Open Letter on Season Tickets and Pricing | Club announce price freeze on "general admission season tickets & PL match tickets" for next season (p163)

Edghill OG said:
As usual you are spot on mate. 35k season ticket holders, 3k away supporters? So only really about 10K seats to fill and they aren't doing that. I'd actually call that idiotic. That's off the back of the treble, centurion and fourmidable seasons. Emails being sent about being able to buy multiple tickets etc for the upcoming games. This certainly wasn't the case in previous seasons and shows how fragile this extra income is that they lust after.

The matchday pricing in particular has led to people holding on to season tickets that probably wouldn't normally have them. At least with a ST you are somewhat protected. I know a few blues that don't even bother checking the ticket site now. They've accepted they are priced out and would only go if you offered them a ticket. The clubs done that, not that they care.

As I've put in a previous post the logical thing instead of offering multiple tickets etc to fill these now ever increasing vacant seats is to make the ticket prices more reasonable. But oh no!....... instead we'll make up the deficit by charging the cunts that do go pay even more and sign up with Viagogo instead.
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What the situation needs is a sea-change in thinking from the executives away from maximising matchday revenues in the next budget year to maximising the matchday revenues in ten years time.

It pains me to say it after all the owners have done for the club, and all the success that has resulted, but they (and I include Khaldoon in this as a representative of the owners) have taken their eye off the fanbase "ball" either deliberately for strategic reasons or just because they aren't holding the executives to account. Either way it's poor, but if it's the former that will be especially disappointing for many reasons.

Still, it's not too late to ensure that the current ageing fanbase is replaced over the next ten years with a new generation of noisy, local, loyal fans (at the express and intended expense of a dreadful United team), thereby ensuring the maximisation of matchday revenue in the long-term and the continued financial punishment of United (and don't tell me that isn't important, anything that delays their return is of strategic importance).

It's so clear to me, I ask myself what is wrong with the executive team?
 
Jazzyblue said:
For a period we have been the best team in the world. If you can’t shift 20k tickets or less - the rest are season ticket holders - in a conurbation of 3m with a commuter zone of 50mile, an international airport and a position right in the middle of the UK’s transport network at a time when our biggest local rivals are abysmal, there’s no hope for you. The ticket office do get unfairly knocked at times but filling the stadium - which isn’t happening as often as might be thought - isn’t down to special genius on their part. The club is chasing short term profits - high paying international visitors - over decades of recurring income, ie future ‘legacy’ fans. I agree with you that the new stand will not get filled at these prices, but City will find that out the hard way, not the easy way. They are ignoring the rate of attrition of older fans, they are ignoring the incomes of the traditional fanbase, they are ignoring the importance of atmosphere, they are ignoring generational and community ties to matchgoing and they are ignoring the fact that international appeal depends on continued success and glamour. They are trying to grow the club off the pitch - but not in a way that’s sustainable.
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Nail on head.
 
Marvin. said:
The ticket office is denigrated all the time but they manage to maximise ticket prices and fill the stadium over the years which demonstrates that they are much more adept and understanding of City's fanbase than they are given credit for. The interests of business do not always coincide with the interests of people. We want affordable football, they want to maximise revenues.

I believe MCFC know full well that you cannot sell an expanded stadium out with stellar match-day prices, and a squeezed seasoncard base, and that hospitality only works when you can offer access to a title-race. I know this opinion is unpopular but it is rational.

I believe that City will ultimately make sensible decisions and that the 115 case has severely impacted on Manchester City's business as usual which includes the ability to communicate. I think City are uncertain where the club will be in 12 months in terms of the Champions League and 115.
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The problem is that they will only make "sensible" decisions when the folly of their current not very sensible decisions become apparent. Which will be too late.
 
halfcenturyup said:
What the situation needs is a sea-change in thinking from the executives away from maximising matchday revenues in the next budget year to maximising the matchday revenues in ten years time.

It pains me to say it after all the owners have done for the club, and all the success that has resulted, but they (and I include Khaldoon in this as a representative of the owners) have taken their eye off the fanbase "ball" either deliberately for strategic reasons or just because they aren't holding the executives to account. Either way it's poor, but if it's the former that will be especially disappointing for many reasons.

Still, it's not too late to ensure that the current ageing fanbase is replaced over the next ten years with a new generation of noisy, local, loyal fans (at the express and intended expense of a dreadful United team), thereby ensuring the maximisation of matchday revenue in the long-term and the continued financial punishment of United (and don't tell me that isn't important, anything that delays their return is of strategic importance).

