Seat Counters 25/26

[WARBABY]

Barcelona often have 10s of thousands unsold.

Maybe they ought to drop the price of the tickets

 

[dadnlad]

is there not a danger selling match day tickets cheaper or on a par with season ticket game price they'll upset another group of fans saying whats point of season tickets
i might be talking bollocks because i havent actually worked out how much my ticket is game by game
another issue said before all pl clubs are pissing in same pot over ticket prices it's to obvious when other clubs have same issues as us

 

[eyalluvitt]

I looked it up once I think 2 & 3 years before the takeover we had a higher average attendance than liverpool,
its bonkers the way our support gets slagged off, I am sure in recent years some Forest, Palace & Southampton fans genuinely thought they were a bigger club than us because they might have sold there share of Wembley tickets quicker than us, completely forgetting the evidence of the last 80-100 years, As I Say Bonkers :-)

Remember us and Liverpool got Port Vale and Cardiff at home in the FA cup 3rd round a few years back, same size ground, same size away following and guess who got the bigger crowd

 

[.db.]

No I didn't want them to fail! There was definitely a time yesterday where I thought we might not sell out, and I was absolutely furious about this and voiced it. However once the pep announcement came out, and they opened the criteria up we sold out, which I'm glad about.

I truly believe we've got a big enough fanbase in greater Manchester to fill a 65,000 seat stadium week in week out. But we've got to get as many people as possible into the habit of going, and I worry that the current strategy isn't enough to achieve this.

In terms of attendance growth, we peaked after the treble season. Things have been slowly on the decline since then. Anybody who pays close attention to this thread will tell you the exact same thing.

What you’re saying is not even a criticism of the club, it’s just that you care about the connection of the club to the fanbase and you know how important the core local fanbase is.

I’ve said for years that we have a Manchester-conurbation-and-surrounding-areas fanbase to fill a 65k stadium very easily every week. Tickets could easily be hard to come by at a 65k Etihad, if priced right. Yet, half of our games are a slog to sell out, and many don’t.

We expanded the stadium on the back of Pep and his 2017-2024 teams’ successes. The demand was there as we grew the countrywide and worldwide support they wanted to see the Centurions, Fourmidables, treble winners and four-in-a-row Champions. The club went down a route concentrating on ticket tout sites and tourist packages to cater for this influx of new fans but at the same time took the core local support for granted as they kept upping prices.

You can see why they did it; growing the wider fanbase while thinking the local core support would always be there. However, the core local support don’t have money trees in their back yards and thousands have fallen away from attending matches. It’s been especially hard for people with kids, seeing what other big North West clubs have set children’s ticket prices at for a long time: Liverpool £9 for juniors, United £13 for years, yet City had kid’s tickets ranging from £30-58. These younguns are the future of our support and if they are blocked from coming due to price, the future fanbase will be mostly armchair fans.

But we’re going to need these core local supporters.

Over the years, many City fans have commented on how there has been a distinct lack of ‘Manchester’ with City. There are areas of our conurbation (I live in Wythenshawe, and this area is a good example of this) where there are swathes of City fans yet, outside the online world, you wouldn’t know City existed because the club itself have no presence in the area at all. And I’d bet it’s the same in many areas across the conurbation.

At half time in a few games this season, they’ve gone to the big screen and Shauny, Dickov and Lescott are in China or somewhere watching the game at some big fan park event. Yet our non-attending locals get nothing like this around Manchester… and these locals aren’t at the Etihad because it’s been too expensive. Imagine what a Wythenshawe Park and/or Heaton Park fanzone for some select games through the season would do for priced out fans… making them feel like they haven’t just been cast aside by the club.

Over the coming years, with no Pep and a lower level quality of team to the 2017-2024 City team, we are in a precarious position and the club need to be careful. Thankfully, they took on board our protests in 2025 and our suggestions through the creation of the Citizens Trust in 2026, of doing more to help us afford to keep coming to games and to make it easier to transfer tickets to friends+family. But, with no fan movement on this, and left to their own devices, the club execs/board would probably have had two further ticket price rises and upheld restrictions, with even more fans falling by the wayside.

