Seat Counters - 2022/23

[bobbyowenquiff]

I’ve maintained that just from our local support alone we could pack out a 65,000 stadium every game, if ticketing was done properly, at proper prices so local families and groups of lads could all come to games regularly. And we would have no problem with our atmosphere if we did that!

That’s not even taking into account any other fans we have from anywhere else. Add them in n’all and we could have a stadium the size of Maine Road when it was first built and not have problem… United could easily have a 100k stadium.

English stadiums only being the size they are shows that clubs are still stuck in the past, lack ambition and imagination, and most of all don’t understand their fanbases or citizens from the cities they’re in. Clubs need to all get together and sorted their fucking heads out around this.

Spot-on. The huge income from broadcast deals and global sponsorships means clubs can easily keep low prices for matchgoing fans. I think the TV contract should be ringfenced so that a portion of it has to be used to subsidise match-going supporters. It would improve atmospheres across the PL at a stroke. Matchday income is an increasingly small fraction of club revenues. It is just pure greed which forces prices up. I have no problem with corporate income but we also need bigger stadiums and more spaces for local less affluent fans. Bigger stadia could also lead to bigger away allocations for those clubs that need them. It would help football grow even more. Perhaps the day will come when overseas fans with virtual reality season tickets can help subsidise the local fans.

 

[Blue Feather]

What season was that one?

96-97

 

[Blue Feather]

Southend was a Tuesday night wasn't it ?

That sounds right. I went straight from work and got in late

 

[leithblue]

It’s ironic that kids tickets are cheaper to those with more disposable income.

I have three kids season tickets between my four kids - and they represent fantastic value. To the extent that they barely need used for half the games to still be good value (they are used by the way, I make sure of that).

Thing is, I can afford to splash out on season tickets. Compared to the fuel costs to come down from Edinburgh they’re nothing really. But I couldn’t afford those match day prices if we came without season tickets regularly. Or at least justify them to myself (or my other half when she looked at the bank statement).

Those kids prices sound like a poverty tax.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

We have no fan body to talk for us.

The Official Supporters Club is a misnomer. It's not a club, It’s a group of individual franchises mainly working in the interests of each individual franchise. It isn’t a proper body representing an overarching fanbase.

100%. I’ve mentioned it before, no one is representing city fans.

The match day ticket prices we have are scandalous. Cup games are more expensive aswell. Why aren’t city matters or the supporters club saying anything on these issues?

I kinda hope there is lots of empty seats for this game and says something when it’s cheaper to go to United and Liverpool games.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

To show what I mean about City and United’s stadiums being too small and ticketing, ticket pricing and the lack of understanding of local fanbase of both clubs.. did you know that the biggest supported club in Greater Manchester are all the other non-City+United clubs combined?!

City’s highest attendance last season was 53,400
United’s highest attendance last season 73,564
The combined highest attendances from last season of all the other Greater Manchester clubs is 75,034 (I went through every team’s highest attendances of last season and added them up, I went right down to the 9th tier, yes I am a sad bastard!).

Nobody is telling me there are more fans of all the other clubs combined than there are City or United fans in this conurbation!

Price tickets accordingly and City could easily have more local fans attending the Etihad than all the other local clubs, bar United, combined do. Never mind also the factoring in the non-local City fans.

 

[Sibierskii]

I can afford it - not a chance im paying it.

mugs.

 

[The Lightbowne Cowboy]

100%. I’ve mentioned it before, no one is representing city fans.

The match day ticket prices we have are scandalous. Cup games are more expensive aswell. Why aren’t city matters or the supporters club saying anything on these issues?

I kinda hope there is lots of empty seats for this game and says something when it’s cheaper to go to United and Liverpool games.

