Half-Season Ticket Prices

[rutski]

Don't see the club have any other choice, but I think they made a mistake putting up the prices this season.

Having said that, pop over to the Spurs website and check out their matchday prices.

what, the club with champions league games?

[Ad@m]

Don't see the club have any other choice, but I think they made a mistake putting up the prices this season.

Having said that, pop over to the Spurs website and check out their matchday prices.

what, the club with champions league games?

Those prices don't just apply to European Cup games though do they?

I've had a season ticket for years.  There's loads of benefits for them, as was discussed at length on the thread started by someone whinging about the 5 games deal a couple of weeks ago.

If you think you'd be better off not getting a season ticket don't get one.  The fact you have bought one implies you either don't know what you're doing or you think that's the best option for you.  The club have hardly pulled the rug from under anyone here as they've done game ticket deals and half season tickets for years.

As has been said, we're the consumer here and no-one is forcing us to hand over our hard-earned.  As with everything in life, different deals suit different people and all the club are doing is trying to cater for everyone in the best way they can.

As far as I'm concerned, if it gets more bums on seats then fair play to them, even if the fella sat next to me paid slightly less per match for the Blackpool game!!!

[rutski]

Don't see the club have any other choice, but I think they made a mistake putting up the prices this season.

Having said that, pop over to the Spurs website and check out their matchday prices.

what, the club with champions league games?

Those prices don't just apply to European Cup games though do they?

I've had a season ticket for years.  There's loads of benefits for them, as was discussed at length on the thread started by someone whinging about the 5 games deal a couple of weeks ago.

If you think you'd be better off not getting a season ticket don't get one.  The fact you have bought one implies you either don't know what you're doing or you think that's the best option for you.  The club have hardly pulled the rug from under anyone here as they've done game ticket deals and half season tickets for years.

As has been said, we're the consumer here and no-one is forcing us to hand over our hard-earned.  As with everything in life, different deals suit different people and all the club are doing is trying to cater for everyone in the best way they can.

As far as I'm concerned, if it gets more bums on seats then fair play to them, even if the fella sat next to me paid slightly less per match for the Blackpool game!!!

if you are happy with that then fair play, but next year it should be advertised as 'Buy a season ticket now! It will cost you more than if you buy it part way through the season, but hey ho, we will act on market forces!'

[Toronto Villa]

so in your world, you would never put anything on sale. The price is the price and that's it. Too bad if you missed out - right? I hope that as an extension of that you refuse to buy things that are on sale, because by doing so you've just screwed the last guy who might have paid more than you did. Oh, that's right .. doesn't work that way does it?

[pauliewalnuts]

so in your world, you would never put anything on sale. The price is the price and that's it. Too bad if you missed out - right? I hope that as an extension of that you refuse to buy things that are on sale, because by doing so you've just screwed the last guy who might have paid more than you did. Oh, that's right .. doesn't work that way does it?

I cant understand why you're so reluctant to see the point here. It really is not rocket science.

Season tickets are sold primarily on the basis that, yes, you give the club all the money up front, months before the season, but that in return, it costs you less to attend every match over the course of the season.

If you then make a series of  ticket offers during the course of the season which mean that, actually, it's either not cheaper at all, or the saving is minimal, then you put yourself in a tricky position with the people who have parted with the cash in advance.

I'm aware that a season ticket has other benefits, the prime of which is priority access to cup final tickets, but how many times in the last quarter of a century has that actually meant anything? Four times?

You can not compare it with a standard, off the shelf product which is put on sale in January, because you are asking people to pay for it in advance, and frequently that involves paying for matches you know you won't be able to attend (especially given the way Sky move fixtures around).

I understand why the club are introducing offers to shift tickets, I really do, and I do not regret giving them my 550 quid several months ago. But the fact is, these are hard times for people, which partly explains why we're struggling to shift matchday tickets, but they're also hard times for season ticket holders, and a lot of them, having struggled to find the money this season will think long and hard about whether they're going to bother next season if, on the basis of this year, they can save more money by not stumping up. They will look at what has happened this season and base their spending decision on that.

It is an extremely difficult thing for the club to do, I think, price match day tickets and offers in such a way as to attract floating supporters to matches whilst not alienating the (vitally important) season ticket holders.

I think the General has even made precisely this point on his thread in the past, but your attitude seems to be "oh well, get over it, what do you expect?" which is the last attitude a club which rarely sells its ground out can afford to take in a recession.

