Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
If mine does then I'll either not renew or go back to the North Upper
I've sat in my A block seat once and that was for the first half of the first match. Since then I've moved around a bit.
I like my seat and view the only downside is when it rains me and the boy get wet so I'm not gonna be silly and sit in a place getting cold and wet when I can move up a bit and keep dry
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
I knew I had forgotten something these last few decades
How can you forget a hand towell?
It's the most obvious thing to put in your rucksack alongside your blanket, your thermos flask (containing bovril), your pencil case (containing phone charger), your fire certificate for your blanket, and your home made ham sandwhiches wrapped in cling flim........
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
If mine does then I'll either not renew or go back to the North Upper
I've sat in my A block seat once and that was for the first half of the first match. Since then I've moved around a bit.
Ditto.. Kinda. I couldn't even sit in my own seat on the first day! Needless to say, rather than ask a whole row to move on my behalf, I just took one of the plethora of empty seats in B Block.
Since then I've taken friends with me on a few occasions.. which means I need to move anyway. I have upgraded my ticket once, and that was pointless as we ended up sitting near the front of B Block anyway.
If I was stealing someone else's seat then I'd hold my hands up and say "That's wrong" - but B Block is still very sparse, priced at £15 accordingly, and the front few rows give an excellent view whilst still being empty. I actually sat there in the rain against Birmingham!
The moment someone says "Hey mate, you're in my seat.", I'll gladly move.
I wouldn't go any further than B Block, but that's more because I have an ex girlfriend who frequents the East Stand and she's a mentalist.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
You're confusing two things. People will always welcome the opportunity to pay less for something and of course for the individual who benefits cheaper prices are a good thing. However, the test for the club must be whether its overall revenue goes up or down as a consequence, as this has a direct effect on the annual loss.
If people who used to buy ten match tickets at £20 or a season ticket at £300 are now paying £150 then the club is worse off in respect of that group. If people who wouldn't have come at all are now paying £150 then the club is better off. While some will point to extra spending on refreshments and programmes if more people attend more often, the marginal revenue for these is pretty trivial against ticket income.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
I don't personally think the pricing policy stacks up financially, but I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
However, the test for the club must be whether its overall revenue goes up or down as a consequence, as this has a direct effect on the annual loss.
In your opinion. The club should be run for the fans. This means as many fans as possible should be able to afford to attend. If this means overall revenue falls so be it. Of course, the strategy could mean revenue potentially rises in the long term. As far as the annual loss is concerned, the owner either covers the shortfall or the playing budget can be reduced.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
The club can address the issue of people moving seats if they wish. I disagree it would need considerable additional resources.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
I don't personally think the pricing policy stacks up financially, but I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
No idea as to the club's thoughts regarding marketing, but perhaps they are waiting for the optimal time.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
After 55 years mate, man and boy 'following Charlton my favourite team' I'm deeply hurt by that insinuation. :-)
Sheffieldred, no offense intended, but you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think an owner is going to just cover losses year on year so that we can get more fans through the door.
Sheffieldred, no offense intended, but you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think an owner is going to just cover losses year on year so that we can get more fans through the door.
At the end of the day, it's a business.
He may cover losses short term if he feels there will be a long term gain. Alternatively, as stated, any losses can be dealt with by reducing budgets elsewhere.
Charlton is more than a business. If it was just a business we would probably not exist anymore or not be playing at The Valley.
I normally take up my seat in A block (I can just about make myself out in that pic), but sometimes I meet up with my friends and end up sitting with them for the second half in block D. I know I really shouldn't, but can't see any harm in taking up an empty seat.
Maybe the stewards could be like flight stewardesses and come around and off us poor people a free upgrade to business class when there's empty seats ;-)
Sheffieldred, no offense intended, but you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think an owner is going to just cover losses year on year so that we can get more fans through the door.
At the end of the day, it's a business.
He may cover losses short term if he feels there will be a long term gain. Alternatively, as stated, any losses can be dealt with by reducing budgets elsewhere.
Charlton is more than a business. If it was just a business we would probably not exist anymore or not be playing at The Valley.
More than a business, but not a charity. A major difference with the situation now and in the past is that the current owner has no pre-existing emotional attachment to Charlton, which certainly motivated Martin Simons and Roger Alwen, for example, but in any event there was a business case for returning to The Valley as subsequent events showed.
As for "reducing budgets", fixed and unavoidable costs (such as business rates) aside, the club's major and biggest expense is player salaries. Using your approach the playing budget would be so low that the team would probably lose every match, further driving down revenue, which would hardly benefit supporters.
