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

[TheGhost]

I don’t really know why some people are conflating away fans and tourists. It’s not helpful.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I don’t really know why some people are conflating away fans and tourists. It’s not helpful.

Exactly.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

I was busy not being born mate, apologies for that. Does this mean I'm not allowed to take the kids to the footy then?

You're more intelligent than me so you'll know exactly what I mean.

Football has evolved and there's no going back.
Let's all be constructive and stop pretending that it only happens at the Etihad

 

[halfcenturyup]

Great post as usual Damo.

This is about the executive team's desire to squeeze every last penny out of fans, their seemingly deliberate desire to alienate the people who have supported City down the generations, their refusal (unlike pretty well every other club) to commit to published, transparent pricing at the start of the season.

If non-City fans come to this country and want to watch us, if people want to wear half-and-half scarves, I DONT GIVE A SINGLE FUCK. I care more that they may have been ripped off by a dodgy third-party site and would prefer it if they got tickets through City, either directly or via an approved agency if necessary.

One of the most dedicated Blues I know started as someone who had little interest in football and visited Maine Road as a so-called "tourist". My dad had no interest in football and I had no City supporters in my family but he took me to Maine Road and got hooked.

Soriano and his revenue-obsessed minions must have been pissing themselves laughing when they saw that 1894 survey where the majority thought oyurists/non-City fans was the biggest problem and not ticket prices.

All of this but what I really don't understand is why the executive team can't see the long-term business opportunity in reducing ticket prices in terms of securing the support of the next generations of loyal, vocal, local fans whilst simultaneously hampering other teams' long-term prospects, especially United.

I just don't get why the executives have a short-term approach to matchday revenue when we have an owner and directors renowned for their long-term vision. There is either a disconnect somewhere, or I am being too generous in my appraisal of the owner and directors.

 

[Damocles]

You're more intelligent than me so you'll know exactly what I mean.

Football has evolved and there's no going back.
Let's all be constructive and stop pretending that it only happens at the Etihad

It doesn't have to be like this though. Football has evolved to where matchday revenue is becoming a lesser and lesser part of the overall revenue model. What we will earn just from turning up to the Club World Cup this season even if we don't win a single game is more than the price of every single non-corporate ticket sold by the club this season.

I'm not even asking for something unreasonable. I'm fully onboard with City making money. All I'm asking is that instead of trying to make ALL of the money in the world, they just try to make SOME of the money in the world and make small and insignificant allowances (for them) for the people who they love to throw into their marketing pieces.

Just because this is the way it is, doesn't mean this is the way it has to be. We can change things.

 

[Marvin.]

I couldn’t agree more. It would be such an easy fix for the club to do and would make a massive impact.

I can’t stand going to games and seeing masses of the half n halfers. It really dilutes the atmosphere and makes us look like a Johnny-come-lately fan base. Having attended both the lfc and utd games this season it made me feel sick seeing those clubs badges alongside ours on a scarf. I mean, who in their right mind would buy that?

Come on City. Get rid of them and replace them with City scarves.

Yesterday I was on Deansgate and there were loads of Real Sociedad fans milling around. The children had half and half scarfs. Almost impossible to stop. But you could put a mobile shop at the bottom of the Nexen bridge and at other key points and sell City scarfs. They probably do have some mobile merchandise but I don't look for it. What I do see are traders with half and half scarfs at locations of high footfall where there is also some space.

 

[M18CTID]

Thanks mate, I'm just frustrated. Without giving a detailed family history, I'm a 3rd generation City fan and am trying to raise the 4th generation. I don't care about titles or trophies or buying Florian Wirtz, what I care about is being able to take me and the kids to the match without then having to wonder if I can afford this quarter's gas bill. I'm not interested if we're playing Real Madrid or Rotherham.

I'm freelance and work in IT mainly so I don't think I'm particularly bad off but City is becoming ridiculously expensive when you've two kids to tag along who also want the shirts and a hot dog and all the rest. City made £75 million quid last year as pure profit. Dropping prices by 10% is not going to hurt them in the slightest. It would actually make a world of difference to me though. My family has 100 years of support of this football club and I'd quite like to continue that for the 5th, 6th and 7th generations but my nephews who are in their late teens/early 20s just cannot afford to go without someone buying their tickets for them. They barely earn enough to live.

So I see this and then I see Alex and the City Matters guys representing my anger and frustration to this board of Directors who couldn't give a flying fuck about my kids support because we're "legacy fans" and instead want to sell those tickets for 3 times the price to a "tourist" so they can get their massive bonus structured pay increases by increasing matchday revenue. I see someone FINALLY willing to actually fight the club and not be scared about it. Then the OSC, which given the era I grew up with didn't exactly make the greatest first impressions on me to begin with, refuse to back them because they got sent an email. Unanimously refuse. Not one guy said "err..actually, maybe we should back these other City fans because even if we don't necessarily agree with their methods, we understand that not backing them will undermine them". And then I see the email and it's the most corporate fob off letter I've ever read and that frustration just boils. I spend half my life chasing people for money who come up with every excuse in the book before they pay, I know a fuck off letter when I see one.

