Leeann D

[Guest 'Flow]

We note to say the Chief Exec will join Tam Cowan today on BBC Radio Scotland's Off the Ball show!

 

1.05pm - Should be a decent listen!

[SuperSteelman]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/radioscotland

[Brazilian]

"theres a financial reality out there that fans don't want to listen too"

 

EDIT: just to point out this was said in reference to player transfer and wages

 

Some fans listen Leeann, doesn't mean we're happy about it being us who are still being fleeced.

 

Positive on the whole so far tho', like a lot of things that have been achieved at the club since your appointment.

 

You might not be able to blame TV scheduling , but most fans that still pay into games will probably blame tv ( and gate prices in association) for the spaces around them, but I get the point that TV is there and other work has to be done to bring fans back

[Wellfan92]

First time ive listened to a full show its actually great

[Haggischomper]

When does the podcast go up? Is it next day or later tonight?

[happyslappy]

Thought she came across quite well. Would like to hear her ideas fro making the club the centre of the community? Think if we were to take this on then a move away from Fir park wuld be key to give us the facilities to get the kids in.

 

Could see lots of oportunities for sharing things with the teams round about us. Interesting times.

[mjw]

"theres a financial reality out there that fans don't want to listen too"

unemployment sky high and wage freezes everywhere and we are still expected to find £18-22 to watch sub standard entertainment,its the people running our game who don't seem able to face reality

[Richie]

Iplayer link

[underboyleheating]

unemployment sky high and wage freezes everywhere and we are still expected to find £18-22 to watch sub standard entertainment

Spot on.

The reality is that we are in the middle of one of the worst recessions in recent times. Money for football will come way down the list of priorities for good few people.

[CoF]

"theres a financial reality out there that fans don't want to listen too"

unemployment sky high and wage freezes everywhere and we are still expected to find £18-22 to watch sub standard entertainment,its the people running our game who don't seem able to face reality

 

I'm sure she's aware of that. The other unfortunate reality for us is that if we want to remain an SPL side then those are the prices the club need to charge.

[delboy]

managed to listen to most of the program and I thought she made a lot of sense

 

and glad to hear she know she has the best job in the world

[john_M_F_C]

"theres a financial reality out there that fans don't want to listen too"

unemployment sky high and wage freezes everywhere and we are still expected to find £18-22 to watch sub standard entertainment,its the people running our game who don't seem able to face reality

 

 

Halfing the price of a ticket isn't going to double the attendance though.

[mjw]

Halfing the price of a ticket isn't going to double the attendance though.

 

 

Doubling the attendance?We are going to struggle to get 5000 and we seem willing to price people out of going to matches by sticking to the 'thats the price like it or lump it' line.We hear the word loyalty a lot in football,where is the loyalty to fans who may have fallen on bad times or are we happy to turn our back on people because the £40+ monthly outlay is a luxury they can't afford/justify?

[Welldaft Mk1]

I am sure there is a lot of awareness from within the club at the stark financial reality and position many fans find themselves in. I am also sure there would be a lot of sympathy too for fans who once could afford a season ticket but cannot now because they have to prioritise where they spend their money.

 

BUT

 

Motherwell is a business and if we want to play football in the SPL they have to pay the going rate in salaries and related expenses. The majority (myself included) are clamouring for players to be added to the squad, yet the money is not really there and it would be a lot worse if they say halved admission prices.

 

Maybe they could introduce a scheme for recently unemployed - a discount of sorts. Maybe there already is one. In fact they have last season offered discounts for certain games and a reasonable price for the recent Euro games.

 

Here is the rub. If I was unemployed from next week - do you think I would get a sandwich at Greggs for any less, or the petrol to fill my car or the Sunday newspaper. People losing there jobs is a tough thing to go through... but Motherwell cannot respond by introducing wholesale reductions in ticket costs. It is business and a fact of life sadly.

[SuperCC]

People losing there jobs is a tough thing to go through... but Motherwell cannot respond by introducing wholesale reductions in ticket costs. It is business and a fact of life sadly.

 

 

I see what you are saying but if the club (and the SPL et al) dont do something soon to stop the significant downward trend in both income and attendances then there wont be a business left to operate in the next few years

[Tweed]

We played our biggest game in years in May 2008 against Aberdeen at Fir Park and charged a fiver. We got a crowd of 8,574 and this was pre-recession. I think that tells you reducing the price for Motherwell for run of the mill SPL games is unsustainable. It may seem dear but to keep the club free of the dangers of recession we need to make as much as we can out of home games. I know its unpopular and I wish we could charge less but I just do not see how it can be viable.

[mjw]

I am sure there is a lot of awareness from within the club at the stark financial reality and position many fans find themselves in. I am also sure there would be a lot of sympathy too for fans who once could afford a season ticket but cannot now because they have to prioritise where they spend their money.

 

BUT

 

Motherwell is a business and if we want to play football in the SPL they have to pay the going rate in salaries and related expenses. The majority (myself included) are clamouring for players to be added to the squad, yet the money is not really there and it would be a lot worse if they say halved admission prices.

 

Maybe they could introduce a scheme for recently unemployed - a discount of sorts. Maybe there already is one. In fact they have last season offered discounts for certain games and a reasonable price for the recent Euro games.

 

Here is the rub. If I was unemployed from next week - do you think I would get a sandwich at Greggs for any less, or the petrol to fill my car or the Sunday newspaper. People losing there jobs is a tough thing to go through... but Motherwell cannot respond by introducing wholesale reductions in ticket costs. It is business and a fact of life sadly.