I agree with you that an owner will cover short-term losses in order to achieve long-term gain, which is pretty much the existing position re the playing squad and hinges on the PL revenues. I doubt if there is the same business case for failing to optimise commercial revenue - even if the club was run for and by its fans.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
I don't personally think the pricing policy stacks up financially, but I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
I normally take up my seat in A block (I can just about make myself out in that pic), but sometimes I meet up with my friends and end up sitting with them for the second half in block D. I know I really shouldn't, but can't see any harm in taking up an empty seat.
Maybe the stewards could be like flight stewardesses and come around and off us poor people a free upgrade to business class when there's empty seats ;-)
Tin hat at the ready - because I know I am going to get slaughtered by some - but I'll point out the harm in taking up an empty seat.
During the summer, my son and I decided to fork out 450 big ones to re-new our season tickets in the centre block of the East stand as 1) it's a great view and 2) I like the people who sit around us. But I won't pretend I didn't think about buying a cheaper season ticket and simply moving across.
There are plenty of gaps around us and it's now blatantly obvious that people are moving across to sit in the empty seats. For example, they will be there in the first half and then disappear to sit somewhere else in the second half. OK, part of me says good luck to them, times are hard and if the club is stupid enough to let people move around then that's the club's fault for putting temptation in front of people.
But I can absolutely assure you that I doubt we will fork out £475/500 (or whatever the season ticket is next year) when we can pay far less and move like many other people are doing to decent seats. Not something I want to do - because it is cheating my fellow fans and depriving the club of revenue - but why should we fork out top dollar when others are playing the system?
Sheffieldred, no offense intended, but you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think an owner is going to just cover losses year on year so that we can get more fans through the door.
At the end of the day, it's a business.
He may cover losses short term if he feels there will be a long term gain. Alternatively, as stated, any losses can be dealt with by reducing budgets elsewhere.
Charlton is more than a business. If it was just a business we would probably not exist anymore or not be playing at The Valley.
As for "reducing budgets", fixed and unavoidable costs (such as business rates) aside, the club's major and biggest expense is player salaries. Using your approach the playing budget would be so low that the team would probably lose every match, further driving down revenue, which would hardly benefit supporters.
.
A Block is a very small section of the ground. Any losses brought about by the changes to the pricing structure for this section of the ground will not be as significant as you appear to suggest. If the losses were met by reducing the playing budget the difference would not be huge and to suggest we would lose every is simply scaremongering.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
I think we all agree on this. What we don't agree on, is allowing them to pay £150 and then go and sit in the £450 seats. It's bloody pathetic.
Sheffieldred, no offense intended, but you are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think an owner is going to just cover losses year on year so that we can get more fans through the door.
At the end of the day, it's a business.
He may cover losses short term if he feels there will be a long term gain. Alternatively, as stated, any losses can be dealt with by reducing budgets elsewhere.
Charlton is more than a business. If it was just a business we would probably not exist anymore or not be playing at The Valley.
As for "reducing budgets", fixed and unavoidable costs (such as business rates) aside, the club's major and biggest expense is player salaries. Using your approach the playing budget would be so low that the team would probably lose every match, further driving down revenue, which would hardly benefit supporters.
.
A Block is a very small section of the ground. Any losses brought about by the changes to the pricing structure for this section of the ground will not be as significant as you appear to suggest. If the losses were met by reducing the playing budget the difference would not be huge and to suggest we would lose every is simply scaremongering.
See Fortune 82nd minute's comment above. The effect is not limited to the number of seats in A block - it applies equally to selling £15 tickets with access to £28 and £31 seats - and in any case the season ticket pricing structure provided many more opportunities for fans to reduce their spending, in some cases by crossing from one side of an aisle to another, and some took them.
The principle you are articulating is that fans would welcome lower prices for some supporters even at the expense of the quality of the team. I doubt if this is generally true, especially when the pressure is on budgets in order to offset losses already.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
I think we all agree on this. What we don't agree on, is allowing them to pay £150 and then go and sit in the £450 seats. It's bloody pathetic.
I have not expressed an opinion on that, except to say it amounts to a free upgrade, it (people moving) does not devalue other seats in the stand and the club could do something if it wished.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
I think we all agree on this. What we don't agree on, is allowing them to pay £150 and then go and sit in the £450 seats. It's bloody pathetic.
I have not expressed an opinion on that, except to say it amounts to a free upgrade, it (people moving) does not devalue other seats in the stand and the club could do something if it wished.
