We hadnt extended our ground. Now im not saying that its never come in handy as we have packed the place out in th past. However our average attendance for the last 3 seasons has been about 40k about what our capacity was before the extension. Now if the ground is full to the rafters every week it is a much more intimidating place for the opposition. I cringe when i watch match of the day and see loads of empty seats in the lower tier of the north stand as it just looks crap. Without the extension these seats would now be full and the atmosphere would also be a lot better. Not to mention the piss taking the geordies do as full credit to them 9 times out of 10 they fill to capacity with maybe 2000 empty seats as oppose to our 9000/10000 empty seats.
Difficult, Because if they put a string of results together, and the crowd swells, then there's dissapointed people and revenue loss. How-ever i think it will be a very long time till it needs extending again... Plus the size would have been a factor for other events, if we were to ever get any.
I agree about the empty seats behind the goal and i can't understand why the away fans are not put in a corner like most other grounds
So do you think the Spain/Malaga way would work over here. Tickets dont bring that much cash in to the club, compared to the sky money anyway. Make a season ticket £200, but charge £100 for Cat A, £85 for cat B, £70 for Cat C games to none season ticket holders. Obviously, Away fans get in for £25-£30 but they have to be season ticket holders at their clubs, and have points and stuff just like now. Pros: Season tickets would sell like hotcakes. probably full houses (or near enough anyway) Away fans wont pay to get in the home sections (thinking of Newcastle here) Cons: Less cash for the club Will have to make most of the stadium for season ticket holders May not fully fill the stadium (will have to leave seats for pay on the door punters, but how many would pay £100 a ticket.)
Yeah but then loads buy the ticket and go to the "Big" games (Even less money for the club). Even Barca has a lot of empty seats most of the time. Average of 20,000 last year. Works out £10 a ticket for their cheap season tickets. Now 80,000 is a fantastic attendance but be it is a lot less than that sometimes and the place must feel like a ghost town. It is a difficult one to get right I think. Highest home attendance 99,354 vs Real Madrid (29 November 2010) Lowest home attendance 38,971 vs Ceuta (10 November 2010) Average home attendance 79,390[1
At the time of getting extended I think it was the right decision. Nobody would have imagined the horror few years we endured just after the Quinn and Phillips days. Might be controversial but could they even shut the upper tier for games where the stadium is not expected to be packed out? We'd have 42,000 seats around the lower tiers and premier concourse and the majority of those seats would be filled.
I have a season ticket - it's a major luxury to me but I go because I couldn't face not going (didn;t have my ticket last season as my wife had a baby in August and my finances were taken up by her) This season is a push but I go because I hated last season sitting at home thinking "There's £40 in the bank, should I spend most of that on a ticket for the game" then not going but hoping my mate would take 15 for his season ticket if he was working/couldn't go. There are a lot of people who can't afford this and get occasional tickets for free (schools etc) as £30 is a lot of money for a ticket, then when you put petrol and drinks/food etc. onto the price you spend a lot on a game. If the season tickets were £300 standard price for all seats (and £200 for concessions/£100 for kids etc.) I think it would fill the ground BUT the club HAS to make some money - the players wages are covered by sky etc. but the expenses of the club for a match day (Stewards, policing bills, amenities, other staff) have to be covered by the matchday ticket sales. £435 for a season ticket isn't bad and is about 10th or 11th in the Premier league (I think about 13th or 14th in the country as some Champs sides are more expensive than us) but I don't know enough about the business and how much the matchday expenses of SAFC are to comment. What really annoys me is the times when they say that people can have a ticket for £20 when I've already paid an average of nearly £23 per game for mine - not really fair all in all
Think you need to check this statement mate - they had 46k against Arsenal and 42k against Fulham - not exactly full to capacity really.
What is it they have done at Hartlepool this year? Is it the more tickets sold the cheaper they become? Would something like that not work? Also put further discounts for people who been rcommended by ticket holders?
I kinda get the point of the OP, what i think the club should do, is close the the top tier of the extension for games that won't sell out, filling the lower 2 tiers. Better atmosphere, helps the players, simple. No empty seats behind goals, bar away fans, surely makes sense?
this. For the time being we have a better average crowd than them this season, well, until Saturday anyway
It is easy to say what will fill the stadium, beating the mags, having a good cup run, getting into the Champions League, and moving the away fans from behind the goal. Unfortunately of those 4 items, probably only one is achievable!
getting into the champions league then, Newcastle are just a bogey team, cup runs are none existent, police will probably never let us move the away fans, so that just leaves top 4, easy.
Premier concourse season ticket's are more expensive tho are they not? If I had a seat overlooking the centre spot, I'm then told I have to sit behind the goal for certain game's. I would Kindly tell them to **** off.
Doesn't look great to be honest. But (and I spewed in my mouth while typing this), I think Sunderland could fill those seats without too much trouble. They just need to get a more successful team out on the pitch, that is always what brings in the fans who either normally wouldn't go, or find an excuse not to go. I believe unfortunately for you guys, that'll never happen with fat head in charge. A trip into Europe for example would bring some much welcome good publicity to the club and excite fans imagination.
