100%Red&White Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I wonder if season ticket holders will be offered ‘Early Bird’ renewals this year for next season - usually out around March so guess we’ll find out soon enough? Obviously we all hope to be in a league higher but if we miss out again it may be better to have as many as possible hooked in for another slog in League One. Times are tough for most of us financially and will probably get tougher, I hope the club look to freeze prices whatever league we’re in. Brighton were offering STs to existing and even new applicants for £375 for seats in a brand new stadium and, more than likely, in the Championship. We may be in the affluent south/south east and pull in fans from a very wide area but sometimes I think the club forget about many people that live in this city and are not as flush as others out there. Southampton has some nice areas but a large section of the population live in more deprived districts. When you consider the big council estates like Millbrook, Shirley Warren, Lordshill, Thornhill, Weston, Townhill Park, Harefield, The Flowers, Northam, St Marys – there’s more – that’s a lot of potential fans that could be priced out with the way things are going. Does anyone know when they’re expecting to bring in the new electronic entry system that’s been talked about? I wont mention 'installment plans'. D'oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nexstar Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I believe the instalment plans were due to come back this season. They were ended because 400 or so set up payments to the club and then cancelled them once they received their ST. Can't blame the club 1 bit for taking them out for the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 (edited) Fat fcking chance, IMHO. I would be happy to be wrong, but the club hasn't given any indication of either instalments or wanting our money in advance. At the moment I still have some (slightly paranoid) concerns that they might get rid of STs altogether. Edited 16 February, 2011 by The9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgerBadger Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Were the club only going to reinstate installment plans once they installed the electronic ticketing system, anyone know if this is happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nexstar Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Fat fcking chance, IMHO. I would be happy to be wrong, but the club hasn't given any indication of either instalments or wanting our money in advance. At the moment I still have some (slightly paranoid) concerns that they might get rid of STs altogether. And do what instead exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alehouseboys Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I believe the instalment plans were due to come back this season. They were ended because 400 or so set up payments to the club and then cancelled them once they received their ST. Can't blame the club 1 bit for taking them out for the season. It would be nice to think the club took onboard a few of the comments from disgruntled fans last year and at least communicate intentions a little earlier if nothing else. One of the reasons given for the lack of an instalment plan was the ****s who reneged on the payment plan so, as nice it would be to return to it, I can't see that happening until the electronic ticketing is up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffton Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Theres no way the new ticket entry system can be installed until the close season, however as long as the club know this is going ahead theres no reason they can't sell the tickets before then, and re-instate the installment plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 And do what instead exactly? Sell tickets on a match by match basis, or in smaller blocks, making sure that they charge the supporter more, transparently of course... for the privilege. It's hardly like Cortese's shown an adherence to the traditional methods of running a football club to be high on his list of priorities when there's a profit motive - sometimes that's good, sometimes it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 It would be nice to think the club took onboard a few of the comments from disgruntled fans last year and at least communicate intentions a little earlier if nothing else. One of the reasons given for the lack of an instalment plan was the ****s who reneged on the payment plan so, as nice it would be to return to it, I can't see that happening until the electronic ticketing is up and running. Wasn't that the ONLY reason ? The one undermined somewhat by their failure to offer STs before July when they could have had all the money before they sent the tickets out. Also undermined by their refusal to offer finance rather than the one-time-only Direct Debit system of the previous year, which (repetition 101) was only because of the short timescales caused by having a takeover in July 2009 with the season starting in early August and having no ST plans in place due to Administration (and presumably cost-cutting). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
100%Red&White Posted 16 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Fat fcking chance, IMHO. I would be happy to be wrong, but the club hasn't given any indication of either instalments or wanting our money in advance. At the moment I still have some (slightly paranoid) concerns that they might get rid of STs altogether. And do what instead exactly? I can understand 'The9's feelings on this, season tickets certainly didn't appear to be a particularly important priority for the club last year but I'd hesistantly say things may be different this time round. After some 'not-quite-full-houses' with 'data-base-only' sales this season I could also see the benefits of re-introducing the Membership scheme too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRM Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I would like to make a point on the inaccurate reporting of this "cancelled direct debits" from last time. I purchased a season ticket, on the installment plan. They did NOT put me on a direct debit scheme. They instead chose to use the method of taking 6 seperate payments