The priority for the club in the coming years needs to be to tap into the priced out lapsed local fanbase, with a larger stadium to fill. I know a few lads like this who just don’t bother coming to games anymore. They love the club no less than they ever did and were home+away lads with me for many years. But they have felt like, as soon as they hit their price threshold and had to stop attending, the club didn’t care about them any longer. A few of these lads never bother looking at coming to games anymore. Some still do, but only the early rounds of the domestic Cups.

We need to get into our local areas more, be more of a presence, have ideas like these fanzone screened games in local parks, think of things to get our priced out lapsed fans feeling pride in the club again that makes them want to attend games. Value Gold STs for PL games is a great thing the club do. Maybe they can introduce Value Gold Champions League STs as well? Or, at least, ticket bundles for the CL League Phase.

It’s going to be the core local support the club will need if we struggle a bit over the coming years. We’ve already seen a decline in the quality of the team while Pep has been here and it’s not outlandish to say that, after he’s gone, battles for CL spots may be the norm for a while. To get the fanbase behind this potentially lower level quality team in the stadium, we are going to need our core local support.

 

[ysmsa]

This is the thing. We could have a stadium that holds 30,000 fill it and have an enviable waiting list = great fans

60,000 95% full = Look at those empty seats they have no fans!

Just not worth arguing about. It’s only an issue with rivals when we win everything and they are left to jump around after qualifying for Europe.

How many does Everton hold? Our owners are ambitious and have done a pretty good job so far.

It's all fucking nuts mate, empty seats was never a thing. It was always about how many in.

Media driven bollocks that the fuckwits who never go to games lap up.

 

[Cobwebcat]

It's all fucking nuts mate, empty seats was never a thing. It was always about how many in.

Media driven bollocks that the fuckwits who never go to games lap up.

Good point, people used to just look at the attendance. Not sure when all that changed.

Strange people.

 

[.db.]

It's all fucking nuts mate, empty seats was never a thing. It was always about how many in.

Media driven bollocks that the fuckwits who never go to games lap up.

There is that. Our fanbase does seem to be very much like all fanbases were right through football history up to the turn of this century: huge attendances at many games, don’t sell out others.

Fluctuations from 43k to 53k depending on the game would actually be some of the best attendance figures of any club in the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s.

It’s been the growth of the PL and the influx of tourist support around the bigger clubs who fill their grounds every week in the last 20 years that have changed perceptions on this. You would get Liverpool and United getting 30k for early rounds of European competitions and 55k for the bigger games later in the season. That was normal.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that a full stadium just looks much better and feels much better to be part of. It is better aesthetically; there’s a certain beauty and visual appeal in a full stadium that empty seats just don’t hit.

In decades gone by, you didn’t notice it as much as many stands were standing areas. Whereäs, all-seaters make a difference with this. You notice a chunk of seats unoccupied, Christ you even notice just one seat on its own. Yet you often never noticed the difference if a standing stand had 15k or 23k in it.

 

[ysmsa]

There is that. Our fanbase does seem to be very much like all fanbases were right through football history up to the turn of this century: huge attendances at many games, don’t sell out others.

Fluctuations from 43k to 53k depending on the game would actually be some of the best attendance figures of any club in the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s.

It’s been the growth of the PL and the influx of tourist support around the bigger clubs who fill their grounds every week in the last 20 years that have changed perceptions on this. You would get Liverpool and United getting 30k for early rounds of European competitions and 55k for the bigger games later in the season. That was normal.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that a full stadium just looks much better and feels much better to be part of. It is better aesthetically; there’s a certain beauty and visual appeal in a full stadium that empty seats just don’t hit.