 

If you were unemployed you would probably shop around for the cheaper sandwich/petrol/paper but football fans are screwed over because of the loyalty they have for their club.The last two home games were only slightly cheaper but saw slight increases in attendances for some people just saving three pound is incentive enough to go to the match.As for motherwell being a business,the comany i work for made 100 people redundant and have refused to even discuss a wage rise for the past two years but football clubs seem to immune from all of this.

[john_M_F_C]

If you were unemployed you would probably shop around for the cheaper sandwich/petrol/paper but football fans are screwed over because of the loyalty they have for their club.The last two home games were only slightly cheaper but saw slight increases in attendances for some people just saving three pound is incentive enough to go to the match.As for motherwell being a business,the comany i work for made 100 people redundant and have refused to even discuss a wage rise for the past two years but football clubs seem to immune from all of this.

 

 

The last 2 home games were: against Hibs for a european place and against a team in Europe after winning a European place. Of course the attendance may be a bit higher, the 2008 game against Aberdeen likewise. But likes of the game at the end of January against St. Mirren won't be a busy game, regardles of pricing. More fans will turn out for bigger games. Slashing ticket prices would be a nice gesture if we could afford it, but at the moment I don't think we can.

[marty]

+ 1

[Welldaft Mk1]

If you were unemployed you would probably shop around for the cheaper sandwich/petrol/paper but football fans are screwed over because of the loyalty they have for their club.The last two home games were only slightly cheaper but saw slight increases in attendances for some people just saving three pound is incentive enough to go to the match.As for motherwell being a business,the comany i work for made 100 people redundant and have refused to even discuss a wage rise for the past two years but football clubs seem to immune from all of this.

 

I am not sure they are mjw. Sure ticket prices have remained fairly high and at some clubs have increased. But most clubs have kept season ticket prices static for the past 2-3 seasons.

 

In addition there are probably many people who HAVE been made redundant at football clubs as crowds and revenue drop. This includes professional footballers. Those at the top are ok, but there is no longer a reserve league for example and more pros are not finding a team and looking to leave the game as they no other option.

 

So to say football clubs are immune is not IMHO strictly true.

[maxywell]

It stats with the players,they are the biggest cost to the teams and unless there was a big reduction in wages no team would risk admin or worse to please the fans.they like most are in a lose/lose,reduce prices and gain a few 1000 extra on the atts but lose money and get worse on the pitch or take the slight reduction in atts and come up with the odd incentive to to get the occasional decent att.those who run the clubs are smart folk(most of them) and they will have thought of everything that would be mentioned on a messageboard so they obviously don't see it making a difference or being in the long term interest of the clubs.imo we ask for loyalty from the club but they are doing the best they can so we need to show them some loyalty and for those who can't afford to go regularly then you'll just have to pick and choose what games you go to and i'm sure if your that short on money then football isn't the biggest worry.so imo the only real way that any club can reduce prices without making huge losses is to lower wage bills and since most players are greedy bastards that's not gonnae happen any time soon so we'll just have to put up with it.

[mjw]

Apart from Hibs i can't think of an SPL club that could be classed as well run, any other type of business that ran up debts similar to Rangers Kilmarnock Aberdeen etc would be out the game.The words halving and slashing keep getting used about gate prices, i don't believe we need to go to those extremes, the three quid difference i mentioned previously is surely not going to put us in dire straits.

[Guest 'Flow]

As for motherwell being a business,the comany i work for made 100 people redundant and have refused to even discuss a wage rise for the past two years but football clubs seem to immune from all of this.

I don't agree with your point at all mate... Motherwell Football Club has been hit, and hit badly by the downturn, both the global economic, and the general downturn in Scottish Football in the last five to ten years.

 

Without wanting to delve too much into things (because it's a personal and private matter for those involved), Motherwell FC has had to make a number of people redundant (as well as restructure in several areas) in the past twelve months and it's not a nice experience for anyone. Similarly, other football clubs in the SPL (some more than others it has to be said), are having to further cut their cloth which has seen many good people lose their jobs!

 

That's why you've seen a large number of players leave clubs and very few brought in to replace them (generally speaking).

 

Football, and Motherwell FC, has been far from immune I am afraid.

[maxywell]

Apart from Hibs i can't think of an SPL club that could be classed as well run, any other type of business that ran up debts similar to Rangers Kilmarnock Aberdeen etc would be out the game.The words halving and slashing keep getting used about gate prices, i don't believe we need to go to those extremes, the three quid difference i mentioned previously is surely not going to put us in dire straits.

 

that could be £10,000-£15,000 a game and would it really make much difference to the atts?

[SuperCC]

I don't agree with your point at all mate... Motherwell Football Club has been hit, and hit badly by the downturn, both the global economic, and the general downturn in Scottish Football in the last five to ten years.

 

Without wanting to delve too much into things (because it's a personal and private matter for those involved), Motherwell FC has had to make a number of people redundant (as well as restructure in several areas) in the past twelve months and it's not a nice experience for anyone. Similarly, other football clubs in the SPL (some more than others it has to be said), are having to further cut their cloth which has seen many good people lose their jobs!

 

That's why you've seen a large number of players leave clubs and very few brought in to replace them (generally speaking).

 

Football, and Motherwell FC, has been far from immune I am afraid.

 

Flow, fair point but what many are trying to say is that without some major changes in the near future to stop the downward spiral of attendances and income - you will be making redundancies every year!!

Its no longer about cutting ticket prices to try and tempt people back to Fir Park as its now more important just to keep those that are still turning up every week!