Villa Park Redevelopment

[The Edge]

We really need to get better at marketing that returned allocation in the Upper Tier when the “smaller” PL clubs return it. You’d think they’d be able to send an immediate email to members only or maybe ST and Members,  advertising it to get the message out. I realise it’s often at short notice but it would seem we need to do better.

Or here's a novel idea. They could have a kind of office where you go in even on a matchday and purchase something called a ticket so long as you can prove your identity as a Villa fan. They would probably sell out every game. Just a thought. 

[Des Little]

Seems to me that they’d rather have empty seats than sell them at anything less than full price. Heaven forbid!

[SoccerHQ]

After the Bologna game, where the attendance was 20k down on the projected new capacity, and today when there were large clusters of empty seats in the Upper Trinity, I've been wondering whether we will need the added capacity. Or whether the club will need to look at pricing again.

We have a few thousand who'd be o.k paying 400-500 quid for season tickets when more become available with 50k capacity.

What we don't have and possibly will never have unless we're actually winning league and cups in future is thousands and thousands who will just drop £60 + on individual games on regular basis.

The majority of our home support now is season ticket based compared to 20 years back so I think many don't realise how much the 2-3 tickets available for pretty much all prem games are now and so are baulking at paying it for Europa. Bologna will probably be our biggest crowd in europa before March aswell.

Was looking at Burnley game and the pricing. Again in the 2000s this would've been a Villa Value game and 15-25 quid in North Stand and Holte wings. Now the cheapest tickets in those parts are 45-47 quid and everywhere else is £50 +.

So add an extra £15 for every part of the ground for a Europa game every month and the club have miscalculated the demand which was more due to the hype of being in CL after so long away.

We are not London. We don't have thousands of tourists desperate to see a game and although we've improved significantly we're not quite at the level yet where we know we're going to be top 6 every single year so these things need to be taken into account otherwise we won't be getting above 35k in Europa until QFs.

[SoccerHQ]

Seems to me that they’d rather have empty seats than sell them at anything less than full price. Heaven forbid!

Yep if sold to an away fan in that section it would be 30 quid with a price cap. Burnley is 52 quid in P8 so assume that was the same for upper Witton for Fulham.

Had a look and Burnley seem to have taken both tiers as they are blanked out but perhaps could change in next few days.

[dave.woodhall]

After the Bologna game, where the attendance was 20k down on the projected new capacity, and today when there were large clusters of empty seats in the Upper Trinity, I've been wondering whether we will need the added capacity. Or whether the club will need to look at pricing again.

We have a few thousand who'd be o.k paying 400-500 quid for season tickets when more become available with 50k capacity.

What we don't have and possibly will never have unless we're actually winning league and cups in future is thousands and thousands who will just drop £60 + on individual games on regular basis.

The majority of our home support now is season ticket based compared to 20 years back so I think many don't realise how much the 2-3 tickets available for pretty much all prem games are now and so are baulking at paying it for Europa. Bologna will probably be our biggest crowd in europa before March aswell.

Was looking at Burnley game and the pricing. Again in the 2000s this would've been a Villa Value game and 15-25 quid in North Stand and Holte wings. Now the cheapest tickets in those parts are 45-47 quid and everywhere else is £50 +.

So add an extra £15 for every part of the ground for a Europa game every month and the club have miscalculated the demand which was more due to the hype of being in CL after so long away.

We are not London. We don't have thousands of tourists desperate to see a game and although we've improved significantly we're not quite at the level yet where we know we're going to be top 6 every single year so these things need to be taken into account otherwise we won't be getting above 35k in Europa until QFs.

As I said previously, I think a lot of our new support just aren't that bothered about the Europa. It isn't the Premier League or the Champions League so in their eyes it doesn't exist.

[SoccerHQ]

After the Bologna game, where the attendance was 20k down on the projected new capacity, and today when there were large clusters of empty seats in the Upper Trinity, I've been wondering whether we will need the added capacity. Or whether the club will need to look at pricing again.

We have a few thousand who'd be o.k paying 400-500 quid for season tickets when more become available with 50k capacity.

What we don't have and possibly will never have unless we're actually winning league and cups in future is thousands and thousands who will just drop £60 + on individual games on regular basis.

The majority of our home support now is season ticket based compared to 20 years back so I think many don't realise how much the 2-3 tickets available for pretty much all prem games are now and so are baulking at paying it for Europa. Bologna will probably be our biggest crowd in europa before March aswell.

