gullane Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 I know this has been discussed recently but I think its time all clubs got together for a serious rethink on marketing the Scottish game. Saturday was a glorious sunny day. A newly laid pitch looks like a bowling green. Jim Gannon has put together one of the best M'well sides in ages, playing attractive football. Rangers are the visitors. It was the perfect recipe for a great game of football. Yet the gate was just over 9000. Huge gaps were in both the East and DC Stands. Not all supporters are season tickets or able to attend every game. This was a game non regular Well fans should have been at. Sky telly offer good coverage, but they don't provide the atmosphere, sunshine, singing and banter. It was £20+ to get in yesterday. The evidence on Saturday was clear - that's simply too much. I propose all clubs experiment with reduced ticket pricing for a few months. At least, send a delegation over to Germany to see how the game is run there. I heard recently from a Bayern Munich fan who pays £70 for his season ticket. That includes 3 Champions League games. If we are going to lift Scottish football, then surely the best way is to attract more fans back to watch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Diggle Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Ticket prices are a huge problem Gullane. In the clubs defence they have quite rightly given the Cooper back to 'well fans (and that will take time to build up). To maximise income they felt the need to charge Rangers fans in the South and Phil O'Donnell stands £25 which in turn meant it was £25 in the Cooper. The turnout in the East and the Cooper was poor, although I'm not having a pop at anyone as £20 and above is a shocking price for a game of football that's on the telly!! Something needs to be done to take ticket prices down. There needs to be a revenue stream created by the SPL clubs to start taking the heat off the fans and reduce the ludicrous prices they're being charged at the gate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trafficlight Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Anything that gets more folk through the turnstiles can only be a good thing at any club, but is it financially viable for clubs in the SPL to offer across the board price cuts, and would it work ? I've also heard stories that prices for the top divisions on the continent are much cheaper than we pay in Britain. Can someone who is clued up about the economics of the game enlighten us ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brainier Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 I've also heard stories that prices for the top divisions on the continent are much cheaper than we pay in Britain. Can someone who is clued up about the economics of the game enlighten us ? Prices 'are' much cheaper on the continent but 'all' clubs benefit relatively equally from TV deals and not just a select one or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Yeah, for example, in Ligue 1, Nancy recieved something like 30 million euros for TV rights, madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trafficlight Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Good point about tv money, but I wonder what the excuse of the clubs is down here when Sky's last football rights package cost them over a billion quid for English football ? It amazes me that the majority of EPL stadia are still full every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobey_Dosser Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 If it was £10/£5 yesterday we still wouldn't have filled our allocation. While I wish I didn't have to fork out £20 a week and would love to saving a fair whack at a time when finances are tight, I don't think you would see much bigger crowds at FP. You also have to accept that some of our fans refuse to go and see us play the OF. Personally, I get more excited about these games more than any others but each to their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yir Elder Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 In fairness not everyone will be able to find £20 or £25 to attend a match they can watch for free at home or in the pub, especially those with families or maybe out of work. The kick offt ime might have made it awkward for others too, and remember it was £15 when we played them in November and the crowd was only 200 odd higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nethertonwellfan Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 In fairness not everyone will be able to find £20 or £25 to attend a match they can watch for free at home or in the pub, especially those with families or maybe out of work. The kick offt ime might have made it awkward for others too, and remember it was £15 when we played them in November and the crowd was only 200 odd higher. Exactly. You hit the nail on the head there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Kerse Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 I honestly think if it was a fiver for 'Well games we still wouldn't sell the place out every week. Even if we did it would bring in less money than being a third/half full at four times that price. Motherwell FC have 4500 fans who willingly go to as manu games as they can. They need to concentrate on makink sure they continue to go to as any games as they can. This doesn't and can't mean radically slashing prices but perhaps sweetening the cost of the games by just enough to make active 'Well fans think, 'yea I can go this week.' Perhaps gate entry reduced to £15 and season tickets brought down by 30 or 40 quid. Fair play to the club for the cup game as this goes along with my idea - making sure the non-season ticket holders head along to the game. That is all we need to, and more importantly can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 I think you're right. When we discussed this last season I said that we could make it free entry at Fir Park and we still wouldn't fill the place most weeks. Teams like ourselves need ticket money to survive (thanks to the unfair allocation of TV money). If we halved prices, there is no way we would double the crowds. However, there is probably a price point where we could encourage a few more punters in and still make a profit - especially if you factor in the extra cash they would spend in programmes, bovril, pies, pints in the Cooper etc. It's also great PR to reduce prices in the current financial climate. Especially for kids. I'd be all in favour of letting all kids in for a fiver (or even free at some games) until people have a few more quid to spend. Every other business out there is cutting their prices, and football should be no different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaka Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 i was in the POD yesterday and £25 for a seat that is just a wee wooden board is a fucking disgrace! im not even gonna start on the £3.40 so called cheeseburger at that hole of a "concession stand" I Took my bird to her 1st ever match at Fir Park yesterday (even she admitted at the end,shes got the Well bug now!) along with my