I want to just remind anyone that if you have not got your AFC Wimbledon tickets, then I suggest you hurry up and do so, otherwise don't say you was not warned. I have checked Online and all sections for the Rainham End are showing as unavailable. The Medway Stand is now limited in all sections. Basically even with a couple of weeks to go this is going to be a sell-out.
I have no way of confirming this but some one who bought a ticket for AFC Wimbledon today said on twitter there is only 150 tickets left?
Firstly - Well done lads. Fantastic performance in the first half - deserved to be out of sight before the break. But Am I the only one a little disappointed with the size of the crowd ? There were around 3000 empty spaces in the BMS. I could see quite a few gaps in the Medway stand. I don't know if the club had any intention of selling tickets for the BMS other than those they gave away for free to accomodate the numbers taken up by season ticket holders. If the club held back, then it would explain an attendance lower than my expectations - for a game that evereyone knew was possible to clinch promotion. If those tickets were up for grabs I think it was a poor show by the absent public - unlike those present - and, of course, not forgetting the team.
I think there is many a debate to be had around yesterday's attendance for varied reasons but for once at least the announced size of the crowd appeared within all realistic guesses. itstimupnorth raised something that I had previously thought on going to the game after seeing my old style paper season ticket book, basically why are they not a card. Electronically it would register the season ticket holders as they enter the turnstiles also it would register on a data base what games ST holders were absent. I know this all comes down to expense for such a venture in systems but there are advantages to be had from a marketing perspective. Football is clearly to expensive for your average supporter and it is probably only the diehards that are prepared or can afford to dig that bit deeper in their pockets. To have an empty stand is a scandal but in fairness the Chairman has more than fairly subsidised many a game this season. So it is up to the fans. It has been long predicted that promotion would be had around Easter or as it happened just after, so supporters had more than sufficient time to save those extra pounds. Though maybe it has all been invested in the Cheltenham, AFC Wimbledon and Burton games. It after all is the tail end of the season that hits the pockets hardest in an attempt to get in as many games as possible but the right games. 18,000 seater stadiums, I have said it before and I can only repeat, I don't think so. Stay at our current home and if the Medway Towns really does want a bigger club, then they need to be showing it in their numbers now! After all when was the last time we ever won automatic promotion? If this is all about it being League Two football for the more concerning (is that the right word), then maybe those that pay full price and turn up now, should be rewarded in the following season when attendances increase but again you need an effective data base for that. As I said at the beginning, I could go on...
An interesting insight,and i agree,but what is the answer ? Is it lower prices so more can come ? Give more kids for a £1 options so the future is bright,this is a great topic i may post up on my blog,but to do this i may need 4-5 gills fans opinions.
I believe a price mark of £20 - £25 is far to expensive in the current financial climate. People can argue about how much it costs to go to other events but I wish not to draw comparisons but focus totally on football, otherwise it just becomes a distraction from the core debate. Football should be affordable to all. I think I paid £12.50 for my Fleetwood away terrace adult ticket, that I would class as a more reasonable price. There should be a section within every football league ground that allows entrance around that price or less. If people choose more affordable comforts then that is their choice. I think I once read somewhere that Martin Allen gave thoughts about a ticket price of £10 within football. In my view the Brian Moore Stand has for many years been the section within our ground that could have fallen within this category. Much as the same choice that people have if they want an executive box, upper tier or lower tier. We should also accommodate the lesser price bracket. How much do under 16's currently pay, I believe when I was under 16 the price to get in a game was about 50p and 10p for a match day programme. So what does that equate to in today's prices? It is all well and good having an award winning match day programme but what about those that cannot afford the £3. Can a match day sheet be purchased for minimal charge or given away on entrance. Even I have stopped purchasing it. I enjoy the content but affordability becomes the overriding factor. We need to give football back to the masses and not keep creating the next step towards the elite. For example, when I witness a young child have a can of coke taken away from them by stewards, it is a clear indicator to me that something is seriously wrong with football. Youngsters should be able to walk in off the street with their can of coke and pocket money in hand and have access to witnessing a football league game. How much pocket money do kids get these days? Everything in the modern game has become tiered around copyrights, tv, greed, health and safety, catering rights, advertising revenue, new stadiums, etc and some of it legalised by successive nanny state government agendas as an attack on the less fortunate, all done hand in hand with the media, whose next agenda will be to scrutinise the behaviour of every chanting football supporter. Therefore has the politics in football brought about today's pricing structure. Dare I mention the events from Stoke and Swindon as an example or the more recent events of another club's bubble match. Just a scattering on my off the cuff thoughts, because it would take me many years to write the book!
This is something i will definately write about and may get back to you for your thoughts and ideas of how as a club we could do this.
