Why is it so expensive to watch forest?

[doggboy]

Ok having got my tickets for wba and derby this week at a cost of £60 for the pair and having a look at the cost of season tickets i wanna know why do we charge these ridiculous prices? my work colleague got a villa season ticket for £400 but where i was looking at forest it was £520 or something daft like that.
If you compare us to most premiership sides i bet our ticket prices are up there with the most expensive...and the club wonder about dwindling crowd numbers in such a poor economic climate
I have a baby on the way and next year is going to be a very tight year, i want to be able to take my child to the football as my dad/cousin used to but current prices are a put off for families.

Sorry for my random whinge but i had to say it

p.s. hurry up saturday! ;D

 

[RedMark]

I do agree with some of your points, the main reason for me is, we pay these prices so we can get and pay the wages of the players we have and have the prospect of a season to remember.

 

[Eddie]

I think its football in general that is expensive and not just Forest. Compared to other Championship clubs i think we are reasonably priced. It all depends where you sit though as you can get a seat in the Trent End for £374 which is good value if you ask me (£16.26 a game). Main Stand is about £500 i think and so whilst it works out more per game no one is forced to sit there and fork out that sort of money. As for the ticket at Villa, i'm sure like Forest that have different prices for various parts of the ground and so that could be one of the cheapest. The fact they get almost 40,000 every home match probably helps keep the costs down as well, £400 is pretty good though for a top 10 Prem club.

 

[doggboy]

I do agree with some of your points, the main reason for me is, we pay these prices so we can get and pay the wages of the players we have and have the prospect of a season to remember.

Fair point mate but some of the bigger spenders in the top league don't have as high ticket as us, when we played away last year i went with friends to watch the villa and it cost me £18 pound for my ticket and the place was full (still a library though) just a little drop in prices would see more families/students attending and fill the place up...making for a better atmosphere which can only help the team?.

 

[RedDogChris]

Paying these type of prices to fund some defenders hopefully.Us under 21's have it good though sorry to rub it in,my season ticket cost just in the excess of £140 8)

 

[garrilla]

a little drop in prices would see more families/students attending and fill the place up...making for a better atmosphere which can only help the team?.

and then a little drop in form would see fewer fans at a lower price, and thus a sprial commences

 

[Eddie]

Just a thought,, but as a Championship side we play 23 home games every season,, versus 19 home games for Premier League clubs. So effectively your Villa friend is paying £21+ a game against our £16+ a game in the Trent End

 

[Strummer]

For what it's worth, I paid £414 for my season ticket (lower tier Brian Clough stand) which works out at £18 per match (23 home games).

When you compare that to £30 a match, they do look good value, and I think there are options to pay monthly as well (which may bump the cost up a bit?)

 

[doggboy]

I think its football in general that is expensive and not just Forest. Compared to other Championship clubs i think we are reasonably priced. It all depends where you sit though as you can get a seat in the Trent End for £374 which is good value if you ask me (£16.26 a game). Main Stand is about £500 i think and so whilst it works out more per game no one is forced to sit there and fork out that sort of money. As for the ticket at Villa, i'm sure like Forest that have different prices for various parts of the ground and so that could be one of the cheapest. The fact they get almost 40,000 every home match probably helps keep the costs down as well, £400 is pretty good though for a top 10 Prem club.

Yeah i was looking for a main stand ST to be honest (by the way why is it the dearest there? my personal fave but not the best view of the ground?) so yeah £374 is a very good price, my problem is the mid week games its hard for me to make them seeing as im an hour away and work all over the shop till 6-7 so its rare i make one, thats why i decided against a season ticket.
By the way that £400 at the villa wasn't the cheapest apparently? good on em...have to pay me to watch em though! (hold on didn't i say i went last year ha ha)

 

[Erik]

Ok having got my tickets for wba and derby this week at a cost of £60 for the pair and having a look at the cost of season tickets i wanna know why do we charge these ridiculous prices? my work colleague got a villa season ticket for £400 but where i was looking at forest it was £520 or something daft like that.
If you compare us to most premiership sides i bet our ticket prices are up there with the most expensive...and the club wonder about dwindling crowd numbers in such a poor economic climate
I have a baby on the way and next year is going to be a very tight year, i want to be able to take my child to the football as my dad/cousin used to but current prices are a put off for families.

Sorry for my random whinge but i had to say it

p.s. hurry up saturday! ;D

We pay these prices because we pay these prices. It's self perpetuating. Whilst ever we show we are prepared to pay these premium prices the club will continue to charge them.

Supply and demand. The club can make it pay at these rates so why make it cheaper?

Simples.

 

[Eddie]

Yeah i was looking for a main stand ST to be honest (by the way why is it the dearest there? my personal fave but not the best view of the ground?)

