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WANTED: 1000 extra fans...


david in sweden

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I think the matchday pricing is hindering "casual" attendance. Quite rightly season ticket holders got a good package this season, with the single Adult average of about £15 per game. As someone who can only attend a few games (as Im so lucky to work in retail!) the matchday price of £22 or £25 depending on where you sit is a little steep.It hasnt stopped me attending a couple of games so far, and nor will it, but Im sure its a big reason for others.

If it was £19 or £20 I think pschologically more people would find that affordable. Only minor criticism of the new regime so far!!

 

We have over 11,000 and the average no of Saints fans at home games must be around 17,000 so 6,000 per game are paying the £22 or £25.

 

There have been massive queues for tickets on matchdays for most of the games this season so I don't think its putting people off at all, even for the Torquay game; when tickets were £5 more than they were prior to matchday, there were loads of people buying tickets just prior to the game.

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Cant let that one slip under the radar.

 

AFC Wimbledon are at Crawley Town in the last qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Milton Keynes franchise team are at St Marys.

 

Good point, although MK is only 81 miles from Southampton...not that far really. :cool:

 

Although driving distance is actually 112 miles - not sure what that's all about...

 

****ing internet...

Edited by Charlie2008
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I think the matchday pricing is hindering "casual" attendance. Quite rightly season ticket holders got a good package this season, with the single Adult average of about £15 per game. As someone who can only attend a few games (as Im so lucky to work in retail!) the matchday price of £22 or £25 depending on where you sit is a little steep.It hasnt stopped me attending a couple of games so far, and nor will it, but Im sure its a big reason for others.

If it was £19 or £20 I think pschologically more people would find that affordable. Only minor criticism of the new regime so far!!

 

I dont think prices are hindering our fans anymore than anyone else, £20 a head at L/Orient, £19 (£20 on day) at Oldham, £22 at Southend, at grounds that to be honest are not up to St.Mary's standard. Our prices are really no worse than most teams in this league.

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Cant let that one slip under the radar.

 

AFC Wimbledon are at Crawley Town in the last qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Milton Keynes franchise team are at St Marys.

 

Am I the only one that thinks Franchise FC should get a fair bit of stick for how their "club" came into being? Few choice songs from the Northam perhaps?

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Am I the only one that thinks Franchise FC should get a fair bit of stick for how their "club" came into being? Few choice songs from the Northam perhaps?

 

Don't you think it's a bit late for that? Just because it's our first league game against them (and they have played at St Mary's in the cup), they have been going more than 5 years now (and Wimbledon have been given all of their trophies and memorabilia back). Give them stick by all means but it won't be original. They will have heard it all before.

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Don't you think it's a bit late for that? Just because it's our first league game against them (and they have played at St Mary's in the cup), they have been going more than 5 years now (and Wimbledon have been given all of their trophies and memorabilia back). Give them stick by all means but it won't be original. They will have heard it all before.

 

who are yeah

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I don't know why, but MK Dons have only been given 550 tickets for the match

 

Needless to say, they've sold out

 

Not sure if they will be asking for more

 

Their average away following last season was just 624 so can't see them needing many more than 550

 

Ours was 1186.8 - pretty poor for the Championship, but it was a dreadful year and we aren't exactly central. It will be interesting to see if that goes up this season.

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We have over 11,000 and the average no of Saints fans at home games must be around 17,000 so 6,000 per game are paying the £22 or £25.

 

There have been massive queues for tickets on matchdays for most of the games this season so I don't think its putting people off at all, even for the Torquay game; when tickets were £5 more than they were prior to matchday, there were loads of people buying tickets just prior to the game.

 

I dont think prices are hindering our fans anymore than anyone else, £20 a head at L/Orient, £19 (£20 on day) at Oldham, £22 at Southend, at grounds that to be honest are not up to St.Mary's standard. Our prices are really no worse than most teams in this league.

 

I think you both miss the point.......sure 6k or so are paying but if you want another 4-5k minimum in the stadium I think the club needs to drop the price.

