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Post by saintsdad on Jul 19, 2019 17:31:17 GMT
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Post by bob666 on Jul 22, 2019 19:29:59 GMT
sorry as this is not quite on topic but has anyone actually got there season ticket? I was told they be sent out last week but I have not got mine yet. As we are essentially charging league prices I don't think unreasonable to expect a commensurate level of administration
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Post by albansaint on Jul 22, 2019 19:52:18 GMT
Yes delivered last Friday (or would have been had I been at home!). Had to collect from sorting office.
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Post by lagerman on Jul 22, 2019 21:14:11 GMT
Mine came
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Post by bigwhizz on Jul 23, 2019 10:45:10 GMT
Mine arrived Saturday.
See it's £15.50 for season ticket holders to buy additional adult tickets. Charging 20p for a transaction fee. I presume that's like a handling fee?
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Post by saint100 on Jul 23, 2019 11:15:22 GMT
Mine came Friday as well
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Post by Hatboy on Jul 23, 2019 21:57:39 GMT
Allinson quote 'We've come so far but we have to sell the brand to the people of St Albans' not at £18 a game you wont !
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Post by ahad43 on Jul 23, 2019 22:49:12 GMT
I thought all volunteers had resigned?? Of course, the reality is rather different and not sure any have resigned. I'm aware of four people who are withdrawing all or part of their volunteer efforts. Although the £18 is contentious, many volunteers accept the need to increase to £16.50 and want to just now move on and get on with the season. Why are you so quick to accept the need to increase prices? The owners reasoning has been all over the place on this. Supposedly costs are going up, but as saintsdad points out we're saving money on away travel, maintenance and Tom Norman's salary. At the same time as trying to cut costs, we're also looking into the possibility of going full-time. Am I missing something?? The higher price on the gate is supposedly to encourage more people to buy online, but why is this an issue? There are no savings to be made by doing this. It's great that people have the option, but why are they being bullied into buying online if they don't want to? It seems like a cynical way to charge people more if they're unaware/unorganised/unable to buy online. It will also pave the way for further price rises, as you can guarantee they'll reduce the "online discount" in coming seasons. It's more than four now if the rumour I've heard is true
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Post by pitchsidesaint on Jul 23, 2019 23:29:54 GMT
I'd love to know how you've managed to count to four. I've yet to get to one
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Post by ahad43 on Jul 23, 2019 23:46:28 GMT
I'd love to know how you've managed to count to four. I've yet to get to one Popped out from under that rock have you? The bar manager is one, for starters
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albanian
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 372
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Post by albanian on Jul 24, 2019 7:47:42 GMT
I'd love to know how you've managed to count to four. I've yet to get to one Don't think it's my place to be naming them on here, but send me a private message if you'd like to know. Not sure what the relevance is to be honest. It doesn't affect my motivation for boycotting home games or make the price rise any more or less ridiculous. I respect your decision to embrace the price rise, but not sure why you feel the need to use such a condescending tone to those that are opposing it.
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Post by saintsdad on Jul 24, 2019 8:23:05 GMT
Not to mention the lies he's been spreading with absolutely no response when someone calls him up on them.
Some people think 'real fans' wouldn't boycott the club...
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Post by Hatboy on Jul 24, 2019 10:57:29 GMT
Wage budget then is £200k-£250k per season. Divided by 40 weeks = between £5k & £6.25k a week. How does this compare with the rest of the league ? Wow the budget has doubled in 2 seasons has it I think not, It was cut after the last price rise !
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Post by jj123 on Jul 24, 2019 11:25:20 GMT
Plus boost the budget which the owners have no input into has helped the budget, which to no ones surprise has decreased year on year.
Another way in which the owners aren't interested in outside investment / investors.
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yellowalf
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 301
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Post by yellowalf on Jul 25, 2019 7:44:27 GMT
In other news, a Luton Town away ticket to see them at Cardiff City on 10th August is £17.
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Post by saintsdad on Jul 25, 2019 11:34:52 GMT
That Luton board don't know what they're doing, obviously. First season in the league above = put prices up 25% immediately. If you are suddenly the most expensive in the division, even better.
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Post by ahad43 on Jul 28, 2019 23:26:35 GMT
www.stalbanscityfc.com/fixtures-for-your-calendar/I thought it had been suggested walk-up / pass-by fans who discovered the ridiculous £18 on the gate price could just purchase a ticket online on their mobile there and then? The club's publicity machine strikes again. Even better prices?
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Post by notsorecentconvert on Jul 30, 2019 19:34:08 GMT
As a pass-by fan who's averaged seven or eight homes per season for the past seven years, I'll be passing on by this season, sadly. There are other options nearby.
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Post by ahad43 on Jul 30, 2019 19:50:18 GMT
As a pass-by fan who's averaged seven or eight homes per season for the past seven years, I'll be passing on by this season, sadly. There are other options nearby. Are you going to the fans forum?
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Post by notsorecentconvert on Jul 31, 2019 8:24:36 GMT
I’m not going to the fans forum, no. I wouldn’t really consider myself a regular enough fan these days. As I said, I make 7-9 homes a season and go to maybe two or three aways.
