Stadium Expansion

[Shaelumstash]

I completely disagree. The cost of marketing to tourists who might come to one game per season is huge compared with the cost of marketing to a local blue who doesn't attend regular games, but could realistically go to every game.

You don't really need any resources to market to these matchgoers, they are already coming because they want to see the best teams/players. For instance we could probably sell 5-10000 neutral tickets for the upcoming derby (though the security of it would obviously need a very big rethink), and they'd likely go for the more expensive tickets, for me they are one step down from corporate.

City fans may not like these attending our games, but they are a money tree, they buy everything to do with the experience. We have to accept this type of matchgoer, ultimately it might even keep our ticket prices down. At the moment we don't have any room for them.

Exactly, you don't need any resources to reach the Blue members. So it makes perfect marketing and financial sense to target these people first because they will give you the biggest ROI. Common sense.

 

[Impeccable]

Not at the moment we don't. Cup attendances are poor.

Cup games are dependant on particular rounds and opposition. You'd expect, say, Bournemouth for example, at home in an early round to sell out or have a high attendance?

 

[ped]

Just a thought for those who thought it was too big. People laughed at Arsenal when they said they could get 60,000 every week for they had a capacity of 38,000 at Highbury and didn't always fill it for cup games. Now they get that 60,000 for every single league and cup game and God knows how more they could get.

A lot of people don't get tickets because it's made too difficult for them. Give them a bigger stadium, take off loyalty points/Blue Card restrictions etc and more would come.

We might not get 60,000 straightaway but we might comfortably get 52,000 for bog standard games and 60,000 for the big ones.

At the end of the day, given FFPR, if we want to stay big, we have to think big and act big. That's what our owners do.

back of the net !

 

[warringtonblue]

Playing Devils advocate here, how many people who are struggling to pay for current season cards would let them go and pick and choose their games if tickets were readily available due to the extra capacity?

 

[MCC]

I completely disagree. The cost of marketing to tourists who might come to one game per season is huge compared with the cost of marketing to a local blue who doesn't attend regular games, but could realistically go to every game.

You don't really need any resources to market to these matchgoers, they are already coming because they want to see the best teams/players. For instance we could probably sell 5-10000 neutral tickets for the upcoming derby (though the security of it would obviously need a very big rethink), and they'd likely go for the more expensive tickets, for me they are one step down from corporate.

City fans may not like these attending our games, but they are a money tree, they buy everything to do with the experience. We have to accept this type of matchgoer, ultimately it might even keep our ticket prices down. At the moment we don't have any room for them.

Exactly, you don't need any resources to reach the Blue members. So it makes perfect marketing and financial sense to target these people first because they will give you the biggest ROI. Common sense.

Social Media means that at a click of a button we reach millions of people. A local, targeted approach with fair priced tickets is the best way to go.

 

[LoveCity]

How many seats can tourists fill anyway? I mean are we ever likely to see 5,000 people fly over from Asia for one game?

IMO United's increases in attendances are only partly due to tourists, the majority of them are actually English fans who abandoned their own local teams to latch on to the United gravy train, ie. all the cockneys who come up every weekend. If we're going to get fans like these it will probably be younger ones who still haven't settled on a team.

 

[MCC]

How many seats can tourists fill anyway? I mean are we ever likely to see 5,000 people fly over from Asia for one game?

IMO United's increases in attendances are only partly due to tourists, the majority of them are actually English fans who abandoned their own local teams to latch on to the United gravy train, ie. all the cockneys who come up every weekend. If we're going to get fans like these it will probably be younger ones who still haven't settled on a team.

Yep, Focus locally, get CITC initiatives rolling, reasonable priced tickets, get the youngsters in and tap into the passive City fan market.

 

[spiny]

Just a thought for those who thought it was too big. People laughed at Arsenal when they said they could get 60,000 every week for they had a capacity of 38,000 at Highbury and didn't always fill it for cup games. Now they get that 60,000 for every single league and cup game and God knows how more they could get.

A lot of people don't get tickets because it's made too difficult for them. Give them a bigger stadium, take off loyalty points/Blue Card restrictions etc and more would come.

We might not get 60,000 straightaway but we might comfortably get 52,000 for bog standard games and 60,000 for the big ones.

At the end of the day, given FFPR, if we want to stay big, we have to think big and act big. That's what our owners do.

Stop talking sense!!!!

Not everyone can make every game. Many can only attend a handful or less a season but do not because of ticket difficulties and restrictions. Hospitality packages are often the only realistic option and five of those plus a long journey each time with possible overnights, makes a season card look cheap.

So where did all this need to sell out every game nonesense come from? 60k should be a minimum for any expansion but I suspect it will be considerably more to put us in the top rank of grounds to match and sustain the ambition on the pitch. Crowds follow success. Look at the rags attendances and matchday revenue and compare with 20 years ago.

 

[kunaguero10]

you are way out of touch if you think fans spend on average £10 at the bar each game

It was more of a general idea than an actual figure.

I imagine some people don't spend a penny and I imagine some people spend more, the point was more aimed at the fact that a lot of money will be made each game through things other than tickets, so if the club can get more fans in by selling cheaper tickets, therefore making more revenue overall, then why not? Not for league games of course as the fans are already in the seats, I was thinking more towards the early rounds of the FA Cup and Carling Cup.

Whether other people agree is up to them, doesn't bother me to be honest, I just wanted to have my say. :)

i agree, i'd rather have 40,000 seats at £10 each than 20,000 at £20 each

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Also, as for the cheaper tickets in the event of expansion, a lot of the match day revenue is made on bar sales. Say on a carling cup game, each fan spends £10 on beer. 20k fans at £20 per ticket is £400,000 on tickets and £200,000 on bar sales, making a match day income of £600,000. However, 40k fans at £10 per ticket is £400,000 on tickets and £400,000 on bar sales, making a match day income of £800,000. Now I know not everyone will buy beer and all that stuff, but you get the idea. In my opinion, if the club does expand, it makes perfect sense to sell cheaper tickets to get the bums on the seats, and they can make the money on bar sales, food, and merchandise. If ADUG have a good business head on them, and considering how rich they are I imagine they do, then they will have figured this out.

Its not even worth thinking about in terms of revenue per pint.

The current deal in place at Anfield for example means that Carlsberg pay LFC £1.5m p.a. just to have their beer in the ground.

I'm struggling to believe that. I understand that Arsenal get a million quid a year and with the extra capacity and more corporate facilities (especially on non-match days) I would hazard a bet that their beer volumes will be at least double those at Anfield.

I understand that Carlsberg and LFC have some 'istree, but the figure you quote seems to be well in excess of the market price imo.