dave_blue12
Well-Known Member
I have been reading this thread and all the valid arguments. It got me thinking to possible solutions that might tick a few more boxes.
There has to be a fine line between making something cheaper, yet ensuring people will still attend, willing to take a hit, because it's so?
What would people think of my proposal. Tickets reduced by 30 per cent, across the board (maybe not on the £299), commensurate with where you sit in the ground?
The caveat being, the club can make an automatic surcharge of £20 per game, direct from your account, should your seat not be used for any reason.
Implemented very much along the lines of the current direct debit you hold with the club, the charges will then be added to whatever your regular monthly season ticket outgoing is.
Eg: my season ticket currently costs £600 to sit in South Stand level 3. If this were reduced by the 30 per cent it will cost me £420. I have been unable to attend or pass on my ticket about five times this season, which would equate to an additional £100 I would owe on my City season ticket account?
City's personal reduction to me (in real terms) would equate to only an £80 drop if I am able to attend the remainder of the games this season.
A little more acceptable to the club's bean-counters? The by-product being there are clearly thousands who are not able to occupy their seats 100 per cent of the time.
Rather than cheapen the product, this could surely be seen as a two-way street? The club are then seen to be lowering prices (with the headline saving being 30 per cent reductions) when it's probably going to be closer to 10 or 15 per cent, taking into account non-attendance.
I think this would also solve a few issues in the family stand on late match night, and elsewhere. The kids tickets should maybe increased to around £199 for the season, the increase there offset by the adults' own saving on their own ticket.
This would cover the cost of around five games the younger fan was unable to attend at the extra £20 a game surcharge.
Those who did manage to attend every game, are rightly rewarded with their 30 per cent reduction and perhaps also get an extra 200 loyalty points on their next season card, which would also be a better solution to the fatally flawed Platinum scheme.
Great minds and all that. This is exactly the same idea I came up with although I didn't get as far as working out the % drop and the surcharge to be levied.
Obviously I think it's a great idea ;-)