My mate who is on shift with me tonight is a Reading season ticket holder. He sits on the half way line 3/4 of the way up equivalent to me in the Curbs stand. He paid £350 last year, (prices haven't come out yet).
But… 1. He has to watch Reading 2. Until Green Park opens its a pain in the arse to get to 3. It’s still not an atmospheric ground
The club reckon they have listened to supporters, so a) why haven’t they released the phase 2 prices so people can make an informed decision on when to renew?
b) the phase 1 prices are the phase 2 prices from last season so no increase until phase 2 kicks in this year unless you renewed in phase 1 last year
c) I was expecting them to reduce zone 1 prices this year to reduce the gap between zone 1 and zone 2 prices especially after reducing the No of zones last year. You can get premier league football in similar seats as the zone 1 seats for similar prices as the zone 1 seats
d) extending phase 1 deadline to may 12 is hardly listening to fans who want to see commitment from the club in terms of decent new players. That gives them a week after the season ends to prove their commitment
I have no doubt you are correct, but am wondering which Premier League clubs offer offer similar seats as Zone 1 for similar prices as zone 1?
Brentford
Well that's not altogether surprising as they really are a L1 club, temporarily playing in the Premier league, a few miles away from Chelsea, Fulham & QPR.
Do you know what Spurs, Arsenal & Chelsea charge for similar zone 1 seats?
Yes a lot more but the product is far superior as well.
plenty of championship clubs also much cheaper than the zone 1 prices. someone above quoted reading at £350 for same seats this season.
the point is there should not be a large increase in price compared to zone 2 £50-£75 max.
personally I think they should have a flat rate in curbs stand and most probably also in west but understand that due to hospitality they might still want to charge for a zone 1 in west stand. My understanding is this was what was discussed last season as the way forward.
Do you know how many Premier League clubs & Championship clubs offer a lower adult S/T than £285?
No do you ?
what we should be aiming for is a range of fair pricing to maximise the number of supporters attending not putting off supporters because of the price or making them move seats to cheaper seats.
why do we have a policy of charging more for central seats in the curbs/west stands but do not have the the same policy in the coverend end or south stand ?
We should be simplifying the number of price points and should also be looking to remove the walk up charge.
The club reckon they have listened to supporters, so a) why haven’t they released the phase 2 prices so people can make an informed decision on when to renew?
b) the phase 1 prices are the phase 2 prices from last season so no increase until phase 2 kicks in this year unless you renewed in phase 1 last year
c) I was expecting them to reduce zone 1 prices this year to reduce the gap between zone 1 and zone 2 prices especially after reducing the No of zones last year. You can get premier league football in similar seats as the zone 1 seats for similar prices as the zone 1 seats
d) extending phase 1 deadline to may 12 is hardly listening to fans who want to see commitment from the club in terms of decent new players. That gives them a week after the season ends to prove their commitment
I have no doubt you are correct, but am wondering which Premier League clubs offer offer similar seats as Zone 1 for similar prices as zone 1?
Brentford
Well that's not altogether surprising as they really are a L1 club, temporarily playing in the Premier league, a few miles away from Chelsea, Fulham & QPR.
Do you know what Spurs, Arsenal & Chelsea charge for similar zone 1 seats?
Yes a lot more but the product is far superior as well.
plenty of championship clubs also much cheaper than the zone 1 prices. someone above quoted reading at £350 for same seats this season.
the point is there should not be a large increase in price compared to zone 2 £50-£75 max.
personally I think they should have a flat rate in curbs stand and most probably also in west but understand that due to hospitality they might still want to charge for a zone 1 in west stand. My understanding is this was what was discussed last season as the way forward.
Do you know how many Premier League clubs & Championship clubs offer a lower adult S/T than £285?
No do you ?
what we should be aiming for is a range of fair pricing to maximise the number of supporters attending not putting off supporters because of the price or making them move seats to cheaper seats.
why do we have a policy of charging more for central seats in the curbs/west stands but do not have the the same policy in the coverend end or south stand ?
We should be simplifying the number of price points and should also be looking to remove the walk up charge.
No I hoped you did as you were quoting prices of other clubs.
My ticket for phase one pricing is £625, the same price I paid last year (I wavered past the early bird offer). Will wait to see what they suggest the non-early bird price is, as I want to see what the early transfer business is like, even more than the ownership situation.
