Away fans / tourists in home sections

[Prestwich_Blue]

Maybe not to fully fledged away fans but definitely to tour groups, see my earlier post and the reports of others. You may consider it’s a justified business strategy but it is obviously relevant in relation to ticket pricing and availability of tickets for big games.
I do agree with you that there are many SC holders selling on their tickets for big games. Lots of regulars near me missing on Sunday.

We know the club facilitates visits from groups. I see these every game. I don't have a problem with that even though they're unlikely to be City fans. That's open and above board.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

It's very difficult to land all your points when you're limited by time and Jordan is parroting on. I thought that went better than I expected, insofar as Jordan actually agreed with some of Loukas's points (that's a result in itself). Of course, he also had to go and side with the club and clubs in general though for maximising revenues in any way they can which was quite predictable but it wasn't the hatchet job on the fans from Jordan that I feared.

Well done 1894. Not heard the interview yet due to work but it sounds like some good points were made.

 

[shnaghaicityfish]

Where I was sat the stewards were constantly informed, we had people wandering around in rag hats, Arsenal shirts and whole rows of people all cheering lustily when the scouse scored, yes there was bother because the tourists were telling everyone around them to fuck off.

You inform the stewards they have a thankless job of trying to sort it out in many cases it's the city support that ends up helping. So yes many people inform who they can, the point is that the people who are higher up don't seem to give a fuck.

The only police I saw doing anything were the ones helping rip the "Stop ripping us off" banner down, you know the important stuff?

About 6 police came into 102 with a posse of stewards and were milling about for about 5mins before appearing to escort a couple of innocuous looking blokes out. It was a bit confusing as there hadn’t been any sign of disturbance.
The only person I saw enthusiastically celebrating near me was an Egyptian guy who was wrapped in Egyptian flags and jumped up waving one of them when Salah scored. Someone grabbed his flag and chucked it away but no violence and he wasn’t chucked out. I’m certain he would’ve reacted in just the same way if Marmoush had scored. I saw him chatting to stewards at half time, presumably being given a lesson in etiquette!

 

[SkyBlueAmerican]

If you started cheering for the oppositon in the home end in Italy you wouldn't last long. Imagine wearing a Roma shirt in the Napoli end. It would be the same in South America. Some of these people are just total morons. I have watched City from home fan sections hundreds of times over the past 45 years and never had any problems because I didn't behave like a dickhead. I have no problems with genuine tourists who don't take the piss.

Agree totally.

Here in America there are loads of people that know NOTHING about football and even many of these people know that some football fans in Europe and South America have a reputation and you wouldn't want to do something stupid like wear the other team's shirt in the wrong place. Many of these people actually think attending matches is far more dangerous than it actually is.

I say this because I cannot imagine someone heading to a match and it never occurring to them "are there safety concerns of any kind? If so, how do I keep myself from being caught up in an unsafe situation?" Even in a country where fan violence isn't a big problem, you'd think they would at least do a cursory check as to what the culture is like at the particular club they're visiting.

Yet people just walk in and treat emotionally-charged matches like a day out at Disney World.

The Etihad is obviously a safe place to watch a match but you run a risk of someone taking a swing at you in ANY stadium if you're openly supporting the away team in the home end.

"Morons" is exactly right and I just don't have a whole lot of patience for people who are voluntarily stupid.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Khaldoon only knows what he's told by the people who report to him I doubt very much they are telling him how they are selling tickets he will just see the bottom line, the attendance figure and that is probably a percentage

In addition, the pro tourist strategy pre-dates Soriano. We have just become a lot more successful and popular. I recall chatting to a guy who owned a travel agency during the Gary Cook days and he said loads of travel agencies had been called in for a meeting with City to boost tourist numbers.

 

[SkyBlueAmerican]

In addition, the pro tourist strategy pre-dates Soriano. We have just become a lot more successful and popular. I recall chatting to a guy who owned a travel agency during the Gary Cook days and he said loads of travel agencies had been called in for a meeting with City to boost tourist numbers.

One thing I wonder about though is WHY this has continued for so long.

As big as the Premier League's global TV deals are, along with how much money the club make from sponsorships, merchandise, and licensing, how much does matchday gate revenue REALLY make a difference to City anymore?

I have a very hard time believing that lowering ticket prices and making sure more tickets end up in the hands of long-time City fan will hurt the club's bottom line in any significant way.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

You probably won't find a more racist crowd than Leeds United, bar Millwall.

God forbid Leeds get promoted and the club starts syphoning off hundreds of tickets to tourists from around the world wearing half and half Leeds United and Manchester United FRIENDSHIP scarfs when they play each other next season.

Yer missed out this essential word, jrb. Yer just don't see true friendship until the Rags v Leeds fixture turns up.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

One thing I wonder about though is WHY this has continued for so long.

As big as the Premier League's global TV deals are, along with how much money the club make from sponsorships, merchandise, and licensing, how much does matchday gate revenue REALLY make a difference to City anymore?

I have a very hard time believing that lowering ticket prices and making sure more tickets end up in the hands of long-time City fan will hurt the club's bottom line in any significant way.

Seemingly every club has a similar issue but ultimately for us the tourists fill them seats and are needed to. We have a solid core but if we did not have the tourists we would have lots of empties, not so much for games like Sunday but in general

 

[mexico1970]

One thing I wonder about though is WHY this has continued for so long.

