ticket pricing

[Southampton Gull]

When they did this last time they sold 200 season tickets that following week. As I said to a Greek friend who posted about it on Facebook, it's easy to do when your benefactor is a multi-millionaire...............

They're building up a fanbase and doing it very well. It won't be long and their crowds will dwarf ours but without the same kind of investment it isn't a model we can follow.

[Jerry]

What's the deal with the owner Dave?

Is he likely to jump ship to Oxford as people keep predicting?

[Southampton Gull]

Not according to a few of my old mates there. The one thing about Eastleigh though is there are plenty of others around who would step in if he did.

[chardie]

I would suggest letting kids under16 enter free to the family stand if accompanied by an adult. At the moment they get in free if under 7.

I think the club could afford it as at the moment the stand is virtually empty for games and it might encourage families on a limited income to attend.

[haz316]

If admission was lowered and we had larger crowds would we have to have more stewards,whom would need to be payed

[tufc si]

If admission was lowered and we had larger crowds would we have to have more stewards,whom would need to be payed

I'm guessing they'd advertise for volunteers rather than splashing any cash we don't have

[leetufc]

Whilst times are obviously tough at the moment and we need to generate revenue now, we also need to think about the future support of our club. We need as many young fans coming through the gates and getting attached so that they will be willing to pay to come see us every week in ten years time. The only way as a football club we an grow is to attract these potential future fans.

As well as ideas to make it a family day out with more activities before the match, and free entry to the game, we need to look at other ways to bring future fans in.

My suggestion (not sure what the financial implication might be) would be to offer free entry to under 10's along with a discount (10% or 20%?)for the accompanying adult as an incentive to bring kids to the game. Get them hooked young and hopefully they will come back paying when they are older.

[chunkygull]

There's some very good posts on here, some good points, some not so good, also some good constructive ideas. I definitely think slashing the kids prices with accompaniment by a paying adult would help.

I have said before the prices are too expensive and this debate has gone on for years even back in the Bateson era once football at Plainmoor crept over the £10 mark.

I do remember when as a kid/teen and a young adult most didnt mind what they paid and you never really heard much said about it, in proportion to the money you had or earned what you spent at Plainmoor wasnt too bad, it does seem out of proportion now. Footballers wages have grown far more than your average workers thats for sure. You went to the games a few years back, enjoyed a match or not, you had a bit of a laugh and everything that goes with it, it didnt cost too much but you went home happy or at least not too fed up if we were poor or dropped points because it wasnt a big loss of expenses. I think this is part of the problem why some of the fanbase has dropped off, if we are doing badly it costs a fair bit to watch and it does make you wonder if its worth it, you want to support the club but it just gets to point where it digs in too much, you come away thinking, Christ I paid £18 for that and if we are rubbish or have lost you are more pissed off than ever. Some say you shouldnt be looking at value for money to support your team, thats fine for some but on principle you just cant do it anymore, if it was crap but not expensive you would likely still go, but it just hurts more and more.

I actually dont think season tickets are too bad, even though we are one of the most expensive in our league and more than a few league 2 clubs. Kids and some concessions arent too bad either. Its the matchday walk up prices for adults up to 65 that is ridiculous (articles I have read have said this is the case at most clubs), very pricey for that demographic , the price to sit in Bristows bench is disgusting and I will never, ever pay to sit there on principle.

Article from todays Wetern Morning news and there is a BBC article also, even though that one has been a bit distorted by working out all sorts of averages-

Torquay United season tickets are among the most expensive in the National League this season, according to BBC Sport's Price of Football Survey 2015.

The most expensive season ticket at the Launa Windows Stadium, which costs a member of the Yellow Army an eye-watering £395, is £68.33 more expensive than the divisional average of £326.67 – and is £15 more expensive than purchasing a season ticket at nearby League Two club Plymouth Argyle.

Only two National League clubs, in Macclesfield Town (£400) and Cheltenham Town (£414) have more expensive tickets than the Gulls.

The cheapest option to watch Kevin Nicholson’s side is closer to the middle of the pack but at £280 is still £24.87 more expensive than the National League average – and is a long way off the £120 season tickets on offer at Eastleigh.

The cheapest match-day experience at Torquay – a pie, a cup of tea, a programme and lowest single ticket – is £23 and is only 66p more expensive than the division’s average.

Not good reading!

Club Average ticket average crowd Match Receipts Season Receipts
Tranmere Rovers £18.50 5156 £95,382 £2,193,783
Wrexham £17.00 5013 £85,217 £1,959,996
Grimsby Town £18.00 4389 £78,996 £1,816,908
Lincoln City £18.00 2892 £52,056 £1,197,288
Cheltenham Town £18.50 2310 £42,728 £982,745
Chester £16.50 2360 £38,934 £895,478
Kidderminster Harriers £15.50 1933 £29,958 £689,025
Torquay United £18.00 1764 £31,750 £730,244
Aldershot Town £18.00 1618 £29,115 £669,645
Woking £18.00 1616 £29,079 £668,817
Eastleigh £16.50 1786 £29,467 £677,740
Macclesfield Town £17.00 1404 £23,876 £549,138
Forest Green Rovers £17.00 1639 £27,859 £640,751
Barrow £14.50 1497 £21,710 £499,333
Halifax Town £17.00 1255 £21,327 £490,531
Altrincham £14.50 1248 £18,090 £416,060
Southport £14.25 1313 £18,703 £430,172
Bromley £15.00 1426 £21,397 £492,123
Gateshead £15.00 1065 £15,971 £367,339
Dover Athletic £15.00 876 £13,138 £302,177
Braintree Town £16.50 753 £12,425 £285,764
Guiseley £15.00 827 £12,408 £285,392
Boreham Wood £17.00 620 £10,546 £242,550
Welling United £15.00 699 £10,480 £241,040