Just buy in zone 2 and then move into one of the many empty seats in the zone 1 block next to you while saving £200
I’m not cheeky enough (too chicken!) to do that, but not paying the £625 (or higher if I wait to see how the squad is shaping up). I do love my seat and the view, but will decide on renewing when I’ve seen the clubs intentions and will move to a £425 or lower area (as even with the phase 2 increase, it will still be cheaper), and if I’m not convinced that whoever owns us at that point is giving it a good go, I’ll buy on a match by match basis, and get a nice tour of the different seats in the process.
Looks better value in the AC stand than it has done. However, I still don't think I'll renew. The standard of football had gone down drastically & until we get an owner who can fully fund a squad that is well balanced then I think I'll save my well earned & just pick & choose games. So games against the likes of Accrington, Fleetwood, Burton etc will be sans me. Sorry to @Large but The Valley will be seeing less of me from now on.
Generally speaking the prices aren't the problem here. It's obviously the product.
Back in Katrien's restaurant, customers are screaming and shouting because some of them are being asked for a premium price for a meal that is cold, served on a dirty plate and will probably give them food poisoning.
The £625 price is just silly. Very few people will have paid it last year. It just encourages people to pay the lower price and sit where they choose on the day. A primary school child could have seen that should have been held at last season's early rate, even if Storrie lacks the long-term interest to deal with the structural nonsense introduced by successive regimes.
On the flip side, the £285 price is too cheap. It doesn't maximise revenue, it pulls people out of the £425 price bracket and sells season tickets to people who attend a dozen games when the club would get more leaving them to pay match by match.
Yes, everyone loves a cheap price, but from the club's perspective it's not sensible. I guess they cannot address this while the football is such utter rubbish though.
As for the "concessions" to allow six weeks to buy at these prices instead of two, and a cap on prices if the team is promoted, do me a favour. In what parallel universe is a two-week window to buy reasonable and what difference does it make to the club when there is no jeopardy caused by a potential change of division.
Equally, we all know that if the team looks like it might get promoted they will offer this season's prices in March 2024. They can't charge "Championship prices", whatever they are, until and unless the team is actually promoted.
They can't disclose the post-deadline prices because they will be very worried about take-up and need to adjust accordingly.
I have no problem paying £425, but the issue remains that the product is rubbish and has been for a number of years. On that basis, it is poor value for money wherever you sit and nothing Storrie says about the future is any more than bluster until proven otherwise.
Given that the ground is half empty most weeks, anyone buying a zone 1 ticket needs their bumps felt. Buy the cheapest ticket in the east or west and just move.
Not that I am buying one anywhere. Not sure a £250 anywhere in the ground would drag me back nowadays.
It's a chore watching on a stream, let alone slogging back and forth from the ground as well.
The club reckon they have listened to supporters, so a) why haven’t they released the phase 2 prices so people can make an informed decision on when to renew?
b) the phase 1 prices are the phase 2 prices from last season so no increase until phase 2 kicks in this year unless you renewed in phase 1 last year
c) I was expecting them to reduce zone 1 prices this year to reduce the gap between zone 1 and zone 2 prices especially after reducing the No of zones last year. You can get premier league football in similar seats as the zone 1 seats for similar prices as the zone 1 seats
d) extending phase 1 deadline to may 12 is hardly listening to fans who want to see commitment from the club in terms of decent new players. That gives them a week after the season ends to prove their commitment
I have no doubt you are correct, but am wondering which Premier League clubs offer offer similar seats as Zone 1 for similar prices as zone 1?
Brentford
Well that's not altogether surprising as they really are a L1 club, temporarily playing in the Premier league, a few miles away from Chelsea, Fulham & QPR.
Do you know what Spurs, Arsenal & Chelsea charge for similar zone 1 seats?
Yes a lot more but the product is far superior as well.
plenty of championship clubs also much cheaper than the zone 1 prices. someone above quoted reading at £350 for same seats this season.
the point is there should not be a large increase in price compared to zone 2 £50-£75 max.
personally I think they should have a flat rate in curbs stand and most probably also in west but understand that due to hospitality they might still want to charge for a zone 1 in west stand. My understanding is this was what was discussed last season as the way forward.
Do you know how many Premier League clubs & Championship clubs offer a lower adult S/T than £285?
why do we have a policy of charging more for central seats in the curbs/west stands but do not have the the same policy in the coverend end or south stand ?
They charge more because they are the best seats to watch a game of football. If the price is too high and you will have to do what I had to do and move.
If it was all one price, would those who already sit there be prepared to let others have an equal chance to get one by having a raffle for the seats at the new price?
I think I know the answer, and so do the Club. There are more than enough fans willing to buy the best seats in the house AND secure that seat for the future.
Overall I am pleasantly surprised at the prices. Well done the Club.