As big as the Premier League's global TV deals are, along with how much money the club make from sponsorships, merchandise, and licensing, how much does matchday gate revenue REALLY make a difference to City anymore?

I have a very hard time believing that lowering ticket prices and making sure more tickets end up in the hands of long-time City fan will hurt the club's bottom line in any significant way.

Simply put it's for exposure, it's to push the brand far and wide so that profits can be made elsewhere through sponsorships and foreign memberships.

We really are a business now, we could soon drop the pretence and remove the word "Football" from the clubs literature and publications.

 

[paulchapo]

Seemingly every club has a similar issue but ultimately for us the tourists fill them seats and are needed to. We have a solid core but if we did not have the tourists we would have lots of empties, not so much for games like Sunday but in general

Yes and no. The glamour games will always sell out but against lesser sides not so much. Of course if you're a tourist visiting the area and fancy taking in a game and it's say Brentford or Fulham then they might pick a ticket up easier, so filling a few seats. Surely selling more season tickets would be a better option? If the season ticket holder can't attend the club has the money. If it gets sold on the seat exchange the seat is filled and even after refunding the season card holder the club has made a few bob on top as well.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

Seemingly every club has a similar issue but ultimately for us the tourists fill them seats and are needed to. We have a solid core but if we did not have the tourists we would have lots of empties, not so much for games like Sunday but in general

Because in a variety of ways over may years the club has manged to (deliberately) alienate scores of thousands of (Mancunian) City fans, whilst simultaneously blanking young, local fans.

Loads of school parties on Sunday, non with Mancunian or Northern accents !!

Fancy having a famous old club in Abu Dhabi who become the most successful and attractive in the world, and pissing off your local supporters for Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Philippinoes etc.

No, me neither !!

 

[paulchapo]

A-G-AGR-AGRO........AGRO!!!!

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

Yes and no. The glamour games will always sell out but against lesser sides not so much. Of course if you're a tourist visiting the area and fancy taking in a game and it's say Brentford or Fulham then they might pick a ticket up easier, so filling a few seats. Surely selling more season tickets would be a better option? If the season ticket holder can't attend the club has the money. If it gets sold on the seat exchange the seat is filled and even after refunding the season card holder the club has made a few bob on top as well.

Unless they sell the season ticket to an away fan like when we played Chelsea.

 

[paulchapo]

Unless they sell the season ticket to an away fan like when we played Chelsea.

Well either they had a City membership or the season card holder sold it directly to him.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

It was my dad's seat i listed it on the exchange.chelsea fan in the seat kicked out after 10 mins

Well either they had a City membership or the season card holder sold it directly to him.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

Yes and no. The glamour games will always sell out but against lesser sides not so much. Of course if you're a tourist visiting the area and fancy taking in a game and it's say Brentford or Fulham then they might pick a ticket up easier, so filling a few seats. Surely selling more season tickets would be a better option? If the season ticket holder can't attend the club has the money. If it gets sold on the seat exchange the seat is filled and even after refunding the season card holder the club has made a few bob on top as well.

But the club don't want season ticket holder, if they was available then you probably would sell out more with local fans. They want the tickets to sell as many hospitality as possible, £350 ticket but comes with a chinese in town. The club isn't remotely arsed about local fans, but even with local fans we would need the tourists a lot of the time for the complete sell out. Look at our attendances at this ground pre takeover.

 

[BringBackSwales]

As a life long match going Blue it’s genuinely sad reading this thread, and feeling the decline of our fan base from one of lifelong through and through Blues to one where our identity has been watered down by passionless half and half tourists. It feels like it has impacted us more than just about any other club, maybe because we’ve been the most successful club of the last 10 years. Maybe next time Pep wants to ask us for more passion he could instead have a word with his best pals Khaldoon and Sorriano and advise them that points on the pitch bring financial rewards far greater than those from tourist day trippers, and to set prices more realistically and do serious shit to get more passionate local Season ticket holders into the ground. I don’t blame Pep he doesn’t understand the background but his best fucking mates do. Our true heroes are 1894

 

[eyalluvitt]

But the club don't want season ticket holder, if they was available then you probably would sell out more with local fans. They want the tickets to sell as many hospitality as possible, £350 ticket but comes with a chinese in town. The club isn't remotely arsed about local fans, but even with local fans we would need the tourists a lot of the time for the complete sell out. Look at our attendances at this ground pre takeover.

Liverpool have a 25K season ticket holders cap so they can milk 35K day trippers every home game. We are following their model

 

[paulchapo]

But the club don't want season ticket holder, if they was available then you probably would sell out more with local fans. They want the tickets to sell as many hospitality as possible, £350 ticket but comes with a chinese in town. The club isn't remotely arsed about local fans, but even with local fans we would need the tourists a lot of the time for the complete sell out. Look at our attendances at this ground pre takeover.

Our attendances pre the takeover were pretty reasonable given the general standard of football on offer and the fact we hadn't won a trophy for over 30 years. Here's our first seasons figures at the Etihad.

Average home league attendance 46,245 – over 19 PL home games (3rd highest in Premier League. That was with a capacity of just under 48,000.

Sure by the time Thaksin Shinawatra had taken over they'd dropped to just under 40,000 but the football was dire, especially under Pearce. We are a different beast now.

 

[mexico1970]

Liverpool have a 25K season ticket holders cap so they can milk 35K day trippers every home game. We are following their model

Liverpool fans can't even complain anyway because they themselves aren't even English.