That is probably the case but it just further highlights how out of touch the club is with its customer base. If the majority of people in Teesside are in low paying jobs then it doesn't make sense to charge premium prices.
Sunderland Season Ticket Sales
- Thread starter BeanBeany
- Start date
indeedido
Well-known member
MFC do not cover the costs, they make a massive loss that Gibson guarantees with loans he will never see repaid (unless the club sustain PL football).
With lower ticket prices the loss would be greater. That seem fair to you?
The Club run a Cat A Academy, have a PL class Training facility and a PL class stadium.
The wage bill will struggle to be top 6 in this league, yet they finished 4th.
They need a competitive wage budget to mount a serious promotion challenge. That's what they had and that's what they did. But the fans did not pay much towards it
Who should pay it?
Or should we pay our squad bobbins and wonder why it does badly?
Yet the Club averaged 26k and still couldn't cover a third of the wage bill.
This isn't actually proven. We could cut prices and gain more revenue but we've never tried it.
But paid more than other clubs did. How are other clubs managing?
The fans should pay the going rate for Championship football. The same as any consumer in any market. Why should football fans get ripped off because they are more loyal than consumers in other markets. We are paying Mercedes prices for a Ford.
We've been taking this approach for 15 years and succeeded once, so bigger budget doesn't guarentee success. Look at Luton. We either cut our cloth accordingly and cut our expenses or the men at the top decide to take a bit of a chance in a bid for promotion, at their expense. We've had sub-standard players on high wages every season for years and the fans have overpaid for Championship football however the inflated prices now are worse than ever.
Are we saying the Cat A Academy is costing us money and we therefore need to fund it through inflated ticket prices?
Lots of Championship Clubs have PL class stadium and PL class training facilities. We are not alone there either. We are lucky that our stadium was built for a fraction of other clubs.
h_m_boro
Well-known member
How do Boro get an extra (ish) 4-5k in the stadium, fill it on a regular basis? Have they really looked at this or are they content to rake in just under £10m in ticket sales and that's good enough? I don't know. Extra fans with better football, better atmosphere - helps the team.
STs are decent value for money imo, a ticket for just over £20 is reasonable.
But, as many have said before, the spanking of the "casual" fan with walk up prices 50% above ST ones .....in a deprived area in the middle of a cost of living crisis......can't get my head around it. Add in the price for kids (cheapest for adult and child to attend is £49) it's not going to hook the young fans if they get to go to the Riverside 2-3 times a season if they are lucky.
Short term view could bite them on the ar*e if they are not careful.
STs are decent value for money imo, a ticket for just over £20 is reasonable.
But, as many have said before, the spanking of the "casual" fan with walk up prices 50% above ST ones .....in a deprived area in the middle of a cost of living crisis......can't get my head around it. Add in the price for kids (cheapest for adult and child to attend is £49) it's not going to hook the young fans if they get to go to the Riverside 2-3 times a season if they are lucky.
Short term view could bite them on the ar*e if they are not careful.
Gibson is a rich bloke. He can afford for Boro to spend more than they earn and cover the costs himself. The people of Teesside don't get the luxury of making the choice. If they want to see their team then many of them just can't because the prices are too high.
I would say yes. It is 100% fair that Gibson spends more of his money to cover our losses because it is him that is making the decisions to spend that money.
If he doesn't want to spend that money then he should adjust the spending to something more sustainable. All this "competitive" spending and wage bill has achieved is less than other teams with smaller wage bills have achieved. Our wage bill was double that of the other 3 playoff teams. It's not like all this excessive spending is getting us anywhere.
18MFC76
Well-known member
This is the point I always try and emphasise. Some people are so adamant that the club's pricing structure is the only way we can go to generate maximum revenue. Profit made from the concourse/club shop isn't even considered at times and let's be honest some of the prices are extortionate. £3 for a bottle of Diet Coke I paid for my son vs Coventry.
The club has never tested an alternative. I know plenty of family/friends who would buy season cards tomorrow if we were charging what Sunderland charge for adult/kids. Our current pricing structure will never grow the fanbase. If we were charging Sunderland prices I think it would be near enough a season ticket sell out next season. Sadly that won't be the case with our current pricing.
indeedido
Well-known member
This is the problem - spot on - as I have highlighted all the way through my posts.
He is not as rich as the owners of many of the Championship clubs.
I'm glad Gibson is willing to authorise the spend and give us a bigger chance of promotion - and then cover the loss if it fails. We are lucky he does.
He has made huge mistakes with appointments, signings and contracts, but rest assured HE has paid for them, not you.
The money our fans pay into the club for tickets would not even nearly cover the lowest wage bill in the league.
This is a joke right?
9,447 Adult SC holders paying an average of £491.16 across all stands, or £21.35 per match, many of whom get a Free Drink included.
3,030 Under 18's paying an average of £172.85 across all stands exc Family Zone, or £7.51 per match.
2,101 Under 18's in GRFZ paying an average of £39.86, or £1.73 per match.
2,849 OAP's paying an average £344.89 across all stands, or £14.99 per match.
1,016 18-21's paying an average £273.83, or £11.91 per match.
618 carers paying nothing at all.
These are the facts.
Who exactly in the SC base is paying too much, or paying for a Mercedes?
The people getting ripped off are Walk ups and their Concessions, not the 19k SC holders last season.