Was looking at Burnley game and the pricing. Again in the 2000s this would've been a Villa Value game and 15-25 quid in North Stand and Holte wings. Now the cheapest tickets in those parts are 45-47 quid and everywhere else is £50 +.

So add an extra £15 for every part of the ground for a Europa game every month and the club have miscalculated the demand which was more due to the hype of being in CL after so long away.

We are not London. We don't have thousands of tourists desperate to see a game and although we've improved significantly we're not quite at the level yet where we know we're going to be top 6 every single year so these things need to be taken into account otherwise we won't be getting above 35k in Europa until QFs.

As I said previously, I think a lot of our new support just aren't that bothered about the Europa. It isn't the Premier League or the Champions League so in their eyes it doesn't exist.

We've done it the wrong way round really. If we'd qualified for Conference league-Europa-CL then Europa league would've been very well attended at whatever price.

After the glamour of PSG, Juve, Bayern Munich and even Celtic the opposition isn't currently there to attract the 10k that were happily paying 80 + quid to watch those games. It will pick up from QFs if we make them as then not far away from final and games have real jeopardy to them.

Also dosen't help the club narrative being all about the CL and what a disaster it was to miss out for PSR reasons so that also makes Europa League feel second rate.

[Villafirst]

I thought there's a waiting list of 30k plus for season tickets? I think there's been too much negativity in the close season and the start of this one. The pricing has gone too high though, couple this with the cost of living increases resulting in people pulling their belts in.

[London Villan]

I also think people don’t know. All the noise from the club has been about waiting lists, expansion, members and GA+… i’ve never seen any comms about last minute tickets.

[tomd2103]

We've done it the wrong way round really. If we'd qualified for Conference league-Europa-CL then Europa league would've been very well attended at whatever price.

After the glamour of PSG, Juve, Bayern Munich and even Celtic the opposition isn't currently there to attract the 10k that were happily paying 80 + quid to watch those games. It will pick up from QFs if we make them as then not far away from final and games have real jeopardy to them.

Also dosen't help the club narrative being all about the CL and what a disaster it was to miss out for PSR reasons so that also makes Europa League feel second rate.

Think they've just got the pricing wrong for the Europa League games.  I think most games would sell out the home allocation at Villa Park now if the pricing reflected the standard of opposition etc. 

I get that the club have got to maximise income, but I think prices to those charged for the Conference League games would have attracted bigger gates.

[SoccerHQ]

I thought there's a waiting list of 30k plus for season tickets? I think there's been too much negativity in the close season and the start of this one. The pricing has gone too high though, couple this with the cost of living increases resulting in people pulling their belts in.

We do have a waiting list. I'm not sure every single person on that list would just whack down 600 + on a season ticket at a moment's notice, probably more like 2-3k.

Again though putting one down payment on season ticket is different to paying £60 + to watch a Europa league game every month. I'm not convinced at all we have thousands wanting to pay that, certainly not the group stages anyway.

[Crown Hill]

Even in 83 I can remember our supporters calling the UEFA Cup the Losers’ Cup so it’s a natural reaction after seeing such riches the year before.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Also add in the fact that we played Bologna at home past season, so it isn't a new exciting team that we played.

[Dante Lavelli]

Even in 83 I can remember our supporters calling the UEFA Cup the Losers’ Cup so it’s a natural reaction after seeing such riches the year before.

It might be a generational thing.  Some of my favourite Villa memories are UEFA cup matches in the 90s when I was 20ish years old.  Phil King v Inter Milan springs to mind.

Consequently, I have a soft spot for the randomness of the Europa compared to the bling and predictability of the Champions League. 

[Brend'Watkins]

Even in 83 I can remember our supporters calling the UEFA Cup the Losers’ Cup so it’s a natural reaction after seeing such riches the year before.

Even in 83 and the seasons before the UEFA Cup was regarded as possibly a harder to win trophy than the EC. More games and two top teams from each strong league to contend with. If you didn’t play A Madrid team you might have to defeat Barcelona to progress for instance.

[LeeB]

Even in 83 I can remember our supporters calling the UEFA Cup the Losers’ Cup so it’s a natural reaction after seeing such riches the year before.

Even in 83 and the seasons before the UEFA Cup was regarded as possibly a harder to win trophy than the EC. More games and two top teams from each strong league to contend with. If you didn’t play A Madrid team you might have to defeat Barcelona to progress for instance.

Always remember Big Ron saying it was the harder competition to win as it usually contained that season's eventual league champions from several leagues.