Given that the ground is half empty most weeks, anyone buying a zone 1 ticket needs their bumps felt. Buy the cheapest ticket in the east or west and just move.
Not that I am buying one anywhere. Not sure a £250 anywhere in the ground would drag me back nowadays.
It's a chore watching on a stream, let alone slogging back and forth from the ground as well.
I agree to that in part, i sit in the east zone 1 and ive lost count the amount of times i have had to shift someone out of my seat with all those promotions.
I dont take up my seat most games till kick off and the amount of people think its vacant and theirs is incredible.
Zone 1 for the centre of the Curbs and West is extortionate, and the £200 differential to the next band ludicrous. How many people will move to the Zone 2 seats, costing the club money because of this?
I actually thought 4 bands made sense, so keeping the bands from last year would suggest the following would make more sense
Zone 1 550 Zone 2 475 Zone 3 425 Zone 4 285
I suspect that most season tickets are zones other than zone 1 so this would be a price increase for most people. In fact there are only 3 zones aren't there?
Quite a few seats in Zone 1 of the west stand are sold as part of hospitality packages.
My particular favourite is £625 for M and N in the upper west. Take a look at the actual ST holders in those blocks if you think that is in any way a sensible price. Did Storrie look at the actual demand for those seats? Of course he won’t have. Why would he? He’s just here to cash in like the rest of them.
My particular favourite is £625 for M and N in the upper west. Take a look at the actual ST holders in those blocks if you think that is in any way a sensible price. Did Storrie look at the actual demand for those seats? Of course he won’t have. Why would he? He’s just here to cash in like the rest of them.
Airman. Under the current circumstances how would you go about about gaining extra revenue for the club and trying to retain season ticket holders?
My particular favourite is £625 for M and N in the upper west. Take a look at the actual ST holders in those blocks if you think that is in any way a sensible price. Did Storrie look at the actual demand for those seats? Of course he won’t have. Why would he? He’s just here to cash in like the rest of them.
Airman. Under the current circumstances how would you go about about gaining extra revenue for the club and trying to retain season ticket holders?
It’s very difficult but I’d recognise that asking people who paid £575 last year to pay £625 this time isn’t likely to raise any revenue: It’s more likely to put them off or persuade enough of them to downgrade to reduce it.
I don’t think price reductions would be effective either, I’d have had a standstill and made a virtue out of that.
Let’s remember that there are fewer than 8,000 ST holders of which only 4,500-ish are going to be paying as adults. The £625 seats will likely be the smallest cohort, so let’s say there are 1,000 of them for argument’s sake.
That makes the £50 rise that most are being asked worth about £42k if everyone paid it. In practice, they are going to get less revenue from those seats because of falling sales. Not all of that will be price triggered but some will.
What are the actual adult sales in west M & N? Maybe 100-200 if you’re lucky, I’d guess. Are people likely to migrate from AC Stand D&E or the lower west to upper west M&N if they are cheaper? I doubt it, because the upper west is a climb and a view most have already rejected. More likely they will move to cheaper seats in the same section, especially now the club has created a £200 cliff edge.
Overall I think you can focus on retention or on revenue, not both. They have chosen revenue, but it won’t work because the product is not credible. Sandgaard lost 25% of STs last year and my guess is we”ll drop another 15% this year. You can’t fix that hole by increasing prices. You will only do it over time by making a credible offer on the pitch.
The Manchester United game alone is likely to have raised two or three times what these price rises would generate if they had no effect on sales by volume.
Most likely they have budgeted for a standstill on ST revenue on the assumption they will lose sales. I think they are more likely to see a fall.
I was upset when we left the Valley. When the decision and effort was made to go back to the Valley I resolved my input was to buy a season ticket and and have done so ever since.
Also remember that a season ticket will guarantee a ticket for us in the Cup Final🤣
Generally speaking the prices aren't the problem here. It's obviously the product.
Back in Katrien's restaurant, customers are screaming and shouting because some of them are being asked for a premium price for a meal that is cold, served on a dirty plate and will probably give them food poisoning.
The £625 price is just silly. Very few people will have paid it last year. It just encourages people to pay the lower price and sit where they choose on the day. A primary school child could have seen that should have been held at last season's early rate, even if Storrie lacks the long-term interest to deal with the structural nonsense introduced by successive regimes.
On the flip side, the £285 price is too cheap. It doesn't maximise revenue, it pulls people out of the £425 price bracket and sells season tickets to people who attend a dozen games when the club would get more leaving them to pay match by match.