Except that IMO it does devalue other seats in the stand, when you allow people to sit in the £450 seats, having paid £150. I agree it doesn't devalue, if people stick to the seats that they have paid for. Just for clarity, I'm not having a pop at the people that were astute enough to pay £150 in order to sit in the best seats.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
I think we all agree on this. What we don't agree on, is allowing them to pay £150 and then go and sit in the £450 seats. It's bloody pathetic.
I have not expressed an opinion on that, except to say it amounts to a free upgrade, it (people moving) does not devalue other seats in the stand and the club could do something if it wished.
But in this case and perhaps others it does devalue the other seats
"But I can absolutely assure you that I doubt we will fork out £475/500 (or whatever the season ticket is next year) when we can pay far less and move like many other people are doing to decent seats. Not something I want to do - because it is cheating my fellow fans and depriving the club of revenue - but why should we fork out top dollar when others are playing the system?" Fortune82nd minute quoted from above.
As for the Club could do something if it wished what could it do?
Cordon off that section from the rest of the stands with stewards? That would cost a lot of money in stewarding and in practical terms (access to toilets, food outlets, exits, etc) be almost unworkable without a great deal of both cost, inconvenience and possible confrontation.
Did anyone notice that there are more fans in the photo timed at 18 mins. By 59 mins. when the 2nd. photo was taken they must have realised we rarely score more than once & went home.
The club should have put some sort of restriction between blocks A & B. Probably tarpaulin, like in the away end, just covering the first couple of rows of Block B. This won't affect revenue, as there are so many empty seats & would prevent people walking across.
Then all you needed was colour coded S/T's and match day tickets for Block A, say coloured yellow.
Everyone entering the East via the 6 or so entrances would have to show their tickets to the 6 stewards & anyone with a yellow would be refused access.
The club has had a cheaper area for many years, namely the north and the NW quadrants, which from recollection is about 7,000 seats, many more than the number of season-ticket holders there. The Crossbars plan - as well as the number of STs - would probably have mitigated against significant reductions in the upper north.
However, there was little to stop it offering £150 or £200 season tickets in the lower north, which would have fitted well with the existing hierarchy of stands. By contrast, scattering cheap blocks into the more expensive stands was bound to result in issues, which it chose to pretend didn't exist.
The club should have put some sort of restriction between blocks A & B. Probably tarpaulin, like in the away end, just covering the first couple of rows of Block B. This won't affect revenue, as there are so many empty seats & would prevent people walking across.
Then all you needed was colour coded S/T's and match day tickets for Block A, say coloured yellow.
Everyone entering the East via the 6 or so entrances would have to show their tickets to the 6 stewards & anyone with a yellow would be refused access.
Simple & the cost is 6 stewards & a Tarpaulin !
I think you are grossly underestimating the delays getting into the seating areas, especially at half-time.
If you remove access to the left-hand aisle from block B (as you look at the pitch) you have to close off about half the block, as there is a maximum number of consecutive seats you are allowed without an escape route (I think it's 14). This would affect ST holders.
There aren't any match tickets available for A block, to my knowledge, but to colour code match tickets you'd need a separate ticket printer connected to each sales terminal, as they are on a continuous feed. Hard enough to get one working per machine!
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
I think we all agree on this. What we don't agree on, is allowing them to pay £150 and then go and sit in the £450 seats. It's bloody pathetic.
I have not expressed an opinion on that, except to say it amounts to a free upgrade, it (people moving) does not devalue other seats in the stand and the club could do something if it wished.
But in this case and perhaps others it does devalue the other seats
"But I can absolutely assure you that I doubt we will fork out £475/500 (or whatever the season ticket is next year) when we can pay far less and move like many other people are doing to decent seats. Not something I want to do - because it is cheating my fellow fans and depriving the club of revenue - but why should we fork out top dollar when others are playing the system?" Fortune82nd minute quoted from above.
As for the Club could do something if it wished what could it do?
Cordon off that section from the rest of the stands with stewards? That would cost a lot of money in stewarding and in practical terms (access to toilets, food outlets, exits, etc) be almost unworkable without a great deal of both cost, inconvenience and possible confrontation.
I doubt anyone reading this thread can not pick up that some people are upset that some people are paying for A Block but moving elsewhere. As to whether seats elsewhere in the East stand are devalued, this is a matter of opinion.
As far as what the club could do, well they could go and speak to other sports clubs with this pricing model and see what they do.
Alternatively, they could issue warnings (via internet, programme and tannoy) that people sat in a seat other than the one they have paid for will be removed from the ground and have their season ticket (if applicable) suspended. They could at a later fixture get a print out of sold tickets for a certain section (say block D in the East stand) and compare this to occupied seats in that section. Those without valid tickets could have action taken against them. This would probably make others less likely to try to move seats.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who have purchased them. People are looking for bargains and they appear to have got one. The block is apparently sold out but it was evident on saturday that it was half full at best. I understand the argument 're the first few rows being wet (always take a hand towel) and people moving, but not the rest. The club have not thought this through and people have now carte Blanche to sit where they can find a better view/seat. Once again not the people's fault, if they can do that without being pulled up by a steward or club official.