One final point -  and one which possibly illustrates what a delicate situation this is - we're promoting half season tickets, which actually cover more than half the season - three home games into the season. For people who bought their full season ticket shortly before the start of the season, that doesn't look too clever.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

so in your world, you would never put anything on sale. The price is the price and that's it. Too bad if you missed out - right? I hope that as an extension of that you refuse to buy things that are on sale, because by doing so you've just screwed the last guy who might have paid more than you did. Oh, that's right .. doesn't work that way does it?

I cant understand why you're so reluctant to see the point here. It really is not rocket science.

Season tickets are sold primarily on the basis that, yes, you give the club all the money up front, months before the season, but that in return, it costs you less to attend every match over the course of the season.

If you then make a series of  ticket offers during the course of the season which mean that, actually, it's either not cheaper at all, or the saving is minimal, then you put yourself in a tricky position with the people who have parted with the cash in advance.

I'm aware that a season ticket has other benefits, the prime of which is priority access to cup final tickets, but how many times in the last quarter of a century has that actually meant anything? Four times?

You can not compare it with a standard, off the shelf product which is put on sale in January, because you are asking people to pay for it in advance, and frequently that involves paying for matches you know you won't be able to attend (especially given the way Sky move fixtures around).

I understand why the club are introducing offers to shift tickets, I really do, and I do not regret giving them my 550 quid several months ago. But the fact is, these are hard times for people, which partly explains why we're struggling to shift matchday tickets, but they're also hard times for season ticket holders, and a lot of them, having struggled to find the money this season will think long and hard about whether they're going to bother next season if, on the basis of this year, they can save more money by not stumping up. They will look at what has happened this season and base their spending decision on that.

It is an extremely difficult thing for the club to do, I think, price match day tickets and offers in such a way as to attract floating supporters to matches whilst not alienating the (vitally important) season ticket holders.

I think the General has even made precisely this point on his thread in the past, but your attitude seems to be "oh well, get over it, what do you expect?" which is the last attitude a club which rarely sells its ground out can afford to take in a recession.

One final point -  and one which possibly illustrates what a delicate situation this is - we're promoting half season tickets, which actually cover more than half the season - three home games into the season. For people who bought their full season ticket shortly before the start of the season, that doesn't look too clever.

I agree completely, I applaud the club for doing what they can to fill out the ground and obviously the fact you have got a season ticket it will guarentee Wembley tickets if we get there.

Thing is, if the 4 of us (that did forked out for season tickets at the start of the season) had bought match by match tickets so far this season and used all the offers for the rest of the season, we would have saved enough money to between us to pay for Wembley tickets (if we get there) and still get tickets due to our poor season ticket sales.

I won't bother renewing next year.

[pauliewalnuts]

Thing is, if the 4 of us (that did forked out for season tickets at the start of the season) had bought match by match tickets so far this season and used all the offers for the rest of the season, we would have saved enough money to between us to pay for Wembley tickets (if we get there) and still get tickets due to our poor season ticket sales.

I won't bother renewing next year.

And regardless of the thought process you've used to arrive at that decision, whether or not they should reduce the prices etc etc etc , the point is not actually that.

The point is that you've decided that, and that lots of other people might do the same.

[Toronto Villa]

so in your world, you would never put anything on sale. The price is the price and that's it. Too bad if you missed out - right? I hope that as an extension of that you refuse to buy things that are on sale, because by doing so you've just screwed the last guy who might have paid more than you did. Oh, that's right .. doesn't work that way does it?

I cant understand why you're so reluctant to see the point here. It really is not rocket science.

Season tickets are sold primarily on the basis that, yes, you give the club all the money up front, months before the season, but that in return, it costs you less to attend every match over the course of the season.

If you then make a series of  ticket offers during the course of the season which mean that, actually, it's either not cheaper at all, or the saving is minimal, then you put yourself in a tricky position with the people who have parted with the cash in advance.

I'm aware that a season ticket has other benefits, the prime of which is priority access to cup final tickets, but how many times in the last quarter of a century has that actually meant anything? Four times?

You can not compare it with a standard, off the shelf product which is put on sale in January, because you are asking people to pay for it in advance, and frequently that involves paying for matches you know you won't be able to attend (especially given the way Sky move fixtures around).

