Thetownend.com

Apparently we could be seeing a Bradford style slash in prices.

Personally I'd be well happy if it happened, I can't really afford £300+ on a ST when I've got a wedding to pay for.

I don't get one as I never know if I'll be in Swindon for a whole season however if prices do go down Ill probably get one next year as it won't matter as much if I miss a few matches.

Bradford style is a big jump though.

Where have you heard this ?

I think it's just a rumour doing the rounds. Nothing more.

Personally, think it would be a huge gamble. Obviously I'd like a cheap season ticket, but would we really double the gate if we halved the prices? Not sure, but I guess that's what Bradford said.

 I'd guess the directors will be looking at every pricing strategy. I thought the noises coming from that direction looked like it was more likely wing reductions and tiered pricing structure were on the way. I guess we'll see.

Heinz '57.

At the trust meeting Wray said he will do whatever it took yo fill every seat.

I would not be suprised to see this happen

Just to add, if it worked, it would be fucking fantastic. Except the burger queues :)

I suppose if we're going to spend all that money on uniforming the red seats then we may as well try to fill them.

I do not look forward to regularly having to queue for a wee wee at half time though.

I don't think you would need to double the gate necessarily, as obviously you would sell more of food, programmes etc (thus higher profit margins on each item without raising the prices) to offset some of the difference.

The board are clearly keen to vastly improve the gate so it could also be true that next season's ticket prices may be a kind of loss leader to get fans back into the habit again.

I guess the cheap prices for up and coming Port Vale game is some kind of trial run for next season.

Would the Swindon people turn up en masse though if prices were reduced, I think attendances would go up but I wonder how higfh they would need to rise to offset the cheaper prices ?

Bradford sold over 11000 season tickets, they had under 4000 the season before in a higher league.  Once it got going it snowballed as people scrambled to ensure they got a seat and didn't lose out on the deal.

We may not see the same, but you wouldn't need to double attendances to half the price, as mentioned above it's all about the total spend per game per head.  If you sell 50% more but you get extra money per head on everyone then it's entirely possible you get more money.  The people who have season tickets may be more inclined to spend more on a match day.

Very true, and of course the feel good factor will be a major plus as well

So in essence it could work - with enough planning and thought.

I'd buy one and in 26 years of watching that would be a first.

I've heard the target is 9,000 season tickets. Might be achievable.

It might be achievable but it all depends what the offer is and when they announce it .

Alot of clubs have revealed theres already

I can't see us getting 9000 season tickets sold. The amount of apathy in Swindon regarding the club is staggering.

Even if prices were significantly reduced I'd be surprised if they sold more than 6-7000.

I think we could but the amount of kids that would get one would increase a hell of a lot .

Here, here. I've been going 15 odd years now and I'd go for it if they discounted Bradford style.

If they did buy one get one free in the early bird time frame we could get a few more

We won't get 9,000 unless it's something very similar to the Bradford deal. Even then i think we'd struggle. Tbh though 4,000 plus is pretty good.

Buy one free would not work existing season ticket holders would just get one for another season ticket holder .

And some would just end up never used thus restricting seats available for matches.

Hey I'm not sayign it would work, but we'll never get 9000 unless we did something like this

Perhaps another good thing would be to offer a whole range of incentives to go with season ticket's as well, perhaps interest free installments as well for those that struggle to find that amount of money up front.

Reductions for the wings would be good as well, but it is also about what is on offer next season if we state that next season is going to be a big push for promotion then that will have an effect, but people would need to be convinced that we can do it before parting with hard earned cash and performances for the rest of this season will also obviously have a bearing as will confidence in the ability of the manager to make the push.

Hey, if they come out and say £150 a season ticket, and we don't manage more than double this seasons amount sold, then we may as well all go home now. It'll just back up claims we are a small time team.

I don;t think you'd need any other incentives, £150 a season ticket would be an absolute bargain.  It would make football less expensive per game than 15 years ago.

I'd agree at £150 a pop people should be ripping their arms off at that price, not sure they will reduce them by that much though.

That's Bradford's price for this coming season. They reckon they could even get over 15,000 this time round. Crazy. Also on top of that price they are doing a "2 for 1" to anyone who gets one in the early bird period. 2 tickets for £150 that's very cheap.

at those types of prices Id buy people their Christmas presents early.

Badford's is indeed £150 for any season ticket purchased before June 15th.  If they get 9000 adult sales by that date everyone will be given a free one as well, so they could potentially have 18000 season ticket holders on June 16th.  Clearly it creates an issue of who to give the free one to, but what a deal.  Works out at about £6.50 per game or £3.25 if you manage to get 2 for the price of one.

That's it. Knew it was something like that. Tbh they already have 13,000 season ticket holders. I'm sure 9,000 will renew for that price.

Over 2000 already have!

Are we getting way to a head. Come on, this is Swindon. It will never happen.

unless malpas is sacked,or money is made available to spend on players.they will have no option but to make some sort of offer.if not they wont shift many imo

I had a mate who wants to start going and said she would go if the season ticket worked out at £150.

I'm sure a few of my other mates would do it too, and they don't really support Swindon but come along to odd games. One was talking of a half season ticket when we in League 2 - I'm sure cheaper tickets could persuade these people along.

That is brilliant and should be applauded, especially if it catches on at other clubs. I see Accrington Stanley are taking it up charging just £20 for kids' season tickets.

We average, what 6,500? 3,000 or so of them are season ticket holders, but the remaining 3,500 are not the same 3,500 each week. We probably have something like 10,000 unique visitors so far this season, including season ticket holders? And that's at the current price point, watching a mediocre standard of football.

That makes sense in my head.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that 9,000 season tickets is definitely do-able. My only concern is that it took long enough to queue up last summer, imagine how it would be when every fucker wants one.

According to Nicholas Watkins in todays programme

"the board is currently undertaking a detailed strategic review of all ticket pricing scenarios for next season, with the intention of offering fans a compelling proposition, in the hope that they in turn will commit their support to the club"

sounds promising

Indeed it does  8)  :D

:beers:

this would be ace if its true, even i'd be able to afford a season ticket if they're that cheap!

There will be alot of people that I know buying season tickets if they are £200 or less! :beers:

At that sort of price you would probably get people buying a ST even if they couldn't go to every game

But what would it do to matchday income though - they would be relying on people buying food and programmes etc

Benefits would include guarenteed income stream and a greater likelihood of bigger attendances - a lot of people, especially families get priced out of football. Cheaper tickets would certainly help to get them coming to watch games.

I think the general hype could definitely get people buying tickets. When we play bigger teams the hype always says it will be sold out so get your tickets soon etc., but like Leeds that wasn't the case. I think a larger uptake initially would get a few off their arse to get a ticket.

I certainly know a few non-regulars who aren't really Town fans that would come along more often if tickets were cheaper. When they're at games they get fully behind the team and enjoy it, they just can't afford to do it each week. I'm sure they'd become a proper fan if they could come along more often.

More people = more money in total. If you get more bodies through the gate you can drop the income per person and still get more in revenue. It could really build things for subsequent seasons and justify a redevelopment etc.

I've been watching Swindon for 21 years now and until 2001 I was a season ticket holder. I stopped because £300- £400 was alot of money to find at once when you're young and have a mortgage.

I never miss a home game but I just find it easier to find £18 every fortnight.

If they said £150 for a season ticket i'd buy one for sure, absolute bargain, and my dad would.

i dont think there will be major reductions in price.maybe wing tickets and a bit off. but i'd be mighty surprised to see large discounts like have been mentioned.
the abolition of increased pay on the day tickets should be made imo.