This is also a concern for the future, it might be all about clinging on, surviving and getting through the short term, the hardcore of support is going to be here, the club know these people will pay the ticket prices, but how on earth do we expect to keep attracting new or casual supporters through the turnstiles at the prices we charge. Many put low attendance down to local apathy and many people living in the area who have moved here from elsewhere and have no affection or affinity towards the club. Whilst definitely issues there are still a lot of people who have moved to the area who do go to games and support TUFC. Again I do remember past times when you heard many northern, brummy, London, many regional even Scottish accents at Plainmoor, people from elsewhere who moved here and came and supported the local team, many supported their own local team or one from the top flight as well as Torquay, it wasnt too expensive to come and check us out and once curiosity was tested people stayed around and kept coming. Trying to pick up, newbies/casuals/lapsed/outsiders now is very difficult, many people ask me "how much is it to get in up Plainmoor now?", the answer draws many different reactions including laughter, outrage and shock. The club knows it can pretty much charge the hardcore a fair whack and they will still come but what about when they start to disappear and we have to think about new, future, poor, waivering fans?

It is all well and good saying, well if you cant afford it find another club or another hobby, it is not helpful to tell people they are a loser if they cant afford it and to get a better job, that does not help the fanbase grow and it will not help the club, the fact that people have little money or low income but still want to support should be commended. I am not a liberal or lefty and agree everyone should work as hard as they can and pay their way, I dont agree that those with a good job or income should subsidise or pay for everyone else, but just saying get a better job or just piss off is not very constructive and not always an option, especially in recent times and especially in Torbay. The poor economy, jobs market and wages in the area surely does affect the football club.

One thing that does not sit well with me and does put me off football is players wages, although there are lots of costs to running a football club and all that goes with it the wages must be crippling many and it must get realistic and sensible or we will see more clubs go to the wall. I know some of the journeymen/trial/non contract/prove yourself players arent on what is considered to be a lot, but some of the figures I have read and heard for some TUFC players in recent times have truly disturbed me and in my mind they do not deserve that sort of money, it puts me off going to games and paying towards these players wages, they earn so much yet are very poor at their job, if you paid a tradesman £1000-£1500 a week and he was rubbish you either wouldnt have him, wouldnt pay it or wouldnt have him again. You may say "oh its just the going rate" "our players are cheap compared to others", but that doesnt make it right, to me for non league footballers pro or not anything over £500 a week is ridiculous, all the clubs need to look at theirselves and start bringing football back to reality and therefore affordabiliity. Bosman and sky tv have got a lot to answer for.

My opinion is that for the level we are at and the whole matchday thing and what is on offer ticket prices are definitely way too much. However I do understand that with such a small fanbase we need to maximise the income from the hardcore of support and attendees that we do have, I understand that everything has been costed and worked out and the prices are what we need to run as a club, put a team on the field and survive.

One of the things that puzzles me a little is we are one of the better attended clubs on matchdays, we are one of the most expensive for ticket prices, yet we havent got a pot to piss in, we are one of the poorest teams near the bottom of the table and we have been getting beaten by less supported part time teams a fair bit over the last 2 seasons. Sugar Daddies for some clubs aside it still doesnt quite sit right.

This post is not a criticism of the current regime, they were left with problems to deal with and where we are at is no reflection on them, the ticket prices were already set and the costs to supporters have risen over time and things have been allowed to come to this through previous incumbents.

[chunkygull]

Christ, I thought I would have got a right hammering by now!

[moneylife]

So, you've disagreed with proven concepts like PED and your English comprehension is dreadful. Starting to see why you've got a sh*t job and you have to struggle through life.

You're a loser, the world doesn't care and nor do Torquay United. It's no good whinging on about how unfair it all is, put that effort into redressing your half of the deal.

I f**king hate limp wristed wetbags like you who spend more time and energy moaning and looking for a free ride than they do putting themselves in a better position. This is precisely why we need to do away with free healthcare and the welfare state. Sink or swim, I'm afraid.

Matt.

WOW! well that told me lol! I'll just stop my lifelong support for my local side coz FerrariLover 5 Stars is telling me too. LOLZ get a life lad

[SteveDeckchair]

Got to say, chunky gull has made some valid points. One of my issues with some of the narrative coming out of the club this season is that we actually get decent crowds in this division yet we are told we have one of the lowest budgets. Why is that? How can teams with much smaller crowds have a bigger budget than us? Especially with the supposed cap on playing budget this league had. This I don't feel has ever been satisfactorily explained.

[Southampton Gull]

Because a large part of the clubs budget has been used to pay off the dross appointed by the previous regime impacting hard on the playing budget. It's really that simple, Steve.

[Gulliball]

Also, this season we are spending what we can bring in. Most other clubs are spending what they bring in + what the owner(s) are prepared to 'invest', as we have been doing with Thea Bristow for the last few years. A lot of other sides get less through the gates but have other forms of income and financial backing.

[nickbrod]

Under ticket pricing did anyone notice the Eastleigh v Forest Green match was free entry for all spectators? Attendance was 2884.
For Dover's home game last Saturday they allowed all spectators free beer and free burgers.

[Southampton Gull]

Both those clubs have millionaire backers though, Nick.