Besides, I understand the challenge the club has trying to cover costs. It’s just that when it comes down to it, if my PL team are away and I want to go to a non-league game, £18 rules it out as a pop-in option, especially when there are cheaper options nearby.
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Post by supersonic on Aug 2, 2019 8:29:39 GMT
Premier team ? You've lost me - what is that?
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Post by bob666 on Aug 5, 2019 4:44:36 GMT
One theme that came up repeatedly is failure to broaden the ownership base to decrease individual liabilities. I not sure if this is relevant but McGowan talked openly in a newspaper interview about achieving a return on his investment through projects related to ground redevelopment- perhaps a broadening of ownership could compromise such a return and this may be a obstacle.
A couple of addition points/questions. (1) in a ideal world of course the club would be self sustaining but how many non-league clubs actually are? Is our deficit actually exceptional as many club statements suggest? I have no idea but it would be easier to accept the price increases if the club made clear that our deficit is one of the leagues worst (what we actually face a expectational situation )- they must know this information as it would be available from companies house. For me owning a non-league football club has to be seen more as a hobby or community project (with attended costs) than a conventional business investment. Again going back to newspaper interview I read I suggest that one of our owners might when into with a set of unrealistic expectations
(2) The price increase must be based on assumption that the 'match day experience' is not a overly price sensitive product but the food/drink offering seems to assume that all these same fans care about is price. Its not joined up thinking. If you look at many food/drinks outlets that do well in St Albans many charge a bit of a premium for a project that is marketed as being of above average quality, this is the local market. Its a football match not a gourmet restaurant but I rather pay a tenner for decent street food than a fiver for the absolute rubbish we currently serve up.
I am a bit ambiguous about the boycott. On the one hand, I think important that fans organise to hold ownership accountable and I commend the commitment of those boycotting. I also think that the price increase goes established norms regarding what constitutes 'fair price' for football at this level. Notions of value are always subject in this area but I think established notions should not simply be dismissed as irrelevant On the other, I just wonder if the issue is quite serious enough for a full scale boycott. I think major action of this nature should maybe be saved for owners like the Oystons who asset strip clubs. Maybe a selective boycott of FA Cup games- so season ticket holders can join in might be more appropriate?
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albanian
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 372
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Post by albanian on Aug 5, 2019 8:56:44 GMT
Great post bob! Completely agree about the food offering. They've done so much work with the local schools to get families in, but are not offering them a good product when they attend. I'd imagine these families are significantly richer than when I was growing up in St Albans in the 90s, so paying more for good quality food is not an issue and would improve their match day experience. Can't help thinking the quality of football is a fairly low priority compared to how good the facilities/amenities are if you're bringing a young family to Clarence Park. I take your point about saving boycotts for more serious threats to the club. However I do think price increases are a serious matter. The accumulative affect of an 80% increase in 6.5 years is significant. A lot of people have complained about prices, but it's all just noise if no-one's willing to take a stand. I'm beyond disappointed by how the owners have dealt with the whole situation. There's been no effort to reach out to hear our concerns, which could have avoided this whole situation. Some credit to Lawrence for fronting up at the fans forum, but it was too little too late and ultimately showed how little they care if life long fans decide they can't attend any longer. I might be back at home games in 2020/21, but increasingly feel like I have no desire to return somewhere I've been made to feel so unwelcome.
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Post by citycentresaint on Aug 5, 2019 10:59:58 GMT
Next season ticket prices will most likely be £20.
How long before we get up to £25!
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 5, 2019 13:45:00 GMT
Along with the whole post, this point is spot on for me Bob. Talk about water rates or coach travel or agents fees or the cost for match officials applies to every single team in the league. We are not as unique as the owners (and their yes-men) would have you believe.
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saint2015
Saints Youth Team Player
Posts: 188
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Post by saint2015 on Aug 13, 2019 6:34:11 GMT
Debate over the price rises seems to invade every thread on here. I can see why people are so unhappy - at £18, prices are 50% higher than some others at this level. Is that justified by a better football entertainment offering? Not so far! But I'll be going tonight, and paying £18 because I haven't the inclination to register and pay online.... I will go to fewer games this year though so LL will get less, not more, of my money. I can see why he wants to increase revenue so much - why should he subsidise the club after all? - but if the price increase is seen by so many as exploitative perhaps it's the wrong approach.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 13, 2019 9:37:56 GMT
I can see why he wants to increase revenue so much - why should he subsidise the club after all? In my mind this comes back to the idea that as a club we are not unique... if non-league chairmen didn't have to subsidise the clubs they ran, wouldn't everyone be doing it?
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Post by EFMTFTV on Aug 13, 2019 13:34:26 GMT
But also, it won't increase revenue due to people not attending and the knock on of missing a generation of fans will be felt for years
All the money they put in is in loans which they'll get back when the new ground comes, the reason nobody else is putting money in, and there has been offers, if because their share of the ground would be reduced
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 13, 2019 14:12:39 GMT
It was interesting to hear Lawrence say 'why shouldn't we get as much of that back as possible when the time comes for us to move on' at the fans forum. Because the fans won't be getting anything back for their £18 or £250 or whatever...
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saint2015
Saints Youth Team Player
Posts: 188
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Post by saint2015 on Aug 13, 2019 15:12:05 GMT
That's the exploitation I was talking about!
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