Season Tickets 24/25

[RG30]

Prices to rise by £15, additional details here:

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2024/april/04/season-tickets-on-sale-now/

[jd82]

Nice little bonus in the form of renewal rates for those that bought the mini-season ticket for the last 3 games.

Sure this will not please some full holders though.

[Sutekh]

And these prices have been agreed with the prospective new owners have they?

[Hendo]

Nice little bonus in the form of renewal rates for those that bought the mini-season ticket for the last 3 games.

Sure this will not please some full holders though.

If it gets more people buying full STs for next season, I am all for it.

95% sure I'll renew for next year.

[jd82]

Nice little bonus in the form of renewal rates for those that bought the mini-season ticket for the last 3 games.

Sure this will not please some full holders though.

If it gets more people buying full STs for next season, I am all for it.

95% sure I'll renew for next year.

I've just bought one for the first time in over 20 years. (tbf i would have even without the renewal bonus, but it's a nice touch)

[Hendo]

Nice little bonus in the form of renewal rates for those that bought the mini-season ticket for the last 3 games.

Sure this will not please some full holders though.

If it gets more people buying full STs for next season, I am all for it.

95% sure I'll renew for next year.

I've just bought one for the first time in over 20 years. (tbf i would have even without the renewal bonus, but it's a nice touch)

Good stuff!

[Forbury Lion]

I'm going to leave it as late as I can, might have some more good news about the takeover by then. Also will pay by credit card as easier to let them sort out a refund if Dai does a runner with all the ticket sales money leaving me with nothing.

Season ticket holders will have their seats reserved up until 5pm on Friday 14th June.

The renewal price will not be available after this date, so be sure to sign up for next season before then.

[RG30]

No finance option available.

[windermereROYAL]

I`ll do what I`m sure many others will do, we need an assurance about our future before June 14th.

[Snowflake Royal]

Might get one if the takeover goes through ok

[Clyde1998]

As the numbers of STHs only appear publicly in financial accounts, I've estimated how many STHs we've got.

Findings
These figures will include a small number of people who've purchased a new 2024-25 season ticket, but the stadium seat map suggests we have around 8,600 STHs at present (including half-season tickets and may include mini-season tickets).

When I started tracking for some individual home matches, in the past couple of months, Lincoln had the lowest starting occupancy number (ie. the lowest number of individual tickets bought) at just under 8,200. I believe this was before mini-season tickets became available; Blackpool started at 8,400 sold (a week or so before the first game of the mini-season tickets).

At the start of the season, my final estimate (on 2nd August) was between 7,400 and 9,800; I think I decided on the lower number to be conservative.

That was skewed by individual match tickets going on sale roughly three weeks before the season started; any seat occupied for the opening few games could no longer have a season ticket purchased for it.

• The higher number (9,800) included all seats occupied - so likely a massive overestimation, as that would include all individual match tickets.
• The lower number stated 10% of all additional seats going unavailable after individual match tickets went on sale were season ticket sales - likely an underestimation.

I believe our lowest home attendance (excluding away fans) this season is Carlisle at 7,900 - a game which wouldn't've had many people buying a match ticket (it was a Tuesday night in November around our lowest point of the season).

Estimate
Based on all this information, I'd therefore guess we had around 7,800 STHs at the start of the season, around 8,200 after half-season tickets were sold and around 8,600 including mini-season tickets and a small number of new 2024-25 season ticket sales.

Those 8,600 are broken down as:

• 3359 - East Stand
• 1562 - Lower West
• 1383 - Club 1871
• 1330 - North Stand
• 950 - Upper West
• 8584 - Total

To take this further: using data (apparently) from the club's commercial brochure on the fan base and assuming an even distribution of ages in each area (which it won't be) and assuming that data is reflective of STHs. That 8,584 STH number (if all bought their tickets prior to the season starting) would be between £2.6m and £2.8m in season ticket revenue last season (depending on how many renewals there were relative to new purchases) and between £2.7m and 2.9m on next season's prices.

The true figure will be lower as roughly 400 half-STHs and 400 mini-STHs won't have paid full season ticket prices and people will be more likely to buy tickets in areas that make economic sense - such as having a higher proportion of child's tickets in the family area than elsewhere in the ground. Additionally, none of this is taking into account hospitality or disabled STHs as they don't appear on the seat map. I'd guess the club got around £2.4m in season ticket revenue last season (around £1.9m post-VAT).

[Clyde1998]

No finance option available.

Does seem odd, albeit I think it was only last season I found out finance was even an option. I imagine if you contact the club, as you'd like have to anyway to arrange for it, they'd give you details on that.

I`ll do what I`m sure many others will do, we need an assurance about our future before June 14th.

I typically wait until towards the deadline anyway, but I think it makes sense this season to wait until we have assurances about the club's ownership situation before doing anything.

Might get one if the takeover goes through ok

I do wonder how many people have decided in previous season not to go (either season ticket or individual matches) because of the ownership situation. I know of a few people who've restricted how many games they go to due to it who may be convinced to get a season ticket if Dai's gone.

Season ticket sales, and attendances in general, have plummeted under Dai - season tickets down around 8% per season on average under Dai and if you exclude Dai's first season (after the play-off final) it's over a 10% decline per season on average. Average attendances are down around 4% on average per season, although that includes away fans; could be around 7-8% excluding away fans per season.

[Hound]

I’ll get one, but I’d rather leave it a bit later and hope the takeover has gone through/not fallen through by the renewal date

May be a move to 1871 this year. Inevitable now the kids are getting older and want to be there

[Snowflake Royal]

Found that standing all game in 1871 after walking to and from the ground, is an increasing struggle 5 years on from when I last did it regularly.

And after being only an occasional attendee for 5 years, I can't work out all the words to a lot of the newer songs.

Also, increasingly finding the view from the TV much better than the one from the stands. Although never liked end on.

Had to get a ticket back in the East for the last home game, C1871 was sold out!

[Dirk Gently]

No finance option available.

Does seem odd, albeit I think it was only last season I found out finance was even an option. I imagine if you contact the club, as you'd like have to anyway to arrange for it, they'd give you details on that.

It'd be a brave (or extremely expensive) lender that would take on sales for a club in our financial predicament when you consider that if we go bust or into administration it's the credit company that has the contract with (and so the liability to) STHs, but would only be a teeny tiny creditor with the club and likely to get only a few pence in the pound back, eventually.

[Ascotexgunner]

I'm gonna get mine no matter what.....Only change will be to move away from 1871......having to walk right around the stadium at the end is becoming painful with the hip injury I have.

[On Strings]

Good value still. I'll get one, I'm just trying to decide if I want to be a prawn sandwich up in the upper west or back in Y26.

[On Strings]

Found that standing all game in 1871 after walking to and from the ground, is an increasing struggle 5 years on from when I last did it regularly.

Much the same here. I need the comfort of a seat now. One hip slightly higher than the other from an old ankle break, and it's too much to stand all game.

[Snowflake Royal]

Found that standing all game in 1871 after walking to and from the ground, is an increasing struggle 5 years on from when I last did it regularly.

Much the same here. I need the comfort of a seat now. One hip slightly higher than the other from an old ankle break, and it's too much to stand all game.

I refuse to give up. Which is helped by mostly watching from the sofa.

[Brogue]

Notice if you are under 15 you have to be with an adult in c1871. Hopefully means it becomes a bit more behaved over there now