Season Tickets - 2025/26 | Changes to ticket transfer this season (p101)

[Prestwich_Blue]

We see our season ticket price as the market price for a bum on a seat to watch the match.We think the club are profiteering by selling tickets at the walk-up match day prices.

The club see the match-day price as the market price for a bum on a seat. They see season tickets as a bulk buy discount, which in their mind is being abused by us letting non-ST holders use our seat.

Thats why it makes sense to have a sensible middle ground that doesn't piss either side off - flexi tickets that don't cost huge extra amounts to buy and easy to hand back to the club to sell on to "premium customers", season tickets that reflect the loyal fan base who deserve a discount price for their loyalty, support and to attract those who will do so for many years to come at prices that are affordable to all.

And that sensible middle ground does exist. They don't publish it but the club clearly operates some sort of category pricing system.

So the first stage is to publish that openly. I don't particularly like these category pricing systems but if you operate one then be open about it, as most clubs are.

Once you've done that, you can then calculate an appropriate pro-rata price for the exchange for each set of seats for each of the categories. Arsenal do this, so you'll get back more for a Cat A game compared to a B or C game. One complaint from our fans, which I think is justified, is that you get back a flat 1/19th regardless of the opposition, when the ticket might be sold for a premium price for a big game.

Then you peg matchday prices to the season ticket pro-rata price. Arsenal's matchday prices are fractionally higher than their exchange prices, which is very commendable. Liverpool's range from 10% higher at the lowest price to 28% higher at the top end. Or just apply a standard percentage, say 20%, across the board.

Contrast that with tonight where in 109 you'll get just under £47 back on the Ticket Exchange with £73 being asked full-price adult ticket, which is a 56% mark-up. For concession tickets there's a 225% mark up. That's appalling.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

My sister and nephew ( aged 19 ) wanted to come tonight lwith us,I told her over the weekend cheapest tickets are £71 and £53 18 to 21 . £ 124 for them, she just laughed.

I'm not surprised, can't you pull them a couple of here or Facebook?

 

[blue44]

I'm not surprised, can't you pull them a couple of here or Facebook?

Too late now anyhow.

 

[JCLUK]

With the price freeze announced, I wonder how they deal with pricing for the new seats in the North Stand?

Assuming they are available from mid season if it all goes to plan.

Seats there have been cheaper than the equivalents in the South Stand due to the 'family stand' pricing.

Can't see the club continuing with that somehow.

There doesn't appear to have been any information released. But I'm sure at this stage they will have a plan.

My bet would go on a money grab on the North Stand to recoup what they've lost with the price freeze.

It has been suggested that there may not be any new season tickets offered in the new stand. Hope that proves to be wrong.

 

[.db.]

What am I missing here? If you can't make 10 games, you don't need a season ticket. Get a flexi gold and have first dibs on the games you can make/want to attend.

Leave the season tickets to those who will go to more than 10 games.

But then, let’s say you get run over in August by a granny on her mobile scooter and are out of action for six months because you’ve broken your back and you miss 10 games. Even if you transfer or list your ticket each time so it’s always used and make the other 9 games, but then the club say that you’ve not attended enough games and your ST is being revoked.

What would you say then?

The issue isn’t about whether people need STs if they can’t make at least 10 games, it’s about those circumstances that crop up that are out of your control. The club would not give a shit and would revoke tickets on people in an instant.

People have STs for life, it’s not just about an individual season, but in individual seasons people might have to move to Ontario or Hong Kong for work in that one year and can’t make the 10 games. It might only happen for that one year in their life and never again, but they’d have their ST taken off them.

 

[Berberech0]

But then, let’s say you get run over in August by a granny on her mobile scooter and are out of action for six months because you’ve broken your back and you miss 10 games. Even if you transfer or list your ticket each time so it’s always used and make the other 9 games, but then the club say that you’ve not attended enough games and your ST is being revoked.

What would you say then?

The issue isn’t about whether people need STs if they can’t make at least 10 games, it’s about those circumstances that crop up that are out of your control. The club would not give a shit and would revoke tickets on people in an instant.

People have STs for life, it’s not just about an individual season, but in individual seasons people might have to move to Ontario or Hong Kong for work in that one year and can’t make the 10 games. It might only happen for that one year in their life and never again, but they’d have their ST taken off them.

Exactly this. Unfortunately last summer we lost my mum, who was the only childcare support for my brother, who has in turn really struggled to make many games this year in order to prioritise his children (rightly so!) so just like that he went from going to every home game in all competitions for the past 15-20 years, to one or two in the last season, transferring and exchanging the rest. It’s just not always an option to prioritise the football over everything else. With the new rules it’ll probably just mean we will have to give it up unfortunately

 

[waspish]

But then, let’s say you get run over in August by a granny on her mobile scooter and are out of action for six months because you’ve broken your back and you miss 10 games. Even if you transfer or list your ticket each time so it’s always used and make the other 9 games, but then the club say that you’ve not attended enough games and your ST is being revoked.

