Bigger crowd

[Pendle Red]

Originally Posted by carpon

This electronic ticket system / caper is in my opinion, a massive own goal. All well and good taking the club forwards by introducing the facility, but my opinion alone, it will have detrimental consequences.

As said by many others, I can't see how making it even dearer to attend on the day will take the club forward. Look either way down the M65, better football on offer with better facilities at much the same price.

I think the added cost for walk on prices is massively influenced by paying for this system and in all honesty I can't see why we need it. It's not like it would be needed every week, would only be worth it's while for a couple of games a season, ala games like Bury, Bradford & Rochdale or a big cup game (bearing in mind Rochdale won't be here next year and Bury might not be if they go up in the play-offs.) If we were to spend money improving anything it would be better spent improving facilities.

How does making it even dearer and inconveniencing folk by making them to have to think about getting tickets in advance, in order to get football at the price they pay at the moment, to use poor facilities, attract more folk onto the ground???

I can see it putting folk off, having a negative impact on attendances and in turn exasperating the problem. Lower attendances meaning less income, lower budget, etc, etc, etc.

Seriously, have the powers that be thought this one through ???

Tuesday night's game against Barnet will be a key acid test for whether the system will work or not, if people don't come on at them prices then maybe it will and should demand a re-think on matchday prices

[VALAIRIAN]

Originally Posted by Pendle Red

Tuesday night's game against Barnet will be a key acid test for whether the system will work or not, if people don't come on at them prices then maybe it will and should demand a re-think on matchday prices

Do not be too hasty Google Page Ranking, Tuesday against Barnet, end of the season, nowt to play for type of game, plus Euro footy on the tele! It will be a test yes, but not - I think - a defining one

[carpon]

Well just as a footnote to my earlier post....

I was talking to a few folk at work today, supporters of Burnley & Blackburn; and when telling them of next years plans regarding walk on prices, it only went to confirm what I feared.

They were pretty much in agreement, that this policy will probably stop them going watching Stanley when their own clubs don't have a game.

They find it crazy that a club in our position ( i.e. attendances) is trying to implement this scheme and they cited the inconvenience of having to buy tickets in advance as THE reason why they'll probably stop going; added to the fact that IF they decided to go on the day of a game, they pretty much agreed that £17 to sit or £15 to stand to watch a Stanley game are prices they wouldn't pay. I couldn't post some of their statements of amazement for fear of breaking the foul language rules, but I pretty much guess that you can get the picture

This may of course not be a true reflection mirrored by other fans of these clubs, but IF it is true, then it's worrying to say the least.

IF that opinion is shared by other neutrals who might be considering watching Stanley, then as stated in my earlier post, I fear this is a massive own goal.

My own personal opinion, but I think the club offering a £2 reduction if paying in advance ( i.e. £13 to sit or £11 to stand ) would have had a more positive effect. But I suppose the club would state it has to absorb the additional cost of this ticketing facility and that is reflected in the increased walk on prices.

For a club that probably only needs a ticket policy for a couple of games a season, to alienate potential walk on fans in this manner is, as stated by outsiders looking in ( i.e. the other fans & potential walk ons) crazy!!!.

How does this increase attendaces or for that matter revenue ?????

[bdc]

Personally I think the money should have been spent on other things that are of more importance such as sorting the pitch out. The ticket system is not required at the moment as the club doesn't have the fanbase to justify such a huge outlay for this. Increasing prices with emphasis on pre-match tickets at the same price as current walk on prices is a completely ridiculous commercial strategy which will only do harm to any chances of increasing the fanbase. Why not use the money to put it towards subsdising a price reduction of walk on price for next season or at least keep it at the same prices as this season.

The easiest way of attracting new fans and walk ons is by keeping prices low not making more expensive to pay on the gate. I am afraid that this will alienate people that decide on a whim to go on a Stanley game because they are not going to pay extra money to watch and nor are they likely to go out of their way to order a ticket. It may sound harsh but that is they way it is. The biggest key to increasing gates is to look at offering family tickets at a fair price, offering inclusive deals for tickets and a drink or pie. Things like these will result in an increase of usage of the lounge and hopefully entice more walk ons. The pricing strategy I would have is that adult prices at £10 and kids at £5, this more than anything else will help to create the positive headlines that are required to get a major increase in fans.

[cashman]

as far as i'm aware the pitch upgrade is being done close season n completly differant funds fer it.

[bdc]

Cashy - Fine if the pitch is being sorted but all I was meaning is that the money is better spent on things that need changing. It could be spent on helping Coley get some more players or upgrading the Coppice, the ticket system will take a long time to pay for itself!

[cashman]

Originally Posted by bdc

Cashy - Fine if the pitch is being sorted but all I was meaning is that the money is better spent on things that need changing. It could be spent on helping Coley get some more players or upgrading the Coppice, the ticket system will take a long time to pay for itself!

possibly so, i don't know enough about what money goes where n why to say yeh or neh.

[lancsdave]

I think a lot of you are going overboard about the ticketing system. It's only part of a system which has been implemented which also includes modernising & proffesionalising the retail side, a point made hundreds of times by people on here that it's been needed for years. I would guess the system is also used for a lot of administration work elsewhere in the club.

I know the system didn't decide the prices, and no matter what price is set not everybody will be happy, but all it's done is allowed a flexibility to be put in place. More often than not, systems like this are actually rented rather than purchased so I doubt any major outlay has been made.

[maccawozzagod]

well said Dave

... but the price increase is wrong.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

... but the price increase is wrong.

As I said, some will be happy some won't. Obviously as an occasional walk on I wouldn't be too happy with any price increase

[Willie Miller]

Loyalty Scheme...... 10 full price one half.....

[Pendle Red]

Before I saw it running I was let's say a little concerned that with a small fan base we were barking up the wrong tree.

It is the mutt's nuts in basic terms so long as it reaches it's full potential e.g. it has to pay for itself, now how that is measured I am not quite sure but if it reaches a wider audience through the convenience of it's own website for ticketing & retail then the goal maybe easier to achieve than maybe we give it credit for?

The key is perhaps the database itself is once anyones details are recorded they can be targetted with ticket offers, away travel, latest lines in the Stanley Store etc. whether that is by post, email or even text that effectively pushes the Boundaries out of Hynburn to a Global Audience which is something we don't have at the moment for the retail side of things.

I still think the matchday prices are wrong but I hope the Club are astute enough to look at things like that as well as the whole matchday setup there is so much that can still be achieved by expanding the horizons of encouraging people along earlier than 2.50pm on a Saturday afternoon

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Pendle Red

The key is perhaps the database itself is once anyones details are recorded they can be targetted with ticket offers, away travel, latest lines in the Stanley Store etc. whether that is by post, email or even text that effectively pushes the Boundaries out of Hynburn to a Global Audience which is something we don't have at the moment for the retail side of things.

That's the crux of the matter - a modern retailing system which has the potential to expand our audience throughout East Lancashire and maybe even beyond. To my way of thinking, this is what Stanley have lacked for years and I'm glad to see the club adopting it, but...

...like everyone else, I have serious doubts about the pricing. Reckon it should be £10 pre-booked and £13 walk ons. I hope that if the Barnet experiment isn't a success (and, obviously, we all hope that it is), the club will relook at next season's pricing stucture.

[lancsdave]

Maybe they could actually make money on the new system if they can outsource themselves to a neighbour and provide online ticket sales for them

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Maybe they could actually make money on the new system if they can outsource themselves to a neighbour and provide online ticket sales for them

Who'll want to buy tickets from anywhere to watch the dingles next season