It's so clear to me, I ask myself what is wrong with the executive team?
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I made exactly this point multiple times at City Matters. What was the strategy for ensuring the next generation would be regular attendees at games, rather than watching on TV?

I talked about, and passed on to the club, a study that had been done on this topic in MLB. The finding was that by getting youngsters involved in playing the sport early, and getting them to games regularly they then become your hardcore fans as they get older.

Clever marketing sucks people in to being regular users of products or services. How often do we see introductory offers for things that are too attractive to ignore? Liverpool offers £9 tickets to under-16s. That means a father and two kids can attend a game at Anfield for £79 for the three of them, and that's the best seats. The same on Wednesday night v Leicester would be closer to £120. Looking at the ticketing website there's 2,000 unsold tickets in the three Level 3 stands alone.
 
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Lots of city fans don't drink or eat in the ground prior or after.

Lots of city fans don't go to city square or use the overpriced food vendors

Lets be honest the offer of pubs and eateries near the ground isn't great.

These execs missed a trick in trying to encourage all those drinking in the northern quarter, ancoats and in local pubs into the ground early spending there, as though city square was an origianal and comendable idea, they should have built a massive fuck off traditional style pub with beer garden allowoing smoking (with no gimmicks) with a food hall adjecent, and charged wetherspoon prices, it would be full of the "legacy" fans open it on match days and for CO-OP gigs

The telsa garage would have been a perfect place.


If I am paying a fiver for a pint I will do it in gulivers or fringe sitting and chatting with the ability to go for a smoke if I was a smoker not stood in a concrete concourse 2-3hrs before a game, and fucked if I would set foot in D's

gauentee on a matchday it would be full and entice people who like a few beers to head to the ground earlier
 
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philiph20 said:
It's so obvious yet they can't or won't see it. We do NOT have swathes of day-trippers , tourists and out of town supporters like the two ugly sisters in red and probably never will have. They needed post 2012 to really motor on maintaining and enhancing local support in Greater Manchester, a child in 2012 would be in their late teens early 20s now but they in the main are not watching games at the Etihad, City had the chance to really shovel up kids then and make them feel like they belong and in turn attend games but they didn't, the so called legacy fans are disenchanted and the feel good factor had more or less gone which bearing in mind the success we have had is truly bizarre, there is no real buzz or a sense of belonging compare and contrast with supporters of Leeds, Newcastle etc.

Not all big European clubs have followed the likes of Real, Barcelona etc with their tourist obsessions the likes of Hamburg, Dortmund, Feyenoord, Marseille etc have a real rootedness in their local regions, a huge sense of belonging, they have a base and a sense of pride unlike the watered down, ambivalent, sterile sense of being which sadly appears to be the case with us. Admittedly these clubs as far as success and exposure haven't been at our level recently but should success on a larger scale occur they might attract new day-trippers causal fans but they STILL have the solid base of local/regional support. This is NOT a dig at out of town supporters many who have been going when we were shit from all over the UK, Ireland, Scotland etc and are as much part of the club as anyone from Beswick, Denton, Failsworth, Heaton Moor etc. The powers that be had their chance but they have screwed up royally.
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And there will be another 6000 or so seats to fill when the new stand is completed. Some big decisions to be made on this whole matter.
 
Jazzyblue said:
For a period we have been the best team in the world. If you can’t shift 20k tickets or less - the rest are season ticket holders - in a conurbation of 3m with a commuter zone of 50mile, an international airport and a position right in the middle of the UK’s transport network at a time when our biggest local rivals are abysmal, there’s no hope for you. The ticket office do get unfairly knocked at times but filling the stadium - which isn’t happening as often as might be thought - isn’t down to special genius on their part. The club is chasing short term profits - high paying international visitors - over decades of recurring income, ie future ‘legacy’ fans. I agree with you that the new stand will not get filled at these prices, but City will find that out the hard way, not the easy way. They are ignoring the rate of attrition of older fans, they are ignoring the incomes of the traditional fanbase, they are ignoring the importance of atmosphere, they are ignoring generational and community ties to matchgoing and they are ignoring the fact that international appeal depends on continued success and glamour. They are trying to grow the club off the pitch - but not in a way that’s sustainable.
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Absolutely superb post but the highlighted section is in particular pertinent.

If you want to grow a clubs support all of those mentioned are interconnected. Having a loyal fan base, creating a proper home end, keeping the family links to the club not only creates a demand for all games, including Leicester/Crystal Palace at home, the games the tourists/neutrals are less likely to wish to attend.