What would you say then?

The issue isn’t about whether people need STs if they can’t make at least 10 games, it’s about those circumstances that crop up that are out of your control. The club would not give a shit and would revoke tickets on people in an instant.

People have STs for life, it’s not just about an individual season, but in individual seasons people might have to move to Ontario or Hong Kong for work in that one year and can’t make the 10 games. It might only happen for that one year in their life and never again, but they’d have their ST taken off them.

Correct but city would probably want a sick note of you to prove it

 

[East Level 2]

But then, let’s say you get run over in August by a granny on her mobile scooter and are out of action for six months because you’ve broken your back and you miss 10 games. Even if you transfer or list your ticket each time so it’s always used and make the other 9 games, but then the club say that you’ve not attended enough games and your ST is being revoked.

What would you say then?

The issue isn’t about whether people need STs if they can’t make at least 10 games, it’s about those circumstances that crop up that are out of your control. The club would not give a shit and would revoke tickets on people in an instant.

People have STs for life, it’s not just about an individual season, but in individual seasons people might have to move to Ontario or Hong Kong for work in that one year and can’t make the 10 games. It might only happen for that one year in their life and never again, but they’d have their ST taken off them.

There have been many comments on here about the club taking individual circumstances into account if a fan sees fewer than 10 games due to illness etc. However I don't recall seeing anything from the club confirming this.
I agree with the basic principle that a fan shouldn't have an ST if they know they'll only see eight or nine games a season, but it's ridiculous to stipulate the minimum number of games to attend when so many are moved due to television or clashes with cup ties. - This is brought into even sharper focus with the upcoming Bournemouth game with the alternative date (should we win the semi) not being announced even though there are so few options.
As an aside; when I got through the turnstiles last night a City fan was demanding his attendance was recorded somehow as there had been a problem with his season ticket and he had to be swiped in manually.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

There have been many comments on here about the club taking individual circumstances into account if a fan sees fewer than 10 games due to illness etc. However I don't recall seeing anything from the club confirming this.
I agree with the basic principle that a fan shouldn't have an ST if they know they'll only see eight or nine games a season, but it's ridiculous to stipulate the minimum number of games to attend when so many are moved due to television or clashes with cup ties. - This is brought into even sharper focus with the upcoming Bournemouth game with the alternative date (should we win the semi) not being announced even though there are so few options.
As an aside; when I got through the turnstiles last night a City fan was demanding his attendance was recorded somehow as there had been a problem with his season ticket and he had to be swiped in manually.

The ten game rule needs to be put on the back burner given that we now know many season card holders attend a handful of home games and we have to find another 8,000 match going fans for next season.

The Blues intended to go most or all home games but circumstances got in the way should be supported and not punished.

I think there’s an argument for moving the season cards of regular non attendees a few seats or rows to make way for family groupings who could not get season cards together during our unprecedented success.

 

[mayo31]

When can we renew season tickets?

 

[zabisgod]

When can we renew season tickets?

This week apparently

 

[Mcfc1.9.8.0]

I thought renewals would be out this morning after last nights win. Thee longer they take to bring out renewals the more I hope they are thinking about what the said last week

 

[TivvyBlue]

I thought renewals would be out this morning after last nights win. Thee longer they take to bring out renewals the more I hope they are thinking about what the said last week

It's the hope that kills you

 

[eyalluvitt]

True, but the optics of that are terrible, and I believe Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon want to create a positive image around the world. That would not be possible with a stadium nearly a quarter empty. There are certain individuals in the club (one in particular) who have gone down a rabbit hole in an attempt to generate short-term revenue at the expense of everything else. I still feel there are those above who want something more substantial and long-term, and they need to get a handle on the situation.

Tourists fans filling empty seats has helped massively in the CL games but for the PL its more dependent on success, I’m sure it would have sold out if last nights win put us two points above de dippers

 

[Beaker]

Tourists fans filling empty seats has helped massively in the CL games but for the PL its more dependent on success, I’m sure it would have sold out if last nights win put us two points above de dippers

I have no objections to tourists attending matches; I welcome the fact that people from all over the world want to watch City play; it shows that we're doing well. However, the club appears to be unaware that their attendance is determined by how well the team performs. You spend all of your time chasing this demographic; when the success stops, they’re not there. It is not the basis for a stable football club.

 

[Norbiton]

And that sensible middle ground does exist. They don't publish it but the club clearly operates some sort of category pricing system.

So the first stage is to publish that openly. I don't particularly like these category pricing systems but if you operate one then be open about it, as most clubs are.

