Season Tickets | Page 2 | Vital Football

Season Tickets

Even tho I’m not (obviously) a season ticket holder, I certainly remember the past 2 years people being very impressed by the ticket price reduction to £300. It was definitely at the time considered by most to be an excellent offer. As was the 2 year ticket at £280(?) per season.
 
Baghdad_Rob said:
Always in the Rainham End and always bought the early bird ticket on my credit card. I knew I would end up renewing and that even if I delayed paying my credit card for a few months, the interest occurred wouldn't be anywhere near the extra £20 or so that the non-early bird prices would be.

As per the 2017/18 season, early bird was £375 and after that £400

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I can't find the brochure for 2018/19, but as per the 2019/20 brochure:,

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it refers the fact the prior year's early bird was £375. I suspect the figure of £380 I paid included a £5 card fee that they keep threatening but don't always take.

Post early bird, full prices raised to £350.

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So if you paid for early bird you got a £75 reduction. If you didn't take advantage of early bird prices then you would have only saved an insignificant £50.
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Whilst reading that post, I kept expecting Chris Whitty to say "next slide" 😁
 
OneSirKeefy said:
Even tho I’m not (obviously) a season ticket holder, I certainly remember the past 2 years people being very impressed by the ticket price reduction to £300. It was definitely at the time considered by most to be an excellent offer. As was the 2 year ticket at £280(?) per season.
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It was only £300 this season for Rainham End if you bought in the narrow window of 21-29 February.
Then it went up to £330 until end of March - that was the early bird price, £300 was a very limited price freeze from the previous season’s offer.

Yes the £580 for 2 seasons, ie this season and next, that WXGill paid was undeniably a very good offer, (bought in the same short window), but it’s a bit concerning that the club needed money for next season’s season tickets at the back end of February last year!

Of course all these amounts, however low they are seen to be, are still significantly more than the £230 it would have cost to watch the matches on iFollow this season.
 
Baghdad_Rob said:
And he doesn't even sign up fully for iFollow as he "needs his beauty sleep".
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Actually B_R this season when I found out most of the money goes to the club, I did get the full blown season package from iFollow 👍

Even tho a lot of the games I haven’t woken up for.

Actually, the early kick offs have been a godsend for me. It means those games kick off about 10 or 11pm local time so I can handle that. It’s getting up at 1am (or 4/5am for evening games) that’s a killer.
 
Lark said:
but it’s a bit concerning that the club needed money for next season’s season tickets at the back end of February last year!
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Not really. The club offered the chance of a 2 year ticket back for the 2017/18 season as well. The open to buy a new 2 year ticket for 2019/20 coincided with the ticket period of the prior offer ending. Assuming the club survives Covid, I would also expect a 2 year ticket offer next March / April in some form.

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Lark said:
It was only £300 this season for Rainham End if you bought in the narrow window of 21-29 February.
Then it went up to £330 until end of March - that was the early bird price, £300 was a very limited price freeze from the previous season’s offer.
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This is why I hadn’t renewed my season ticket by the time shit went down. Very poor to demand season ticket sales after Christmas with no warning, giving you a pathetically short window.

By the Summer I was frequently trying to purchase by season ticket to help the club and have a chance of getting into Priestfield with social distancing, but the ticket office hasn’t been open since.
 
I think its renewals this year that could hit the club hardest.

-Uncertainty about future games going ahead brought on by this years experience, meaning people don't renew as early as they otherwise might.
-A proportion of the fan base unhappy with this years communication about/actually getting refunds
-Individuals in worse financial situations because of covid
- Some people now getting used to not going.

...will all hit the books soon.

Its not that long before the club would usually start the season ticket mutterings, I think they'll need to come up with some good ways to convince people to spend, as there is unlikely to be a guarantee that they are selling something people will be able to use.
 
Fullsp said:
I think its renewals this year that could hit the club hardest.

-Uncertainty about future games going ahead brought on by this years experience, meaning people don't renew as early as they otherwise might.
-A proportion of the fan base unhappy with this years communication about/actually getting refunds
-Individuals in worse financial situations because of covid
- Some people now getting used to not going.

...will all hit the books soon.

Its not that long before the club would usually start the season ticket mutterings, I think they'll need to come up with some good ways to convince people to spend, as there is unlikely to be a guarantee that they are selling something people will be able to use.
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It will be an interesting one to see what Scally does this year. It's possible that we won't see any matches in the ground this season and almost probable that there won't be a full capacity all season. There's also the prospect that closed grounds/limited capacities could extend in to next season.

I wonder if Scally's thought about offering a carrot to those who have stumped up this season for no football and might consider doing early, drastrically reduced STHs, say half price, as a reward and for those willing to take a punt? It would be a punt from him too as it could be that the takers get a full season at half price, but regardless, it would be getting some much needed funds in.

It would be nice to see something innovative to get some more funds in and offer those willing to take a punt and lay their money on the table and back the club, the chance of a good deal. I'd take him up on it, but then I'd probably pay full price in July, if it meant helping the club.
 
Good post FullSP but the counter argument is that many might be desperate to get back to the stadiums for an escape from all this. If stadiums aren't safe to open in August then something has gone badly wrong.

The vaccine deployment is about creating herd immunity. If we can't open society after that then we are in big trouble.