sister and for 3 seats (that were worse than most highland league grounds ive been to) a cheeseburger,macaroni pie + a bag of crisps I was £82! and we wonder why scottish football is going down the shitter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East_Stand_Al Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 I know this has been discussed recently but I think its time all clubs got together for a serious rethink on marketing the Scottish game. Saturday was a glorious sunny day. A newly laid pitch looks like a bowling green. Jim Gannon has put together one of the best M'well sides in ages, playing attractive football. Rangers are the visitors. It was the perfect recipe for a great game of football. Yet the gate was just over 9000. Huge gaps were in both the East and DC Stands. Not all supporters are season tickets or able to attend every game. This was a game non regular Well fans should have been at. Sky telly offer good coverage, but they don't provide the atmosphere, sunshine, singing and banter. It was £20+ to get in yesterday. The evidence on Saturday was clear - that's simply too much. I propose all clubs experiment with reduced ticket pricing for a few months. At least, send a delegation over to Germany to see how the game is run there. I heard recently from a Bayern Munich fan who pays £70 for his season ticket. That includes 3 Champions League games. If we are going to lift Scottish football, then surely the best way is to attract more fans back to watch it. I'm up for being part of the delegation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 I've followed Motherwell for over 40 years, and times have changed beyond equal during that period:- Agents, Bosman, Taylor Report, Popplewell, seats, stewards, inflation, Ravenscraig, unemployment, etc., have all had a huge impact on the game in Motherwell. A pint was 33p when it was 50p to get into a mostly uncovered Fir Park. A pint is now just under £3 while it's over £20 to get into FP these days. Quite a difference in %age rise. We probably do have a hard core of 4,500(ish) and yes some do stay away when the Unsavouries visit. I used to listen with envy when my auld man relayed stories of MFC's Floodlight Friendlies and regular crowds of approaching 20,000 JB has to balance the books, and I doubt the crowd would have doubled had he asked for £10 at the gate. Things are looking up on the park, and hopefully gates will increase accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoF Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 I think the problem with these one off incentives is that the folk that go would be going to the games anyway regardless of whether it's £15 or £25. It's easy to loose touch with a football club if you stop going to the games so we need consistantly lower prices to entice the hundreds of Motherwell fans who don't go to the games anymore simply because of the financial commitment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 The problem is, whenever the club have reduced prices it has only been for a single game. It's no good doing that in my opinion. They should be looking to bring prices down on a consistent basis as that is the only way that such an idea will work. It takes longer than one week for word to get out that football is cheaper to go to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcol Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 How about £10 for all away fans who are registered to their club and hold photo Id card.We would hopefully sell more tickets and gain more revenue through sales at the kiosks, programmes etcIf this was a national promotion then all away fans would be paying a tenner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullane Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 I don't think short term marketing campaigns are the solution. As Yir Elder points out, we drew in a similar crowd the last time we played Rangers with £15 tickets. Somehow we have to promote a culture change. That can only come with a long term, financial alternative. So back to my original point - how come the Bundesliga do it? Why do all clubs - top and bottom of the league - attract big crowds? Let's get the Scottish nation back attending football as a matter of habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 They have significant sources of income outside of ticket revenues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 So back to my original point - how come the Bundesliga do it? Why do all clubs - top and bottom of the league - attract big crowds? there are 90 million people in germany. there are 5 million in scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Diggle Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 We are in a catch 22 at the moment. The clubs need vasts amount of money each year to survive and every pound is a prisoner. there's no guarantee that reduced prices significantly increase the crowd. So the clubs find themselves in the position that the have to charge excessive gate prices to balance the books. in effect we continue to live way outwith our means. The SPL need to identify a revenue source - whether its TV money or league position prize money or a levy on transfer fees - I dunno SOMETHING. And a percentage of that increasing money year on year goes on 'Admission Price Reduction' If it's something they want to do then as a business they need to start an initiative and they need to fund it. The question is is the willingness there? Year on year - they tell us things are great and they change nothing. Year on year the fans tell 'em admission prices are too high and playing each other 4 times a season is pish. My money's on them only listening after 'the big crash'. Like a few on here say regularly - bring on the big crash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 I'm not sure if anyone knows for sure, but are attendance figures higher from August through October? Paying £18-£20 to sit for 90 minutes in the freezing cold in January doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe the much touted idea of summer football should be seriously considered? I'm not sure how it would work during national tournament years though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 the highest attendances are generally boxing day and new year. probably more guys allowed out the house then. i'm not sure how much more scope there is for improving attendance. scotland already has one of the best per capita attendance rates for top flight football matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nethertonwellfan Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 I don't know but I think sitting in the frezzing cold sipping on your bovril is all part and parcel of football. Just my opinion though. Up in Inverurie I couldn't feel my feet due to the minus 45 temperatures (it felt like that) but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammyget Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Reduce prices, Summer fitba' abolish the Auld scum......Sorted!!!!!!! Come on Mr Salmond, you know it makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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