Next season ticket prices will be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
Strongly disagree. The cheap season tickets were an excellent idea. They have made watching Charlton more affordable for more Charlton fans.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
Personally the idea of these cheap season tickets is up there with the Crossbars debacle. No fault of the people who be interesting. How many of the £150 ticket holders will renew if they find their ticket has doubled or even trebled in price.
tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
Ibut I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
Good idea Sheffield. Let's reduce everyone's S/T to £150 next season and sell all our decent players. You know it makes sense :-)
Don't be daft no one is suggesting that. Simply that a number of tickets be available at a lower price to ensure more of our fans can afford to attend matches.
I think we all agree on this. What we don't agree on, is allowing them to pay £150 and then go and sit in the £450 seats. It's bloody pathetic.
I have not expressed an opinion on that, except to say it amounts to a free upgrade, it (people moving) does not devalue other seats in the stand and the club could do something if it wished.
But in this case and perhaps others it does devalue the other seats
"But I can absolutely assure you that I doubt we will fork out £475/500 (or whatever the season ticket is next year) when we can pay far less and move like many other people are doing to decent seats. Not something I want to do - because it is cheating my fellow fans and depriving the club of revenue - but why should we fork out top dollar when others are playing the system?" Fortune82nd minute quoted from above.
As for the Club could do something if it wished what could it do?
Cordon off that section from the rest of the stands with stewards? That would cost a lot of money in stewarding and in practical terms (access to toilets, food outlets, exits, etc) be almost unworkable without a great deal of both cost, inconvenience and possible confrontation.
I doubt anyone reading this thread can not pick up that some people are upset that some people are paying for A Block but moving elsewhere. As to whether seats elsewhere in the East stand are devalued, this is a matter of opinion.
As far as what the club could do, well they could go and speak to other sports clubs with this pricing model and see what they do.
Alternatively, they could issue warnings (via internet, programme and tannoy) that people sat in a seat other than the one they have paid for will be removed from the ground and have their season ticket (if applicable) suspended. They could at a later fixture get a print out of sold tickets for a certain section (say block D in the East stand) and compare this to occupied seats in that section. Those without valid tickets could have action taken against them. This would probably make others less likely to try to move seats.
How would you equate this next to existing priorities if you were the safety officer? Bear in mind that the safety officer has the power in law to overrule the chief executive ....
Comments
I've sat in my A block seat once and that was for the first half of the first match. Since then I've moved around a bit.
The club could do something about people moving seats if they wished.
If you have paid more to sit elsewhere in the East stand it is presumably because you felt that was reasonable (to pay a bit more for what you consider a better seat), otherwise you could have moved to A Block. If people have moved from A Block to other areas they are getting a free upgrade, but your seat elsewhere in the East has not been devalued.
As the main attraction to A Block is probably affordability, then a large price increase would probably see people move to other areas of the ground or not renew their season tickets. But then given the large increases you are talking about, that would be true if applied to most areas of the ground.
It's the most obvious thing to put in your rucksack alongside your blanket, your thermos flask (containing bovril), your pencil case (containing phone charger), your fire certificate for your blanket, and your home made ham sandwhiches wrapped in cling flim........
Since then I've taken friends with me on a few occasions.. which means I need to move anyway. I have upgraded my ticket once, and that was pointless as we ended up sitting near the front of B Block anyway.
If I was stealing someone else's seat then I'd hold my hands up and say "That's wrong" - but B Block is still very sparse, priced at £15 accordingly, and the front few rows give an excellent view whilst still being empty. I actually sat there in the rain against Birmingham!
The moment someone says "Hey mate, you're in my seat.", I'll gladly move.
I wouldn't go any further than B Block, but that's more because I have an ex girlfriend who frequents the East Stand and she's a mentalist.
: - )
If people who used to buy ten match tickets at £20 or a season ticket at £300 are now paying £150 then the club is worse off in respect of that group. If people who wouldn't have come at all are now paying £150 then the club is better off. While some will point to extra spending on refreshments and programmes if more people attend more often, the marginal revenue for these is pretty trivial against ticket income.
There is also a question mark about the longer-term integrity of the pricing structure if people perceive they can pay what they like and sit where they like. The people who would have to prevent fans moving seats have always been very clear that they would not be able to do so, because it is not a safety or crowd control priority, without considerable additional resource. This was overridden and misrepresented.