Thats something i've never understood! Worst stand in the ground,, hasnt been cleaned since 1971, the facilities are outdated and there are pillars blocking some peoples views of the pitch. Trent End or Clough Stand beats it hands down, regardless of the lack of atmosphere compared to A block!

 

[winnits]

Forest, and football generally, is well behind the curve on understanding their 'customers'

Much as it pains me as a football fan to think of myself as a mere customer, a better understanding of price elasticity and the average halo from bringing in more people in terms of merchandise and food sales would allow Forest to set optimum pricing and incentives to maximise income - which I generally think would involve bringing in more people.

Of course, the fortunes of the team also have a bearing on attendance levels too.

I'd love to engage in this kind of work for Forest, but sadly as long as they are simply offering placements in their marketing team for no pay I don't think I'll be given the opportunity!

 

[doggboy]

I wish i didn't start this bloody thread now..."note to self think before typing" been well and truely put in my place, maybe it was the old romantic in me that thought football clubs nowadays would give something back to the fans???? soppy get!.

p.s. £140 for under 21 year old! madness im gonna get me cousin to buy one and i'll just turn up as him (all emo and weird)

 

[Strummer]

Of course, the fortunes of the team also have a bearing on attendance levels too.

That's a really good point - I remember much better attendances in the mid-90s under Frank Clark when we were a) fairly good and b) in the Premier League.

I'm sure if we ever do get back there, our attendences will pick up, not only because we'll be (presumably) a better team, but also would hopefully attract more neutral/casual supporters.

 

[winnits]

I think you're right mate, Forest aren't alone in it either.

Football clubs are so blessed to have such incredibly loyal customer bases, as such there's been no real compulsion for them to invest in understanding customers like less tribal industries must (guess what I do for a living ). Whilst retailers etc have to work hard to retain customers in the face of competition, it's actually quite difficult to lose a fan once you snare them.

Of course, they might reduce their frequency of visit based on prices and team fortunes, but they're unlikely to switch to a competitor.

With the wealth of information Forest hold on their customer base combined with attendance figures, sales from the club shop and food vending in the ground I'm utterly convinced they could develop a model that will increase the overall income and profit whilst making ticket prices more affordable.

 

[Erik]

Plus, of course, ticket prices were frozen this year were they not? :wink:

 

[Erik]

With the wealth of information Forest hold on their customer base combined with attendance figures, sales from the club shop and food vending in the ground I'm utterly convinced they could develop a model that will increase the overall income and profit ........

I am sure they already have. I'm pretty certain it involves building a new stadium too.

 

[winnits]

I am sure they already have. I'm pretty certain it involves building a new stadium too.

I mean tactically as well as strategically though.

 

[Strummer]

Plus, of course, ticket prices were frozen this year were they not? :wink:

They were, but the truly cynical could claim in 'real terms' an increase of 2.5% due to last year's reduction in VAT...

Not sure what would happen if/when VAT returns to 17.5% though?

 

[Erik]

I mean tactically as well as strategically though.

Tactically they're getting it right now. We keep coughing up. That is not a barbed comment or critisism, it's a statement of reality.

 

[Erik]

They were, but the truly cynical could claim in 'real terms' an increase of 2.5% due to last year's reduction in VAT...

Hence the winky. ;D

 

[winnits]

Tactically they're getting it right now. We keep coughing up. That is not a barbed comment or critisism, it's a statement of reality.

It's true, but I think more revenue could be generated by a better model that would fill the ground. Of course, I wouldn't know without getting my hands on some numbers

Like I say, it depends on the relationship between attendances and ticket price (elasticity) and the incremental value that can be driven elsewhere in the ground as a result..

A full ground should be a better experience and thus engender a desire for further visits, it should also translate to the team and actually have (albeit a negligible) a positive impact on the team.

 

[Erik]

It's true, but I think more revenue could be generated by a better model that would fill the ground. Of course, I wouldn't know without getting my hands on some numbers

Like I say, it depends on the relationship between attendances and ticket price (elasticity) and the incremental value that can be driven elsewhere in the ground as a result..

A full ground should be a better experience and thus engender a desire for further visits, it should also translate to the team and actually have (albeit a negligible) a positive impact on the team.

Trust me.

Mark Arthur will know to the last penny his optimum price for optimum profit.

And he's charging it.

 

[winnits]

Trust me.

Mark Arthur will know to the last penny his optimum price for optimum profit.

And he's charging it.

I don't think he will - not from a customer perspective at least. There's a lot of things that hide in balance sheets that can't be found without layering on some genuine insight into behaviour and to my knowledge Forest don't employ any expertise in the area.

 

[Erik]

I don't think he will - not from a customer perspective at least. There's a lot of things that hide in balance sheets that can't be found without layering on some genuine insight into behaviour and to my knowledge Forest don't employ any expertise in the area.

Don't underestimate him. I may want not want him but I'll admit he doesn't miss a trick.