Keith wrote:If it was free to get in, we still wouldn't fill the ground week in, week out.
The balancing game is not so simple.
If we have an average of 2,000 fans @ £14
Income £28,000
If we drop the price to £10 we'd need an extra 800 fans just to break even.
Would we get an extra 800? Perhaps. Would we guarantee getting an extra 801 to make it worth while? That would be a big gamble for an extra £10.
***Obviously this is illustrative only, some of the 2,000 are kids & OAP's etc and if an extra 800 came we'd sell more pies & programmes etc***
It seems to me that we have a core support of around 1800, this doesn’t seem to fluctuate much whether the team is winning, drawing or loosing. The counter argument to the above proposition is this.
If we increased our prices by 20% (£2.80) would we loose 20% of our gate (360 people)?
I think not, therefore it makes more sense (mathematically) for the club to increase prices. A much bigger threat to attendance for the club is the accessibility, transport, and parking issue. I suspect when the new ground opens that crowds will be up as people will be curious, but later in the season and especially night matches this support may dwindle if these issues are not addressed.