Well done Wimbledon

Alchemy thats what it is.

NZ - I completely agree with you, L**** still have that "we don't belong here" attitude. As Oxford and others before them acknowledged once you arrive in Non League, you need to accept it. Only when you've done that can you move on (and up).

And then there was the York debacle in the play-offs a year ago. Players cowering in the away fans enclosure trying to get away from marauding hooligans. And the L**** angle "oh its only a minority", not our fault - every club has them. Well let me show you the Vic a few weeks ago when QPR were goading us Watford fans on OUR pitch. Did we go after them? No we weren't happy, but didn't resort to violence.

 

Attendance 18195. Where were the 40000 fans the scummers are meant to have?

 

Wot - no League 2 parachute payments?

 

A cigarette butt getting pissed on in the Urinal of Life.

 

One of the Luton guys who missed their penalty tried to chip the goalie..and had it easily saved/

Serves him right!

 

Loofa - the only thing I wont laugh at the L**** (or Wimbledon) fans today is about the attendance - due to the ticket prices.

The prices started at £41 + booking fee + post EACH. That's right each and every ticket had a seperate charge attached - even when they were to be bundled together and sent to one address. I think the extra charges mounted up to £6 or £8 per ticket - EACH ticket. That is the best part of £50 for a non league game, and I haven't mentioned the travel or any other costs. This was one very expensive day out.

This heralded 2 things :
1) The tickets were very expensive, how many people (other than me) set a limit on football spending?
2) The knowledge that you have been well and truly ripped off, to the extent that thousands of people have decided not to go.

Do you know these tickets were the most expensive of all the play-off finals - WHY? The Football Conference stated it was because it was a "one off", the League 1 and 2 play-offs are both at Old Trafford over 2 days so fixed costs were vastly reduced. I can understand some of that. But why were these tickets more expensive than Swansea v Reading? This is probably due to the "catch 22" of "not enough sales, so higher prices - which hit sales numbers". And don't forget this game was not widely televised - the Premier Sports channel has been a complete disaster to the Football Conference. I think the clubs got an initial payment of £20k with a desire for further monies as the channel "increased in popularity". At £6.99 per month this didn't happen, the clubs received NO further money.

These games are a brilliant money spinner for the host clubs (Man C/Man U) - they get good money for hosting - Watford did this is a FA Cup replay with Stevenage vs ? Welling ? in the early 1990's. And then ALL snack bar prices are increased for these games. My West Ham man told me when they hosted an England game the FA got a huge cut of the proceeds and it was normal practice to double prices of pies, drinks etc. Has anyone been to Wembley seen the £8 burger and chips?

Any parent knows this situation means that football is very very close to pricing itself out of the market - and I feel sorry for any parent who has to deny their child their "day out".

So the attendance was 18,000 something like 7,000 Wimbledon and 11,000 L****. I may laugh at them being in the non league, but I wont laugh at the attendance for this game.

 

Oh and just in case you thought Man C might lose money because of the low attendance, the Football Conference underwrote the game - so Man C would have all their costs covered.

I applaud Watford on their Season Ticket pricing policy - £355 for an Adult and £60 for each of my children is very good value for money. Daily admission prices will be a minimum of £25 each (except kid a quid games) next season, so I am "well up on the deal" by paying in advance.

Contrast this with QPR fans - they STILL don't know how much their Season Tickets are going to cost. I think this season their minimum Adult season ticket was £700 - double ours, and the rumour is this will go up steeply next season. I heard a rumour of a 40% price increase to approx £1000. That is outrageous for just 19 games of questionable entertainment in a rubbish seat.

IMO football needs to think again about pricing. And the TV money in the game has already peaked.

 

very well said Elixir, i do feel very lucky with our ticket prices, it amazes me how much we pay for some away games. Criminal!

 

Good shout Elixir

 

Great posts Elixir.

I didn't find Wembley prices too terrible when I went to watch Saracens a year and a half ago. Surprisingly I was able to sneak a baguette in and didn't have it conviscated. £4 a pint is obviously steep, but at least it was a pint. Only problem, being rugby, is that you're drinking all the way through.

(why did I put that as if it's a negative?!?)

 

Elixir - Fully agree your point regarding the outrageous pricing for the non-league play-off final, but does it fully explain where the dirty ones other 30k fans who went to the piss-pot final at Wembley went? I have a feeling that this will be the start of dark days for oue smelly neighbours

 

Well done to Wimbledon.

Back where they belong.

 

I remember going to the old Wimbledon in our first ever game at their place - they were dreadful back then

 

Belated Congrats to the proper wombles! Great to see Justice done!