As for our prices being worse, again thats not the issue its about attracting more fans into the ground. Its easy to get 10-12k (or whatever the figures are) at Orient, Oldham, Suthend etc, etc but getting 25k plus in League One from a supporter base that needs re-building, the prices need to encourage that. The "base" is now about 15-16k and will grow, how quickly it does that is down to mainly pricing imho. Even "special offers" for the casual supporter would help....e.g. buy 2 games and get one half price...thus meaning an outlay of £55 instead of £66. There are many different ways of marketing the tickets ( and not really effecting the "value" of a season ticket), but we'll see!!

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I think you both miss the point.......sure 6k or so are paying but if you want another 4-5k minimum in the stadium I think the club needs to drop the price.

As for our prices being worse, again thats not the issue its about attracting more fans into the ground. Its easy to get 10-12k (or whatever the figures are) at Orient, Oldham, Suthend etc, etc but getting 25k plus in League One from a supporter base that needs re-building, the prices need to encourage that. The "base" is now about 15-16k and will grow, how quickly it does that is down to mainly pricing imho. Even "special offers" for the casual supporter would help....e.g. buy 2 games and get one half price...thus meaning an outlay of £55 instead of £66. There are many different ways of marketing the tickets ( and not really effecting the "value" of a season ticket), but we'll see!!

 

Nothing to do with pricing. People will use it as an excuse but if Saints were top of the league then we would be getting 25,000 +.

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football in England is expensive. You have to buy carefully if you want any chance of decent value. Even at full price a ST at SMS represents fair value . Tickets have always been more expensive in the south, and STs at conference clubs are close to ours in price.

 

And a matchday ticket in the Chapel is £19,(£10 for under 21). adult and child the same.

 

Now I like cheap tix as much as the next man, but in truth they have never been better value at SMS.

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Is it just me that doesn't find the 19k thing that annoying?

Not at all. I think in the past when we were strapped for cash it was important, but its just a number. When we get just over 20000, someone will say, Wanted 1000 fans so we can get over 21000. Don't get me wrong I prefer it when the ground is full or nearly so, but wanting an extra 1000 fans seems a bit odd to me. What we actually need is about another 13000 so the ground is really rocking. Anyway we could easily get another 1000 by giving tickets to kids, or kids for a quid promotions, but quite honestly while I want more kids to come to games, it does bugger all to make the atmosphere better having a load of little nippers running round knowing next to nothing about what is going on with their Manure, Arse, Chelski or Scouse shirts on under their coats :)

 

If we continue to be successful the crowds will return, I would think 24/25k would be achievable in this division if we are winning regularly or at least playing good exciting football.

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May I suggest Ryanair who fly from two airports in the Stockholm area?

 

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/[/url] :)

 

well thanks for the thought Len, BUT we know about those, too!

Västerås and Nyköping

Both are around 1½ hours travel time from me, and whatever you may think of Ryanair in the UK..in Sweden they are always getting bad press.

Beside they fly to Stansted..and thats a longer journey into London before you get the bus from Victoria to So'ton. We've tried all that before.

 

However, what I didn't mention was that I already have other arrangements for Saturday, though i do hope we can do the trip at sometime in the near future.

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However, what I didn't mention was that I already have other arrangements for Saturday, though i do hope we can do the trip at sometime in the near future.

 

How can you have 'other arrangements' on a Saturday when Saints are playing? You should be telling the 'other arrangementees' that you have other arrangements. :rolleyes:

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I think the matchday pricing is hindering "casual" attendance. Quite rightly season ticket holders got a good package this season, with the single Adult average of about £15 per game. As someone who can only attend a few games (as Im so lucky to work in retail!) the matchday price of £22 or £25 depending on where you sit is a little steep.It hasnt stopped me attending a couple of games so far, and nor will it, but Im sure its a big reason for others.

If it was £19 or £20 I think pschologically more people would find that affordable. Only minor criticism of the new regime so far!!

Thats a very fair point. As a season ticket holder i got a good deal, but the match day price is too high.

