My season ticket application form landed on the mat on Saturday although I have only just seen it as it was helpfully buried beneath my beloved's shopping mail.
Each year at this time of the season I hope to be pleasantly surprised by some innovative pricing or a scheme that would capture my imagination - like a return to terracing on the Lower North (I know this will never happen but you know what I mean). The old "free season ticket offer" in the event of promotion back to the Premier League was inspired and it meant we averaged over 20,000 for our two seasons back in the Championship.
After relegation last year and the financial imperative, the club were unable to repeat the offer and last year's deal was a basic renewal with some minor early payment incentives. I didn't think the offer went nearly far enough to encourage the "will-I-won't-I's? to renew, although I conceded the point that they probably got the balance between maintaining numbers and maximising revenue about right on reflection. We have an impressive c 10,500 Season Ticket holders this year and the challenge for the club now is to repeat the trick from last season.
The offer though, is pretty much the same again although the club are using a disincentive this time in order to encourage take-up. We are now under pressure to buy early, by 31st March, in order to avoid possible price rises (in the event we end up playing in the Championship) and there is a threat that your current seat will be reallocated after 31st March if you do not buy early. This is all disappointing and more than a little disingenuous.
The fact is, we won't know which division we will be playing in next season come 31st March. So unless you renew early, you risk a price increase and the dreaded threat of someone coveting your seat. How much more can they charge for Championship football? Not much in my view if they want to sell any significant volumes post 31st March. The market probably won't bear an increase on walk-up prices, so any increase will need to be under these and by enough to encourage us to part with our money for every game in advance. I am guessing there might be a £25 premium for Championship football season tickets.
The alternative is you pays your money early in the knowledge that you will be watching an inferior side (it's public knowledge there will be a fire-damage sale) in League One next season if we fail to get through the lottery of the Play-Offs this year. If you are going to renew anyway, you might save yourself the modest post-31st March rise. However, if you don't think this much of an incentive, you can always wait, safe in the knowledge that the chances of losing your seat (especially in the East and West) are practically non-existent and hardly of any consequence in any event as you will find yourself another six feet away at worst. For those who might not fancy another season of League One football, they, of course, will have the luxury of not bothering to renew at all in those circumstances. It will be too late to rethink this should take-up during March not be great and we fail to get promoted.
The other bone of contention for me is the 5 Year VIP deal. I bought this last time around and was keen to do so again. The savings are likely to be modest with relatively low inflation likely to continue for several years at least. My motivation was being hassle-free for five years and giving the club some much-needed investment. Unfortunately, the detail of the offer casts a cloud over the deal and introduces a risk that I wouldn't previously have been too concerned about. The club's Credit Card partner won't take payment for 5 Year tickets, presumably because they will be liable to meet the cost of a refund in the event that the tickets can't be honoured over the term. Instead, it's cheques (and presumably cash) only.
I can understand this to an extent, given the situation football clubs find themselves in at the moment, but the club has done nothing to reassure fans about this and it begs the question about just how risky this is. If the club goes into Administration it would be down to the Administrator or new owners to honour previous commitments but there must be a slight concern that VIP ticket holders would be seen strictly as creditors and lose all or part of their investment. This wouldn't make good financial sense for the Administrator or new owners because there would immediately be enormous distrust from all fans, but the risk is there nonetheless. The contract for these VIP tickets is currently only being provided after you pay your money. Call me Doubting Thomas but that don't seem right to me. What's to hide?
So, unless the club makes some effort to alleviate these concerns, I won't be buying in as a VIP. The prospect of access to my own Fans Forum representative will have to wait awhile longer. In the circumstances then, I will renew after 31st March and probably closer to the start of the season. Who knows, perhaps there will be another deadline, say 31st May for post 31st March renewals that will actually offer an incentive for whatever quality of football we are likely to e served up in 10-11.
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Dave,
ReplyDeleteI think the club management know that very few of us are likely to be 'fooled' by the League One prices for Championship football line - especially based on the performances in the last month.
Clearly I have no idea what the original intentions were, but the emphasis on potentially losing your seat smacks of desperation. My feeling is that if they do go and sell my seat to someone else I will not bother with a season ticket as there will be no point. Both my Dad and I are likely to miss more home games this season than at any time since the mid 80s - and this is with the ticket already paid for. We have also rather enjoyed the days out for away games.
If they sell my (or my Dad's) seat then we are likely to miss up to ten home games next season while we go to more away games. A Saturday trip to the midlands, for example, is much more desirable than a midweek game at The Valley for the social element that we share. On top of that, as my Dad is away for most of the winter I tend to go to half a dozen games on my own. If I didn’t already have a ticket I’d probably pass on some of these. Then when he is back we could pick and choose games (including away) that fit in with his holiday plans.
As I think the club must be aware of the potential for this I think it is a bit of an idle threat (rather like last year where there were actually two deadlines to keep your seat – the second being advised after the first had expired.) I’m confident that all seats will be safe until at least June. After all, the location of ‘your’ seat is about the best incentive with a season ticket these days.
Ironically had we won three or four of the games we have failed to in the last month we could well look like firm favourites for promotion, which would have made the offer based on Championship football look all the more appealing.
Many people are upset by the club's 'buy by 31 Marsh or risk losing your seat policy' Dave. You are right, there is little or no chance of that happening but why alieniate supporters in this way?
ReplyDeleteIf you do not renew you are bombarded by letters urging you to re-think. Better to take care of your customers to start with really.
To think the club have a committee to think up these ideas! Several people have already said they will not renew if they can not have their existing seats but will not renew until after March.
Think you are absolutely spot on re the VIP scheme: in the current climate it would be financial lunacy to buy one.