The Price of Football

[glorygloryeze]

So even if those seats are sold ( even if not used on occasions) then it means they are SOLD which is the opposite on what you were trying to suggest, you can bend it everyway to try and prove your ( wrong) point if you feel the need.

Whatever; that situation of buying season tickets and not attending (for whatever reason) wont last forever.
And MANY have said about the Etihad and the Emirates it is much more than the 'odd occasion' that whole stands don't turn up.

 

[glorygloryeze]

that means they are still selling the tickets, which is far more important than how many people are actually there

there is danger in circumventing the intrinsic value of a product, once price becomes the only variable a race to the bottom is inevitable

They are selling the tickets indeed. But how long can it last that you buy a ticket to something you keep not goung to attend, or even sell on your seat for some of those games you don't?
The PL is the favoured product bit is because of the players plyig their trade in it AND the atmosphere at the grounds (which is generated by full or near-full attendances not virtual ones).
Once the atmosphere goes eventually so does it's broad appeal beyond these shores - just look at Italy vs Germany for examples

Ticket Price is NOT the only variable but it is a key one..

 

[Baleforce]

They are selling the tickets indeed. But how long can it last that you buy a ticket to something you keep not goung to attend, or even sell on your seat for some of those games you don't?
The PL is the favoured product bit is because of the players plyig their trade in it AND the atmosphere at the grounds (which is generated by full or near-full attendances not virtual ones).
Once the atmosphere goes eventually so does it's broad appeal beyond these shores - just look at Italy vs Germany for examples

Ticket Price is NOT the only variable but it is a key one..

this is the bit i'm not convinced about, my honest (and cynical) opinion is that it doesn't matter one jot

it gets lip service to make people feel needed and wanted when in reality they are solely there to carry the wallet to the concession stand

as long as FFP is a factor there will be lots of sold seats

 

[parklane1]

Whatever; that situation of buying season tickets and not attending (for whatever reason) wont last forever.
And MANY have said about the Etihad and the Emirates it is much more than the 'odd occasion' that whole stands don't turn up.

Whatever indeed, you keep banging on about how you think that tickets are overpriced. In the meantime I and the thousands of others will spend what we do and enjoy ourselves. We are going round in circles and I think you are wrong. No big deal.

 

[Seedy Ron]

I don't think it's really black and white either way, obviously if you're going to watch one of the best teams in the country it's not going to be dirt cheap, but at the same time there'll be plenty of people for whom football at the upper end is already unaffordable, even if they make it their one leisure activity/vice. I'm not sure that's healthy for the fanbase really.

Going to The Lane, as a Spurs fan, is a rite of passage for us all surely. For people to never get to do that doesn't quite sit right with me.

 

[Baleforce]

I don't think it's really black and white either way, obviously if you're going to watch one of the best teams in the country it's not going to be dirt cheap, but at the same time there'll be plenty of people for whom football at the upper end is already unaffordable, even if they make it their one leisure activity/vice. I'm not sure that's healthy for the fanbase really.

Going to The Lane, as a Spurs fan, is a rite of passage for us all surely. For people to never get to do that doesn't quite sit right with me.

why?

i'm a Dallas Cowboy's fan, I won't be at all surprised to never visit the stadium

 

[Grays_1890]

Really? You sure about that across the board?
For example, they say that about the Emirates as well; but how many empty seats do we often SEE when what is REPORTED is a full house?
I'm sure @markysimmo will bring up the "Full house" that's always reported at the Etihad as well

Yeh its a fact, last seasons records were an all time attendance high

People bark on about Real, Barce, AC and Bayern having stupid cheap tickets but the demand then is even greater and also the waiting lists out of this world.

Its a funny old game

 

[Seedy Ron]

why?

i'm a Dallas Cowboy's fan, I won't be at all surprised to never visit the stadium

You genuinely feel the same for the Dallas Cowboys as you do for Tottenham?

 

[Baleforce]

You genuinely feel the same for the Dallas Cowboys as you do for Tottenham?

more if anything

 

[Seedy Ron]

more if anything

You're dead to me.

 

[Seedy Ron]

In all seriousness though @galeforce, i'd consider it a bit of a shame for you if you don't ever get to see them in the flesh, even if just the once, just for the experience of it all.

 

[Baleforce]

In all seriousness though @galeforce, i'd consider it a bit of a shame for you if you don't ever get to see them in the flesh, even if just the once, just for the experience of it all.

i've seen them play over here

I have kids, it's a long way, it would be an expensive trip, maybe one day, the point is, it's down to me, I don't "deserve" it just because i've associated myself with them, i'm not owed anything, if I want to go all I have to do is pay for it

 

[the dza]

I don't think it's the same thing, if you become a fan of a team without ever seeing them live, to if you used to live there and go all the time, but then can't afford to later in life. The first doesn't matter at all, the second is a bit of a shame. I'm don't think most people feel entitled to go, but they do look back fondly when they were just supporters as opposed to customers being squeezed for as much dough as possible.

