A small reality check of what we are up against | Vital Football

A small reality check of what we are up against

GillsBluenose

GillsBluenose

Vital Football Hero
Said on the Quest highlights programme that Bradford have already sold 13000 season tickets for next season in League Two, even after the season they have had.
 
Technically we won't be up against it because we'll be a division higher, of course.

I do admire what they've done with season tickets, but they sell them for £150! If they charged £500 and sold 5000 they'd be much better off financially and arguably not in the mess they're in.
 
If they charged £500 they would suffer a catastrophic loss of good will, which would torpedo the club in the short and medium term. You need to understand the history of Bradford City to understand where they are today and why attendances are so good and so consistent.

There are major differences between us. Their capacity is over 25,000, which allows for more creative policies on ticket pricing. They have a stronger footballing tradition than we do and attendances for all public sporting events in that area are very strong. Their prices are not just low, they are designed to maximize take up but also to attract new and less regular attendance. I don't know what entirely that 13,000 figure includes i.e. does it include flexi card holders? Have a look at this and see what you make of it:

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/17411918.bradford-city-release-season-ticket-prices/

Note too how short the availibility period was for this offer, up to 14th April. No wonder they have already sold so many.
 
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By the way, for those criticising our pay on the day price, Bradford's matchday ticket price is... £25.
 
I know someone who lives in the area, who told me about 3-4 years ago that you can get an early bird adult season ticket for £100!
So they've been having these fantastic offers for a while now, which obviously helps build up a bigger fan base.
I wonder how many more season tickets we'd sell if Scally reduced ours to £150?
 
jogills said:
I don't know what entirely that 13,000 figure includes i.e. does it include flexi card holders? Have a look at this and see what you make of it:
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What you will notice is the very high number of children attending games; this may give a clue - extract from the BCFC site:

For the 2019/20 season, adult season tickets cover all those aged 16 and above. Whether you are a student, adult or senior citizen, you will pay only £225!

Under-16s can secure a place for £150 and under-11s - who will automatically earn a Junior Bantams membership - pay only £37.50.

Back in their original format, FLEXI CARDS are priced at only £75! From there, supporters pay cash on the turnstiles, either £10 (adults), £5 (under-16s) or absolutely nothing for an under-11. Flexi cards are transferable.
 
That Flexi-card idea is a good one and the sort of thing I’ve taken up over here.

Low base “membership” ($65 for me) and then get all matchday tickets at a very low rate. Doesn’t break the bank but also encourages you to attend more games as it makes the price per game come down. Win win.

There’s been a few threads in different forums asking about season ticket prices around the clubs. Ours at Gills now stacks up very favourable with most of them, especially the £300 RE one. There are some clubs lower (particularly the far northern clubs) but also a lot charging far higher.
 
I wonder how many more season tickets we'd sell if Scally reduced ours to £150?
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I suspect not as many as we (or Scally) would like. Certainly not enough to match the current income. It's too much of a risk. I'm not a Scally apologist, but as a business owner I completely understand why he hasn't gone down that road.
 
60's and 70's BCFC support was the same or worse than ours. Changed on the 80's. The fire helped. But they also found a way to become a serious second division club.
 
They soared higher and fell further. They came nearer than we did to extinction and the rise from the ashes included money, enthusiasm and renewed support from fans. The current owner has stood by the ethos created at that time and Julian Rhodes is back on board. He's the man who helped facilitate the original revival and is popular with fans. Bradford City have experienced a combination of tragedy, disaster, success and reinvention that is unique in our division. They have been pursuing community based initiatives and generous pricing for many years.
 
Bradford were getting bloody awful attendances in the seventies - averaging in 2000s - but picked up in the eighties, coiniciding with a rise through the divisions, and built on it, and when they went back down they chopped the season ticket prices. You don't want to cut yout own nose off, but It's an interesting model to look at. and I bet they've a lot more younger supporters than we have.

Swansea are another one, bumping about with attendances of around 2000 in the mid-seventies, and look at them now. I reckon it's all down to civic pride. Most of the people who live in the Medway Towns, and most importantly, the people who run them, come from elsewhere and/or think they're a shithole. Until we get rid of that mentality we're never going to get anywhere. Even the meanest, most squalid hole up north has got some measure of civic pride, and good luck to them. I've never known a place like ours for doing itself down.
 
Bradford also had the benefit of being in the premier league for a couple of seasons to get the fans buzzing and have kept the extra crowds through cheaper tickets and the dream they'll get back there one day.
 
Alderman Barnes said:
Even the meanest, most squalid hole up north has got some measure of civic pride, and good luck to them.
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You've clearly never been to Bradford; it's a magnificent city with striking architecture that puts much of Medway to shame. It has a thriving culture the likes of which we have never seen - OK we're very close to London, which doesn't help.
 
I've been to Bradford on numerous occasions, and as with a lot of places these days, it has some nice areas; the city centre with the newish water fountains display, some culture etc. But it also has its awful areas; run down housing estates, boarded up shops, a whole area which is reminiscent of being in New Delhi, gangs of yobbos hanging around etc...you get the picture.
 
daveycrocket said:
I've been to Bradford on numerous occasions, and as with a lot of places these days, it has some nice areas; the city centre with the newish water fountains display, some culture etc. But it also has its awful areas; run down housing estates, boarded up shops, a whole area which is reminiscent of being in New Delhi, gangs of yobbos hanging around etc...you get the picture.
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Then clearly you haven't been to New Delhi; it is a remarkable place designed by British architects Lutyens and Baker; take your ignorance elsewhere!
 
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