I think this is very brave of the board (in a positive, rather than fool-hardy way - if, indeed, it's true).  I have only ever bought a season ticket once, in 1993/94.  I was terrified that I might miss one of the big home games.  It cost me £156 to stand on the Stratton Bank for the season.  Never thought we would see prices like that again...even if we are 2 divisions below where we were then.

Even £250 to sit in the Don Rogers or Arkells stand would be good value.

My first season ticket was for shrivvy road in 92/93 for £72, the best £72 I ever spent, what a season. I got one the next year for £130 I think and haven't bought one since. I'd be seriously tempted for £200.

I just can't see that sort of price cutting happening (to £150), although the arguement for it in regards to getting more solid long term support can be made. I bring a few mates along once or twice a season... they all support Premiersh!t teams from their armchairs... I'm sure if it came down to £15o some may be persuaded.
Most important thing in my opinion is to get the number of kids going up. Give em season tickets for a tenner. It'll be worth it to get STFC in their blood for life

Best price/value for money I got was for a half season ticket (the year we went up to premier league) £23 and we got the Tranmere game free because of the floodlight failure and priority tickets for the play offs.  Brilliant!!

Sorry if this has been mentioned elsewhere, OS states that details of matchday and season tickets will be released 1st May

http://www.swindontownfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/SeasonTickets/0,,10341~1282362,00.html

Ooh I could crush a grape!

With 3 weeks to kill you could probably crush a few!

I'm looking forward to this announcement - should give us a really good idea of their marketing strategy for the coming seasons.

 Rikki Hunt for all his faults had some good ideas on marketing...one I seem to remember being if we don't get in the PO's, you could claim a refund.

Just the one Jan?

Huddersfield are doing cheap ones as well apprantly. £175 for an adult one for them. Not bad at all.

Its actually £100 for adult season tickets at Huddersfield, the £175 tickets are for the main stand only.

http://www.htafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/SeasonTicketsDetail/0,,10312~1286457,00.html

Bit of a way to go for a home game though :wink:

Doubt i'll be getting a season ticket,not really felt like i've missed anything not having one this year.Actually quite enjoyed the freedom!

I don't want my stand full of poor people

I cant see myself getting another season ticket .. but it will depend on whether prices are reduced or not

  You could ask Nick Watkins, if a mirror could be affixed to the Box Office wall.

Think i'll get one this time if prices are reduced. Saves all hassle on matchdays really. If i don't go to every game i can always let someone use it.

Fatbury in poor supporter shocker. :wink:   What's the price of a season ticket at the Emirates then Fatters! :roll:

:mrgreen:

Don Rogers stand is where it is at next season yes?

Maybe. Unless the Town End is cheaper. That said the DR stand is pretty chavish so probably Town End again for me. At least i'll get a bit of atmosphere  8)

Keep the riff raff in the Town End is what I say!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllssssssssss!!!!!!! (in a Taaaylor style).

If only some of the fans actually got behind the team in the Arkells, most aren't happy if they're not getting on the backs of some player.

Great view in there but the atmosphere is terrible. There's always one idiot in there as well like you say. Not for me.

The Arkells stand makes Rich look happy.

Had it on very good authority that our season ticket price structure will be similar to Port Vale's.

The slash will happen.

Fingers crossed!

http://www.thisisthesentinel.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=158315&command=displayContent&sourceNode=158315&contentPK=20372587

I will anticipate the 1st May.  Too many rumours flying out to be sure on what prices could be for next season.

If Vale have 4,999 pledges at the end of this, does it mean all those people who have pledged will get charged full whack?  :D

According to their OS all applications will be canceled if the 5000 target isn't met.

Very true, i have been told about 4 different things now all by people who usually you would listen to.Well 3 of the fuckers are wrong :D

Its sad but id still get one if it was £400

Ssshh ffs.

Do one viagra boy

The pledge idea is very much one Id sign up to ... makes brilliant sense

Interesting positivw reaction to 'uddesfield ticket prices on a bargain forum I frequent, particularly from fans of other clubs.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/item/171466/huddersfield-town-season-ticket-for/showthread.php?t=171466&page=3

I guess I lied when I said "interesting".

Says on Port Vale OS that just under 1300 have been sold in a week - need another 95 pledges a day (until 30th May) to make the magic 5000

Trying to get 5000 fickle football supporters to put their money where their keyboards are is always going to be a major challenge.

I hope our Board adopt a sensibly reduced price approach instead, as I doubt we'd get enough additional season ticket pledges to make it workable.

I know there's an argument re additional match day spend, but is there enough margin in a coffee and a Mars Bar to make up the difference ?

At those prices Neville i would guarantee my left bollock we would get 5000.

Bradford had less season ticket holders than we have, in fact they are a very similar team in terms of attendances up and down the leagues normally.  They got just shy of 7000 pledge when this was offered last year, once they actually went on sale they got 12000+.  It fed it's own PR so people got them to make sure they'd have a seat.

Coffee+ Mars Bar for 5000 people = £2 per  person per game = 2 x 23 x 5000 = £230k

Exactly, and not forgetting that the more Mars bars etc you sell, the more you have to buy in bulk wholesale so the cheaper per unit they become, thus the profit margin goes up per item even though you sell them at the same price.

Some assumptions:-
Current home support             5500
Current season ticket holders  2500 paying £320
Current match day tickets        3000 paying  £15 ave  

New split

Season tickets                        5000  paying  £250
remaining day tickets                500 paying   £15 * 23
new support                           1000  paying  £15 * 23
(stated aim at forum to increase by 1000)

Would give current revenue of    £1835k  
Next season revenue  of             £1767k

This actually decreases revenue. (extra 280 season ticket holders needed to balance )  Can we really see that many additional supporters flocking back to the County Ground ? It would be nice to think so.

I know there are juniors/different stands etc but they've been left as consistent. the £250 price is another assumption - some people seem to be expecting more of a reduction than that.

All I'm saying is that it's a major leap of faith required by the board that the missing hundreds/thousands will come back. To that end it would be more sensible on a pledge basis.

The coffee/mars bar thing is a slight red herring because we'd need to estimate additional profit, not  total sales.

You got a thing about red herrings haven't you Nev?

Some people won't turn up to one game but then to another. e,g, I don't go to a game one week but Rob T does, but then the next fixture he doesn't go and I do. The club earns the same revenue on average from us combined. However, if we were to get a season ticket we'd both go to all of the games. So although the margins aren't as great, over the course of the season, we'd spend more money combined.

I get the feeling that Fitton will look to get x number of season ticket holders to allow budgeting for next year to be that much easier. In turn we are more likely to make a profit as tighter controls can be put in place.

There's also the non-profit advantages of having more fans getting behind the team and making the club the talk of the town (people go by hype - look at the Speedway last season and ourselves in the bigger games).

I'm sure this would not be purely a profit driven exercise, but at the same time it's hard to say if profits will rise, fall or stay the same.

there's also the way that you drag people in, if an extra thousand went to games this year at a loss, they may well come back again next year at a slightly increased rate, plus they will talk to their friends and family about it, bring mates / spouses / kids along. Some will also buy programmes / food / drink / shirts etc.

Even if it is a loss leader it will probably turn a profit in the mid-term, nice to see the board are thinking about the club in 5 years from now, not just how much they can rake in this weekend.

It sometimes all seems fishy to me Reg.

BTW, Bradford expect to Break Even for the first time since 2000 (the year they stayed in the Prem).  They have reported increased revenue for the season compared to last.

Don't get defensive Rob :D. I don't think anybody is attacking the idea, just playing with the numbers. Which is definitely an exercise worth doing.

