The £99 half season ticket

[notsorecentconvert]

I've just seen on Twitter the club advertising a £99 deal for a 'half' season ticket and wondered if there's been any financial joined-up thinking at all this season.

A 'full' season ticket bought before the start of the season was £252. That works out at £12.60 per match.

The 'half' season ticket covers nine matches and costs £99, which makes it £11 a match.

What a way to reward your most loyal supporters, those who are prepared to stump up for a season in advance.

The problem with all these various offers is that there doesn't appear to be any kind of cohesive strategy behind them.

Presumably the idea of the half season ticket is to convince people of the value of the product on offer and boost crowds and additional matchday revenue.

But the very people who are most likely to buy a half season ticket (someone like me) are merely being offered the opportunity to pay less money. I have had a look at the fixture list and reckon I can make seven of the last nine. If I paid on the gate, that would cost me £105. So the half-season ticket offer has saved me £6 or, more to the point, cost the club £6. Peanuts in the grand scheme of things but every pound makes a difference.

[westwalessaint]

Although I can understand recentconverts arguements, it sometimes feels like the club are damned if they do something and damned if they don't.
It just might be possible that the club realise that their initial pricing strategy backfired. Bearing in mind that the club are trying to get support increased, even though there's a loss of £6 on 7 matches, more people buying tickets may increase overall income i.e. more people paying slightly less will bring in more income than fewer people paying more. I think this was an arguement recentconvert put forward in a thread earlier in the season.
Of course the main losers will be those people who bought a whole season ticket. However, its likely that those people are 'hardcore' supporters and will follow Saints anyway. In spite if this, perhaps the club could offer them something. How about a free ticket to see Saints v Hadley in the Herts Senior Cup?? Lol.

[notsorecentconvert]

You're absolutely right, I suppose it is too easy to take potshots, but my initial comment was not having a pop for the sake of it.

My point is that there's no cohesion or strategy to the pricing. It just looks like they're making it up as they go along.

I'd also argue that a floating fan is much more likely to go on an ad-hoc basis if it is £12 to get in than they are to shell out £99, even though it works out at £11 a match.

[Canary Saint]

It would be better PR if they just simply reduced the prices as a thank you for the loyalty shown by the fans who turn up regularly. (You never know it might also encourage a few more to attend!) For the season ticket holders they could issue a voucher so they get a discount next year if they reapply.

[westwalessaint]

I agree with you both. However, the important thong is how to make things happen rather than just talk about them. Are there still joint meetings between the board and supporters where these sorts of points and suggestions/solutions can be put forwards?

[casper]

As we get towards the end of the season, it's likely we will be safe in mid-table with nothing to play for. Attendances likely to drop. The half-season ticket could be a way of keeping the income levels up towards the end of the season.

I won't be buying one nor did I buy a full season ticket. Normally only miss a couple of games a season but missing more this season due to one off circumstances.

[westwalessaint]

Lol. Should've said 'thing' rather than 'thong' in my post above. A Freudian slip!! Lol.