Tbh I've never gone in for City politics and trusts and things like this. I'll leave that to more qualified and smarter people. I'm not interested in fan groups and splits and meetings and minutes. I'd rather give money to Gary James tbh than 1894 (no offence lads). What I NEED from this football club though is to not price my kids out of the match. That's it. I as you and many others have given a lot to City as a club and a community over the years. We didn't fuck them off when the world's most successful team was on our front door and we were watching Kevin Horlock, we backed them. We didn't fuck them off when Peter Swales destroyed the club by creating FC City of Manchester, we fought for it and we backed it. We didn't fuck them off when they moved from Maine Road to at that time a souless bowl of an athletics stadium, we backed them. We've never asked for a thing from this football club.

Here's what I need now. I need City to give me and many others a fucking break. I need them to see this economy, to see the rising prices and energy costs and inflation and think that it's okay for them to only make £50m profit this year instead of £75m and give people a fucking break. And I need someone or something or somebody to communicate that to them in the strongest possible terms and I don't care the name or affiliation of the group that is doing that.

But they won't because the secret is out. They don't give a FUCK about you. Nor me. Nor any of us on this forum. Even the people who meet with them and they gladhand and make promises towards and throw the odd free ticket or nice little prize at, THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU. They do what they need to do to buy people off so they won't cause a fuss, because ultimately they'll pretend to listen then do what they were going to go anyway.

Let me make this clear, I'd prefer to burn down that entire boardroom and the Sheikh Mansour ownership and Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne and everybody else for cheaper ticket prices. I was going before they were here, this club belongs to me more than it does to them. And if that means we go back to bouncing around the bottom half of the PL then that's fine with me too, my support of this club doesn't require success to be validated. If I can't afford to watch them with my kids any more then there's absolutely no point to any of it.

You know - I disagree with you on other topics but you've pretty much nailed it there. I think the last paragraph might be a bit OTT but I know you were speaking metaphorically on that and I get the point you're making.

We need solidarity across the various fan groups on this, not division. My criticism of the OSC was only limited to the meeting the other night. It wasn't a pop at the wider OSC community as they - not just the OSC members but also the individual branch secretaries - have been massively on board with what City Matters, 1894, MCFC Foodbanks, Trade Union Blues, etc, have been trying to achieve for our wider fanbase. I also don't expect the OSC to be as militant as 1894 towards the club but I do think their stance should reflect the views of their wider membership. None of the other groups would adopt the opposite stance to what the majority of their followers/members think because if they did then there would be no point really. However, I also appreciate that those running the OSC are in a difficult position and it could be that they're worried that if they go against the club too much then those away ticket allocations might be cut so it's a tricky balancing act for them.

It's also worth noting that there's a growing movement amongst many other Premier League fanbases on this issue of ticket pricing and from the discussions I've been involved in the issue of solidarity across various fan groups crops up amongst other clubs too.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Thanks mate, I'm just frustrated. Without giving a detailed family history, I'm a 3rd generation City fan and am trying to raise the 4th generation. I don't care about titles or trophies or buying Florian Wirtz, what I care about is being able to take me and the kids to the match without then having to wonder if I can afford this quarter's gas bill. I'm not interested if we're playing Real Madrid or Rotherham.

I'm freelance and work in IT mainly so I don't think I'm particularly bad off but City is becoming ridiculously expensive when you've two kids to tag along who also want the shirts and a hot dog and all the rest. City made £75 million quid last year as pure profit. Dropping prices by 10% is not going to hurt them in the slightest. It would actually make a world of difference to me though. My family has 100 years of support of this football club and I'd quite like to continue that for the 5th, 6th and 7th generations but my nephews who are in their late teens/early 20s just cannot afford to go without someone buying their tickets for them. They barely earn enough to live.

So I see this and then I see Alex and the City Matters guys representing my anger and frustration to this board of Directors who couldn't give a flying fuck about my kids support because we're "legacy fans" and instead want to sell those tickets for 3 times the price to a "tourist" so they can get their massive bonus structured pay increases by increasing matchday revenue. I see someone FINALLY willing to actually fight the club and not be scared about it. Then the OSC, which given the era I grew up with didn't exactly make the greatest first impressions on me to begin with, refuse to back them because they got sent an email. Unanimously refuse. Not one guy said "err..actually, maybe we should back these other City fans because even if we don't necessarily agree with their methods, we understand that not backing them will undermine them". And then I see the email and it's the most corporate fob off letter I've ever read and that frustration just boils. I spend half my life chasing people for money who come up with every excuse in the book before they pay, I know a fuck off letter when I see one.