I don't personally think the pricing policy stacks up financially, but I am mystified by how little effort there has been to promote the £15 tickets. If you are going down this route, you need to invest some resource in marketing, because perception around price is one of the main things that keeps uncommitted fans away.
In your opinion. The club should be run for the fans. This means as many fans as possible should be able to afford to attend. If this means overall revenue falls so be it. Of course, the strategy could mean revenue potentially rises in the long term. As far as the annual loss is concerned, the owner either covers the shortfall or the playing budget can be reduced.
The club can address the issue of people moving seats if they wish. I disagree it would need considerable additional resources. No idea as to the club's thoughts regarding marketing, but perhaps they are waiting for the optimal time.
At the end of the day, it's a business.
Charlton is more than a business. If it was just a business we would probably not exist anymore or not be playing at The Valley.
Maybe the stewards could be like flight stewardesses and come around and off us poor people a free upgrade to business class when there's empty seats ;-)
As for "reducing budgets", fixed and unavoidable costs (such as business rates) aside, the club's major and biggest expense is player salaries. Using your approach the playing budget would be so low that the team would probably lose every match, further driving down revenue, which would hardly benefit supporters.
I agree with you that an owner will cover short-term losses in order to achieve long-term gain, which is pretty much the existing position re the playing squad and hinges on the PL revenues. I doubt if there is the same business case for failing to optimise commercial revenue - even if the club was run for and by its fans.
During the summer, my son and I decided to fork out 450 big ones to re-new our season tickets in the centre block of the East stand as 1) it's a great view and 2) I like the people who sit around us. But I won't pretend I didn't think about buying a cheaper season ticket and simply moving across.
There are plenty of gaps around us and it's now blatantly obvious that people are moving across to sit in the empty seats. For example, they will be there in the first half and then disappear to sit somewhere else in the second half. OK, part of me says good luck to them, times are hard and if the club is stupid enough to let people move around then that's the club's fault for putting temptation in front of people.
But I can absolutely assure you that I doubt we will fork out £475/500 (or whatever the season ticket is next year) when we can pay far less and move like many other people are doing to decent seats. Not something I want to do - because it is cheating my fellow fans and depriving the club of revenue - but why should we fork out top dollar when others are playing the system?
The principle you are articulating is that fans would welcome lower prices for some supporters even at the expense of the quality of the team. I doubt if this is generally true, especially when the pressure is on budgets in order to offset losses already.
Just for clarity, I'm not having a pop at the people that were astute enough to pay £150 in order to sit in the best seats.
I'll agree to disagree :-)
Fair enough
"But I can absolutely assure you that I doubt we will fork out £475/500 (or whatever the season ticket is next year) when we can pay far less and move like many other people are doing to decent seats. Not something I want to do - because it is cheating my fellow fans and depriving the club of revenue - but why should we fork out top dollar when others are playing the system?" Fortune82nd minute quoted from above.
As for the Club could do something if it wished what could it do?
Cordon off that section from the rest of the stands with stewards? That would cost a lot of money in stewarding and in practical terms (access to toilets, food outlets, exits, etc) be almost unworkable without a great deal of both cost, inconvenience and possible confrontation.
Then all you needed was colour coded S/T's and match day tickets for Block A, say coloured yellow.
Everyone entering the East via the 6 or so entrances would have to show their tickets to the 6 stewards & anyone with a yellow would be refused access.
Simple & the cost is 6 stewards & a Tarpaulin !
However, there was little to stop it offering £150 or £200 season tickets in the lower north, which would have fitted well with the existing hierarchy of stands. By contrast, scattering cheap blocks into the more expensive stands was bound to result in issues, which it chose to pretend didn't exist.
If you remove access to the left-hand aisle from block B (as you look at the pitch) you have to close off about half the block, as there is a maximum number of consecutive seats you are allowed without an escape route (I think it's 14). This would affect ST holders.
There aren't any match tickets available for A block, to my knowledge, but to colour code match tickets you'd need a separate ticket printer connected to each sales terminal, as they are on a continuous feed. Hard enough to get one working per machine!
As far as what the club could do, well they could go and speak to other sports clubs with this pricing model and see what they do.
Alternatively, they could issue warnings (via internet, programme and tannoy) that people sat in a seat other than the one they have paid for will be removed from the ground and have their season ticket (if applicable) suspended. They could at a later fixture get a print out of sold tickets for a certain section (say block D in the East stand) and compare this to occupied seats in that section. Those without valid tickets could have action taken against them. This would probably make others less likely to try to move seats.