Is there any available figures or research on the average "in ground" extra spending per fan, for a club similar to ours? Be it with prices as they are or if we're lucky with cheaper season tickets?

Just with half-time food spending theirs a lot of factors involved: What percentage of fans buy some snackage? What do they buy? What's the profit on each thing? What's the optimum point for fans/staff serving? etc.

Also do you pay VAT on stadium food? I suppose that's probably something I should know, but that'd be about 15%ish of the total spend anyway.

The "extras" on a day at the football should definitely be something worth improving if you want to gain extra revenue with improved crowds through cheaper season tickets/match day tickets.

I didn't think he was being defensive!

Well programmes and the club shop may generate profit without Diamond Mike there

You're probably right. As soon as anybody starts using stuff like BTW it always comes across as aggressive in my head. I'm not sure why.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking the idea, just trying to point out that the numbers are what will drive the success or failure of any initiative.

Two further points.  If Bradford are 'breaking even', they've had to sell a hell of a lot of tickets to achieve that

At Mondays  forum, It was projected that we will make a loss of £2.3m this year (I'm assuming that this was before any of the stated savings). To turn that into break even, the board are looking at cost savings of £1.25m, leaving about £1m to find.

That'll be partly from new sponsors, improved match day and shop operations, player trading profits etc,  but it'll need probably 2000 (£500k) extra gate revenue over and above my earleir assumptions to achieve.

Ben makes a fair point re VAT as well, which just makes the differential on gate revenue larger on a break even calculation.

We could do with Leeds and Forest staying down joined by someone like Leicester or Coventry from the Championship to get some good away followings next season.

It would be interesting to know how many programmes, how much food and drink we shift on a matchday, but I don't suppose there's any way of finding that out.

There's considerable scope to increase the additional matchday spend "per bum on seat" simply by improving what's on offer - improving quality of food and the service so you can actually get it, likewise with a decent range of stock in the club shop. The point being that any budget on the basis of what we currently do would be extremely pessimistic because it's pretty much at the lowest point possible due to years of having been run down. It's also worth taking into account that if you can get more people in on a regular basis (as per Si Pie's point about both him and Rob T going to more matches) and thereby boost the average gate say to 8000+, you improve the atmosphere, so improve the matchday "experience" which in turn encourages others to come. It becomes self-marketing as Rob pointed out. And then there's the not negligible point that if gates and hence atmosphere improve that in and of itself could be worth 4-5 points a season. Which in a tight division can mean the difference between mid-table and the play-offs.

I'm not going to hold my breathe too much. On Monday they said that the aim was to increase the average gate by 1,000. A massive cuttting of prices would need a larger increae than that.
There is scope for increasing profits from the existing gates, the most obvious being the club shop & catering.
Regarding the catering the standard average mark up  is between 2.5 & 3 times cost & VAT is payable on most items. The profit on drinks is even more than this. The key thng about making the most of the demand is efficiently delivering a large quantity of good quality food in a very tight window. (30 mins & 15).  There are other efficiencies that can be put in like a conveyor stle broiler foor burgers etc but The only real way to incxrease this is to increae the number of punters being served at one time ie more points of sale &/ or faster service at each.
Certainly there is scope for this in the South stand in the central area by the bar.
I would suggest that until improvements such as this are made, you could not count on increased gates meaning increased food & drink gates at present. (Except when they run out of burgers chips etc I would guess catering sales this season have been pretty constant ie they are near satuaration point)

The only time I've ever partaken of the catering on offer at the CG, was in the early 60's, when old  men with tea urns strapped to their back would walk around  the pitch edge.

 The tea was fab, hot and sweet....based on the Russian model, that if your spoon stands up in it, it keeps out the cold.  You also got a paper cup, that if you stood on just right, would explode with a satisfying boom.

 Unfortunately the practice stopped, when  Town Enders, rather than drinking the tea would throw it at the away fans.

  Speaking of Rusian models....the way to shift extra units is to hire some Eastern European birds, dress them appropriately and get them to wander around..selling stuff.

With the exception of breaking my boycott to buy a Forest Green programme (it was a once in a lifetime game) I can't remember the last time I spent any money at the County Ground. I've been conditioned into thinking there will be nothing worth buying in the shop, that I'll have to miss 10 minutes of the match if I want to buy a snack in the Town End, and that money made on programme sales is swiftly diverted away from the club.

What could change my attitude?
1) A good online presence for the club shop would be a way of persuading me that it stocked items of worth... I turn up at the ground just in time to get in for kick-off so I am never going to browse on the off chance.
2) I don't know how it can be done in the Town End but access to catering needs to improve. On the odd occasion I go to watch Bath City I always treat myself to a cup of tea (from an urn, not scolding water poured on a tea bag that won't be drinkable until midway through the second half) and a Mars bar. I'd never bother at the County Ground. Maybe they should bring back Reg's mobile tea sellers (there were some a few years ago) and give them a tray of chocolate bars, etc, leaving the snack bar area for people who actually want burgers/chips/etc.
3) I think I'm lost to the programme cause now. I got priced out at £2.50 (is it £3 now?) and realised I didn't miss them on the day or years later when they fill every available storage space in the house. But from what I see the programme is okay... keep it good quality, make it £2.50, don't let Dunwoody print it and I think you'll always sell a decent number.

 :o  oh my life would that not be slightly dangerous - like a full blown big silver urn????  :o

I love the olden days before health and safety!

 Only it wasn't tubular, more rectangular, like a large silver rucksack.

Didn't we have people roaming the Stratton Bank with soup a few years back ?
At the end of the day the best way to increase  profit at the CG is to increase the gate. Most if not all costs are fixed so extra attendees are 90 -95% pure profit.
Increased sales on catering, Shop & programme all have a cost price, so are not pure profit.
However if we can get 10,000 attending at an average of £7.50 per game then it HAS to be better than 5,000 @ £15.00 per game, because of the better atmosphere, & the potential ancillary sales.

 Think that was just Cliff Puffett with his Thermos.

  One of Mark D's mantras, was that you'd never double the gate by halving the price....

Im in the market for a new thermos - mine is only small so the cup on top is like a thimble - I want something easy to carry but with a decent sized cup - preferably it should be pink in colour as well

Don't shop for it, Argos it:

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=argos&catalogId=1500001001&params=adref%3DGarden%2C+DIY+and+leisure-%3ECamping+and+caravanning-%3ECoolboxes+and+vacuum+flasks&productId=1500143053&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FProductDisplay%3FstoreId%3D10001%26catalogId%3D1500001001%26productId%3D1500143053%26langId%3D-1&cmpid=FG13P&keyword=Thermos+0.7+Litres+Stainless+Steel+Flask+-+Pink&langId=-1&engine=froogle&referrer=FG13P&storeId=10001

Reg, stats showed us that you could not guarantee to double attendances by simply halving prices. Getting a one off increase is relatively easy, and often price-led. Sustaining it, without any guarantee that the team are going to able to play Brazil- like football and win most of their matches, is more difficult. Secondary sales were always a challenge at the CG. Programme sales were lower than at comparable clubs, which I put mainly down to anti Dunwoody feelings, but I always thought the media team produced a decent read, and they were always open to ideas on improving format and content. Club shop offering was always more limited than we would have liked it to be, because there were so few companies who would trade with the club because of being hit financially in two administrations or slow payment caused by our continual cash flow problems (which I guess is much changed now). We always knew there was scope to improve the catering offered, but again finance and investment were hard to find, when wages and rent needed paying (again I assume that has changed now). The catering units needed major refurbishment so that you could offer a wider range of products to more customers in a short space of time. One option was to contract out the catering, which many clubs do- you get guaranteed up front fees and the business is handled by specialists, but the main downside is you give up the opportunity to maximise profits yourselves, as that goes to the contract caterer, and you lose control of the service quality.  I think having mobile sellers is a great idea, but in the UK,  the Health & Safety police are not always easily convinced. In the States, food and beverage 'hawking' is the norm and is profitable and keeps the fans happy. Aplologies for rambling.

