The Beautiful Game - Leaving the working man behind

[Norris Cole 0]

Having spoken to one or two who were at Tynecastle on Sunday as well as having done my ritual post-match trawling of the messageboards, it appears there were spare tickets aplenty outside the away end, with quite a few supporters clubs left with tickets they were unable to get rid of. Granted the match was an early kick-off and live on the telly, but to charge �£28 a pop for any SPL game, particularly a non-Old Firm game, Hearts must be having a laugh. If you tell all who will listen that youâ��re Scotlandâ��s third force yet canâ��t sell out your stadium for a visit of the champions youâ��re either not as big a club as youâ��d like to think or youâ��ve got your pricing strategy completely wrong. No non-Old Firm SPL game should be over �£20, yet for years now clubs have shot themselves in the foot with pricing structures way out of kilter with the entertainment they purport to offer.

 

And this isnââ?¬â?¢t a dig at Hearts alone. Rangers are as guilty of ripping off fans themselves. Last seasonââ?¬â?¢s Old Firm matches were Ã?£35, or Ã?£70 per goal, and European fixtures are just as overpriced. I learned my lesson after parting with Ã?£30 to see us stumble to a 0-0 draw against the might of Artmedia Bratislava a few years back. Even Ã?£20 for friendlies is a bit much if you ask me. I recently had a look at a few SPL clubsââ?¬â?¢ websites and discovered that to watch some of Europeââ?¬â?¢s top performers in such five-star stadia as Tannadice, Fir Park, and Rugby Park, to take three examples, can set you back Ã?£27, Ã?£25 and Ã?£25 respectively. Exactly what percentage of their grounds did these clubs fill last season? 61%, 40% and 32%. Motherwell at least did their ââ?¬Ë?kids for a quidââ?¬â?¢ thing for a short while, just a pity those same kids will be paying through the nose like their old man when they hit 16. St Mirren charged us Ã?£27 to visit their depressing abode at Love Street last season, a ground which was on average only 50% full last season. In other words, half empty. St Johnstone are charging Ã?£21 this season, having famously charged Ã?£17 (seventeen) in the First Division, when unsurprisingly they only opened two of their four stands. Iââ?¬â?¢m sure the recession accounts for some of the empty seats we are seeing, but there were a hell of a lot on view before it started.

 

We are all well aware of the level of entertainment on offer at SPL grounds these days, Ibrox included, and the only explanation for the above prices is that the clubs are preying on the loyalty of a significant, but ever-dwindling band of regulars. The SPL hasn't quite gone the way of the Premiership in pricing terms (yet ââ?¬â?? Old Firm and European games are rapidly heading that way), but even watching Rangers is becoming a luxury enjoyed by the privileged few. I'd like nothing more than to watch the Rangers home and away every week, but for myself and all too many besides, trips to Ibrox are a special once-every-few-months event to be looked forward to and savoured. Ticket prices in the German Bundesliga, home to by all accounts some of the most impressive, customer-friendly stadia in world football, come as a real slap in the face to the football-loving punters of Scotland. Admission is as little as Ã?£10, and rarely above Ã?£15 (incidentally terracing is also being introduced at some grounds to further improve the experience). A tenner to watch Ribery, Hleb and Klose in the comfort of some of the worldââ?¬â?¢s best stadia, or Ã?£25+ to watch Darren Dods and Marc Burchill at Tannadice and Rugby Park (while being told to sit down and shut up by some fluorescent jobsworth)?

 

I stopped going regularly years ago, after cleaning myself out financially going to most of the 2002/03 season. You can take your family to the pictures for the cost of just your own ticket to the football nowadays. Even the dross they put on in the cinema these days isnââ?¬â?¢t as offensive as some of the ââ?¬Ë?refereeingââ?¬â?¢ which continues to tarnish our national game.

 

The only conclusion to be drawn from the current pricing structure in the Scottish game is that fans are at an all-time low placing on the game�s list of priorities. Not many things beat seeing your team on a Saturday, but until clubs join the real world and start pricing accordingly, I, and I�m sure many others, will continue watching lower league football or Mr Stelling in the pub, both of which I can do while standing with my mates.

 

Judging by recent trends, I�m not convinced clubs can afford to go on pricing their loyal fans out of the game for much longer.

[Bluedell 5,356]

The problem is that the income that the clubs take in don't cover their costs as they stand at the moment, so it's difficult to reduce prices.

 

I know that reducing the prices may increase demand, but it's a big "may" and chances are that revenue overall would probably fall.

 

It eventually will leade to clubs paying less, so the calibre of players will fall, which will also put people off going, when there are so many other demands on people's time these days.

 

It's a good point that tyou have made but there's no easy solution to it, and a vicious circle of lower player's wages in the SPL could have an even bigger impact on attendances than even ticket prices do.

[Norris Cole 0]

The problem is that the income that the clubs take in don't cover their costs as they stand at the moment, so it's difficult to reduce prices.

 

I know that reducing the prices may increase demand, but it's a big "may" and chances are that revenue overall would probably fall.

 

It eventually will leade to clubs paying less, so the calibre of players will fall, which will also put people off going, when there are so many other demands on people's time these days.

 

It's a good point that tyou have made but there's no easy solution to it, and a vicious circle of lower player's wages in the SPL could have an even bigger impact on attendances than even ticket prices do.

 

Granted they were pretty extreme experiments, but some of Motherwell's deals in recent years, kids for a quid, dads for a fiver or whatever, ensured some terrific attendances. Folk bang on about getting kids through the gates, well reduce their old man's ticket to a reasonable price and you might see them. I'm no mathmetician but there must be a sustainable lower price which ensures both increased attendance and sufficient profit. �£15 anyone?

 

Your points are of course valid and there certainly has to be some sort of balance. But the fact is more and more people are turning away from what is an over-priced, low-quality product. The question is where does it end?

[Bluedell 5,356]

Where Scottish football could be in 15 years is a worrying thought.

[gisabeer 409]

Where Scottish football could be in 15 years is a worrying thought.

 

im worried about where it is now!

[Big Spliff 0]

1 Rangers (2) 1 50239 99.5%

2 Celtic (1) 1 58500 96.1%

3 Heart of Midlothian (10) 1 16284 90.4%

4 Falkirk (11) 1 6059 79.9%

5 Aberdeen (6) 1 16803 75.6%

6 Hamilton Academical (12) 1 3347 63.1%

7 Dundee United (5) 1 8253 58.0%

8 St Johnstone (9) 1 5220 48.9%

9 St Mirren (8) 1 4775 42.9%

10 Motherwell (4) 1 5093 37.0%

11 Hibernian (3) 1 6350 36.2%

12 Kilmarnock (7) 1 5307 29.2%

 

With the possible exception of Aberdeen (vs the bheasts) and Hearts (vs RFC) - albeit these are inflated due to the opposition, look at the home attendances in the SPL for the first home game of the season for each team. Fill % of capacity also shown.

 

7 out of 12 around or below the 6,000 mark.

 

Grim.

[Bluedell 5,356]

On an unrelated subject, NC, glad to see your avatar has changed back. The previous one was unnerving. :shudder:

[Big Spliff 0]

On an unrelated subject, NC, glad to see your avatar has changed back. The previous one was unnerving. :shudder:

 

 

and that one isn't ?

[Bluedell 5,356]

Everything's relative.

 

 

 

 

Don't know if that's the exact one, but you get the idea. :double shudder:

[Big Spliff 0]

very true