Once you've done that, you can then calculate an appropriate pro-rata price for the exchange for each set of seats for each of the categories. Arsenal do this, so you'll get back more for a Cat A game compared to a B or C game. One complaint from our fans, which I think is justified, is that you get back a flat 1/19th regardless of the opposition, when the ticket might be sold for a premium price for a big game.

Then you peg matchday prices to the season ticket pro-rata price. Arsenal's matchday prices are fractionally higher than their exchange prices, which is very commendable. Liverpool's range from 10% higher at the lowest price to 28% higher at the top end. Or just apply a standard percentage, say 20%, across the board.

Contrast that with tonight where in 109 you'll get just under £47 back on the Ticket Exchange with £73 being asked full-price adult ticket, which is a 56% mark-up. For concession tickets there's a 225% mark up. That's appalling.

As someone who has been a season ticket holder since the move to the Etihad, who lives more than 200 miles away and normally makes around twelve games a season (this season I think it will be nine with the last three games all shifting to evening) I don’t have any problem with getting 1/19 of the seasoncard back on the exchange. I’d be fine with getting nothing back as long as my seat is filled when I can’t make it. But I strongly object to the notion that I have no right to have a season ticket or that it can be taken off me if I don’t attend ten games. If I fail to make it available for those games it’s understandable but I always do. The club is in grave danger of alienating a large chunk of its long-term support and all its ticketing policies are working against that support being replaced by committed fans who’ll follow the club through thick and thin. In that Stuart Pearce season I spent six months suffering the expense and unreliability of the West Coast line to see no goals at all let alone a victory. But now my support has no value at all to the club apparently.

 

[Saddleworth2]

As someone who has been a season ticket holder since the move to the Etihad, who lives more than 200 miles away and normally makes around twelve games a season (this season I think it will be nine with the last three games all shifting to evening) I don’t have any problem with getting 1/19 of the seasoncard back on the exchange. I’d be fine with getting nothing back as long as my seat is filled when I can’t make it. But I strongly object to the notion that I have no right to have a season ticket or that it can be taken off me if I don’t attend ten games. If I fail to make it available for those games it’s understandable but I always do. The club is in grave danger of alienating a large chunk of its long-term support and all its ticketing policies are working against that support being replaced by committed fans who’ll follow the club through thick and thin. In that Stuart Pearce season I spent six months suffering the expense and unreliability of the West Coast line to see no goals at all let alone a victory. But now my support has no value at all to the club apparently.

Have you emailed @Alex - City Matters. He is compiling a list to present to the club about this ill considered proposal.

 

[Gray]

In that Stuart Pearce season I spent six months suffering the expense and unreliability of the West Coast line to see no goals at all let alone a victory. But now my support has no value at all to the club apparently.

Anybody who put up with that run and is still a season ticket holder deserves to be given life membership to the Club.

That’s you and me sorted then.

 

[Jazzyblue]

As someone who has been a season ticket holder since the move to the Etihad, who lives more than 200 miles away and normally makes around twelve games a season (this season I think it will be nine with the last three games all shifting to evening) I don’t have any problem with getting 1/19 of the seasoncard back on the exchange. I’d be fine with getting nothing back as long as my seat is filled when I can’t make it. But I strongly object to the notion that I have no right to have a season ticket or that it can be taken off me if I don’t attend ten games. If I fail to make it available for those games it’s understandable but I always do. The club is in grave danger of alienating a large chunk of its long-term support and all its ticketing policies are working against that support being replaced by committed fans who’ll follow the club through thick and thin. In that Stuart Pearce season I spent six months suffering the expense and unreliability of the West Coast line to see no goals at all let alone a victory. But now my support has no value at all to the club apparently.

I doubt the club would be cracking down on season ticket attendance if it was confident it could sell those tickets back and fill those seats. Unfortunately, as last night showed, there wont be that confidence - and that’s because resale/matchday prices are just too high. For one of the best run clubs in the world we’ve got ourselves in a right pickle - we’ve got long term ST holders whose circumstances might not allow for attendance every game facing penalties instead of being offered a flexi without a £150 tax, we’ve got people who could attend every game denied season tickets, we’ve got an 8k new stand opening and long term supporters getting fed up while football tourist interest could be ebbing away, and we’ve got thousands of young City fans in Manchester who may never see a league game in the flesh because their parents can’t justify spending £250 for 90mins out of the house on a school night. If prices weren’t getting silly and if seats weren’t being hived off to agencies then people wouldn’t feel as compelled to hang on to a season ticket they aren’t getting best use of for fear of the alternative. The common factor in all of this is price and availability - it’s having a knock on effect on everything.

 

[johnnytapia]

Sending the tickets back to the club they can't shift.

Exactly this