Season Tick Renewal - What's Going On!

[East End Lady]

Rawlie I phoned and got a season ticket for my nephew today - I could not get the one I wanted on the website but when I phoned it was available and was sorted for me in a couple of minutes

[Royal Lady]

Even with the rise in price, should we go up, ST's are still cheaper than when we were in the Prem before. How does that work?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Even with the rise in price, should we go up, ST's are still cheaper than when we were in the Prem before. How does that work?

Realisation that ST income is much less relevant than TV income - so it's better to have a fuller ground?

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Even with the rise in price, should we go up, ST's are still cheaper than when we were in the Prem before. How does that work?

Realisation that ST income is much less relevant than TV income - so it's better to have a fuller ground?

Also the club are well aware how the holders felt about the hike in the price, hence losing 7000 ST holders since relegation.

JM cannot moan that players are overpaid, while also charging such high amounts to watch a game.

[Hoop Blah]

The price they've set now is, IIRC, the same price they set when doing an early renewal promotion before the end of a season circa 2004. When we then went up having secured promotion ridiculously early in 05-06 the cost of Premier League football at Reading had suddenly gone up by something like £75-100.

This looks a similar situation where it's a little bit of a gamble by the club (setting this years renewals at £375) and then having to keep match prices relatively in line with those already sold.

I never understood how the club could justify putting the prices up so much post-promotion when they'd previously set Premier League football at a cheaper price a year or so before.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

In April 2005 they released the ST renewals for the folowing season.

Included was this passage,. SO fans did not always have till june to renew when the division was in doubt.

I am happy to announce that supporters who renew their
season tickets by the end of April will be guaranteed to pay
the same price even if we subsequently gain promotion to
the Premiership. This is a little ‘thank-you’ to fans who
pledge their support for another season at an early stage,
and I am sure many of you will take this opportunity –
hopefully you will be

ANd this was the full option available, I think.

Renewal prices for current Season Ticket holders
*Direct debit administration fee is £25 per transaction.
Period of availability: The above prices are available until 30 April 2005.
If you renew your season ticket in April 2005 it means you will pay one price, whether we go up to the Premiership or remain
in the Championship for the 2005/6 season.
These prices will then be available again to current season ticket holders from May 9th 2005 should the Club not reach the
Play-Offs or from 1 June 2005 should the Club reach the Play-Offs and be unsuccessful.
This renewal price will then be available until 1 July 2005 if we are still in The Championship.
Full Season Ticket prices – Championship
Adult
16-21
Under 16
Under 12
Over 65
Megablock (1 adult and 1
child under 16)
Adult
16-21
Under 16
Under 12
Over 65
Megablock (1 adult and 1
child under 16)
Lower West and
East Stands
£360
£220
£100
£70
£220
–
Lower West and
East Stands
£375
£230
£100
£70
£230
–
North Stand
£300
£175
£100
£70
£175
–
North Stand
£325
£185
£100
£70
£185
–
Upper West Stand
£395
£255
£115
£80
£255
£360
Upper West Stand
£400
£280
£115
£80
£280
£410
6 7

[West Stand Man]

So, all you doom and gloom mongers who predicted that ST sales would plummet - I trump your gloom with a 7% increase in sales.

[Svlad Cjelli]

So, all you doom and gloom mongers who predicted that ST sales would plummet - I trump your gloom with a 7% increase in sales.

Don't you think the charge to the play-off final might possibly have had something to do with increased sales?

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

No doubt it did, but would as many have gone for it if ST sales were held off till after the final?

[Hoop Blah]

So, all you doom and gloom mongers who predicted that ST sales would plummet - I trump your gloom with a 7% increase in sales.

As Dirk said, the rise is due to the improved performance at the back end of last season and the fact that you could buy a reasonably priced Championship season ticket with the outside chance of it turning into a Premier League one.

I'd be interested to see the figures for the renewal rates for the early cut off date.

The 7% increase in sales doesn't actually translate to the renewal rates the new policy was designed to increase of course.

[brendywendy]

Even with the rise in price, should we go up, ST's are still cheaper than when we were in the Prem before. How does that work?

Realisation that ST income is much less relevant than TV income - so it's better to have a fuller ground?

Also the club are well aware how the holders felt about the hike in the price, hence losing 7000 ST holders since relegation.

JM cannot moan that players are overpaid, while also charging such high amounts to watch a game.

surely theyd have lost the 70000 that year, not in dribs and drabs since then?

especially since teh price came right down, and has stayed there since then

[Hoop Blah]

I think the level of competition and opposition had a much bigger bearing on the ST sales than the price.

[brendywendy]

I never understood how the club could justify putting the prices up so much.

LOL!

i dont consider 75-100 pound extra being alot, for going from champ_prem tbf
and its supply and demand. the ground was going to be near sell out every week, so no business man in the world is going to fail to take advantage of that.

i dont think it will be that high if we go up again though.

[Svlad Cjelli]

I never understood how the club could justify putting the prices up so much.

LOL!

i dont consider 75-100 pound extra being alot, for going from champ_prem tbf
and its supply and demand. the ground was going to be near sell out every week, so no business man in the world is going to fail to take advantage of that.

i dont think it will be that high if we go up again though.

What I personally favour (in the evnet of promotion) is a smallish increase to the renewal price but a much larger increase for new ST purchasers.

[brendywendy]

agreed.

how much of the yearly 6 million prem profits were due to the increases in ticket prices do you reckon?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Bugger all. If each one of the 18,000 STs they sold were adult ones that'd only be £7.6M (or £6.5M after VAT) - but a fair proportion would be concession tickets so the total ST income would be far lower.

So ST income would only be about 15% of total income - it's the TV money that is so significant in the PL.

[brendywendy]

so probably would have maintained gates,had negligible effect on profits and had a happier customer base if theyd kept STs lower

[Hoop Blah]

I never understood how the club could justify putting the prices up so much.

LOL!

i dont consider 75-100 pound extra being alot, for going from champ_prem tbf
and its supply and demand. the ground was going to be near sell out every week, so no business man in the world is going to fail to take advantage of that.

i dont think it will be that high if we go up again though.

Did you read the rest of what I posted?

When we were possibly going to go up via the play offs (in what 2004?) the club set Premier League Season Ticket prices at X and said the increase was to compete if we went up etc etc.

When we were then nailed on for promotion the next season (or maybe two, I can't remember) they set the price at Y. That Y was another £50 or £75 more than X. There was no gamble involved so they felt they could set the prices higher because the fans were going to lap it up. Always seemed to bit of a cheek to me.

[brendywendy]

or just business

and no, of course i didnt read what you said, i simply fiocussed on one small aspect of it, and ignored the rest.
i try very hard not to reaqd too much negativity. it upsets my chi

[Hoop Blah]

It's realism, and you might find it educational!!!

This is one of those knee-jerk positive responses that makes some people look a little dim....

Business is fine by the way, but it's still an increase that was largely unjustifiable and exploiting the situation our on-field success afforded the club. It was, as I'd said, an unfair increase when compared to the levels they set a season or so before. As such it's open to fair criticism.