Season Ticket Pricing as a result of Stadium Expansion

[johnmc]

There is not one person on here who, if they had a business where they knew they could get a higher price for what they were selling, would not do exactly that.

Whilst this is true for selling a single product, following a football club is more akin to using a supermarket whereby the customer can be coerced into buying additional products - kit, pies, beer etc.. You may sell your initial product at a higher price, but how much extra will that person buy and for how long. A long term supporter has already demonstrated loyalty that is still an unknown for the new buyer. Supermarkets address this through their loyalty card schemes and City do a similar thing via the points system. It's about finding a balance between retaining the very important support and generating the very important extra revenue. Perhaps the points system isn't enough any more, maybe the club need to start rewarding those fans in other ways.

You cant really compare City and a supermarket. Poeple need food and it is a competitve market. City, really, is either a supporter who can afford to go or a supporter who cant. You will get some people who go as the proce is right or whatever but on the whole its a select target customer group of City fans. Now if that customer group grows and you are albe to charge more the club, unfortunately will do that as it is looking to make money at the end of the day no matter how much we dont like looking at it that way.

What the club will want is the maximum return - If one person offered a billion pounds to be the only one watching the home games then I have no doubt that the club would do that. Loyalty means nothing when its a contest agains pound coins.

 

[jeff the alien]

Its a issue raised in most replies in this thread, so what do the club, or what should they commit to do to loyal fans? How much do the club owe loyal supporters?

In no other business would a supporter of 20 years be favoured financially over a new supporter ie if a loyal supporter is paying £500 a year for 20 years but a new supporter is offering to replace the existing supporter but pay £1,000 the new supporter gets the ticket.

In some peoples eyes this isnt right, but realistically how much do the club owe the loyal supporters. The Rolling stones put tickets up to £250 during the summer, most fans would have paid a tenth of that to see them in their early days and are now priced out. Should those fans get cheaper tickets because they were there at the start?

There is not one person on here who, if they had a business where they knew they could get a higher price for what they were selling, would not do exactly that.

Its a sad state of affairs really but football, despite a lot of people thinking it is, is no different to normal business sadly.

In a purely business sense you are indeed correct.!!!

I run my own business but ... I don't ask my " customers to stump money up to put their names on my wall or a circle on the floor ...!

I don't have a memorial garden in my business where family members of customers can pray or reflect and scatter loved ones ashes.!!

Each year I don't convince my customers that we are # together#.

Please don't misunderstand my posts I'm not a mouth foamer moaning ... I am plainly stating my personal view about the club I love .

It was inevitable as soon as we were taken over by the sheik Mansour... I have admired regularly how professional and successfully he conducts business regarding city.

We have to get used to it it will only get more expensive...!!!!

Sadly I will no longer be part of it because I along with many others will not spend £1000.00 plus to watch football.this is my personal choice and I accept that.

In short I'm trying to say we are more than just customers for most of us city has been part of the fabric of growing to where we are now.!!!!

There will be similarities drawn to Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea for monetising us...!

#together# .......... I don't think so.

 

[The Ledge]

[If one person offered a billion pounds to be the only one watching the home games then I have no doubt that the club would do that.

Funnily enough that's the price of my renewal!

 

[The Pink Panther]

Sadly I will no longer be part of it because I along with many others will not spend £1000.00 plus to watch football.this is my personal choice and I accept that.

.

You don't have to. There are much cheaper seats available

 

[chris85mcfc]

Its a issue raised in most replies in this thread, so what do the club, or what should they commit to do to loyal fans? How much do the club owe loyal supporters?

In no other business would a supporter of 20 years be favoured financially over a new supporter ie if a loyal supporter is paying £500 a year for 20 years but a new supporter is offering to replace the existing supporter but pay £1,000 the new supporter gets the ticket.

In some peoples eyes this isnt right, but realistically how much do the club owe the loyal supporters. The Rolling stones put tickets up to £250 during the summer, most fans would have paid a tenth of that to see them in their early days and are now priced out. Should those fans get cheaper tickets because they were there at the start?

There is not one person on here who, if they had a business where they knew they could get a higher price for what they were selling, would not do exactly that.

Its a sad state of affairs really but football, despite a lot of people thinking it is, is no different to normal business sadly.

In a purely business sense you are indeed correct.!!!

I run my own business but ... I don't ask my " customers to stump money up to put their names on my wall or a circle on the floor ...!

I don't have a memorial garden in my business where family members of customers can pray or reflect and scatter loved ones ashes.!!

Each year I don't convince my customers that we are # together#.

Please don't misunderstand my posts I'm not a mouth foamer moaning ... I am plainly stating my personal view about the club I love .

It was inevitable as soon as we were taken over by the sheik Mansour... I have admired regularly how professional and successfully he conducts business regarding city.

We have to get used to it it will only get more expensive...!!!!

Sadly I will no longer be part of it because I along with many others will not spend £1000.00 plus to watch football.this is my personal choice and I accept that.

In short I'm trying to say we are more than just customers for most of us city has been part of the fabric of growing to where we are now.!!!!