I can confirm that we cant produce this type of football.

Going back a bit, I wasn't being defensive, I thought BTW means by the way, as in I;ve just had a gander at something and found a little tit bit that seemed relevant.  Now I'm being defensive I think :wink:

Nev, Bradford increased turnover and went from £1m loss 2 seasons prior, to break even this season if not better.  Last season they lost around £500k.  The fact that others are gradually following suggests there is certainly something in the model.

I also agree that price decreases on matchdays have less impact.  They are not long term, are often seen as gimmicks for shit games and generally don't get the same publicity bandwagon behind them.  I am also not suggesting we should do this without having the infrastructure behind it to support the ideal of increasing overall revenue.  It's a weird place to grab an example from, but Disney are the market leaders in getting people to make ancillary spend.  The cost of getting into their parks is no more than Alton Towers, or Chessington etc, or not much different.  However, the actual spend per visitor is probably way higher than any Uk theme park could hope to acheive because they gear up for it.  The entrance price is actually all part of overall package, low (only about £5 more than sitting in the Don Rogers Stand for 90 mins of turgid football) to entice you in in droves, then set-up the inside to milk every last penny you have on you.

The Town End is the best example. If full, around 2000 people in it, ye one little hut that can serve about 2 people per 30 secs.  No pre match facilities, limited range of caterig on offer etc.  And Reg, they have people walking around serving beer at rugby games with those back pack style things.  Why not have that inside the concourse in areas designated for alcohol consumption?

We probably barely scratch the surface of getting money off people, because we charge too much (so people feel reluctant to spend more) and when they do want to spend we don;t make it easy or enticing to do so.

Sell alcohol in the town end that would help.

With a bit of imagination it could have been a jet pack - now there's a thought.

This just about sums up my feelings also, I stopped buying programmes when I realised that Dunwoody appeared to be making the profits and not the club.  As for food and drink, well it's just a rip-off and time-consuming exercise!  However, if the price of season tickets does drop by a considerable amount I will get one for the first time in several years!!

I accept the above Mark (nice to hear from you again),  particularly that halving the price will not double the gate, but I do think that lower prices need to be low enough to get the reaction that it is good value. ie has an impact. As for sustainability, I'm not so sure that "one offs" as in the past work. I wonder how many people in Swindon let alone the surrounding area are aware of the price cuts on Saturday. At least with a cut price season ticket / season long lower prices word has time to spread. It also mean sthat the cost of advertising these reductions is minimised as most awareness would be created by the media.
As regards the catering, I can see the soup/ coffee on someones back being  a victim of the Health & safety Gestapo, but what about setting up smallish kiosks like those used for promotions in & at the entrance of supermarkets.
I saw an example outside my local Sainsburys where they were giving out a new range of Soups. If the club were to invest in a few kiosks about twice the size of the new progarmme ones they could be dotted about selling "chunky" type soup with a roll for £1-50. These could be served up at the rate of say 5 per minute giving potential takings of about £250-£300 per match per kiosk.  The initial investment could no doubt be funded/ subsidised by the company providing the soup.
Similar Kiosks could sell a good quality pasty etc etc

No doubt a lot of people feel the same. I myself stopped buying programmes as I was reluctant to fund the Diamandis lifestyle. However if you look at the catering at the CG, in most areas the queue for food & drinks is such that most times it is impossible to get any at half time without missing some of the match. I would suggest a lot of people who may buy don't simply because of the time it takes & the poor value for money.
This would become even more of an issue should we get bigger gates, as a higher % of those  "newer" supporters are likely to be the age where they DEMAND a coke & chips (Two of the items with the highest profit margin)
If the gates increase the newer punters are more likely

http://www.channel4.com/4laughs/media/images/caption/2006/november/wk_46/C0021_wk46_brian_L.jpg

<adver style>Could scenes like this be commonplace for Town fans at the County Ground next season?</adver style>

Paul you've made my day I absolutely LOVE Monty Python.  Life of Brian that one isn't it?

Spot on. Not often I get told I've made someone's day  :D Bag of otters' noses, Lady?

I'd prefer the Wolf nipple chips!  hehe just reminded me how funny this is.

Ive been watching Jason and the Argonauts on youtube at the moment.  I love that film too!

Yes. Peoples Front of Judea.

Not the Judean People's Front, splitters.

And the Judean Popular People's Front. Wankers

:soapy tit wank:

"Are you the Judean People's Front?"
"FUCK OFFFFF!"

I watched it yesterday, never get bored of it! "Crucifixion? Through the door, line on the left, one cross each"  :soapy tit wank:

Freedom, nah only joking crucifixion  :mrgreen:

if the product, ie the team was decent then gates would be good.that is the most important issue by a mile.but the team has been poor lately and the manager isn't exactly flavour of the month.so unless there are big things happening in the transfer market over the summer.i think they will need a significant discout to entice alot of people.as it stands i think they could even be down on this years if they dont do something.

also the cut prices for this weekends game are at the wrong time imo.it is a nothing game that isn't really going to appeal is it?vale are down and we are almost guaranteed to be safe.infact its probably the worst game to pick this season.and yes i know they didn't know that at the time. but it is the way its worked out

It's a game where the crowd would have been around 5,000 but will now be about 8,000 though. Obviously you're right in saying that it's not going to be an incredible game but who knows, the pressure is now off both teams and it is a game we have a great chance of winning....

I think for those reasons it's a perfect game to pick - if we were about to go up or make the play-offs or it was a bid side then they could charge normal rates and still get 8000+ through the gates.

Nothing new I know, but the club charge too much for shit food and shit drinks. If they revamp the food huts and increase the staff numbers next season they'll sell more and make more profit. If they change the outdated heart-attack inducing cholesterol packed shitty fucking menu and drop the prices a bit, they'll make a lot more.

The likes of McDonalds saw the writing on the wall years ago and ditched the emphasis on shit food in favour of salads and the like. Not suggesting that they start offering a rabbit food only menu in the DR stand, but if a couple of decent menu choices for 99p works for global fast-food operators, why the fuck can't we do it?

Christ, you'll be wanting cocktails at "The Cross Bar" next...

There is a huge difference between operating in a competitive food market (McDonalds), to selling food to a captive audience (football crowd)!

Ive heard a crazy rumour - I can only assume they have it slightly wrong..

It is that season tickets would only be sold for half a season and then you have the buy the second half in December or something - would be madness if you couldnt buy whole season's ticket as if we were struggling by Xmas no one would buy the 2nd part

SOOOO ...Reading between the lines Im guessing that as well as normal season tickets the club will be offering half season tickets to those that want them - I dont think this has been done before? Or has it?

Half season tickets have only generally been offered from Christmas onwards i.e. for the second half of the season.

My guess is that what they meant then is that you can get a half season ticket for first half of the season?

I think thats quite tempting

That's quite a sensible idea, a lot of people can't afford the £200/£300 upfront so a half season ticket might tempt a few. If they sold two half season tickets I think I'd probably buy them.

   Based on this season, a lot would have bought a first half and not bothered with the second.

I'd imagine a whole season ticket would be a bit cheaper (than two halfs) to encourage people buying all season up front.

