Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[yammers]

Obviously missed this, that helps.  Thank you kindly…

[Percy McCarthy]

Man U tickets were announced on X 12 minutes before they went on sale. I got an email 1 minute before they went on sale.

To be fair, the date has been in the diary for ages.

That maybe however, they hadn’t announced when they would be on sale and they’re now sold out unless you fork out for hospitality!

Yes, they did. It's been at 5pm in my calendar from the Villa for ages. Bournemouth go on sale to members at 5pm on 30th. Palace at 5pm on 28th October. Brentford the week after at 5pm.

There are singles available for ManU.

https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2024/august/27/Ticketing-details-for-2024-25/

Thanks for that mate. Is there a list of sale dates for CL games that you could link me with?

[RamboandBruno]

The point I’m making is that GA tickets are cheaper than they otherwise might have been - if there weren’t any GA+ then the season ticket prices would have gone up by more.

It’s a simple model - used by many industries years.

So in other words, things are very shit, but we should count ourselves luck they are not very very shit.

My season tickets didnt go up by hundreds of pounds this year, but they still went up enough for me to question whether I can afford them with a similar rise next year, and this is on top of a few years of sharp increases.
The idea that Hecks attempts to spread corporate seating all over the ground has the knock on effect on lower season ticket prices is not true. The lower (than the last two years) hike in season ticket prices, was a PR bone thrown to the plebs to stop us being restless whilst he attempts to phase us out, unfortunately for Heck and his team, he forgot to fix the turnstiles and toilets.

[Risso]

Also unfortunately for Heck, his revamped corporate areas really haven't sold very well due to the prices being ridiculous, so in reality, he's probably trying to get more back from the plebs (as he sees them) in the Champions League tickets, not less.

[Dogtanian]

The issue I think for all the GA+ is that we are shoehorning it into areas that barely had enough space for us lot. If they're not selling, it isn't due to the fact that there is no demand for premium 'experiences' in Birmingham.

It's just not enough of an improvement to make it worthwhile people upgrading. It's space we used to have to stand in, toilets we used to have to pee in, and kiosks we used to be able to get served in - all for £70 more a bloody game.

A re-built stand designed from the outset with premium packages in mind that actually offered a great experience would tempt a lot more people in.

At the minute, GA+ is basically just the bloody service you'd expect to be get at your existing ticket price point.

[London Villan]

Looks like there are plenty of the premium seat left for the Everton match - £504 if you fancy the middle Trinity...

[VillaTim]

Looks like there are plenty of the premium seat left for the Everton match - £504 if you fancy the middle Trinity...

You've got to drink a lot of Morretti to justify that one

[London Villan]

Four pints should do it at Villa Park prices!

[paul_e]

The issue I think for all the GA+ is that we are shoehorning it into areas that barely had enough space for us lot. If they're not selling, it isn't due to the fact that there is no demand for premium 'experiences' in Birmingham.

It's just not enough of an improvement to make it worthwhile people upgrading. It's space we used to have to stand in, toilets we used to have to pee in, and kiosks we used to be able to get served in - all for £70 more a bloody game.

A re-built stand designed from the outset with premium packages in mind that actually offered a great experience would tempt a lot more people in.

At the minute, GA+ is basically just the bloody service you'd expect to be get at your existing ticket price point.

This is why I think a new ground is inevitable.

[rob_bridge]

Ground isn't for the large part logistically cut out for this type GA+ of thing without rebuilding. 

What do you get 2 drinks, a program, a legend spiel, and bit of nosh for £60 extra in the same seat. Not a value proposition to use business jargon.

You can maybe get away with it in the Trinity middle when Prince Wills or Tom Hanks in town, the normal fan at a normal game nope.

[Risso]

Ground isn't for the large part logistically cut out for this type GA+ of thing without rebuilding. 

What do you get 2 drinks, a program, a legend spiel, and bit of nosh for £60 extra in the same seat. Not a value proposition to use business jargon.

You can maybe get away with it in the Trinity middle when Prince Wills or Tom Hanks in town, the normal fan at a normal game nope.

Also, sticking around for an extra 30 minutes in the TV or LG after the final whistle just means you're getting to get stuck in the worst of the traffic.

[chrisw1]

I honestly don't think it had to be a new ground.  They could build the North as deep as they want to, with as many lounges as they saw fit, and have an entire middle hospitality / GA+ tier including the whole of the middle trinity and middle new North.  They could have got as much in there as we're ever likely to need, maybe adding a chunk on the half way line of the DE if ever needed. 

More to the point, with the increased capacity whilst there would have been a bit of shifting around, there would have still been plenty of seats left for standard tickets and maybe even a few more season tickets.

But as Dogtanian says, all they have really done is use the demand and lack of availability to sell over priced GA+ bullshit.  I honestly doubt they'd have sold a single seat in the 'Cells' if a standard-priced season ticket was available anywhere else in the ground for those who bought it.  I reckon it sold simply because it's the cheapest (and only) way to get a season ticket during our best time on the pitch for 40 years.

[Drummond]

It's all Unai Emery's fault. We should have kept Steve Bruce, or Paul Lambert, Eric Black, Tim Sherwood, Steven Gerrard, then we'd have had no problem at all with all this stuff.

[Chip Butty 111]

It's all Unai Emery's fault. We should have kept Steve Bruce, or Paul Lambert, Eric Black, Tim Sherwood, Steven Gerrard, then we'd have had no problem at all with all this stuff.

This is so true. The lowest for me was the 0:6 at home against Liverpool. The boy and myself, and about 1500 others stayed to the final whistle. You wouldn't have been able to give GA+ away for nothing back then

[Des Little]

Looks like there are plenty of the premium seat left for the Everton match - £504 if you fancy the middle Trinity...

Is that for the whole of the middle tier?