It's weird how we've gone from some early cup games for a 10er and kids for a quid 10 years or so ago to these silly prices today. We really are missing a trick with our next generation of local kids. Look after them instead of pandering to JCLs who are just here because they want to take pictures of Haaland and Grealish. They'll be gone soon as we falter.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

It's weird how we've gone from some early cup games for a 10er and kids for a quid 10 years or so ago to these silly prices today. We really are missing a trick with our next generation of local kids. Look after them instead of pandering to JCLs who are just here because they want to take pictures of Haaland and Grealish. They'll be gone soon as we falter.

Fucking hell, on some Champions League nights it’s not even our players some of them are there to see.

When we’ve played Barça Madrid and Paris over the years, we’ve seen more dickheads near us in ESL1 getting excited and even falling over seats to take pictures of Messi CRonaldo Neymar and Mbappe warming up than we have over on the other side to see our lads.

It’s absolutely pathetic!

Remember that game Rooney scored for United (think it was that FA Cup game after the 1-6) and there was some twat in the home section with a beaming smile on his face taking a picture of Rooney celebrating?

 

[Stephen230]

A couple of points about Spurs tickets (and pricing in general).

The reason we charge so much for match-day tickets is that we have the highest percentage of season card holders in the Premier League. Compared to the likes of Liverpool (who have roughly 20k season card holders in a 55k seater stadium), we have around 35-40k. After you remove away fans' 3k allocation, we have roughly 10k tickets to shift for any one match, which means we can charge exorbitant prices because there will always be around 10k people who'll pay the stupid amounts. That's the reason why cup games are cheaper, there are far more tickets to shift.

If we had fewer season card holders (or a bigger stadium), we wouldn't sell 30k+ tickets at those prices so they'd have to be cheaper (or the club would have to take the empty seats on the chin).

My second point is that it isn't just the tickets that cost a lot of money. A pint inside the stadium is around £5. At United on the weekend, it was £3. If they are charging those rates, why can't we? Parking is what, £15? A tram ticket for one person would be over £5. We've had 10+ years of price rises compared to the rags whose tickets have been frozen. In Germany, tickets usually cost around £10-£20. Pints are usually subsidized by clubs (so they are cheaper than bars outside the ground). Public transport is included in the price of the ticket. You can easily take the family out (using efficient transport) with refreshments included and come back with change from £100.

Why do we accept a worse deal here? Where's the motivation to change things?

We accept a worse deal because we ( football fans in general ) are far more interested in banter, oneupmanship and general tribal rivalry, than ever speaking together.

So City charge a tenner and a quid for kids for an unattractive midweek cup game. And fans of other clubs don’t think, hang on, why are we paying £40 for an equivalent game? Their only thought is, let’s get on Twitter and take the piss that City have to sell tickets for a quid to shift them.

 

[jrb]

I couldn’t be arsed counting the seats.

A rearranged match, the cost of the tickets, and the derby defeat on Saturday have taken it’s toll.



So where are the other 6000+ fans going to come from to fill the expanded North stand? Because at those prices, there won’t be enough fans.

 

[Norman kneejerk]

If you're on the cup scheme, the pricing is decent enough but it's a big jump up to non cup schemers. I'd have expected a fiver difference between ST holders on the cup scheme and ST holders not on the cup scheme rather than a tenner or more. And prices of £27.50 and £35.00 for kids in certain sections of the ground if you're not a ST holder are ridiculous.

I think the over 65 prices have been sneaked up to hardly any difference to a standard adult. That's not great k in the current climate.Do the think we are walking cash machines.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I couldn’t be arsed counting the seats.

A rearranged match, the cost of the tickets, and the derby defeat on Saturday have taken it’s toll.

View attachment 66287

So where are the other 6000+ fans going to come from to fill the expanded North stand? Because at those prices, there won’t be enough fans.

I think the officiating can be added to the reasons why for some n’all.

 

[Beaker]

I couldn’t be arsed counting the seats.

A rearranged match, the cost of the tickets, and the derby defeat on Saturday have taken it’s toll.

View attachment 66287

So where are the other 6000+ fans going to come from to fill the expanded North stand? Because at those prices, there won’t be enough fans.

There’s going to have to be a massive serious rethink on how tickets are sold and at what price when this extension happens.