Could still backfire I guess if there really is a strong lack of confidence in Malpas.

We were doing well around christmas though, when the second halfs would have gone on sale. If anything i'd of thought that idea would of worked well this season. Can't say im 100% keen on the idea though.

  Half way point for home games was Swansea....a decent performance, we were mid table having won 2 of teh previous 5 at home...which included dismal performances like Brighton and Doncaster.

  I'm not sure that would make people shell out when the winter festive period is notoriously expensive.   By way of example, the Friday following NYE,  I was in my local with I think 6 other punters....rest of OT was similarly fairly empty.

I wouldn't worry to much Dave, after all it's only a rumour that Fatbury has heard. We all know his sauces are sooooooo reliable.  :wink:

Haha true!

If they're going down this route it would make sense to sell the second half before Christmas to make potential gift ideas. (I realise we may not be at the halfway point then by the way)

Do i pay you to fucking guess do i?

I refused to buy a season ticket until the last bunch of scum had left the club. I bought an end of season ticket once they had gone. I intend to buy a full season ticket next season

http://www.port-vale.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10381~1281088,00.html

Vale have it right, if they can get 5,000 fans who are willing to get a season ticket they will bring in cheaper season ticket prices for everyone...

Yep...as has already been discussed in this thread  :wink:

Henry Winter in today's Telegraph:



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/04/19/sfntix119.xml

Ed Hadwin may have let something slip the other day, he stated that there would be much cheaper tickets next season.  Didn't say we were going down the Bradford City route. just they would be cheaper.

I think they should just announce it and be done with it.

It will be on May 1st, at a 3pm press conference.

Only 12 days to go...

another thing i'll miss whilst on holiday...

boo hoo hoo.

1st of May is my birthday so I'm hoping for a nice present from the club.

did you know ralphy had given up smoking?

Love to see it Sam, but I think 7,000 would be excellent!

At the fans forum they said they wanted to increase the average gate by 1,000. They also said that the average they  have so far  is 7,500 & that this was up on the pre- AF regime by about 500.
So it looks like tha aim is to attract crowds of 8,000 - 8,500.
Of course if they could get that many season tickets sold it would be a done deal, but I really can't see that without really agressive price cutting AND advertising.

Well, less than 24 hours to the big announcement....

I'm actually rather excited!  How sad  :D

me too - I need to find out much stuff I need to sell on Ebay to afford my ST!!

Maybe its a girl thing then - When i mentioned that i was looking forward to tomo and gave the reason why, the lads at work looked at me strange

they are the strange ones Miss Angry .. ignore them!

I can't help feeling it might be an anti climax. I think a lot of us are hoping for something really dramatic like the Bradford/ Portvale initiatives. TBH any sort of cut in prices would be good news.

Agreed there. And i'm sure we'd all appreciate a cut. Personally i'll only bother with an ST if it's below £200 quid but that's just me.

I've set £175 as a limit...so will I be buying my first ever season ticket?

May well be Hertha but i'm not bothered. People shouldn't have to pay stupod prices to watch football at any level tbh.

I would happily pay the standard renewal price (early bird, of course), so any reduction or deal on that would be celebrated by me.

18 quid isn't a stupid price imho.

If season tickets were 300 quid you'd still be paying less than 14 quid a game.

Seems pretty reasonable to me......................

I better send off my NUS application sharpish...

I won't bother unless they're under £150. hint hint.

D Day!  Roll on 3pm!

3pm!!! booo for some reason I thought it would be before lunch  :twisted:

Well just have your lunch at 4. Problem solved

I just hope and pray there are serious deductions on last years prices

Hopefully we'll get the news we want. I'm not holding my breath on a Bradford style scheme though.

1 Hour 55 mins to go and counting................................ :D

Im bored - I wanna know now!!!

Seriously, how can you get excited about a pricing announcement?

The same way you are exited by doing scribbly sigs

If you did my job you'd find anything exciting!

This is a welcome distraction even if its rather small  :D

I can normally find excitement in most things, but I'm afraid you've hit a new level with this one.

1 Hour and 3 minutes  8)  :mrgreen:

Just because you won't be able to afford it, unless it costs the equivalent of a bottle of white ace  :soapy tit wank:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beerimages/6776.jpg

I think Bens been had.  I'm sure his cans on the way to 'Nam were 65p each.

same as lady!!

otherwise Im trying to find a Christmas party venue and thats just too depressing

Or I need to go to the Post Office at the Mace shop and the lady might try and make me queue up outside with the school children again!  :x

I think the ones on the way to 'nam might have been 59p. The one's I've got kicking around are 65p though.

It could be the not being able to afford one whatever which is why I'm not exciting. But it's also because it's like the opposite of exciting.

I'm going to go and make some lunch and put the snooker on and see if I can wind myself up to excitement about the whole thing.

dont expect big reductions.the bloke in the ticket office was going through it with somebody.some have gone up in price(kids i think)

So the ticket office can reveal prices before 3 o clock?

the leaflet was on his desk and he was talking to a customer, so yes.dunno about over the phone?

oh what boooooo

I feared this slashing of prices was all a big rumor that got out of hand

some may have been slashed, but i didn't get that impression.
some deffo have got cheaper though.and some have risen

I think there must be some sort of incentive or initiative, otherwise why all the hype to do with the big media promotion on Saturday?

they need to do some promotion or incentive or initative or I fear some games may have low crowds next season- particularly if we dont start well

Don't you just LOVE speculation  :D  :soapy tit wank:

i know on front of the sheet it said from £226 or £223 or £22bloody something?
how that compares to this season i dont know?

22 minutes to go

about £10 cheaper  :shock:  :cry:

That would be a bit of an insult after all the hype  :o

First person to buy a season ticket gets Comminges free

Id have to sell my soul on Ebay to buy a season ticket thats only £10 cheaper

or live off bread and cheese for a month - well not even cheese as cheese isnt cheap  :cry: wahhhhhhh

£22x would be £100 cheaper than last season in the Arkells and Don Rogers Stand.

And only £10 a game.

It would be quite a bit cheaper than that - at least £115-120 even for early bird renewals and about 50 quid cheaper than TE early bird renewals

£220 would be a cracking price.  £10 a game, mustn't gumble!!!

http://www.swindontownfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10341~1302989,00.html

Not bad, good price slash that!

65p a game would be even better or 59p in fact

It's £229...as long as we get 6000 season ticket holders...

http://www.swindontownfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10341~1302989,00.html

That's a £110 saving on this years price  :beers:

It's £229 on the OS now !

Brilliant

so what they put it on the website before sending out the Email so there whole thing of finding out first was  A LIE!!!

Fucking ace

If they sell 6000 we all get a free 1969 shirt too

Who cares JFW???????

that ten pounf thing I said early was a lie - my season ticket was £339 last year so boy that is a slash - oooh and we might get a free shirt!!

Any other prices? If students are over £100 i will be most upset.

beacuse I didnt realise how much my season ticket last year was till I looked in the front and relaised it was going to be £100 cheaper this year and was being moody- now I feel silly!

That is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!  And fully transferable tickets!

I shall be buying one for £229, can't really grumble at that price.

Im in!!!! Well done STFC!!

Thats an excellent saving ... and If I cant go I can lend my ticket to someone else!! SUPERB!

But if we don't sell 6000 then you have to stump up £120 on 1st Oct.

