Not happy about the size of the increase, who would be but totally get it. We’ve been used to very small increases at worst over the ladt 10 years or more because inflation was at historically low levels. That is not the case now. Add onto top of that the disasterous impact of the lockdown policy and can see why the increase is what it is. This can be seen in real terms by the £700K+ loss we’ve made.
Financial reality is a bitch. Totally agree is not great when people are struggling with cost of living increases but that is exactly why the increase is what it is, the club are no more insulated from that cost of living increase than the rest of us unfortunately. Ben has said the increase is purely down to this and that does stake up. It’s always shocking when the reality of the current economic situation lands with a bump like this, same as when you get your next fuel bill to find it’s gone up yet again or pay at the supermarket to find your weekly shop has gone up for the 10 werk running.
Doesn’t help any of us or the club, must hinder their plan to build the fan base and increase attendances, but unavoidable I’m afraid. Agree with calls to try and be creative with pricing, but understand the economic position will not make it any easier yo do this.
Sadly I knew this would happen after the loss on last weeks report. Like majority I’m disappointed however it’s to be expected, in fairness there appears more staff around on match day that costs, we’re signing players that we’ve heard of and not from oxfords reserve team that costs too. Give the fans some cheer and effort on the pitch and I’m sure the season ticket sales will be supported, a lot will depend on the end of season run in I reckon.
I get we’re a business but I really hope we’re not prioritizing income over numbers here knowing we may lose a few but make up for that in £££. Like I said, yes we’re a business but a football club is a unique business. Numbers in bums on seats can really make that difference. We reached a record number of season tickets sold for this season and given our growing attendances, optimism on the field, purchase of the freehold etc, I’d have fully expected us to go and break that record again for next season. I think that can be used as a measuring stick as to whether these increases were the right call or not. If we don’t go on to exceed that number then we’ve absolutely missed out on a big opportunity.
The upper teir is 26 if you don’t buy in advance and pay on matchday so that’s gonna be well in excess of 30 isn’t it. There are going to be plenty of empty seats. Ridiculous
6 weeks mate I’m sure we’ll have a decent idea of how it’s going to pan out in that time.
In my house it’s 3 adults and 1 young adult this season it was 2 adult, young adult and a junior, 12 months on and it’s made a significant difference, we’ll find it somehow as it’s all we know but will mean we have to cost cut somewhere maybe our pre game pint will have to be sacrificed.
I seem to recall last season that the full price ST prices were advertised at the same time ( not sure about matchday prices), which enabled people to see the size of the discount
I wonder if they are going to hang fire on these until they know which league we are playing in?
One other thing, having thought about it, the club are saying that these increases are to cover costs based on now, rather than a war chest to improve the playing budget.
Lots of talk of the increase being above inflation compared to last year’s prices. But how does the inflation compare to last time we were in L2? Haven’t our prices been pretty static for a long time?
They have, which does make the increase seem worse.
I haven’t really thought about it in terms of inflation. There was obviously going to be an increase. It was about finding a balance between how much that increase should be and the risk of losing season ticket holders. The extra money may compensate for a loss of season tickets but if they are actually trying to build a fan base it amounts to more damage than at first glance possibly.
From what I have read on here and other social media, it hasn’t gone down too well. If we struggle over the coming month or so and the season fizzles out, they may have a problem selling the season tickets in the numbers they are expecting.
See my amalysis a bit further up the thread re long term position of Early Bird vs annual inflation since 2009.
2006/7 was our last in L2 before the current spell but don’t think we were doing EB back then so only full fat prices for STs to compare against. We don’t know what the full price will be for next season yet, but you could apply the standard inflation since 2007 to get what it should be eithout the extra clawback that is being added on the EBs. That would would show whether EBs are still good value compared to what we should be paying for an ST even without the expected hike on them.
I suppose you could argue that we have been spoiled since EBs were introduced and have made year on.year savings on what we should have paid (and I believe some people have had to pay full price at times), and it is only part of this which the club is now clawing back.
We all know though that once a price goes up due to some crisis or other, it rarely drops back down when that crisis is over. Many of you will remember when chips were, well, as cheap as chips, so that a chippy supper was part of many people’s regular weekly diet rather than an occasional treat. But a short term potato shortage one year led to a sharp hike in prices that was never reversed when they went back to regular availability in subsequent years.
I miss cheap chips. £6 or so for the same meal that cost £1.50 as a special 13 years ago! We used to get 30p cones in high school, you’d be lucky to buy a sauce sachet for that price now.
To me, they seem expensive. I wonder how a casual fan views them? Someone who just decides on Thursday or Friday that he fancies a match at the weekend is faced with £25 plus any travel costs, will that put a lot of them off? Maybe they will decide to go to a West Mid League game for a fiver, or to the pub to watch some Premier League ponces, I don’t know. It just seems a lot of money for fourth division football, if you don’t suffer from an addiction, as most of us on here do. Buy the cheapest ticket, downstairs, and you will get wet if it rains.
We need to increase our support, and capitalise on “good times” and I don’t know what the optimum price would be for that.
Thanks for this response Croddy, because you have totally missed my point. And that in itself illustrates what I am referring to.
I thought Trivela would rip up the age old Bonser era ticket model. It was an opportunity to overhaul a model that I’m not sure has worked since the early 00’s - if it ever did. Yet we are looking at all the same offers PLUS an increase and of course that’s what fans will focus on. If we had some new ticket types, different incentives etc it would shift focus. Clever marketing. It’s what I fully expected.
I cannot beleive we are looking at all the same offers from Bonser, LP and now Trivela. Americans generally know how to market products, they are industry leaders - yet all I am seeing is the tried and trusted Whalley and Mole model. Why??
The first alarm bells are now ringing for me. The biggest concern, and the question that as fans we have to ask is, have they chosen to tax that loyal hardcore - over growth opportunities.
