Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[Marvin]

The only reason why we don’t sell out is because matchday tickets are too expensive.

Season tickets have sold out.

You can’t do anything about people not turning up.

I had to work on Sunday and my Partner and Daughter are away on Holiday.

That’s 3 seats that were empty on Sunday, but were sold.

A friend never got back to me for two of those tickets.

Didn’t think to use ticket exchange.

When the NS is expanded City will have to look at matchday ticket prices, or they will have to find an extra 6000 fans to buy affordable season tickets and matchday tickets.

There is no point in expanding the NS if seats are going to remain empty there and around the stadium.

And if Safe Standing is brought in, there will be a rush to snap up those cheaper(?) safe standing seats in the NS lower tier

But City need to make sure those safe standing seats in the NS lower tier go to fans who want to sing and to support the team.

Not to fans who want a cheap season ticket, and who have no intention of singing and supporting the team, otherwise we will just end up with another SS lower tier scenario.

How City do that, I don’t know.

Last season City averaged 54,070 which is 99% of capacity and for season 2016/17 City had over 110,000 different supporters in the home areas. ( I emphasised that stat because it reveals just how big City' match-going fanbase is, and it suggests we'd have no problem filling extra capacity).

There aren't any empty seats in the home ends other than in the corporate hospitality areas and from none-attending seasoncard holders (the proof is the average attendance figures) and that problem of absent season ticket holders affects every ground. I think perhaps Ticket Exchange has partially addressed that.

 

[Marvin]

Matchday tickets for most games this side of Christmas are sold out, the tickets available are ticket exchange tickets, and there will be some returned away tickets returned as we get nearer to some games. Some matchday tickets are too expensive some are ok at £35 to £43. As it is though it's the £54 dearer ones that sell out quickest.

From a supporter point of view, matchday prices are too expensive. But one of the functions of the Ticket Office is to maximise revenue whilst keeping the ground full so if they can sell a live game out against Huddersfield charging £45 a ticket they will do.

 

[blueparrot]

From a supporter point of view, matchday prices are too expensive. But one of the functions of the Ticket Office is to maximise revenue whilst keeping the ground full so if they can sell a live game out against Huddersfield charging £45 a ticket they will do.

Yes, I understand that, I was just pointing out the matchday prices are actually sold out more or less so the price of them has nothing to do with any empty seats, and empty seats have nothing to do with games being sold out.

 

[nmc]

Much too loud in SS3, was hard to talk.

Thought that too but didn’t want to come over as an old fart.

 

[brookes1]

Would be good if we followed something like United have done and offer cheaper tickets to Under 25s when the NS expansion happens. Surely could help with the atmosphere a bit?

 

[worsleyweb]

At some point, the rotting roof structure needs to be adressed

Hopefully that forces redevelopment decision

I built that roof

 

[Marvin]

Expansion would be great, but I hope there is also a commitment from the public authorities to improve transport infrastructure and services on matchdays.

It would be interesting to know what % of fans at a game are from Manchester. I walked back to town on Sunday. Roads were absolutely rammed with fans doing the same right up until Great Ancoats St where everyone dispersed. Transport infrastructure, buses and trams can impact on locals but if you've got fans coming from London, West Midlands, Scotland etc then I wonder how much effect transport infrastructure has. It depends on how these people travel. Are they coming by public transport or by car?

It would also help if the match day stewards were better informed. The longest part of my trip is the walk around the ground to my turnstile. Asked 2 stewards on Sunday if the away fans barrier was up (it wasn't at end of last season), and they both said I could walk right around the ground. As it happens I couldn't so there's a lot of unnecessary traffic around the ground. People walking around the ground when there's a quicker direct route. In my opinion this happens because stewarding / policing is lazy. There are very few games where you need to separate away fans from home fans - certainly not against Huddersfield. The reality is that they are mixed in 100s of places away from the ground.

 

[Saddleworth2]

I built that roof

It’s got a leak just above us. Anything you can do to fix? Maybe a couple of slates missing.

 

[Marvin]

Two priorities for the ground:

1) A working Internet connection.

2) PA System (Health and Safety risk). It should be audible all the way around the ground. There are large areas where you can't hear a word even though the volume is really loud.

 

[jrb]

Last season City averaged 54,070 which is 99% of capacity and for season 2016/17 City had over 110,000 different supporters in the home areas. ( I emphasised that stat because it reveals just how big City' match-going fanbase is, and it suggests we'd have no problem filling extra capacity).

There aren't any empty seats in the home ends other than in the corporate hospitality areas and from none-attending seasoncard holders (the proof is the average attendance figures) and that problem of absent season ticket holders affects every ground. I think perhaps Ticket Exchange has partially addressed that.

Marvin.

We could debate this for the rest of the season. But neither of us have the facts, stats and numbers regarding tickets sales.

All I can go off is the OS seat planner and the visible empty seats around the stadium and around me.

I think(know?) we don’t sell out on a regular basis. Mainly against the lesser teams. And even though it’s very good of City to do this, we also give away substantial amounts of free tickets, especially in the LT of the NS, that wouldn’t sell against lesser teams.

If tickets were priced more keenly across the board/stadium, we would sell out regardless of the opposition. Last season’s match against Burnley in the FA Cup proved that. OK, Burnley brought 6000 fans as well.

I except and appreciate City aren’t going to price the big games keenly. They will always sell out. However, for the lesser games the priority should be to fill every seat, bar season ticket no shows.

Adding an additional 6000 seats and selling them is going to stretch the sale and marketing creativity of the club.

And Pep won’t be here then. And it won’t get any better than what we are seeing now. Capacity up, product on the pitch probably down.