The vast majority of empty seats in League matches are those sold as season tickets. There are large number in the Family Stand, particularly for midweek matches. There a very few empty seats in the top of the third tier of the CB and East Stands.
Please explain how cheaper season ticket prices will do anything about that. It seems to me that if anything they are priced to cheap so as to make it worthwhile for someone to buy who cannot make a lot of matches. The seat next to me is empty as often as it is filled.
The different attendance is hardly surprising. For a League Cup, FA Cup and European match, there are vastly more tickets to shift. All bar the FA Cup will be midweek which deters those with young children and those who travel long distances. City have had so few home draws in the FA Cup recently, it is difficult to judge. Only one home draw in the Guardiola era produced a near sell out against Burnley. Even Wolves in the League Cup attracted around 51,000.
It is hardly surprising that it takes some time to build up support. City were averaging 20,000 to 25,000 crowds in the early 1990s and only had a 30,000 to 35,000 capacity stadium into the early 2000s.
Season ticket prices are likely to be hiked up unless the stadium is expanded when a price freeze will probably apply for a season or two.
TBH, neither of us or anyone on here will ever fined out the real reason why we do have empty seats at most of our home games, regardless of the amounts. Only City know the distribution of seats, season ticket holders, matchday tickets, free tickets, unsold tickets, fans not turning up, etc.
We all know season tickets have once again sold out. Which is a good thing. They will again next season. :-) What we don't know is the exact amount of season ticket holders we have. Estimates range from 44,000 to 46,000.(Johnny Ball, think of a number)
In that figure it's fair to say there are season ticket holders who can't make games for one reason or another. And there are also 'season ticket hoarders', who specifically pick and choose the games they attend. TBH I don't think there are that many of those type of season ticket holders.
However, there have been games this season where the amount of empty seats can't be put down to just season ticket holders not turning up. I think it's fair to say our season ticket fanbase is pretty loyal, and the vast majority will always make the effort and turn up. Of course there will be a % that either can't make a match for personal reasons, or can't be arsed going against the smaller teams.
The big games will always sell out.(according to the OS) It's the smaller games where we struggle to sell out, or where the empty seats are much more obvious. Those empty seats aren't specific to one stand, but they are more obvious in the North Stand, especially for a midweek game. Saying that, the NS is apparently the freebie stand, where the club allocates free tickets to various groups.(?)
I do think we struggle to sell out matchday tickets, especially against the lesser teams, and for midweek matches. I think matchday ticket prices are too high. As a season ticket holder I don't often look at matchday ticket prices, so I stand corrected on this. Only being honest. If I'm wrong I apologise. But aren't we hovering between £40 and £58 for a matchday ticket, depending on the opposition, and the game category? Obviously the club decides ticket prices in advance, regardless if the match sells out or not.
Going off topic a bit. I like watching La Liga. And I'm always amazed at the amount of empty seats at the Camp Nou. I appreciate it's difficult to fill a 90,000 seater stadium. And the current unrest in Catalonia has hit attendances. But even the likes or Real Madrid and Atletico also have large swathes of empty seats. Perhaps in Spain it isn't a big football (fan) issue, like it seems to be over here. Or are City just being targeted by opposing fans, especially the PL cartel club fans?
TBF, only the most ardent opposing fan would criticize our support. We stuck by the club for well over 30 years of winning f*** all. We pulled 30,000 in division 3. We have grown our fanbase from 18k-34k on average at MR(during my time there), to 44k when we moved to the Etihad, to 54k after the Etihad was expanded. And increase of 20k-36k fans. You can't argue with that.
Anyway.
Going back to cheaper season tickets. If the club ever expand the NS, maybe into a large single tier holding 20k+, and Safe Standing was also brought in(?), I would hope the club would offer affordable season tickets to new City fans who currently haven't got a season ticket, but want one. I think last time when the £299 season tickets went sale existing season ticket holders had first refusal on them, and any that were left over went to City fans on the waiting list. When they sold out early doors, other City fans still on the waiting list where offered more expensive season tickets but declined them. That was the rumour then, if true? Next time the stadium is expanded, I would like to see 'new City fans' get the chance to buy a season ticket first. Especially younger City fans, who currently can't get a season ticket or afford a season ticket.
Let me finish on a positive note. :-)
At least the Etihad will be full on Sunday. Tickets are like gold dust. And no City season ticket holder or matchday ticket holder will want to miss the match and the PL trophy presentation. Especially with a nice and warm day forecast, with tempatures in the early 20's. :-)
Right, off for a brew.