This thread is unbelievable -
I pay £590 for an adult season ticket
For that I get my seat reserved for 23 games (£25.65 a match, £11.34 per week) so that’s less than the cost of 3 pints per week to follow and support - they key word being SUPPORT the club.
Then I get 23 free pints - even by cheap local pub prices that’s £69 worth.
Then I get discounted tickets for home cup games and some away games.
Then I end up high up the points table for priority points - giving me a very good chance of away tickets.
What do you want? I don’t think that is overly expensive.
You are moaning about paying £186 early bird price for a child’s season ticket which you can buy at that price in any area of the ground. (8.08 per match - £3,57 per week) - do you want to get in for nothing? Fee transport to the ground? Red carpet?
I accept these prices have increased following he early bird etc
B-G and Nano make out they will spend money in the ground if the prices are cheaper!! Really - you won’t pay £8 per match for your children -you are hardly going to be breaking down the doors on the concourse!!
Nano you moan that if we didn’t buy players who don’t work out the tickets will be cheaper, do you want to vet every signing? What about the ones that do work out, do you think every player we sign should be guaranteed to be a success or you get a refund? But you don’t buy a season ticket anyway so you don’t even contribute but still criticise!!
B_G you complain - but spend more to watch Man City - really!! a club that does not need your money! Show me where you can buy a season. Ticket for Man City tonight now at that price? what you really mean is you are not that bothered about gong to the Boro games.
And of course Gibson should subsidise the shortfall - what you mean is you want something for nothing.
The same people moan/complain all the time - yet we are slowly but surely selling more season tickets, getting bigger home crowds and selling more away tickets
I also accept the walk up prices are expensive but he club want to promote the sale of season tickets and I believe the season tickets are a good deal.
I pay £590 for an adult season ticket
For that I get my seat reserved for 23 games (£25.65 a match, £11.34 per week) so that’s less than the cost of 3 pints per week to follow and support - they key word being SUPPORT the club.
Then I get 23 free pints - even by cheap local pub prices that’s £69 worth.
Then I get discounted tickets for home cup games and some away games.
Then I end up high up the points table for priority points - giving me a very good chance of away tickets.
What do you want? I don’t think that is overly expensive.
You are moaning about paying £186 early bird price for a child’s season ticket which you can buy at that price in any area of the ground. (8.08 per match - £3,57 per week) - do you want to get in for nothing? Fee transport to the ground? Red carpet?
I accept these prices have increased following he early bird etc
B-G and Nano make out they will spend money in the ground if the prices are cheaper!! Really - you won’t pay £8 per match for your children -you are hardly going to be breaking down the doors on the concourse!!
Nano you moan that if we didn’t buy players who don’t work out the tickets will be cheaper, do you want to vet every signing? What about the ones that do work out, do you think every player we sign should be guaranteed to be a success or you get a refund? But you don’t buy a season ticket anyway so you don’t even contribute but still criticise!!
B_G you complain - but spend more to watch Man City - really!! a club that does not need your money! Show me where you can buy a season. Ticket for Man City tonight now at that price? what you really mean is you are not that bothered about gong to the Boro games.
And of course Gibson should subsidise the shortfall - what you mean is you want something for nothing.
The same people moan/complain all the time - yet we are slowly but surely selling more season tickets, getting bigger home crowds and selling more away tickets
I also accept the walk up prices are expensive but he club want to promote the sale of season tickets and I believe the season tickets are a good deal.
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18MFC76
Well-known member
"What you mean is you want something for nothing".
I don't think that's what people are saying at all and I don't see how you can interpret it in this way. People are just wanting to pay the going rate for Championship football. Our prices at present are way above that in an area that has always struggled with deprivation.
I don't think that's what people are saying at all and I don't see how you can interpret it in this way. People are just wanting to pay the going rate for Championship football. Our prices at present are way above that in an area that has always struggled with deprivation.
But that's the price of their tickets....
I'm moaning about paying £200-£300 more than other Championship clubs. I'm moaning about paying Premier League prices
Anyway this thread was initially about Sunderland season ticket sales and pricing and its gone way off topic.
The reality is, there's aren't cheap. Theyre priced in line with other Championship Clubs. Ours are very expensive Championship season tickets. Some people think it's value for money. Others don't.
I think if we adopted a pricing structure similar to other Championship teams we'd have the place rammed given the football we are playing. We won't ever do it. It's the club that will miss out. Because we are one bad season away from being at 15-18k again at the current prices like history has shown.
The reality is, there's aren't cheap. Theyre priced in line with other Championship Clubs. Ours are very expensive Championship season tickets. Some people think it's value for money. Others don't.
I think if we adopted a pricing structure similar to other Championship teams we'd have the place rammed given the football we are playing. We won't ever do it. It's the club that will miss out. Because we are one bad season away from being at 15-18k again at the current prices like history has shown.
Might go and watch SunderlandB_G
Can you just stop moaning and **** Off to watch City.
Thanks
It would probably cost you about as much to get in at Hartlepool.
East stand upper - great seats - early bird £590 adult £186 under 18 - £776 a season for 2 tickets
Looking at Man City the equivalent ticket would be over £800 for an adult and £240 for a child for 4 less games - it is not cheap and they don’t need the money
East stand upper - great seats - early bird £590 adult £186 under 18 - £776 a season for 2 tickets
Looking at Man City the equivalent ticket would be over £800 for an adult and £240 for a child for 4 less games - it is not cheap and they don’t need the money