded again. And if those running the club had the balls to be the first club to introduce affordable matchday tickets across the stadium, we'd shift 1000's of more seats. Any loss in match day ticket prices against the current ticket prices would be made up by more food, drink, and merchandise sales. Fact!

I'm not a CEO, Commercial Director, etc, but if I can see that along with other City fans, why can't Sheilkh Mansour, Khladoon, Soriano, etc?

We have 10,000's of City fans who would buy affordable match tickets.(see below) Yet those 3 above ^^^ are pricing those fans out. And don't for 1 minute think Sheikh Mansour doesn't know about what's going on. He see's the empty seats when he watches the matches. He must have asked the question. He's got the answer. He's done nothing about it yet. As the owner all he has to do is to tell Khaldoon and Soriano to change the ticket pricing policy so the stadium is full. He hasn't so far.

What about season ticket holders who don't turn up and other no shows?

Bayern have a system whereby if season ticket holders fail to show for an agreed percentage of matches, their season tickets are withdrawn and put back on open sale. This will stop those with season tickets picking and choosing which matches to attend. However, what do we do with those fans who can't attend every game because of the distance they have to travel if we're playing 3 times a week?

 

[wattle]

Don't judge me by your standards

I will be at Watford unlike the plastics, for his last game. I bet your blood is boiling again being an overnight superfan.

I've read some of your posts. Either a rag or a wind up merchant lol. Will you bollox be at Watford. And wtf is an overnight superfan haha. You tool xx

 

[Bilboblue]

Each to there own. That must make you a far better fan than me then.

I'll agree with that.

My point is, with so much travelling, practically the full day is taken up anyways, so what difference does an hour make?

 

[Dribble]

its not even young families mate. when you turn 21 the prices go up so much there should be a 18-25 ticket category. the majority of 18-25 dont earn a lot of money or are on minimum wage jobs - myself included. i agree if we want to decrease the average age and get the atmosphere back, make season tickets cheap in an expanded north stand and attract the younger fans back.

i know so many city fans that are my age - 23 or younger who dont go to games or stopped going when they turned 21.

I wholeheartedly agree mate. Surely there must be some way we can make these views known to the club?

I'm sure City would rather a full rocking house on cheaper tickets as opposed to a higher ticket price and less fans in attendance.... It makes sense for now until the point where the ticket price can rise at the same pace as inflation or with growing demand. I'm sure if it wasn't for us having to squeeze every penny we can from our fans for FFP purposes, the club would in effect subsidise our tickets...

 

[Saddleworth2]

I'll agree with that.

My point is, with so much travelling, practically the full day is taken up anyways, so what difference does an hour make?

To an 86 year old, quite a bit son.

 

[manygoose]

its not everyone. the majority of our match going fans come from manchester/greater manchester. plenty of people get the train to surrounding areas swell. i.e. salford, stockport.

i think even if the club tried to streamline leaving the stadium as much as possible, people would still leave a few minutes early. if saving 10-15 possibly 20 minutes means that much to people, they probably shouldnt sit around for 90 minutes watching 22 people kick a ball about.

forget about getting bums on seats and keeping them there for the whole game, theres a problem with the guys already there. there is very little atmosphere and thats more of a problem.

I don't think it has much to do with ticket price. When the ticket prices are low we don't tend to fill up the stadium (even though tickets are flogged to students via the university union) and the atmosphere doesn't get better.
The atmosphere is best at games like the manchester derby, CL quarter finals etc. Tickets are really expensive then and yet the atmosphere is good. It's a mindset in the supporters.

Im glad pep has said this needs full focus of the board