In decades gone by, you didn’t notice it as much as many stands were standing areas. Whereäs, all-seaters make a difference with this. You notice a chunk of seats unoccupied, Christ you even notice just one seat on its own. Yet you often never noticed the difference if a standing stand had 15k or 23k in it.

Plus, every game is televised, that is a huge factor.

Oh look, an empty seat at the Etihad!
Never hear it said about anywhere else.

 

[Marvin.]

is there not a danger selling match day tickets cheaper or on a par with season ticket game price they'll upset another group of fans saying whats point of season tickets
i might be talking bollocks because i havent actually worked out how much my ticket is game by game
another issue said before all pl clubs are pissing in same pot over ticket prices it's to obvious when other clubs have same issues as us

I think the adult season ticket prices at the back of the N/S stand are £425. £425 / 19 ~ £23.

So you can't really sell match tickets for < £25 but the Villa tickets were £56. So plenty of room to reduce match-day prices.

 

[dadnlad]

have villa bought local warehouse and turned it into fans zone difficult at 3 o'clock kick off on saturday becayse of rules but other days good cheap way of getting locals on board

also got to remember villa board member when they were complaining about prices said well just let someone else have a go at buying ticket .... they dont get it

 

[dadnlad]

I think the adult season ticket prices at the back of the N/S stand are £425. £425 / 19 ~ £23.

So you can't really sell match tickets for < £25 but the Villa tickets were £56. So plenty of room to reduce match-day prices.

i agree if didnt have season ticket id be finished

 

[asahartford1]

Maybe they ought to drop the price of the tickets

Maybe Barcelona should not have just spent 1.6 billion on the Stadium.
Then they could have let you in for free .

 

[dadnlad]

It's all fucking nuts mate, empty seats was never a thing. It was always about how many in.

Media driven bollocks that the fuckwits who never go to games lap up.

but that has also i guess drove club to ten game rule because of bad publicity and aslo they say dont know how true it is some buy season ticket and only go big games

i know changed rules this season for friends n family common sense

 

[ysmsa]

but that has also i guess drove club to ten game rule because of bad publicity and aslo they say dont know how true it is some buy season ticket and only go big games

i know changed rules this season for friends n family common sense

Right decision imo

 

[levets]

The game before this was not sold out.

It might have been close if Palace had brought more than 500

 

[WARBABY]

Maybe Barcelona should not have just spent 1.6 billion on the Stadium.
Then they could have let you in for free .

It's ok pal I always pay my way. Don't want anything for free or on the cheap

 

[Groke]

The likes of Villa and Leeds have got small capacities but still get empty seats - but still the consensus from the keyboard warrior anti city brigade is that these are big clubs.

 

[Always Ali]

is there not a danger selling match day tickets cheaper or on a par with season ticket game price they'll upset another group of fans saying whats point of season tickets
i might be talking bollocks because i havent actually worked out how much my ticket is game by game
another issue said before all pl clubs are pissing in same pot over ticket prices it's to obvious when other clubs have same issues as us

I have a season ticket because it guarantees my seat for the season, not because I'm worried another more casual fan might pay the same price. I also appreciate that City might want to make more on the casual fan, but 40/50% is obscene and feeds the shite we have to endure from the Emptihad cunts.

 

[Gray]

I was in that crowd of 8,015 in 1965 at home to Swindon Town, I am bloody proud of that.

There are loads of you on here that would not have been born.

 

[blueparrot]

I think the adult season ticket prices at the back of the N/S stand are £425. £425 / 19 ~ £23.

So you can't really sell match tickets for < £25 but the Villa tickets were £56. So plenty of room to reduce match-day prices.

The last game is always at the top of the price range of match tickets, don’t think I’ve paid more than £45 for any of the other games I’ve been to this season, can’t remember what I paid for tomorrows game. I have paid £68 / £69 for the last game in the couple of seasons before this one and I know it was less than that. I would guess most match day tickets next season in the back of the new stand will be in the £30-£40 range maybe £49 max for the big games.