The key message all along has been protect the NHS. I suspect COVID will be with us for ever and each winter people will die (like flu). The key is whether the levels of hospitalisations are low enough for the NHS to absorb.

I'll be renewing at the first opportunity. I'm desperate to sit in my seat and moan about how cold it is and how much warmer it was sat by the fire watching it on iFollow.
 
OneSirKeefy said:
Actually B_R this season when I found out most of the money goes to the club, I did get the full blown season package from iFollow 👍

Even tho a lot of the games I haven’t woken up for.

Actually, the early kick offs have been a godsend for me. It means those games kick off about 10 or 11pm local time so I can handle that. It’s getting up at 1am (or 4/5am for evening games) that’s a killer.
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Respect OSK. It takes a special kind of devotion to watch the tripe that has been dished up lately let alone at an inconvenient time.

I've just seen 6 defeats in a row (missed Rochdale). The bad news for everyone is that I'm considering watching the Accy game having previously promised myself I'd skip it for the sake of my own mental health and the fortunes of all the other posters on here.
 
Gills 58 said:
Respect OSK. It takes a special kind of devotion to watch the tripe that has been dished up lately let alone at an inconvenient time.

I've just seen 6 defeats in a row (missed Rochdale). The bad news for everyone is that I'm considering watching the Accy game having previously promised myself I'd skip it for the sake of my own mental health and the fortunes of all the other posters on here.
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One more defeat and you are sacked.
 
Baghdad_Rob said:
Not really. The club offered the chance of a 2 year ticket back for the 2017/18 season as well. The open to buy a new 2 year ticket for 2019/20 coincided with the ticket period of the prior offer ending.

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No, that doesn’t add up. The above offer covered the 2017/18 to 2018/19 seasons according to your own link.
Last February’s 2 year season ticket offer covered this season, 2020/21 to next season, 2021/22 (ask WXGill who bought one).

So the point is that some of this season’s season ticket income, will likely have been spent last year, (not that unusual, but much earlier in the season than usual); but also some of next season’s 2021/22 funds have also likely been spent back in the first quarter of 2020.

So this probably leaves a large financial hole for next season, and as others have stated above, it’s going to be 10x harder to sell tickets for next season given the uncertainty of whether fans will be allowed into games and how safe it will be.
Not to mention the usual factors like style of play, quality of football on offer, who is in charge etc.

Let’s hope the funds received this season from the Premier League are enough to cover the shortfall, and that the vaccines do work and mean we can return to a more normal state of affairs as soon as possible.
 
Gills 58 said:
Respect OSK. It takes a special kind of devotion to watch the tripe that has been dished up lately let alone at an inconvenient time.

I've just seen 6 defeats in a row (missed Rochdale). The bad news for everyone is that I'm considering watching the Accy game having previously promised myself I'd skip it for the sake of my own mental health and the fortunes of all the other posters on here.
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😂😂

If you watch the Accy game, and WHEN we lose I’m after you G58. You better hide. Jonah!

chris who said:
One more defeat and you are sacked.
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Shoulda been sacked a month ago. We’d be in the play offs now if it weren’t for G58.
 
Lark said:
No, that doesn’t add up. The above offer covered the 2017/18 to 2018/19 seasons according to your own link.
Last February’s 2 year season ticket offer covered this season, 2020/21 to next season, 2021/22 (ask WXGill who bought one).
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You miss the main point I was making with my original comments, ie, the club has previously offered 2 year season ticket deals so your comment that the club needed money for next season is not a real concern. Since crowds were still allowed in at the time the offers were made then it is unlikely to be anything to do with money concerns due to Covid.

"it’s a bit concerning that the club needed money for next season’s season tickets at the back end of February last year!

Lark said:
So the point is that some of this season’s season ticket income, will likely have been spent last year, (not that unusual, but much earlier in the season than usual); but also some of next season’s 2021/22 funds have also likely been spent back in the first quarter of 2020.
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From an accounting perspective then income taken last year relating to the 2021/22 season should be accrualed and only spent in 2021/22.
 
markinkent said:
Good post FullSP but the counter argument is that many might be desperate to get back to the stadiums for an escape from all this.
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Of course, but my point is even if that's half of current season ticket holders, and the other half hold off, that's a big hole in the budget (in the short term at least even if they buy later).

I have a season ticket for this year, and have largely written off the cost of that along with the hope of using it this season. I know i'm in a fortunate position to do so. I miss going to games, but personally wont commit to a season ticket for next year until I know it can be used, or whats in place if it cant- the money for this season was enough.

I usually get the early bird but unless that offer can take into account peoples fears of another 'lost' season i'll probably wait until things are clearer, which unfortunately wont help the club with cash flow.

Fingers crossed things are a whole lot better in August. I work in the NHS, partly on tracking Covid, there have already been too many lights at the end of the tunnel for me to predict a time when we'll be back in the ground.
 
I think a lot of fans (not just Gills) will hold off buying ST's until it is clearer what is happening. Many 'fans' may have found other ways to spend Saturdays during this hiatus in football, and will have broken the habit of going to the match.

As I have posted before money will be tight for all clubs whom rely on gate returns, also when the next TV contracts come due broadcasters will most likely not offering deals as high as in the past. With less money about and a major recession coming their subscriptions will suffer and they won't be willing to keep paying the same amount with less income. Professional football will be facing some tough times for a few years, the biggest losers may well be the Premiership and their clubs.
 
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