As for Saturday i predict a crowd of 20,123.

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I think the matchday pricing is hindering "casual" attendance. Quite rightly season ticket holders got a good package this season, with the single Adult average of about £15 per game. As someone who can only attend a few games (as Im so lucky to work in retail!) the matchday price of £22 or £25 depending on where you sit is a little steep.It hasnt stopped me attending a couple of games so far, and nor will it, but Im sure its a big reason for others.

If it was £19 or £20 I think pschologically more people would find that affordable. Only minor criticism of the new regime so far!!

 

It is only £19 for a ticket in the Chapel, a fact that the club has not really highlighted. I only found out when the dozy girl in the ticket office sold me 2 tickets in there when I asked for tickets in the Itchen, towards the Chapel end. I have been back in there for two other home games already.

 

I prefer the noise of the Northam myself, but my old man has been coming again recently after a little encouragment (he had defected to Aldershot during the Lowe regime).

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well thanks for the thought Len, BUT we know about those, too!

Västerås and Nyköping

Both are around 1½ hours travel time from me, and whatever you may think of Ryanair in the UK..in Sweden they are always getting bad press.

Beside they fly to Stansted..and thats a longer journey into London before you get the bus from Victoria to So'ton. We've tried all that before.

 

However, what I didn't mention was that I already have other arrangements for Saturday, though i do hope we can do the trip at sometime in the near future.

 

Fortunately for me, Norwegian.com opened a flight from Aalborg to Gatwick with cheap tickets - return tickets on the cheapest days are around £70 all included. From Gatwick to Southampton it's not too bad by train... Now if only I wasn't working on that masters thesis :-(

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Don't you think it's a bit late for that? Just because it's our first league game against them (and they have played at St Mary's in the cup), they have been going more than 5 years now (and Wimbledon have been given all of their trophies and memorabilia back). Give them stick by all means but it won't be original. They will have heard it all before.

 

Yeah, good point, I hadn't thought of that, as most of the abuse given out by the Northam is usually original and bang up to date isn't it......

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Nothing to do with pricing. People will use it as an excuse but if Saints were top of the league then we would be getting 25,000 +.

 

There's always an element of that.

In our Div.1 ( later Prem.) days BEFORE the all-seater Dell, we struggled a lot but whenever we had a good run, these " strangers " would suddenly turn up on the terraces with their red/white scarves and get names wrong, shout at the wrong players and moan at the team - as if they were the manager.

 

Still...We live in hopes of a revival of the fan base..after all... there are 32,000 places to fill.

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There's always an element of that.

In our Div.1 ( later Prem.) days BEFORE the all-seater Dell, we struggled a lot but whenever we had a good run, these " strangers " would suddenly turn up on the terraces with their red/white scarves and get names wrong, shout at the wrong players and moan at the team - as if they were the manager.

 

Still...We live in hopes of a revival of the fan base..after all... there are 32,000 places to fill.

 

David I don't think you meant it like this, but never a truer word spoken in jest!!!

 

It sums up years of the managers I've been watching... ;)

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Thinking of taking my 2 kids to their first Saints game this weekend - Chapel the best stand for them?

 

My son's only 3 and I'm worried that if I take him into the Northam he'll beat the **** out of someone :-)

 

Kingsland north, they'll get the atmosphere but still get to sit down.

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According to the Echo this morning, tomorrow's attendance is expected to exceed 23,000, and attendances have risen 20% compared to the same period last season.

 

So much for the fans being lost forever and there being no Lowe factor...

 

To be fair Alps, there was no Lowe factor when Manchester United rolled into town...

 

Gates are up because we have a new owner with money and with that, genuine hope. We also have a fine manager and some excellent players.

 

And we're winning!

 

(This is not to suggest that Lowe was in anyway not the root cause of all the above not being in place!!!)

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The only reason we had a bug crowd vs man utd is because people wanted to watch them. There is a difference with supporting saints against lower teams. Loads if people boycotted under lowe. Me and six of my family included. Loving having a season ticket again now

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