Also, from the clubs perspective, nurturing the atmosphere, by looking after the real fans will attract tourists/neutrals to return based on enjoyment of occasion and maintain the existing fanbase as they enjoyed the experience so much.

But the club are too dumb to understand this, splitting up sections of the ground with corporate areas, not nurturing the local support etc. I doubt any neutral fan, first timer against Brighton would think I definitely want to return to the etihad either.

It’s in the clubs interests, and the two interests can coexist, but there so focused on short term gain there blinded to the big picture.
 
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Prestwich_Blue said:
I made exactly this point multiple times at City Matters. What was the strategy for ensuring the next generation would be regular attendees at games, rather than watching on TV?

I talked about, and passed on to the club, a study that had been done on this topic in MLB. The finding was that getting youngsters involved in playing the sport early, and getting them to games regularly. They then become your hardcore fans as they get older.

Clever marketing sucks people in to being regular users of products or services. How often do we see introductory offers for things that are too attractive to ignore? Liverpool offers £9 tickets to under-16s. That means a father and two kids can attend a game at Anfield for £79 for the three of them, and that's the best seats. The same on Wednesday night v Leicester would be closer to £120. Looking at the ticketing website there's 2,000 unsold tickets in the three Level 3 stands alone.
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Only this.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
I made exactly this point multiple times at City Matters. What was the strategy for ensuring the next generation would be regular attendees at games, rather than watching on TV?

I talked about, and passed on to the club, a study that had been done on this topic in MLB. The finding was that getting youngsters involved in playing the sport early, and getting them to games regularly. They then become your hardcore fans as they get older.

Clever marketing sucks people in to being regular users of products or services. How often do we see introductory offers for things that are too attractive to ignore? Liverpool offers £9 tickets to under-16s. That means a father and two kids can attend a game at Anfield for £79 for the three of them, and that's the best seats. The same on Wednesday night v Leicester would be closer to £120. Looking at the ticketing website there's 2,000 unsold tickets in the three Level 3 stands alone.
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And the scousers still make more money than we do on match days, someone somewhere is getting this badly wrong at the club.
 
mexico1970 said:
And the scousers still make more money than we do on match days, someone somewhere is getting this badly wrong at the club.
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They make more money for a few reasons.
  1. Fewer season tickets issued - 25k as against our 37k, therefore more match-by-match tickets old.
  2. Smaller price range for season tickets (£713 - £904)
  3. Their over-65 concessions are at 75% of adult full price.
They also charge one price, depending on where you sit, for every PL game (£30-£61) regardless of the opposition. I think that's probably way cheaper than us over a season.
 
Damocles said:
Explain to them in real terms, citing replies all over social media and on here, at how the anger is growing in the fanbase.
Make them understand what happens when the locals turn on the club in terms of reputational damage because they dont seem to get it.
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You mean like how that approach worked at the swamp with the rags v the Glazer’s?
 
Deliberate focus on commercial growth, entertainment, and monetizing the brand. Fans treated more as consumers than as part of a community. This is the American sports way..
 
Could someone advise me in a point regarding season tickets. My lad has an 18 to 21 ST and due to being away at uni he can’t get back for every home game. I think the rule is that he needs to be at 14 of the 19 league games but yes ok for any games he lists on the Exchange? But what about if he lists in the Exchange like Leicester but the ticket doesn’t sell? Cheers
 
Quinny851 said:
The club will love that in my opinion. Unrest with long term season ticket holders means the prospect of them not renewing which enables them to push out more hospitality and/or more match day tickets being made available through their reseller partners.

Our reputation within the media is poor anyway because everyone thinks we're cheating bastards. The club don't give a fuck about local support because they know globally, we're growing on a huge scale
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Not true. Depends who you think the club is. As an example Pep, our best manager ever, is very aware how important the loud support of the home crowd is. He may not have joined all the dots re why it’s getting worse I grant you
 
doobyedoobye said:
If match day revenue takes a hit they will rethink..
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They are only bothered about the next game, and selling it for as much as they can. Cutting prices is the main way of match day revenue taking a hit.
BringBackSwales said:
Could someone advise me in a point regarding season tickets. My lad has an 18 to 21 ST and due to being away at uni he can’t get back for every home game. I think the rule is that he needs to be at 14 of the 19 league games but yes ok for any games he lists on the Exchange? But what about if he lists in the Exchange like Leicester but the ticket doesn’t sell? Cheers
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It won't count as a strike according to what the club say, but I imagine it would have to be left on until the 3 hour window closes.

In the good old days once the ST holder got to 16 the concession light no longer came on, even if an U16 ST.
 
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