from MY CARD rather than directly debiting my ACCOUNT. I received a letter from the club saying I had defaulted and the season ticket would be cancelled, it was only when i called and spoke to Lee Hetherington that both parties realised they were trying to take a payment from a card that had expired, i gave him the details on my newly issued debit card which he amended on the system and took the neccessary payments. I thnk the opening post is correct to outline the fact that we, as Saints fans, do not get a very good deal compared to the prices offered by similar lower league clubs in the south east. Fingers crossed they get the pricing right and sell season tickets in a pro-active way. Last year was very worrying, no renewal forms, not even an email or post to existing season ticket holders inviting them to renew, just a brief announcement on the official site. Very very poor communication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I would like to make a point on the inaccurate reporting of this "cancelled direct debits" from last time. I purchased a season ticket, on the installment plan. They did NOT put me on a direct debit scheme. They instead chose to use the method of taking 6 seperate payments from MY CARD rather than directly debiting my ACCOUNT. I received a letter from the club saying I had defaulted and the season ticket would be cancelled, it was only when i called and spoke to Lee Hetherington that both parties realised they were trying to take a payment from a card that had expired, i gave him the details on my newly issued debit card which he amended on the system and took the neccessary payments. I thnk the opening post is correct to outline the fact that we, as Saints fans, do not get a very good deal compared to the prices offered by similar lower league clubs in the south east. Fingers crossed they get the pricing right and sell season tickets in a pro-active way. Last year was very worrying, no renewal forms, not even an email or post to existing season ticket holders inviting them to renew, just a brief announcement on the official site. Very very poor communication. Funnily enough my first monthly DD payment bounced for that reason too - I'd completely forgotten that until you mentioned it then. I wonder if those numbers were counted in the "defaulters"..? As you say, let's hope they bother to tell us they're selling Season Tickets this year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRM Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Funnily enough my first monthly DD payment bounced for that reason too - I'd completely forgotten that until you mentioned it then. I wonder if those numbers were counted in the "defaulters"..? As you say, let's hope they bother to tell us they're selling Season Tickets this year... Maybe i see this more as someone who works in finance, but there is a big difference to a DD and charging a payment to someones card. The club used to run a direct debit system, this takes money direct from account given and will bounce if insufficient funds or cancelled by the account holder. Last time for 09-10 season it was NOT a DD system, they just took card details and charged seperate payments to those cards. This allowed an additional factor for payments failing, cards expiring (or even being lost and people have new ones issued) if they count people like us in the "defualters" number then the figures are inaccurate rubbish. I am on the mailing list of other clubs having bought tickets through online sites before and I can assure you they all put more effort into selling season tickets and marketing than saints did last season. Fulham sent me tons of emails promoting parts of ground available, when on sale and what price, and they had just been in a European final. Saints on the other hand didn't seem to give a **** if anyone renewed, being one of the last clubs to announce prices, having no plan to support purchasing over time, and no effort to market season ticket sales to the fan base Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint 76er Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Big difference now is that the club does not carry any debt. Previously, season ticket income was tied to the stadium loan and they needed that money and were prepared to discount in March to get it. Even then Lowe ultimately could not balance the books. With no debt, the season ticket money is not especially required up front and Cortese is unlikely to want to engage in discounting. I suspect he is not too keen on ST's per se and would prefer a balanced income throughout the year with people buying game by game tix at full prices (+ levy). As with last year, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for an announcement ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRM Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Big difference now is that the club does not carry any debt. Previously, season ticket income was tied to the stadium loan and they needed that money and were prepared to discount in March to get it. Even then Lowe ultimately could not balance the books. With no debt, the season ticket money is not especially required up front and Cortese is unlikely to want to engage in discounting. I suspect he is not too keen on ST's per se and would prefer a balanced income throughout the year with people buying game by game tix at full prices (+ levy). As with last year, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for an announcement ... and what does that tell you about Cortese's approach to season ticket holders, who are the most loyal supporters of the club. If he sees them as a cash cow to boost the income of his business model then it just adds as another reminder for me of how disenchanted I am with football these days. As fans we give more than just cash, we are the soul of the club and I think should be treated with more respect instead of mugs who'll just hand over money regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