Tbh I've never gone in for City politics and trusts and things like this. I'll leave that to more qualified and smarter people. I'm not interested in fan groups and splits and meetings and minutes. I'd rather give money to Gary James tbh than 1894 (no offence lads). What I NEED from this football club though is to not price my kids out of the match. That's it. I as you and many others have given a lot to City as a club and a community over the years. We didn't fuck them off when the world's most successful team was on our front door and we were watching Kevin Horlock, we backed them. We didn't fuck them off when Peter Swales destroyed the club by creating FC City of Manchester, we fought for it and we backed it. We didn't fuck them off when they moved from Maine Road to at that time a souless bowl of an athletics stadium, we backed them. We've never asked for a thing from this football club.

Here's what I need now. I need City to give me and many others a fucking break. I need them to see this economy, to see the rising prices and energy costs and inflation and think that it's okay for them to only make £50m profit this year instead of £75m and give people a fucking break. And I need someone or something or somebody to communicate that to them in the strongest possible terms and I don't care the name or affiliation of the group that is doing that.

But they won't because the secret is out. They don't give a FUCK about you. Nor me. Nor any of us on this forum. Even the people who meet with them and they gladhand and make promises towards and throw the odd free ticket or nice little prize at, THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU. They do what they need to do to buy people off so they won't cause a fuss, because ultimately they'll pretend to listen then do what they were going to go anyway.

Let me make this clear, I'd prefer to burn down that entire boardroom and the Sheikh Mansour ownership and Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne and everybody else for cheaper ticket prices. I was going before they were here, this club belongs to me more than it does to them. And if that means we go back to bouncing around the bottom half of the PL then that's fine with me too, my support of this club doesn't require success to be validated. If I can't afford to watch them with my kids any more then there's absolutely no point to any of it.

Too post mate.

Rightly or wrongly I assume that posters who defend City’s ticket prices and fan engagement on this forum have had kick backs off Danny Wilson and co. I’ve not posted that before but it’s how I feel. If Danny Doesn’t come forward with the City Matters date I will have to accept more flack on here because I don’t believe City are daft enough to rush next season’s prices out without discussion with fan reps. Mainly because there isn’t more income in it, rather than any sense of decency.

We’ve had brilliant years but I’ve enjoyed all 50 years I’ve supported us. I miss a home game approximately once a decade. I chose not to attend Newcastle at home and go to the rugby league. I’d read how City were banning fans at the drop of a hat and wanted to give it a break after a minor disagreement with a Real Madrid fan who was goading Blues. One of City’s hospitality account managers appeared (from the tier above) to tell me to get lost. Obviously, corporates live by different rules.

The Ticket Compliance Manager might be after my season card soon anyway as I help some Blues to get tickets for below face value.

Yes I agree that the OSC is out of touch with not understanding the level of anger amongst fans. That said, I’m not sure which way I would have voted if I had been at the meeting having not heard the arguments put forward. It would have been better for all the fans reps were together, even though rushing in another meeting would have been a non event as City wouldn’t have had more meaningful discussions without the data they say they need.

The biggest problem is players wages. Maybe they deserve what they get but did Phil Foden really need to hold out for another six months to get £325k rather than £275k per week.

I say City but we are really City. It’s not too late for the decision makers to make some better choices (even with PSR) that bring the fans back on board.

 

[hallsteve62]

City's attendances have literally never been so high since we were formed
Not only that, they're going to get even bigger

Oh sorry, I seem to have stumbled upon the wrong thread where everyone's yearning for a time that never actually existed or acting as though it's only City who supporters who attract dopey half-and-half scarf wearing tourists filming on their phones and not recognising that you never ever applaud the opposition

Try opening both eyes and you'll read about dozens of French supporters littered across the home end at Anfield on Tuesday

Where were all these "priced-out" supporters in the 80s when a match ticket didn't cost much more than a pint of beer and yet most clubs (including City).were thankful for a 25,000 attendance?

36 years to the day I attended a night match at Roker Park when roughly 1500 City fans were rammed into an enclosure that was probably only suitable for 1000
Absolutely frightening and then Hillsborough happened the following month

Football's come a long way, but let's stick to the problems that are specifically to do with City and the Etihad
Not issues that simply make us look idiots

You're right about the overcrowding at Roker Park that night. It was something else.

 

[Marvin.]

All of this but what I really don't understand is why the executive team can't see the long-term business opportunity in reducing ticket prices in terms of securing the support of the next generations of loyal, vocal, local fans whilst simultaneously hampering other teams' long-term prospects, especially United.

I just don't get why the executives have a short-term approach to matchday revenue when we have an owner and directors renowned for their long-term vision. There is either a disconnect somewhere, or I am being too generous in my appraisal of the owner and directors.

The business operation has been dead easy to date. It just follows the footballing success. But now that the football has fallen away, we have their first test. They should do everything possible to fill the new North Stand for every game in the first season.