 

[Bullet]

Thanks, I thought this was interesting:

• KL recapped THST’s stance on pushing for a cap on away tickets (£30 has been suggested), an increased Away Supporters’ Initiative....
• DL said he questioned the principle of prices being set centrally, asking for an example of another industry where there was a central control over pricing. There was concern that once a precedent was set with away pricing, home pricing would be next and given THFC’s position with the stadium build, a ceiling on ticket revenue would be very harmful to financial modelling

• A £30 cap on away tickets would save a Spurs fan attending 19 away league matches £284.00 based on current pricing. This was a lot of money. KL asked for justification as to why THFC, when receiving a share of £8.3 billion of TV money, should deny fans that saving?
• DL stressed that he did recognise the cost of attending matches was too high – as expressed in previous meetings – and was in favour of heavily subsidising travel. There were logistical issues to overcome to make that work but THFC would support a heavy subsidy on travel to matches through a voucher system (including petrol) and through work with the rail providers
• The Club would be looking at examples to see if in fact fans could actually save more with subsidised travel than a capped ticket price. THFC underlined that this was not a money issue as the ASI would in fact carry a higher cost to clubs than the price cap
• THST expressed the opinion that only by reducing ticket pricing would all travelling fans uniformly benefit
• PH asked for an update on this season’s Away Supporters’ Initiative, currently set at £200,000 per club. Would it be possible for THFC to better communicate how that money is being spent? JW agreed to host these details on the Spurs official website. To be actioned

Interesting that DL is worried that fixing away ticket prices centrally might then creep into fixing home pricing centrally, I hadn't thought of that. Quite smart to think of it actually. But surely SPURS (not centrally) could decide to "fix prices" at away games i.e. if Spurs fans buy a ticket at £50 then Spurs will be given their details and bung them £20? Sounds logistically difficult but so is the idea of vouchers for petrol or rail travel, that sounds very messy and won't benefit everyone attending. Perhaps it is easier to pay vouchers than pay cash i.e. in some industries it is frowned upon to pay cash but you can pay vouchers, different things legally... not sure. Any thoughts?

 

[scaramanga]

But surely SPURS (not centrally) could decide to "fix prices" at away games i.e. if Spurs fans buy a ticket at £50 then Spurs will be given their details and bung them £20? Sounds logistically difficult but so is the idea of vouchers for petrol or rail travel, that sounds very messy and won't benefit everyone attending. Perhaps it is easier to pay vouchers than pay cash i.e. in some industries it is frowned upon to pay cash but you can pay vouchers, different things legally... not sure. Any thoughts?

I think it would be virtually impossible to contribute towards away ticket costs without contributing to the movement for centralised pricing.

We probably have the most to lose out of any club from reduced pricing - we have to do everything we can to avoid it.

 

[Bullet]

I remember fans bemoaning moving to soulless new stadia. Reading, Stoke, Sunderland, Southampton et al... claiming their old stadia had better atmospheres, I wonder if they would want to go back to those places now, given the choice?

 

[Neymar]

The other side of the coin is ticket availability. If they suddenly dropped prices to £10, there would be a lot more demand. Would those willing to pay current prices be happy to take a lottery where they might not get tickets?

good point. the issue of "local lads" not being able to attend the games could still very much exist.

 

[Jordinho]

https://twitter.com/x/status/698615993984282624

I think the millions being ripped off by the tv companies, being forced to pay for packages they don't want or need, are more worthy of a look. The PL being sold in pieces because of competition law doesn't provide anyone with a better product, it just forces them spend more money on it.

 

[Neymar]

Good point, there has been a myth ( spread mostly by supporters who do not go) for as long as I have watched football that they are being ripped off.

If you add up what the average guy spends on going to the pub several times a week, eating out at weekends, what they spend on buying/playing kids abacus games, buying the latest phones, tablets etc etc, weekend trips abroad ( I could go on but you get the picture). Once you have taken that in to the equation then football prices are NOT a rip off.

spot on. people are only upset because ticket prices have seen a massive increase in recent decades (beyond the rate of inflation).

so you have two groups of upset fans:

1) the fan who used to be able to afford to watch football, but now cannot.
and 2) the fan who still goes (because there is still value for him), but is annoyed because it is costing him more now.

had football tickets always been these prices, no one would bat an eyelid

like @galeforce says, if you see value in going, you can go. if not, you dont have to go. its that simple.

the fact that a certain demographic are being priced out is not a moral issue at all. there are many people who cant afford a holiday to vegas or go to michelin star restaurants. thats the way of the world unfortunately. why is there not a moral outrage that large parts of londons population cannot afford to go see a live musical? if musicals used to cost £2.50, and the owner changed his price to £100, would people be morally offended, or feel that this is a disagrace? obviously not. basically, the fact that some people now cannot afford to go to football could raise business questions, but not moral ones.

 

[Lemonade Money]

I think it would be virtually impossible to contribute towards away ticket costs without contributing to the movement for centralised pricing.

We probably have the most to lose out of any club from reduced pricing - we have to do everything we can to avoid it.

At least until the stadium is paid for.