100%Red&White Posted 16 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Big difference now is that the club does not carry any debt. Previously, season ticket income was tied to the stadium loan and they needed that money and were prepared to discount in March to get it. Even then Lowe ultimately could not balance the books. With no debt, the season ticket money is not especially required up front and Cortese is unlikely to want to engage in discounting. I suspect he is not too keen on ST's per se and would prefer a balanced income throughout the year with people buying game by game tix at full prices (+ levy). As with last year, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for an announcement ... I hope you're wrong. With a purely business head on you could say (although not necessarily agree with) that that makes economic sense but hopefully Cortese has learnt a lot in his short time in football and worked out that you need to treat your fans/customers a little less harshly. It's got to be more beneficial to give a bit and keep those customers happy and then surely you'll get more back in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Nice to know it's not just me who can see this angle on things anyway - as you've said JRM, it was a card deduction not a DD, but the point that it was a different scheme to the one the club had used up until the summer of 2008, replaced by.. nothing. I'm not really bothered if the club sees fans as cash cows or not, but I can guarantee that if the current policies continue I'll be spending a lot less in supporting Saints than if I felt like a valued customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Jason Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I believe the instalment plans were due to come back this season. They were ended because 400 or so set up payments to the club and then cancelled them once they received their ST. Can't blame the club 1 bit for taking them out for the season. Absolute bullsh1t my friend, there is no way the club would even now that fact, cr4p, cr4p, cr4p! And yes I can blame the club for withdrawing the instalment plan, there were many other options the club could have taken. They could have easily set up a plan in March for 5 instalments, March, April, May, June and july, if the 5th payment hasn't cleared don't send the season ticket or, if they are going to withdraw said plan give me more than 4 weeks notice to find £700!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 I believe the instalment plans were due to come back this season. They were ended because 400 or so set up payments to the club and then cancelled them once they received their ST. Can't blame the club 1 bit for taking them out for the season. Can blame the club totally for not giving people reasonable notice that they were doing so though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfc1971 Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 There is no way S/T or any ticket prices will be known until early june at least. When we know what div we are in I expect S/T`s to increase to about £20 per game if we fail to go up and £23-£26 if we gain promotion. Non ST holders can expect to pay say £25-£28 in Lge one and £30-£35 in C/ship. It makes me wonder what will it cost to watch Saints if and or when we are back in the Prem £50-£60 maybe ? Best start saving me thinks.:scared: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nexstar Posted 16 February, 2011 Share Posted 16 February, 2011 Absolute bullsh1t my friend, there is no way the club would even now that fact, cr4p, cr4p, cr4p! And yes I can blame the club for withdrawing the instalment plan, there were many other options the club could have taken. They could have easily set up a plan in March for 5 instalments, March, April, May, June and july, if the 5th payment hasn't cleared don't send the season ticket or, if they are going to withdraw said plan give me more than 4 weeks notice to find £700!!!!! I believe Cortese actually mentioned this himself, before you start saying my post is crap (not a swear word). I recognise that the club could have given more notice to let those affected know this wouldn't be continuing, but what you are suggesting would have meant people paying for double the number of season tickets in the same season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_kev Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 I still have some (slightly paranoid) concerns that they might get rid of STs altogether. You need help with that paranoia! Such an idea makes zero sense.. I miss about 5-8 games a season but happily keep my ST, whatever the league or quality of the footy... I'd go much less if I had to faf around buying tix individually and get random seats/stands. Why give up guarantied income versus unpredictable income? Crazy talk. But I guess this is The Internet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 You need help with that paranoia! Such an idea makes zero sense.. I miss about 5-8 games a season but happily keep my ST, whatever the league or quality of the footy... I'd go much less if I had to faf around buying tix individually and get random seats/stands. Why give up guarantied income versus unpredictable income? Crazy talk. But I guess this is The Internet 28_F I agree with you, the logistics of selling every ticket on a game by game basis are tricky, as opposed to the convenience of selling STs at a reduced rate and getting the guaranteed money up front. And every single other club in the Prem and Football League does it. But then every single of the other 91 was happy to go along with the photographer accreditation situation as well. The vast majority also had instalment plans - and where there wasn't one it was due to lack of demand. I'm also pretty sure we were at the forefront of the decision to sell the programme online too. I just hope this isn't another harsh lesson in English Football business practice waiting to happen for our imaginative Chairman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmel Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 The 9 there is not a chance that there won't be season tickets next season, not even a remote one and for thousands of different reasons. I wouldn't pin any hopes of an early bird though, if the cash is in place ( Which it very much looks like it is) there is nothing really in it for the club. If the electronic swipe card tickets are in place, then we may well see the installment plan come back as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 You need help with that paranoia! Such an idea makes zero sense.. I miss about 5-8 games a season but happily keep my ST, whatever the league