Ah read it in full now.
Tuickets payable in two installments wonderfull idea
£149 plus £80 on 1st october if 6000 sold or £120 on 1st october if less than 6000 sold.
If 6000 sold then free shirt too

I'll get one for sure

It's better than that - to accomodate the 6000 target, you only have to pay £149 by 1st August, then the balance (£80 or £120) by 1st October. Don't know about anyone else, but spreading the payments like that will really help me out - I can find £150 over the summer, but often struggle to find £350-odd. Top notch. :beers:

but the whole two payment thing makes it so much more affordable

It's only £40 extra.

Snap!

Actually we have to hit the 6,000 target otherwise the second payment, to be paid by October 1st will "vary".

Taxdodgers £169. Plus a free bar of soap

Either £80 if we do, or £120 if we don't - full details:
http://www.swindontownfc.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/12/ec/0,,10341~125970,00.pdf

We can surely get 6000 easily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 :beers:

And under 21's get young adult jammy buggers!

Always thought this was a great scheme at other clubs!

And a 'Levellers Greatest Hits' cd.

Ah good news all round then folks, this board mean business, I wonder what they'll do to people who pay first installment then don't pay the second, do you think you'll have to go back to the club in September with your season ticket to get stamped or something.

So the decision now is townend, arkells or Don Rogers stand.

WHAT?!?! it was only 135 this season

FITTON OUT

This is better than I dared hope. Love the two installment thing. Good that kids are cheaper too.

Hats off to the new board. can you really imagine a Diamandis inspired initiative like this !

DR stand for me.

Boo, why can't it be 21 and under  :x

Im going to have several beers for the new board on Saturday!

Good news !

The transferrable ticket thing is a bit of a red herring, I've lent my to various mates over the years when I've not been able to go, its not like anyone ever checked is it? That said it makes sense to make it official that it is allowed.

Other than that, its very positive.

How many ST's did we sell last year?  Personally I think we might struggle to reach 6,000 which is a pity

I paid £180 I think for a students season ticket this season

Mine was in the Town end.

Looking at the explanation though, do i pay £109 up front, and then only pay the extra 60 if we don't get 6000 ST?? It sounds Alright when put that way

Edit - Balls, no it isn't. Doub't i'll be getting on now. A little dissapointed if im honest.

The pricing means that the Don's stand has to be the stand of choice now. Same price for the best view

That's a great offer... Definitely renewing mine.

So do we have to pay in two installments?

Theres no way we'll sell 6000 ST either, despite these prices. The apathy in this town is shocking.

Yes, because they won't know until August 1st how much you have to pay in total.

Look how many turned up v Vale for cheap tickets and the game meant nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We can do it, be positive!

Yes. They won't know the amount of the second installment until 1st august. It is payable on 1st october

A "compelling offer" indeed.  Well done the Board, It's up to us now.

I expect they're hoping we get to 5999 !

If we get to 5990,  we should have a whip round to make up the difference.

Three Town fans at work who wouldn't usually have bought one are buying one because of the prices.

Massive pat on the back to the board, shows the ambition at least.

We'll be looking to help promote this to help get past the 6000 barrier, so look out for appeals for volunteers once we've agreed a strategy with the club on helping to promote it

I know at least 10 people who have said the same thing.

Worth it for the shirts  :D

I think we had around 3,000 ST this season. If every ST holder gets one person to buy one there shouldn't be a problem getting the 6,000.

A agree. It depends to a degree on the signings pre season, but anyone who normally would just go to 13-14 games a season will now be better off with a season ticket. With the two payments  rather than one, any supporter would be mad not to get a ST.

Good skills there Samdy.

Look at the end of the day the board is basically saying - "Over to you guys" it's up to us to sell these tickets, anyone you know that goes to a few home matches, do the maths for them and get them to buy one.  My dad and brother, whether they want to or not, will be buying season tickets this year, I'll make sure of that!!

Same as my mate's dad, we'll make him buy one, it's up to us to promote STFC to the apathetic dudes and dudettes of Wiltshire!!!

Come back to the CG!!!!  Join the revolution!!

Im not. Take that in your quest for 6000, mwaahahaha

Get an orange hat! -  oh, wait a minute...... :wink:

I'll certainly be telling everyone I know!

And I REALLY want a replica 1969 shirt for my collection!

aint much of a saving for town end fans is it?
and what about matchday prices?
it looks great value for the main stands and family season tickets.

It could be more for Townenders couldn't it, if we don't sell over 6000? Plus I imagine a lot in the TE will migrate to other areas of the stadium which I fear will have an impact on the atmosphere.

,oh

Could transfer some atmosphere back to the Don's stand though.
Even if the cost is the same for all stands it still works out at less than a tenner per game.
Chippenham Town charge £8 per game

agree with you.maybe some decent folk who like to sing,and can outnumber the chav contingent in there.
i can see the don rogers stand going like back in time when the most noise came from the shrivvy road 8)

And theres always the people who will buy on matchday don't forget.

No, same price as early bird renewal this year

Yes, it will probably improve it as a the families who now go in the TE purely for price that everyone's always complaining ruin the atmosphere will be able to go in the main stands, ie you choose where to sit on the basis of where you want to sit, not where you can afford. If you want the view, go in the main stands, if you want the engine room atmosphere go in the TE

One side-effect of slashing season ticket prices is it will give the club a lot more scope to do some decent matchday ticket price incentives next season without (some) s/t holders complaining about it

What's the definition of a junior / Young Adult ?
I can't find it in the download, but want to persuade my son to get an ST for next season

16 is when junior ends, or what would be school year 12. Thats what it was anyway

Firstly absolutely delighted in the prices I shall be purchasing one  :beers:

Secondly atmosphere in the townend? didn't that die a couple of years back?  :?

He's 19 next week. Is that a young adult or adult (Any one under 30 is young to me now)

Curses, I've been rumbled !

Think someone said earlier in the thread that under 21 is a young adult now..

I think young adult is under 21

Thanks, good news then

21 attained (22 next birthday) would be you were no longer a "young adult".

hmmmm interesting and a move to be applauded however.. If the target of 6k is not reached, do people renewing say a ticket in the town end get rinsed for £312.00 when I paid £246.00 this year?

No renewal discount for the current season ticket holders? Disappointing...

312? Where did you get 312 from?

Wouldnt the max amount of money in total for a ticket me £149 (1st half) + £120 (2nd half) = £269?? So slightly more than you bought last seasons for.

how do you work that out Gary?

Price after 1st August on the pdf file mate.

RIPPED OFFFFFFFFFF !!!!!!!!

That's if you don't sign up before 1 aug fella.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

No, that's if you don't buy a ticket before 1st August. If you pay £149 before 1st August, and they don't reach 6000, you pay the balance of £120 by 1st October

I must admit I was nearly "hooked" on that  :fishing: then

You can't just please some people... :mrgreen:

SUBTLE

VERY VERY SUBTLE

I'll just carry on paying on the day. Fucking cheapskates.  :D  :wink:

No every bodys got a discount instead. If you are trying to encourage new ST holders a  discount to existing will hardly help in that respect.
I'd have thought the new prices are low enough to keep all happy.

You alright now Sussex ? - we've been missing real strife on the L&P 5 a side

All sorted anyway... ST holders renew in the Townend if they dont reach 6k would be £269.00. I will move to Don Rogers stand for cheaper prices and better food, and can drink!

bit disappointed that the TE will be no cheaper than it would have been, but I'll get over it if I get a free shirt!

They should have offered another incentive for people buying before say july. Otherwise i can see alot of people waiting untill the end of july to see whether or not its worth it, then finding out not enoughs been sold because others have had the same idea and so wont buy one. Hope it doesn't though.