I understand why the club are introducing offers to shift tickets, I really do, and I do not regret giving them my 550 quid several months ago. But the fact is, these are hard times for people, which partly explains why we're struggling to shift matchday tickets, but they're also hard times for season ticket holders, and a lot of them, having struggled to find the money this season will think long and hard about whether they're going to bother next season if, on the basis of this year, they can save more money by not stumping up. They will look at what has happened this season and base their spending decision on that.

It is an extremely difficult thing for the club to do, I think, price match day tickets and offers in such a way as to attract floating supporters to matches whilst not alienating the (vitally important) season ticket holders.

I think the General has even made precisely this point on his thread in the past, but your attitude seems to be "oh well, get over it, what do you expect?" which is the last attitude a club which rarely sells its ground out can afford to take in a recession.

One final point -  and one which possibly illustrates what a delicate situation this is - we're promoting half season tickets, which actually cover more than half the season - three home games into the season. For people who bought their full season ticket shortly before the start of the season, that doesn't look too clever.

my point and my frustration very simply paulie is that we are getting to the point of wanting to break everything down and microanalyzing everything to the point where everything is criticised. That good intent isn't taken at face value. If that's the way things are then we'll always be in a situation of complaining that things are never good enough, never enough, not fair etc etc. It gets tiring and old that whenever the club does anything now, a couple of posts in, if not from the start, there's someone finding fault with something.

You can't make everyone happy and I don't think the club works in a vacuum devoid of the realities of the economy. They have to be creative to get people to come and watch a pastime that we all agree is already out of hand for many people. How do you reign that back in without sacrificing the product? While we all want Villa to do well and pay as little as we can to achieve that goal, the formula simply doesn't work.

[pauliewalnuts]

my point and my frustration very simply paulie is that we are getting to the point of wanting to break everything down and microanalyzing everything to the point where everything is criticised. That good intent isn't taken at face value. If that's the way things are then we'll always be in a situation of complaining that things are never good enough, never enough, not fair etc etc. It gets tiring and old that whenever the club does anything now, a couple of posts in, if not from the start, there's someone finding fault with something.

I think that's incredibly cynical - people are just moaning because thats what they're like, they moan about everything. Ticket pricing is a pretty fundamental part of the club, it's not like people are microanalysing every little detail here.

Doesn't it strike you as pretty obvious that if you discount tickets on a match by match basis, you're going to annoy season ticket holders? It is pretty basic economics. Devalue something (the season ticket) enough by extensive competing offers, and you run the risk of struggling to sell them in the future.

You can't make everyone happy and I don't think the club works in a vacuum devoid of the realities of the economy. They have to be creative to get people to come and watch a pastime that we all agree is already out of hand for many people. How do you reign that back in without sacrificing the product? While we all want Villa to do well and pay as little as we can to achieve that goal, the formula simply doesn't work.

It isn't about "how do we make it less expensive" full stop.

It's about how you pitch match day tickets to attract as many floating fans as you can without alienating your season ticket holders.

Do you think these half season ticket and other offers will make season ticket holders think twice about renewing? You're quite right in your first sentence above, you can't make everyone happy, and the opening poster is one of the people who clearly isn't happy.

The problem is that push too far in this direction, and you're going to make a lot more people unhappy, and come May when the club needs the season ticket money to come in, it won't be there.

[rutski]

my point and my frustration very simply paulie is that we are getting to the point of wanting to break everything down and microanalyzing everything to the point where everything is criticised. That good intent isn't taken at face value. If that's the way things are then we'll always be in a situation of complaining that things are never good enough, never enough, not fair etc etc. It gets tiring and old that whenever the club does anything now, a couple of posts in, if not from the start, there's someone finding fault with something.

I think that's incredibly cynical - people are just moaning because thats what they're like, they moan about everything. Ticket pricing is a pretty fundamental part of the club, it's not like people are microanalysing every little detail here.

Doesn't it strike you as pretty obvious that if you discount tickets on a match by match basis, you're going to annoy season ticket holders? It is pretty basic economics. Devalue something (the season ticket) enough by extensive competing offers, and you run the risk of struggling to sell them in the future.

You can't make everyone happy and I don't think the club works in a vacuum devoid of the realities of the economy. They have to be creative to get people to come and watch a pastime that we all agree is already out of hand for many people. How do you reign that back in without sacrificing the product? While we all want Villa to do well and pay as little as we can to achieve that goal, the formula simply doesn't work.

It isn't about "how do we make it less expensive" full stop.

