Ticket Prices

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Towards the end of last season, we were attracting a less-than-impressive 250 fans to Clarence Park for home league matches, charging £8 a head.

 

That's £2,000 in gate revenue.

 

If the club were to slash prices to £6 a head, you would only need to attract a further 83 people to take the same amount in gate receipts. Those further 83 people would also contribute to extra programme, pie and pint sales.

 

Any more than an additional 83 people would be a further bonus.

 

£8 for this level of football is a joke, and as my figures prove, it is far from being hugely cost-effective to the club.

 

Give non-league football back to the people!!

 

 

[JKiF]

see sutton charging £9....

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

That'll be EFM you spot jumping over the fence then, JK!!

 

 

[JKiF]

dis-bloody-graceful!

 

 

 

not that ive ever done such a thing of course, ahem

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

I know it is not my place as not a St.Albans fan, but your suggestion Zealster makes alot of sense, once you have attracted your new fans you have them hooked. As you say, the other bits and pieces they will pay for like Prog, merchandise, Larger & Burgers will compensate.

 

They even might be able to afford to bring the kids. Potential new supporters.

 

I would of thought you could easy attract your figure of 83 plus just by simply dropping the price.

 

If the price to watch non league is widely different to League 2, they will come, but I have heard lads saying Colchester aint much more and they are football league, assume you get the same.

[Laz]

Zealster, I have to disagree: I can't see us getting another 83 people for just £2 off. The problem is the football not the entry fee.

 

[JKiF]

Laz

ur right, if the product is the business, people will buy it

 

 

sadly ours is held together with gaffa tape and a couple of paper clips

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Well you'll certainly get one extra, Laz, because I am no longer prepared to pay £8 to go to home matches.

 

Away matches - fine, because it's all part of the day out, but paying the best part of a tenner to watch that rubbish at home is unjustifiable.

 

If it was £6 to come in, then psychologically, to anyone taking a passing interest, it is a crisp fiver plus a little loose change.

 

As I've said before, £8 is psychologically double £6. (ie. it feels like a tenner rather than a fiver.)

 

And I think you would attract an extra 83+ people. I, for one, would probably never have gone to that first game against Hendon back in 1997 if the price was £8 then.

 

But in the seven years since, I have put literally thousands of pounds into that club by way of tickets, beer, replica shirts and the odd sponsorship.

 

Of course, I am thanked for all that by being banned by that spanner of a new chairman, but that is a different argument, of course.

 

 

[Laz]

The only answer to this disagreement is to try it out! Unfortunately, that is a risk. If I'm right, the club makes a loss; if you are right, we get more fans but potentially only get the same income.

 

At the end of the day, you and I discussing it on here make no difference. Until the club realises there is a problem and starts to act, nothing will happen.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing a table of season, price, league position, average attendance, for the last 10 years.

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

I do hear what you're saying, Laz.

 

However, what happens when the price next goes up?

 

As it is, on the face of it, we've lost an average of 600 fans since 1998-99 when the price was £6.

 

Okay, there are other factors that have contributed to that decline along the way, the stuff that goes on on the green bit being one of them.

 

But at this rate, the price of a ticket to a non-league football match by the year 2009 will be £10, probably higher in the case of teams like Sutton and Canvey.

 

So where ten years ago, kids and families, alongside modestly paid workers and pensioners, could come to Clarence Park as a cheap alternative to watching Watford, Spurs or Arsenal, that option will no longer be there.

 

So... I've decided to give up on home games at £8, as have a fair few other people. I know for a fact that the decline in the number of my mates coming to City has much more to do with the price than the quality.

 

By the time it's got to £10 in a few years time, there will be no-one left coming.

 

 

[Laz]

So the price has increased 33% over 5 years, that's about 5.5%, off the top-of-me-head. What is the rate of inflation?

 

I wonder how the club justifies this rise?

 

I would say the quality of the entertainment has fallen since then to about 10% of what is once was. Consider how many games you enjoyed that season compared with last!

 

I believe strongly that if we had that side now, we would still get 800, possibly more. However, that is unlikely to happen!

 

 

[Rob_the_Saint]

Ahhh, the good ol' days.

 

7-800 in the ground, an Oak tree at the Hatfield Road end, kiddies playing behind the York Road goal, beer drunk on the terraces in plastic glasses. You could watch the hockey or cricket at half-time on your way round to the other end (if not queueing up in the bar).

 

What? ticket prices? Oh yes, the League insist on a minimum of £6.50 I believe.

 

Idea no. 43 - How about a semi-season ticket? 15 games for £99 - price per game, £6.60. No, oh well... back to the drawing board.

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Ah yes! Season tickets!

 

These £200 items were just £120 only three years ago.

 

What's the inflation rate on that one, then??

 

Rob... you're right. The days of oak trees, hockey on the fields behind, and beer in plastic glasses really were part of what made it a pleasure to come and watch some local football at Clarence Park.

 

Like everything else in life, nothing remains the same forever.

 

<img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

 

 

[Laz]

The season ticket now includes friendlies and cup games. Of course in those days, we played Arsenal preseason and won the odd cup game.

 

I'd pay an extra £25 to have the oak tree back!

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Premier and League season tickets do not include friendlies and meaningless cup games.

 

Believe it or not, the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd are not arrogant enough to assume that their fans want to go and watch these second rate rubbish games.

 

 

[JKiF]

I'd pay an extra £25 to have the oak tree back!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

id pay to be allowed a beer in the ground.....

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

The FA Umbro Trophy quarter final tie between St Albans City and Boston United on Saturday 27th March will kick off at 1pm to avoid clashing with the England match. The Ryman League Premier Division club have completed the construction of high fences around the ground, bringing it up to Conference standard. Segregation barriers have been installed and these will be used for the first time for the Boston tie. Although tickets will be on sale on the day to home supporters, Boston supporters are being asked to purchase tickets in advance.

 

Advance tickets are available for home supporters at £7 (terracing) to avoid queues on the day. It is believed Boston have been allocated 1,300 tickets for the match, but would like more. Their "end" will be the Hatfield Road end which was famous for having an oak tree in the terracing. St Albans City officials had hoped to have had an official opening of their new look ground before last Saturday's match against Aldershot Town. League chairman Alan Turvey was unable to attend. The unveiling will now take place before the Enfield match on Monday 5th April.