Are we going to see the end of Season Tickets?

[Stephen230]

Great post by the OP and an interesting discussion point although, like everyone else, I don’t like any of it and what it means for the true fan.

I see it actually going the other way - they want a stadium full of season-ticket holders. This is where it’s gone/ going in the US and it’s going to happen. Guaranteed income, largely paid upfront and it creates a demand for the secondary/ resell market that can be controlled (e.g. Stubhub as the ‘official’ and only way to resell a ticket) and means more $$ as they take a slice of the resale. Also allows you to charge people for the ‘privilege’ of being on the season-ticket waiting list and ‘Permanent Seat Licenses’. This also means that if the team turns to shit for a few years, people are locked-in to keep buying those STs because they don’t want to give up their place when things become good again.

A good example to look at is the new Buffalo Bills stadium. Its capacity is lower than the number of season-ticket holders they already have today. That’s not an accident.

I hope this isn’t going to ruin one of my favourite quiz questions. Which is to name the only NFL team that plays home games in New York?

 

[PPT]

I won't be renewing my season ticket for the first time in 32 years !

various reasons -

1. I can go to any game anyway at the Hammers, most easy to get on website individually and as a member and i know loads that have ST that always selling
2. Just don't enjoy going! can't be arsed getting the train and the cost, sitting around moaning fans and have not enjoyed it for a long time now (ironically in a period for us Hammers that has been great)
3. My dad died few months ago - he was really the only reason i continued to renew my ST, didn't want him sitting on his own.
4. TV coverage is really good, we all knock Sky/TNT etc but i find them great channels to view games. Going to pretty much every home game, travelling to most stadiums in the country - i am more than happy if someone wants to now label me as an armchair fan.
5. rather go pub some games, be around mates that i can have a laugh with and if we're getting stuffed i can go play pool and have a beer instead.
6. My enthusiasm has gone really - if we lose we lose. if we win then great. It's all out my hands. can't be arsed wasting life getting enraged about a defeat or VAR decision.
7. I got newborn and a kid, travel alot with work, run alot of races, lifes too busy.

Exactly mate. Priorities change, people change, and like you, I also think the game is not as enjoyable as it used to be for a variety of reasons. It’s also a very expensive hobby nowadays.

 

[MCFC Wirral]

Think long and hard before giving them up. I did a few seasons back mistakenly thinking I’d easily buy again but there’s now no availability. I’ve fallen out of the habit of attending and do other things with my money.

Ideally I’d have been at Wembley for the FA Cup Final last season but I’m nowhere near tickets now.

 

[Gingers Dad]

City must have more season ticket holders now than at any point in their history. Season tickets are here to stay but I'm enjoying reading the doom and gloom posts from the FOC's. About something that will probably never happen.

 

[Newman Noggs]

this is a very interesting (or soul destroying, depending on your point of view) development of the game that reared its head in covid (for obvious reasons) and dampened down again, but is definitely back on the agenda. The clubs can license out VR viewing fees to 150k supporters at a time, on club branded VR sets, with players getting involved on licensing out image rights to be used on fan avatars, and so on.

but this plays off against the marketability and demand to attend the real thing. At the moment i think all eyes are on prizing away seats from life-long fans to increase their value.

I'm getting on a bit now but I'm fascinated by this whole idea of virtual season tickets. With regard to your last paragraph, it would, I think, be aimed, primarily, at overseas supporters who can't get to games anyway but a) would like to watch all our games "live" and b) would like the kudos and direct connection to the club of being season ticket holders.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that to attract real fans into the ground to create the required atmosphere, there would be a need to keep the price of real tickets competitive.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Perhaps we are seeing the advent of that with Messi and Ronaldo fans, and now Haaland fans, who follow the player and not the club? the modern fan is bizarre.

We 'acquired' a very significant number of fans around the world on the day that Pep Guardiola was appointed.

Modern football is little more than a tourist attraction. It's why the City hierarchy were looking to sign both Messi and Ronaldo, and were reported to have had 'discussions' with Mbappe's people recently.

It will be interesting to see the level of 'drop off' in respect of social media followers when Pep leaves the club.

We're not million miles away from being football's Harlem Globetrotters... Expect Scruffy Jim to be aiming for the same at the new 200,000 seat swamp.

 

[Lavinda Past]

City must have more season ticket holders now than at any point in their history. Season tickets are here to stay but I'm enjoying reading the doom and gloom posts from the FOC's. About something that will probably never happen.

IIRC, we had around 40,000 not so long ago. We've now got around 36,000.
I know that my old seats didn't go back in the season card 'pot' this season, as neighbouring fans tell me that they see different faces every match.
It seems likely to me that the club policy is to reduce season ticket holder through natural wastage. As such, it's going to be a gradual reduction, but it will happen at some point.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

Then the modern fan is a wanker.

Absolutely.
What's wrong with people.
And why do they want to make football like American sports..all yank sports are wank

 

[Blue Maverick]

An interview before the Super Bowl and they asked some ex players what they thought the best thing of “soccer” in U.K. was and they said the fans and chants. You get rid of that for tourists it will be shite and kill the game. As an aside if anyone is going to give up their ticket I’m not sure if City will let you name change but I need another one.

 

[Stephen230]

Absolutely.
What's wrong with people.
And why do they want to make football like American sports..all yank sports are wank

I’ve been hearing this for years but am struggling to think of a single change in football that could be considered an Americanisation.