Post by bluey69 on Dec 14, 2009 16:51:01 GMT -1
I am writing this letter as our matchday prices currently very much concern me. This was brought to my attention on BBC 606 before the Blackpool Rovers game. Their fans are complaining, and rightly so at being charged a disgusting £31 a ticket for the game. I don’t understand why we have started charging away fans more than home ? This will cause anger from away fans, as basically every team in the championship charge the same for home and away supporters.
I recall QPR attempting to charge Derby County £40 last season for away tickets, with Derby rightly returning their tickets as they had agreed a price of £30 before hand. Judging by many football forums, fans of the other 23 sides in the league aren’t attending Portman Road and are very angry at us ripping them off.
Although an Ipswich Town fan, I’m a fan of football in general. Being based in Bristol I rarely attend Portman Road games due to the distance, apart from the Norwich game as that’s a great match to see. Recently I visited Villa Park to see Aston Villa play Manchester City. The ticket was a very reasonable £26. Now I’m aware that Premiership football clubs gain far much more revenue than Championship sides, so I know we can’t charge very small prices. But considering we’re far more financially stable than we were five years ago, I fail to see how the cheapest tickets have risen from £20 - £25 ?!
Our attendances are dropping, and ticket prices have a big role to play in this. We have fallen from 25,000 regulars to being lucky to hit the 20,000 mark. This concerns me for the next generation of Ipswich Town support.
In the mid 90’s, our rivals Norwich City employed a new marketer to address their poor crowds. They were one of the first clubs to target families when attracting season ticket holders. Their attendances have risen from a 13,000 average to 24,000. That despite them being a league below, and far less financially secure than ourselves !
Derby County have launched 6 and 12 pack ticket offers, so fans have more options regarding games and they have the supporters tied in for periods of time. Not everyone can afford season tickets in this financial climate, so charging £25 plus a game will alienate many supporters. Something I don’t feel we can afford to do.
Last season we had many promotional games, which I was for. Even though this didn’t have any bearing on me as explained above, this was considering the fans need. Season ticket holders being able to purchase four extra tickets for £10 a time was a great incentive.
As for our new A / B / and C structure, this promotion is horrendously laughable. It really doesn’t achieve a great deal whatsoever. A C game is only £3 cheaper than an A list game, so although the principle is right in charging in accordance with category, the reality is supporters won’t be influenced by this.
I studied business management at university and have now graduated. I’m quite sure I could really address our attendances if given the opportunity. Its just this really concerns me, and I look forward to your response on all the matters mentioned above.
Many thanks,
Paul Eastwood – a concerned Ipswich Fan.
I recall QPR attempting to charge Derby County £40 last season for away tickets, with Derby rightly returning their tickets as they had agreed a price of £30 before hand. Judging by many football forums, fans of the other 23 sides in the league aren’t attending Portman Road and are very angry at us ripping them off.
Although an Ipswich Town fan, I’m a fan of football in general. Being based in Bristol I rarely attend Portman Road games due to the distance, apart from the Norwich game as that’s a great match to see. Recently I visited Villa Park to see Aston Villa play Manchester City. The ticket was a very reasonable £26. Now I’m aware that Premiership football clubs gain far much more revenue than Championship sides, so I know we can’t charge very small prices. But considering we’re far more financially stable than we were five years ago, I fail to see how the cheapest tickets have risen from £20 - £25 ?!
Our attendances are dropping, and ticket prices have a big role to play in this. We have fallen from 25,000 regulars to being lucky to hit the 20,000 mark. This concerns me for the next generation of Ipswich Town support.
In the mid 90’s, our rivals Norwich City employed a new marketer to address their poor crowds. They were one of the first clubs to target families when attracting season ticket holders. Their attendances have risen from a 13,000 average to 24,000. That despite them being a league below, and far less financially secure than ourselves !
Derby County have launched 6 and 12 pack ticket offers, so fans have more options regarding games and they have the supporters tied in for periods of time. Not everyone can afford season tickets in this financial climate, so charging £25 plus a game will alienate many supporters. Something I don’t feel we can afford to do.
Last season we had many promotional games, which I was for. Even though this didn’t have any bearing on me as explained above, this was considering the fans need. Season ticket holders being able to purchase four extra tickets for £10 a time was a great incentive.
As for our new A / B / and C structure, this promotion is horrendously laughable. It really doesn’t achieve a great deal whatsoever. A C game is only £3 cheaper than an A list game, so although the principle is right in charging in accordance with category, the reality is supporters won’t be influenced by this.
I studied business management at university and have now graduated. I’m quite sure I could really address our attendances if given the opportunity. Its just this really concerns me, and I look forward to your response on all the matters mentioned above.
Many thanks,
Paul Eastwood – a concerned Ipswich Fan.