How old is young adult? I'll be 19 by the time I get hold of mine, does that count as young adult? They aren't very clear on that.

under 21 i think

Student is £169 or £189, so I'd need to go to 12 or 13 home games to make it worthwhile. Not really worth me getting one. Shame really as I might have made more of an effort to get back to the CG once in a while had they made students really cheap.

Makes sense though and fair play to the board for trying to get people back to STC. Great prices on the whole!

I remember all those years ago when the previous board came back and they ramped up ticket prices to £21 and also increased ST prices significantly.

We get a new board...and we get a reduction, in my case (as long as we get to the 6,000 mark) by over 30%. That's put a big smile on my face this afternoon.

Well played the board.

On the mend neville, week six off work, the blood tests showed up some nasty stuff but should be back to work Tuesday..

It's great that you'll be able to buy them online... good move.

Good news, you do remember work don't you ?

I left the townend to get away from the likes of you!  :wink:

only joking Im looking forward to being able to push into the food queue with you again

 :fishing:  :fishing:

Ace

Excellent and should be applauded for having the brains to do something like this, it wil be down to all of us to help spread the message though to get to that magic 6000 figure, it won't be easy getting there but with a little bit of brain power from everyone and people spreading the word then hopefully it can be achieved.

If I can save that much money by helpingto get to 6000 ST holders it means I will be able to go to more away games and not have the Mrs moaning about having already forked out £300+ for a ST....so that is an incentive in itself  :soapy tit wank:

There won't be queues next season JFW.

Im going back to the TE then

This offer is simply fantastic.

We should be able to manage 6,000 quite easily given the prices and the split payment.

If we can't then we will never see anything like this again.

I think its shit

No reason

Riot.

It's worth it no matter what, it just means you may have to pay an additional £40 if we don't hit 6000 so your still saving £70 on last years prices and are saving massive amounts compared to match day prices.  I think people would be mad not to snap this up  8)

And since matchday prices will be £20 that means we will still be taking in a decent sum from away fans without breaking any rules. This is very good work by Fitton et al and should create a genuine buzz about next season. .

I cant fucking wait

Im getting a seat on my own in the Arkells

I Concur. If we hit 6000 we are going to get in for half price. Eleven home games into the season at half time we will be getting the rest of the season free.. Even if we don't hit the 6,000 you are only actually paying for 13 .5 games.
And with the two installment plan if you save the price of a match day ticket every week from now on you'll have your first installment saved by the end of June. Even saving at £20 per fornight would meet the Aug 1st deadline.
I cannot see how anybody who attends or is likely to attend more than half the games would NOT buy, but hopefully those who in the past have attended just 6/7 games will be encouraged to get one too.

ace!  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I am going to buy the car parking space which is around 4 quid a game. Then sell it for £6.50 a game which is a £50 profit I have actually decided to buy 4 spaces which will be £220 profit and pay for the season ticket

Job done

hopefully it will save me £110, happy with that!

 :wink:  :mrgreen:

Great news. A good reduction there and i feel we can hit that 6,000 mark. Well done board  :D

Iffy's Onion Bhaji in optimism shocker  :o  :wink:

I am most of the time. In fact it's the cunts who are worse than me that always take a pop  :mrgreen:  :wink:

It seems an alright deal,more than im willing to spend though.When do the fixtures come out? Id need to see what games I can make to see if its worth the bother.

err are match day prices staying the same?

Matchday price is £20 in Arkells and South Stand, £15 in Town End I think. Advance prices are the same.

Fixtures are normally out mid-june.

You lot are going to have to group together to get me a season ticket to make sure we get to the 6000 mark.

Actually can you get me 300 litres of white ace instead?

Does anyone else feel just a little more excited about next season?  :beers:

i'll donate 50p.

To the ST, not the white ace.

I'll be excited if we can get near 6000, even 5k would be good. Got a feeling a lot of kids might get dragged in by the cheap tickets.

It's a good idea, and i will be getting a ST next season regardless of the price. Thing that worries me is that we just about get six thousand at the moment, hopefully though the price may bring people back if the club advertise it a bit more around the town or maybe put it on west tonight as a promotional thing.

I think the arguement is we get 6k only because families can either do "one game or the other" each month due to the cost. The massive reduction in family tickets etc is to encourage more than the 6k to come to every game.

Not saying this is the reason for everyone but no reason why we can't get say 8k a week in the ground including people who decide to come on the day

Right now I think we have about 3,000 season ticket holders??? You can see by the big games we have the support in the Town so hopefully the people wingeing about the cost will shut up now. Its under a tenner for a match.

General skintness may stop people paying for a lump sum up front though. Isn't there a recession...sorry, credit crunch at the moment?

I guess people have up to 3 months to save up for the first installment though.

I love the part on the application form

IF YOU THINK THE COST OF SEASON TICKETS IS TOO LOW YOU CAN DONATE TO THE CLUB WHICH WILL GO TOWARDS STRENGTHENING THE TEAM.
 :mrgreen:

Ever since I stopped working for the club I've bought tickets in advance, I've picked and choosed my games. This year, though, I'll be getting a S/T. The split payment thing is a stroke of genius IMO! Don Rogers stand for me

Great news! I'll be back next season....

The pricing for the main stand is superb, particularily if the 6000 is met (I have my doubts but it won't be for want of trying to persuede others, we'll see).

But regarding the above, I agree.  For me it would be a shame if the 'regulars' in our Town End area migrate to other stands. For that reason I am suprised and a bit dissapointed that its a flat price structure.

Still, if we prosper as a club then that's the main thing.

A bit gutted on the rise in student prices, but I can appreciate why its been done, and am alright with it as its for the greater good (which is a really dodgy term to use and makes me thing of hot fuzz).

Does a Family season ticket count as 1 or 4 in the race towards 6000?

Which is why the split payment so it's only £149 upfront is such a good part of this whole thing.

I was just thinking in practical terms. Some people will still chance their arm and pay on the day, picking and chosing games as they see fit (e.g. yeovil red). Whilst not trying to besmirch the idea I'm just kinda thinking the target will stil be difficult to achieve. Although I'm sure it's pretty difficult to achieve decent ST sales regardless.

I think the Board have done all they can with the ST promotion and hopefully the uptake will be there. I too think the split payment idea is practical from both persepctives, as is the deadlines that have been set.

I wonder if we'll be seeing the brochure in the Adver etc. anytime soon. I bet we will.

The reason I probably wont bother is I can't make alot of night games and its a real struggle to go to games where im working the two nights either side.

Yeah soz I wasn't trying to give the impression you were a tight arse. It's sort of two separate reasons why people won't get a season ticket.

To my original point I know a fair few people who  are not able to save/want to save and would much rather do a pay as you go type thing rather than a contract type thing. People who get paid weekly are a prime example.

Wasn't trying to be negative, just think practically. We won't get 6000 as easily as some have made out. It can be done though and I think we will probably manage it.  

I was going to get a season ticket this year if I could get one cheap enough and so was my brother. So that's 2 people who normally wouldn't bother who are getting a season ticket. There must be loads of people like us and then you add in the fans who don't go to every game that could be tempted. Finger crossed.

I disagree with you on the 6000 thing, I'm not saying it can't be done, but the town is very apathetic towards the club, and I think it'll take a lot of work to get that many season ticket holders.

Yeah we'll have to see Ben. A forum of Swindon Town fans is probably not the best microcosm of the entire fan base.

I'd like to see a club go no season tickets, £10 a game.

If you want to really get new fans, especially in a season where you're planning to do well, then relying on cheap season tickets are a cop out. You'll really get new people in by having low match day tickets all year round.

agree with you on this ben.i dont think they'll get 6000.(i hope i'm wrong)

to get near that number they need to get in players who whet the appetite imo,as the manager doesn't.
not a dig at malpas, but alot are still anti remember.

i think the club will shift alot of season tickets,and it will be close. but 6000 is alot considering our hardcore fan base is about 5000.

