Update

Better than launching them now. They would struggle to sell 10,000 !!!

 

I tend to hang on to my optimism and positive attitude longer than most people do but I have to say you make some very good points. Another season of results and play like the second half of this season and I might be joining your camp.

 

I'm not sure we would @HUDDERSSBANTAM, go back to the Premier days we sold out very rarely if at all, now at that time the cost was far different to today but so was the football and seeing the super stars that the Premier clubs brought.
There is IMO a top limit to what Bradfordian's will pay and I would suggest if the product was good we might get a good take up of season tickets at the £200 mark.
I believe over that there would be a dramatic fall off of fans prepared to pay much more, then as we are being told (which is one of the few things I believe our owners are correct saying) is less bums on seats would produce less income for the club, food/drink/merchandise ETC, so the only way of testing the water would be to increase the ticket prices at the best possible time and that would be after a reasonable successful season, but then again that would go against the model they are trying to introduce.

 

We have a model?

 

Don't even go there .

 

I will probably be lambasted for this but I think if there is one thing R&R should be applauded for, it is the cheap season tickets. I would much rather support a club where the pricing means that virtually anyone who is a fan can afford to buy a season ticket rather than a club where only the better off can. An option to pay more if you can afford to and want to (on the understanding all funds generated this way go towards the playing budget), would be brilliant and I would happily do so. For argument's sake, lets imagine there are 3000 fans that would be willing to pay an average of £100 more for their season ticket. That's an extra £300,000 for the playing budget (or the equivalent of another 1,775 season tickets at £169). Surely that's got to be something worth looking at?

 

It's a fair point. But there's a cost to competing. I don't want us to be exclusive to the community, but an ST at 250 would be cheaper than just about every other club in the country and work out at fractionally over a tenner a game.

I think it's catch 22 - I genuinely believe the vast majority who buy now are willing to pay more for a better 'product' but not to the same product. That's just basic business. You get what you pay for. At some point we have to be willing to pay more if we want to improve. It' spilt milk now but last summer was THE time to put up prices and show some financial and footballing ambition

 

Just saying, but cheap season tickets were brought in long before "R&R".

Any extra for the playing budget can also be used for the dev squad and pitch improvements by our crafty owners.

 

But putting the price up for everyone is very likely to reduce season ticket sales even further AND risk our budget being even further diminished. Using the same hypothetical argument of 3000 fans not renewing their season tickets because they can't afford the price increase now they are £250, that's a loss of £750000. Now, if we use the figure of 10,000 fans in each scenario (for comparison sake), in the first example, season tickets are priced at £169 and everyone that wants one can afford one and renews. We also have 3000 fans that are willing to pay on average £100 more which would give us a total income of £1990,000. In the second example, season tickets have gone up to £250 and 3000 fans decide they can't afford it anymore so don't renew. We now have 7000 fans paying £250 for their season tickets giving us a total income of £1750,000.

 

Agreed. Last season was the time to increase with the potential of Championship football.

 

Agreed, but R&R want to keep them low and that should be applauded. As for your second point, if that happened people would stop paying it so more fool R&R if that's what they did.

 

People assume that higher prices mean lower sales. I don't think it's as simple as that and it would of course have to be carefully managed. But let me ask you, personally, Would you rather pay 169 knowing that the manager has a mid table budget, or pay 250 knowing that the manager has a top 6 budget?

 

I've already explained - I would rather the season ticket price was £169 so that anyone who is a fan can afford one and those that can afford to pay more have the option to do so (on the understanding the money is used for the playing budget).

 

We did a few years back and it brought in an extra £1750. Some say they will do it, but when push comes to shove....

 

Sometime soon this update thtead will have some updates in it. If that is not too much to ask for.

 

Where we went wrong on ST prices was the fact we put them up for the youngsters.

Personally speaking, I think an adult ST should have been increased to £229 (£10 per game), but u11s should have stayed free, other than the admin charge and those classed as juniors, students and OAPs should have been no more than £99.

In fact, if 2 adults and 2 juniors wanted to go together, I’d have been offering a family ticket at £599

 

All those saying we should pay more for season tickets, put your hands up if you paid £169 and hands up if you’re waiting until they’re full price?

As @BoingBoing said, a player fund was tried a few years ago and raised nothing.

 

Norman I’m sorry but I think you’re deluded. This pair said we’re going for top 2, we’ll back the manager, we’ll try to sign Moore and buy Kai. It’s all well and good upgrading the ticket system, investing in marketing and youth development, but at the end of the day nobody gives a toss we’ve a great ticket system and a promising 17 year old if we’re on the end of a dry bumming every week.

Nobody wants a Richmond style six weeks of madness, but a recognition that you can’t get promotion and have lucrative cup runs with threadbare and inadequate squad. The right manager with a sensible budget left to get on with out interference will do well.

Bradford City is a private business being run to make two wealthy men even wealthier. I’m fine with that, but if Morrisons served shit food in a decrepit store with half arsed staff would you say nah give ‘em a chance to fix it or would you go to Tesco? If they want a return on their investment they need the paying public on their side and they won’t get that if they carry on how they have the last six months.

 

That's not really answering my question though. You've answered on the basis of what you think works best for everyone else. Humour me. You specifically, just you. Would YOU rather pay 169 if it guaranteed a mid table budget team or 250 if ot guaranteed a top 6 budget team?

 

Okay, if it guaranteed a top 6 budget I'd pay £250. But it wouldn't and that's the point. This is Bradford City, we haven't got enough fans that can afford/are willing to pay £250 so I would rather it be cheaper so that more people can afford/are willing to pay the price and let those that can/want to pay more do so. Sounds daft I know but I also like to see the stadium as full as possible and that can only happen if prices are kept low and results are going well (fickle lot are Bradfordians).