There will be similarities drawn to Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea for monetising us...!

#together# .......... I don't think so.

So are you saying you would rather not go at all than relocate to a cheaper seat?

Is that not just cutting your nose off to spite your face tho.

I'm not having a dig, just interested to get your opinion seems tho my seat isn't affected by this I'm trying to think what I would do. I'd find it hard to walk away, I think I would relocate for a season and if it didn't work out then consider calling it a day?

 

[Bozzie]

I would imagine that everyone of us wants to see the stadium expansion go ahead. To have a 60,000 seat stadium would be fantastic and open up new commercial opportunities inside and outside of football. The problem is if we have a larger stadium we need to fill it 19 times a season. The club has obviously decided that the way to do this is to introduce a Level 2 corporate area which will allow them to reduce prices in the new extensions. This will impact on the least number of fans, given that a large portion of Level 2 is already given over to premium seating. Personally I have my doubts that sufficient numbers will want to share the Level 2 Club matchday experience for a minimum £1150 per season. That might not be a lot at the Emirates, Stamford Bridge or even Old Trafford, but it's a completely alien concept for City where a large part of the pleasure in supporting our club is the camaraderie the fans share. The whole "corporate" scene is still something that most City fans have accepted as a financial necessity but, when it reaches that level, will still be viewed negatively and as the sort of thing that happens at clubs like United. I certainly can't see myself paying at least £400 a season more than I do now to sit having drinks and nibbles with people who I don't know, and I can't imagine any of the people who sit near me will either. At the very least, being a Level 2 Club member, would put paid to any away trips and make me think twice about Cup matches. It appears that myself and anyone else on level 2 has options, pay up, relocate to what will inevitably be a poorer seat or don't renew. So, looks like level 3 then !

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

You cant really compare City and a supermarket. Poeple need food and it is a competitve market. City, really, is either a supporter who can afford to go or a supporter who cant. You will get some people who go as the proce is right or whatever but on the whole its a select target customer group of City fans. Now if that customer group grows and you are albe to charge more the club, unfortunately will do that as it is looking to make money at the end of the day no matter how much we dont like looking at it that way.

What the club will want is the maximum return - If one person offered a billion pounds to be the only one watching the home games then I have no doubt that the club would do that. Loyalty means nothing when its a contest agains pound coins.

I'm not 100% disagreeing with your points, but I feel that modern businesses do recognise the value of retaining loyal customers and City should be no exception. The comparison with supermarkets is valid. People can choose to shop with them or not. Fans can choose to go to games (and/or buy merchandise) or not. The way to ensure they keep buying from you is to make them feel valued, or special. I think City try, but could do more. People think fans don't have a choice - they do. You can choose to not go to cup games, not buy the latest kit. Go to fewer games or not at all & watch on TV. If too many start doing this, then revenue will be hit.

Of course if one man is going to offer £1billion for a game, then the club might take it, but seriously, the club have to operate on the basis of getting as many people as they can to the stadium for each game.

 

[blueparrot]

Its a issue raised in most replies in this thread, so what do the club, or what should they commit to do to loyal fans? How much do the club owe loyal supporters?

In no other business would a supporter of 20 years be favoured financially over a new supporter ie if a loyal supporter is paying £500 a year for 20 years but a new supporter is offering to replace the existing supporter but pay £1,000 the new supporter gets the ticket.

In some peoples eyes this isnt right, but realistically how much do the club owe the loyal supporters. The Rolling stones put tickets up to £250 during the summer, most fans would have paid a tenth of that to see them in their early days and are now priced out. Should those fans get cheaper tickets because they were there at the start?

There is not one person on here who, if they had a business where they knew they could get a higher price for what they were selling, would not do exactly that.

Its a sad state of affairs really but football, despite a lot of people thinking it is, is no different to normal business sadly.

In a purely business sense you are indeed correct.!!!

I run my own business but ... I don't ask my " customers to stump money up to put their names on my wall or a circle on the floor ...!

I don't have a memorial garden in my business where family members of customers can pray or reflect and scatter loved ones ashes.!!

Each year I don't convince my customers that we are # together#.

Please don't misunderstand my posts I'm not a mouth foamer moaning ... I am plainly stating my personal view about the club I love .

It was inevitable as soon as we were taken over by the sheik Mansour... I have admired regularly how professional and successfully he conducts business regarding city.

We have to get used to it it will only get more expensive...!!!!

Sadly I will no longer be part of it because I along with many others will not spend £1000.00 plus to watch football.this is my personal choice and I accept that.

In short I'm trying to say we are more than just customers for most of us city has been part of the fabric of growing to where we are now.!!!!

There will be similarities drawn to Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea for monetising us...!

#together# .......... I don't think so.

There are perfectly good seats for half that and as a Blue member I had been all over the stadium and don't think there is a bad view in the house, and to be honest the more expensive level 2 seats are some of my least favourite because we tend to find the most moaners there.

 

[jeff the alien]

Its a issue raised in most replies in this thread, so what do the club, or what should they commit to do to loyal fans? How much do the club owe loyal supporters?

