Bournemouth v Real Madrid friendly

[Ardiles]

The only justification I can really think of for Bournemouth's decision to charge £60/ticket is supply & demand.  They have such a poxy little ground for the level they will be playing at next season that the game would be massively over-subscribed if they didn't set such a steep price.  And that it turn would give them a headache about how to allocate/distribute tickets.  Madrid are going to use it as little more than a warm up/fitness exercise anyway.  I almost feel sorry for their fans.

On a related note, Radio 5 tried to interview their Chairman this morning, but no reply on the other end of the line so they quickly moved on to something else.  But not before describing Bournemouth as a 'League 1 club', which made me smile anyway.

[Summerof69]

One Muff fan who commented on the BBC sidte, that even if they sold twice as many tickets at the prices mentioned, they wouldn't break even.

131.AFCB_Dave
24 Minutes ago
Just to reiterate, the ticket prices will not allow AFCB to break even or make any money out of this. The rumour is that even if we sold twice the amount of tickets as are available, we wouldn't break even still. This explains the prices, its just an unfortunate side to being able to host such a club. I guess the club view the publicity alone as worth hosting the game still.

Total madness.

[tans]

Got to make their money back, do people think that they wouldnt have paid Real Madrid to be able to play them?

[Summerof69]

Got to make their money back, do people think that they wouldnt have paid Real Madrid to be able to play them?

But by the Muff fans comments above they could be losing money on the deal, just for a publicity stunt.

And this from a club that the fans were collecting donations for their survival a few years ago.

[Ardiles]

AFC Bournemouth makes me think of a firework that's going to burn very brightly for a very short space of time.  And then into darkness.  I don't see any capital investment in the manner that Reading or Swansea have undertaken to step up a few levels.  They're just spending...for now.  They may prove me wrong, but I just can't see them sustaining themselves at that level without the cash drip-feed.

[@mwooly63]

This sums it up pretty well: http://www.standamf.com/2013/07/02/unreal-madrid/

Yes we only have 12000 seats to fill

where did they acquire the extra seats from

[Abrahammer]

where did they acquire the extra seats from

There were plans to put in a 4th stand over the summer, I assume this is happening

[@mwooly63]

There were plans to put in a 4th stand over the summer, I assume this is happening

Their own website shows the 3 sided hole still under Ticket information for the 2013/14 season

 

[BruceChatwin]

AFC Bournemouth makes me think of a firework that's going to burn very brightly for a very short space of time.  And then into darkness.  I don't see any capital investment in the manner that Reading or Swansea have undertaken to step up a few levels.  They're just spending...for now.  They may prove me wrong, but I just can't see them sustaining themselves at that level without the cash drip-feed.

My suspicion is the owners took at face value the statistics on the catchment area and thought with a bit of money, good PR and showmanship (of which the Real Madrid fixture is a prime example) they could tap what they see as a big dormant fanbase waiting to be awoken.

I wonder though if in the case of Bournemouth (without wanting to stereotype too much) the figures for the catchment area represent not so much the financial potential of a sleeping giant, which a cold reading of the numbers might suggest, as the Sisyphean task of having to constantly reignite the interest of a perpetually dying one. 

[TheMajorSTFC]

£60 a ticket for a pre-season friendly is ridiculous IMO.

[Ardiles]

I wonder though if in the case of Bournemouth (without wanting to stereotype too much) the figures for the catchment area represent not so much the financial potential of a sleeping giant, which a cold reading of the numbers might suggest, as the Sisyphean task of having to constantly reignite the interest of a perpetually dying one.  

The catchment argument is an interesting one.  Years ago, I used to think that Reading was a very big place to have such a rubbish football team.  The town itself seemed fairly prosperous, so it seemed strange to me that the football team hadn't had more time in the upper leagues.  And sure enough, some time later they came good.

There's a part of me that thinks Bournemouth could follow the same path.  The urban area (incl Poole and Christchurch) is massive...several times the size of Swindon.  And fairly well off.  If (big if) they invested for the future, I genuinely do think that there would be a market there to tap.  Not everyone there is a pensioner.  But I see no sign of Denim investing for the future.  A new stand to take the ground capacity to 12,000?  Big deal.  Just seems to be wildly throwing cash at the playing squad.

[BruceChatwin]

The catchment argument is an interesting one.  Years ago, I used to think that Reading was a very big place to have such a rubbish football team.  The town itself seemed fairly prosperous, so it seemed strange to me that the football team hadn't had more time in the upper leagues.  And sure enough, some time later they came good.

There's a part of me that thinks Bournemouth could follow the same path.  The urban area (incl Poole and Christchurch) is massive...several times the size of Swindon.  And fairly well off.  If (big if) they invested for the future, I genuinely do think that there would be a market there to tap.  Not everyone there is a pensioner.  But I see no sign of Denim investing for the future.  A new stand to take the ground capacity to 12,000?  Big deal.  Just seems to be wildly throwing cash at the playing squad.

My guess is they're testing the waters with a few baby steps: new stand, new training ground, more investment in youth etc., while gauging the reaction in terms of crowd numbers to increased success on the pitch upon which, good or bad, greater investment in infrastructure might be predicated.

[Peter Venkman]

Well they sold out within 3 hours of going on general sale even at that ridiculous price.

[Flashheart]

Well they sold out within 3 hours of going on general sale even at that ridiculous price.

Fair play to them.

[iffy]

Well they sold out within 3 hours of going on general sale even at that ridiculous price.

Money laundering is a piece of piss.