 

[jrb]

I think the officiating can be added to the reasons why for some n’all.

And the way we’re playing boring, sideways and backwards ‘total control football‘ atm.

 

[jrb]

There’s going to have to be a massive serious rethink on how tickets are sold and at what price when this extension happens.

Don’t hold your breath. 10 season ticket price rises in 11 seasons. Probably again next season. New high price match day tickets this season. Ticket prices aren’t coming down anytime soon. Certainly not in the next 2 years time before the North stand expansion is built. City will continue to squeeze even more money out of us whilst Pep and Haaland are still at City. Dig deeper into your pockets lads!

 

[HelloCity]

I couldn’t be arsed counting the seats.

A rearranged match, the cost of the tickets, and the derby defeat on Saturday have taken it’s toll.

View attachment 66287

So where are the other 6000+ fans going to come from to fill the expanded North stand? Because at those prices, there won’t be enough fans.

You could apply this way of thinking to before the South Stand was expanded I suppose. Why expand the South Stand if a mid week fixture isn't sold out, when we're not selling out all CL games, and have thousands of empty seats for league cup games? Fast forward a few years and nearly ever match including league cup games are selling out following the South Stand expansion.

Ultimately this Spurs game was originally sold out before it was postponed. It was also pended a cup replay just over a week ago and therefore people didn't want to jump in, especially with the stupidly high ticket prices. Arsenal will be a difficult sell as well with the relatively short ticket sale period.

 

[jrb]

You could apply this way of thinking to before the South Stand was expanded I suppose. Why expand the South Stand if a mid week fixture isn't sold out, when we're not selling out all CL games, and have thousands of empty seats for league cup games? Fast forward a few years and nearly ever match including league cup games are selling out following the South Stand expansion.

Ultimately this Spurs game was originally sold out before it was postponed. It was also pended a cup replay just over a week ago and therefore people didn't want to jump in, especially with the stupidly high ticket prices. Arsenal will be a difficult sell as well with the relatively short ticket sale period.

So why take out 1200 seats just to put in new advertising boards? Those seats were often empty. The demand for tickets wasn’t there then, even when we won the league 3 times.

The current demand for tickets has been created by signing Haaland, nothing else.

When the North stand is built, Pep will be gone, and Haaland might also be gone if the break in his contract is true? I’m not saying it is true.

As you know, like everyone else, I’m all for the North stand expansion, but we’re not filling an extra 6000+ seats, maybe more seats, at those ticket prices, plus another 2 years of season ticket and match day ticket price increases, if that happens?

As for the Spurs game. We should still be shifting those tickets. We’ve got enough support in and around Manchester to fill those seats, (the Haaland effect), but not at those prices.

 

[smevchenko]

Does anyone have a contact email for the ticket office or for someone at the club who might actually respond? I used the online enquiry form about 2 weeks ago, and again since, as my supporter number has changed and all ticket points associated with my other number have now seemingly disappeared (~14000), would be nice to have someone try to rectify the issue.

 

[HelloCity]

So why take out 1200 seats just to put in new advertising boards? Those seats were often empty. The demand for tickets wasn’t there then, even when we won the league 3 times.

The current demand for tickets has been created by signing Haaland, nothing else.

When the North stand is built, Pep will gone, and Haaland might also be gone if the break in his contract is true? I’m not saying it is true.

As you know, like everyone else, I’m all for the North stand expansion, but we’re not filling an extra 6000+ seats, maybe more seats, at those ticket prices, plus another 2 years of season ticket and match day ticket price increases, if that happens?

As for the Spurs game. We should still be shifting those tickets. We’ve got enough support in and around Manchester to fill those seats, the (Haaland effect), but not at those prices.

I'm so confused. You're banging the drum repeatedly in the Campus thread saying not only should we expand, we should have expanded years ago and that we've dropped a clanger by not doing so.

Now because we're not selling out one switched fixture at £70 a tickets, you think we shouldn't expand afterall?