In no other business would a supporter of 20 years be favoured financially over a new supporter ie if a loyal supporter is paying £500 a year for 20 years but a new supporter is offering to replace the existing supporter but pay £1,000 the new supporter gets the ticket.

In some peoples eyes this isnt right, but realistically how much do the club owe the loyal supporters. The Rolling stones put tickets up to £250 during the summer, most fans would have paid a tenth of that to see them in their early days and are now priced out. Should those fans get cheaper tickets because they were there at the start?

There is not one person on here who, if they had a business where they knew they could get a higher price for what they were selling, would not do exactly that.

Its a sad state of affairs really but football, despite a lot of people thinking it is, is no different to normal business sadly.

In a purely business sense you are indeed correct.!!!

I run my own business but ... I don't ask my " customers to stump money up to put their names on my wall or a circle on the floor ...!

I don't have a memorial garden in my business where family members of customers can pray or reflect and scatter loved ones ashes.!!

Each year I don't convince my customers that we are # together#.

Please don't misunderstand my posts I'm not a mouth foamer moaning ... I am plainly stating my personal view about the club I love .

It was inevitable as soon as we were taken over by the sheik Mansour... I have admired regularly how professional and successfully he conducts business regarding city.

We have to get used to it it will only get more expensive...!!!!

Sadly I will no longer be part of it because I along with many others will not spend £1000.00 plus to watch football.this is my personal choice and I accept that.

In short I'm trying to say we are more than just customers for most of us city has been part of the fabric of growing to where we are now.!!!!

There will be similarities drawn to Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea for monetising us...!

#together# .......... I don't think so.

So are you saying you would rather not go at all than relocate to a cheaper seat?

Is that not just cutting your nose off to spite your face tho.

I'm not having a dig, just interested to get your opinion seems tho my seat isn't affected by this I'm trying to think what I would do. I'd find it hard to walk away, I think I would relocate for a season and if it didn't work out then consider calling it a day?

I'm going to do my best to relocate mate along with the 10 of us en block that sat together since Maine road...

.. I don't want to walk away if I can sort an alternative ... In fact it's the last thing I want to do tbh.

I just hope there's enough cheaper seats to accommodate everybody who requires them.

Ihave no idea how I'd feel knowing city were at home and I was listening on the radio or watching it on tv and I didn't have my seasonticket.

I can guess though:-(<br /><br />-- Wed Oct 16, 2013 3:16 pm --<br /><br />

Its a issue raised in most replies in this thread, so what do the club, or what should they commit to do to loyal fans? How much do the club owe loyal supporters?

In no other business would a supporter of 20 years be favoured financially over a new supporter ie if a loyal supporter is paying £500 a year for 20 years but a new supporter is offering to replace the existing supporter but pay £1,000 the new supporter gets the ticket.

In some peoples eyes this isnt right, but realistically how much do the club owe the loyal supporters. The Rolling stones put tickets up to £250 during the summer, most fans would have paid a tenth of that to see them in their early days and are now priced out. Should those fans get cheaper tickets because they were there at the start?

There is not one person on here who, if they had a business where they knew they could get a higher price for what they were selling, would not do exactly that.

Its a sad state of affairs really but football, despite a lot of people thinking it is, is no different to normal business sadly.

In a purely business sense you are indeed correct.!!!

I run my own business but ... I don't ask my " customers to stump money up to put their names on my wall or a circle on the floor ...!

I don't have a memorial garden in my business where family members of customers can pray or reflect and scatter loved ones ashes.!!

Each year I don't convince my customers that we are # together#.

Please don't misunderstand my posts I'm not a mouth foamer moaning ... I am plainly stating my personal view about the club I love .

It was inevitable as soon as we were taken over by the sheik Mansour... I have admired regularly how professional and successfully he conducts business regarding city.

We have to get used to it it will only get more expensive...!!!!

Sadly I will no longer be part of it because I along with many others will not spend £1000.00 plus to watch football.this is my personal choice and I accept that.

In short I'm trying to say we are more than just customers for most of us city has been part of the fabric of growing to where we are now.!!!!

There will be similarities drawn to Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea for monetising us...!

#together# .......... I don't think so.

There are perfectly good seats for half that and as a Blue member I had been all over the stadium and don't think there is a bad view in the house, and to be honest the more expensive level 2 seats are some of my least favourite

because we tend to find the most moaners there.

Ouch :-(

 

[oakiecokie]

Every FA cup game sold out last season due to reasonable pricing. This wouldn't have been the case if tickets had been £40+. The demand is there with sensible pricing. Larger attendance for Watford than Bayern Munich tells you a lot.

In fairness the capacity for the Bayern game was reduced by some 2000+ ,due to UEFA policies on advertising.

Yes and it still didn't sell out.

Yet the gate showed 45.021 so not many seats left out of a potential 45,500 capacity.We only sold 46,821 for the Watford game,of which 6196 were Watford supporters,making a total of 40,000 City fans were present.The Bayern game suggested that they only brought 3,000,so 42,000 were City fans !!
Always makes a better read when you have facts and figures and not just plain "made up" nonsense to try and support an argument.