If they don't reach 6000 my ST will still be 70 quid cheaper than this seasons.

I'm more concerned about all the riff-raff migrating from the TE to the South Stand.......................

I think we will get 6K... I'll be positive about it. The fan base is in town. The excuses of shit board, too expensive are irrelevant now so time to put their money where their mouth is really. The Trust and fan bas as a whole have said for years that tickets are too dear so the club have now worked to ratify that. I am sure people will still say £20.00 for L1 football on match day is too dear but thats life. A key thing is that mates can use your ticket as well so... Even if oyu cant make games you could sell the ticket for that match to a mate for a fiver (or £10.00) so you cant lose really. When a big team is here we get good crowds. The fanbase is here. It just takes a whole lot of marketing really.

On the downside though people will say, I'm no getting a season ticket can't get to games and oh well other people will buy them to keep the price down.

They appear to have very good press coverage throughout the town re the ticket prices so you never know.  If they keep it in the public eye until people can officially start applying then we may be pleasantly surprised.

You never know Hertha....it may allow you to extend your repetoire of chants  :P

im sitting next to you

To me the decision to buy is very simple.
Can I get to more than 14 games a season. If yes then I buy one.  Besides the cost saving, you could get a free shirt, you could also get another £40 off, priority for for getting cup /play off tickets, no hassle getting & organising tickets before the game, 10% off in the shop etc etc.
Even if I normally only attende 10 games a season i would probably but one, to get the extra benefits, but I would make the effort to attend the extra a games or "sell" the games I couldn't attend.
AS has been said, before even the pain of finding upfront money has been removed. You just have to pretend to yourself that this season hasn't ended & put the entrance money in a piggy bank. You will then have the money for the installments (£10 a week).
Really to those who have stayed away before for price reasons this is a put up or shut up moment. Even for families now, football on a saturday now is competetive with going to the Cinema & suchlike.
Besides this what ever the stand we are bound to get larger crowds next season & better atmosphere, because higher ticket salse are now virtually guaranteed (regardless of if we hit the 6,000)

Bradford did this, a ring fenced fund, like the RAF which the club put towards the squad costs only.

Sounds like a disclaimer to me to make sure that those like Bart can't complain about the board "Dragging us down" through reduced income blah blah and blah.

And it looks like the right kits won the vote too! That is the Home A and Away B so not the yellow one.

http://www.swindontownfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10341~1289659,00.html

By way of comparison Bath City (Blue Square South) have just announced their prices for next season: £202.50 for a main stand season ticket (£175 for terrace). This goes up to £220 if you buy it after June 1st, which is just £9 less than a main stand season ticket for the County Ground bought before August 1st if we can get 6,000 (not easy, I admit). Terrace matchday price is £10, which suggests this might be too low a figure to expect to pay for League football these days (even though it sounds fair to me).

I seriously don't think there's much more the board could have done (although it is a bit odd that Town End and main stand offer prices are the same), so now we can only hope people take them up on it.

Maybe the plan is to get season ticket holders out of there and make the Town End into an away end?

Or turn it into Exec Boxes?

I like RED ARMY!!!!!! It's easy and I don't fuck the words up :D

Which proves my point.......................

Obviously I hope we do get 6,000+, but think it unlikely

Young adult is 16-20 if anyone was wondering... That's confirmed.

So how much is a young adult season ticket?
I can't find it  :?

£169 before 1st August

Oh right, cheers.

Just seen Pox's prices here: http://www.oufc.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/16/ec/0,,10342~125974,00.pdf

They are around the same prices (slightly more expensive than us even) for 2 divisions below. Bet they feel sick  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

let,s face it the deal is very good and you,ve got to be a real tight c--t to critisize it .order your ticket you know it makes sense.4 tickets for me. :beers:

Some of the comments on the "Fans give ticket scheme seal of approval" news story in the adver this morning are cringeworthy surely some of these posters are just wind up merchants , I really do hope AF and the rest of his team do not read those comments that get repeated on every story by the same people, although I am sure they would realise these views are in the minority.

I saw tht and thought the same. Some of our fans just have to moan about everything! :evil:

The important time is next month, once the excitement of the offer has worn off. But if we dont back this one then we wont ever see reasonable prices at the CG. Not for a long time.

This is a pivotal moment for our fans.

 Sadly my quick run aroind people who I would consider as possible purchasers, namely lapsed fans and occasional attendees, has shown no likelihood they'll take the offer...I know its not scientific, but the consensus seems to be we'll never get 6000,....

Thats my feeling as well. Season tickets will increase. But it will be the fans who already go, but realised ST's were not value for money anymore. I cant see us getting back lapsed fans. Football's changed, the country has changed. That local pride factor just doesnt seem to cut it anymore.

I do think we will make 5,000. Which would still be a great increase.

thats what pisses me off. All these "lapsed fans" who have spouted any number of reasons why they have stopped going, too expensive, dont like the manager, poor results. Truth of the matter is, they are all a bunch of glory hunting twats who would rather watach a bunch of overpaid poofs on tv in the pub than watch proper football. :evil:

A town of our size should be getting 10,000 gates when you consider we don't have many clubs close by like up north where there can be 20 clubs in a 20 mile radius.

Football is no longer the working man's pleasure though. You have to be reasonably well off to watch football these days.

This is a good move by the board to get people coming to the CG again.

Unfortunately Ralphy, thats the truth of the matter. I'm not poor by any means, but neither am I so flush with cash that I can afford to make the commitment of buying a season ticket - even at the price they are - when I have to factor in a 150 mile round trip, food, drink etc. Especially when its x2 seeing I need to consider the missus as well......I'd love to buy a ST, but unfortunately its a luxury for me I'm afraid.

Ralph, Swindon is a big town but how many people are actually from here? Maybe in years to come when a 'Swindonian' has its own identity, but the only way we'll attract neutrals is if we get into the Premiership a la Reading.

  MKDongs had 17000 on Sat.  New ground and winning team will always attract people to go.

Agreed REG....its up to the people at the club to get to the people of Swindon who dont watch us,my idea to get 6000 ticks sold is to show the people they mean buisness....i,e by some class players,its not rocket science is it!

  Personally I don't really give a shit about them that don't want to go....in lots of ways I prefer being in a small but dedicated crowd, rather than a large gathering of plastics.  

   OK, it means we'll always be mediocre, but I've got used to it.

That would also mean Fitton and co pumping millions into the club that they may well not get back, and may take 3 or 4 years rather than one. I can see why they chose the route they did!

I think simple economics will drive an increase in season tickets amongst current supporters. Cost is no longer a barrier to anyone who would attend half the games at the CG anyway even without not selling the 6,000. Lets face it you haven't even got to save up the whole amount. Just £10 a week would still enable the first installment by August 1st.
I also think that their wil be quite an increase in parents bringing kids as it is now more affordable.
Last season we sold over 3,000 with a lot of supporters myself included, refusing to buy until the scum had left the club.
I feel though that the key will be getting the mesage out to the Wiltshire public. I can't help feeling that rather than giving a way season tickets to existing ST holders for goals scored on Saturday, (Nice gesture as it was) it would be better to use them to promote the new deal in the wider media. This is where the club could do with a medai partner that has copverage of the whole catchment area.
The other major factor will be new signings. Should there be afew decent signings in the close season that will help.
Finally, I hope that those pre-season friendlys before 1 st August are also used to pomote the deal.