The £285 and less ticket isn’t too cheap and if it does draw in fans from pricier parts of the stadium to the lower north it’s still worth doing because it fills the one part of the ground that gets shown on tv and clips, ie when a goal is scored at the Covered End. Show a near full Covered End celebrating and it draws people in. Show a sparsely filled Covered End and it just encourages people to stay away.
I still believe the club could have done something with the pricing around other parts of the ground, especially for family packages because you draw in more than one fan every time you sell those
I'm really undecided at the moment. I currently sit in the CE lower, but really dislike the view from behind the goal, so considering moving back to the curbs stand. My dilemma is whether I can justify paying the extra price (for 2 tickets), as I can't attend any midweek games and really not sure I could stomach another turd-fest like we've been served up since Sangaaard took over. I'm really not confident that our recruitment over the summer will be of the required standard to see us challenging for promotion next season.
I am a bit conflicted here. We have had the same seats in the upper west since it was built but I am going to be really p1ssed off if people pay for zone 2 and then move next to me in zone 1. I can see the club doing a half @rsed job of policing it for the first couple of games and then giving up.
Comments
1. He has to watch Reading
2. Until Green Park opens its a pain in the arse to get to
3. It’s still not an atmospheric ground
what we should be aiming for is a range of fair pricing to maximise the number of supporters attending not putting off supporters because of the price or making them move seats to cheaper seats.
why do we have a policy of charging more for central seats in the curbs/west stands but do not have the the same policy in the coverend end or south stand ?
We should be simplifying the number of price points and should also be looking to remove the walk up charge.
Back in Katrien's restaurant, customers are screaming and shouting because some of them are being asked for a premium price for a meal that is cold, served on a dirty plate and will probably give them food poisoning.
The £625 price is just silly. Very few people will have paid it last year. It just encourages people to pay the lower price and sit where they choose on the day. A primary school child could have seen that should have been held at last season's early rate, even if Storrie lacks the long-term interest to deal with the structural nonsense introduced by successive regimes.
On the flip side, the £285 price is too cheap. It doesn't maximise revenue, it pulls people out of the £425 price bracket and sells season tickets to people who attend a dozen games when the club would get more leaving them to pay match by match.
Yes, everyone loves a cheap price, but from the club's perspective it's not sensible. I guess they cannot address this while the football is such utter rubbish though.
As for the "concessions" to allow six weeks to buy at these prices instead of two, and a cap on prices if the team is promoted, do me a favour. In what parallel universe is a two-week window to buy reasonable and what difference does it make to the club when there is no jeopardy caused by a potential change of division.
Equally, we all know that if the team looks like it might get promoted they will offer this season's prices in March 2024. They can't charge "Championship prices", whatever they are, until and unless the team is actually promoted.
They can't disclose the post-deadline prices because they will be very worried about take-up and need to adjust accordingly.
I have no problem paying £425, but the issue remains that the product is rubbish and has been for a number of years. On that basis, it is poor value for money wherever you sit and nothing Storrie says about the future is any more than bluster until proven otherwise.
The end
If it was all one price, would those who already sit there be prepared to let others have an equal chance to get one by having a raffle for the seats at the new price?
I think I know the answer, and so do the Club. There are more than enough fans willing to buy the best seats in the house AND secure that seat for the future.
buy zone 2 and sit in zone 1, simple!
there will be so many empty seats next year, it's a flawless plan
I dont take up my seat most games till kick off and the amount of people think its vacant and theirs is incredible.
Under the current circumstances how would you go about about gaining extra revenue for the club and trying to retain season ticket holders?
I don’t think price reductions would be effective either, I’d have had a standstill and made a virtue out of that.
That makes the £50 rise that most are being asked worth about £42k if everyone paid it. In practice, they are going to get less revenue from those seats because of falling sales. Not all of that will be price triggered but some will.
What are the actual adult sales in west M & N? Maybe 100-200 if you’re lucky, I’d guess. Are people likely to migrate from AC Stand D&E or the lower west to upper west M&N if they are cheaper? I doubt it, because the upper west is a climb and a view most have already rejected. More likely they will move to cheaper seats in the same section, especially now the club has created a £200 cliff edge.
Overall I think you can focus on retention or on revenue, not both. They have chosen revenue, but it won’t work because the product is not credible. Sandgaard lost 25% of STs last year and my guess is we”ll drop another 15% this year. You can’t fix that hole by increasing prices. You will only do it over time by making a credible offer on the pitch.
The Manchester United game alone is likely to have raised two or three times what these price rises would generate if they had no effect on sales by volume.
the £625 price is delusional
Decisions, decisions........
What if they’re all at Dartford?