or quality of the footy... I'd go much less if I had to faf around buying tix individually and get random seats/stands. Why give up guarantied income versus unpredictable income? Crazy talk. But I guess this is The Internet i agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 wrong fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomobz Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 There is no way S/T or any ticket prices will be known until early june at least. When we know what div we are in I expect S/T`s to increase to about £20 per game if we fail to go up and £23-£26 if we gain promotion. Non ST holders can expect to pay say £25-£28 in Lge one and £30-£35 in C/ship. It makes me wonder what will it cost to watch Saints if and or when we are back in the Prem £50-£60 maybe ? Best start saving me thinks.:scared: this is why i am very happy to be in the football league. champs league final tickets are £176 for the cheapest ticket this year!! if saints ever got there i would give my left nut to go, platini et al know this and exploit it. football isn't the working mans game anymore, it's a money hungry sport full of primo ******s. this is what the ridiculous players wages is doing to the game... killing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 In the past the club has done early bird deals so it gets the money in early to help over the last few months of the season and into the summer. It would have balanced the need for this against the discounted prices and deemed it worthwhile doing so. However, now with the club more financially secure than ever before in its history it may not need to do early bird scheme in March and can instead put season tickets on sale later in the summer without discounting as much in order to maximise revenue. Can blame them really as it makes sense as a business for them to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 this is why i am very happy to be in the football league. champs league final tickets are £176 for the cheapest ticket this year!! if saints ever got there i would give my left nut to go, platini et al know this and exploit it. football isn't the working mans game anymore, it's a money hungry sport full of primo ******s. this is what the ridiculous players wages is doing to the game... killing it I'd like to see the logic you've got behind UEFA's CL Final prices causing player wages to be high or vice versa...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aintforever Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 I don't think there is any chance of getting rid of season tickets, it doesn't make sense. In theory they would get more money if everyone went to every game paying on a match by match basis, in reality alot of ST holders will end up just going to the games they fancy. I always miss a few games because of holidays etc, plus there have been times where the fact that I have already paid gets my ass to the game. If I had to shell out £20 every time, suddenly Dagenham & Redbridge on a cold November evening becomes way less appealing than a night on the couch. There wont be any early bird discounts because cash flow is not an issue, I expect they are waiting to see what league we will be in anyway before they set pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomobz Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 I'd like to see the logic you've got behind UEFA's CL Final prices causing player wages to be high or vice versa...? it's an example. ticket prices in general are getting out of hand. it's a £100 for gold games at the emirates now. the money for an standard prem players £100k a week wages has to come from somewhere... i.e. tv money (we pay over the odds for sky to pay for it), merchandise sales (again we pay over the odds for replica kits), and ticket prices. all comes down to us being raped to pay for billy big time to drive a multiple supercars and forget that he even owned a porsche when he leaves it at the training ground for 10 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRM Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 it's an example. ticket prices in general are getting out of hand. it's a £100 for gold games at the emirates now. the money for an standard prem players £100k a week wages has to come from somewhere... i.e. tv money (we pay over the odds for sky to pay for it), merchandise sales (again we pay over the odds for replica kits), and ticket prices. all comes down to us being raped to pay for billy big time to drive a multiple supercars and forget that he even owned a porsche when he leaves it at the training ground for 10 months I agree with you mate, as much as I love football its gone to far now and is so far removed from what football used to be from a fans perspective I just don't feel part of it anymore. I remember when saints went into admin sky sports news did a feature on fundraising and showed an old woman handing over £500! That would have paid Bradley wright Phillips for half a day, disgusting. AGAINST MODERN FOOTBALL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 February, 2011 Share Posted 17 February, 2011 it's an example. ticket prices in general are getting out of hand. it's a £100 for gold games at the emirates now. the money for an standard prem players £100k a week wages has to come from somewhere... i.e. tv money (we pay over the odds for sky to pay for it), merchandise sales (again we pay over the odds for replica kits), and ticket prices. all comes down to us being raped to pay for billy big time to drive a multiple supercars and forget that he even owned a porsche when he leaves it at the training ground for 10 months When practically all top-level clubs are making huge losses and being propped up by multi-millionaires the idea that ticket prices are important becomes mildly ridiculous compared to the money from the overseas tv deals and merchandise anyway. Specifically with the CL, the clubs barely see the direct revenue, so only UEFA are to blame and there's no way it affects wages directly. The participating clubs will get tickets from a "bargain" £80, which at least offers some token acknowledgement of loyalty being "rewarded". Generally, agree with the "Football Will Eat Itself" thing. Bah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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