It's about how you pitch match day tickets to attract as many floating fans as you can without alienating your season ticket holders.

Do you think these half season ticket and other offers will make season ticket holders think twice about renewing? You're quite right in your first sentence above, you can't make everyone happy, and the opening poster is one of the people who clearly isn't happy.

The problem is that push too far in this direction, and you're going to make a lot more people unhappy, and come May when the club needs the season ticket money to come in, it won't be there.

and i feel the people who buy the season ticket are the ones who do not over critisize the club as we have actually put the hardest thing up as support for the club! - money!!
I know that the new i phone or i pad will not be cheaper in january if it is a roaring success. I know also that football economics completely betray the economics of normal life, exactly why liverpool fans have continued to support their club even though they can see their club shafting them in the first place. although the yanks were on paper owning the club they adore and knowing that if their continued support of the odius pair were not there,  their club will suffer more!

[Toronto Villa]

How exactly do you make it less expensive and remain competitive paulie? Especially when the game itself has no intention of participating. Wages aren't coming down and neither are transfers. I'm not trying to be argumentative. It's a genuine question.

The board have done what they can to make it "less expensive". You make it sound as though the recession is only in Birmingham and nowhere else. Somehow, with higher prices they fill out other stadiums of our main competitors. Maybe there is s fundamental problem in the area, that in England's second city we can't get close to filling either stadium on a Saturday. I'm not being cynical. I'm pointing what happens when the board tries something new or different. How about somebody come up with something better that makes everyone happy. It's not easy at all. I'd be very interested to to hear what they should have done instead.

[rutski]

How exactly do you make it less expensive and remain competitive paulie? Especially when the game itself has no intention of participating. Wages aren't coming down and neither are transfers. I'm not trying to be argumentative. It's a genuine question.

The board have done what they can to make it "less expensive". You make it sound as though the recession is only in Birmingham and nowhere else. Somehow, with higher prices they fill out other stadiums of our main competitors. Maybe there is s fundamental problem in the area, that in England's second city we can't get close to filling either stadium on a Saturday. I'm not being cynical. I'm pointing what happens when the board tries something new or different. How about somebody come up with something better that makes everyone happy. It's not easy at all. I'd be very interested to to hear what they should have done instead.

i think the point that people are making here toronto is that whilst it is great that the club trys to fill out the ground there has to be more of an incentive for the 25 odd thousand who purchase a full season ticket before the season starts with loyalty and backing with their hard earned, that it is not going to be thrown back in their faces by being cheaper if they wait until the season starts!
 Ticket prices are a personal issue but my own circumstances show that my ticket in L3 went up by £40 and because of the scrappage of the under 12 bracket to flat under 16,  my 9 year olds seat went up £80 from £150 to £230. To then be told it would have been cheaper to have waited till midseason is a little bit of a slap in the face.

[Clampy]

I've got no problem whatsoever with the club having ticket deals every so often, in fact i think the lastest 'Autuum 5' promotion and half season tickets are a great idea, although i can understand if other ST holders feel frustrated by it.

As suggested, maybe the club should do more to make having a ST more beneficial. Scrapping or reducing the £4 entry fee into the Holte Suite and Holte Pub would be a start. Maybe a £10 off voucher for the new shirt every season?

[Chris Smith]

Don't see the club have any other choice, but I think they made a mistake putting up the prices this season.

Having said that, pop over to the Spurs website and check out their matchday prices.

what, the club with champions league games?

Yep, so next time you question our prices think what it costs to fund a champions league team and whether or not you'd be happy to pay it.

It's too expensive to go to football but Villa are among the least worst.

[Chris Smith]

Thing is, if the 4 of us (that did forked out for season tickets at the start of the season) had bought match by match tickets so far this season and used all the offers for the rest of the season, we would have saved enough money to between us to pay for Wembley tickets (if we get there) and still get tickets due to our poor season ticket sales.

I'm not sure that's true, or if it is only by sitting in the cheaper seats when I presume your ST is for a place you like to sit. It's an often overlooked fact that most of the best seats, rightly, go to ST holders, leaving less choice for the casual fan or the half season ticket buyer. I also prefer going to games with more people in the ground so if this is the only way of doing it then so be it.

I can sort of see why people get pissed off if they think they're missing out but when times are hard I think the club should be applauded for trying to make tickets more affordable even if their reasons are not entirely altruistic.