Clubs response to my email about 60-65 Season ticket prices

[bluejacko]

My letter;


FAO Mr Milne,


So this is the result of your much vaunted season ticket review. I must say that my first reaction was, what genius thought this up?, however on reflection that reaction has turned to anger.


I fail to see how you can attract ANY new customers with a price rise and at the same time driving away fans who are actually on the brink of giving up their season tickets after many years.

As for the concessions age going up, you are punishing fans who due to their age have been season ticket holders in most cases 30 years or more. Is this our reward for sticking with the club and introducing our children and grand children to this once great club?.

If you force supporters like us away, not only will you lose our custom, but also those we bring with us.

For the first time, I really don’t know whether or not I will renew my season ticket and will wait and see if common sense will prevail over this matter. You are risking losing a lot more in revenue than you will ever get by new sales if the number of current season ticket holders who I know and who are undecided on whether or not to renew for next season, decide not to renew due to the price rise and the quality of football on show.

I hope you will reply to this letter with any thing other than a standard brush off!



Yours from a VERY disgruntled fan,





The Response;


Dear Mr Jackson

Thank you for your email, we appreciate all your views and opinions. I can assure you that the views of the fans are important to the Club and are taken into account when we reach important decisions.

The Club were one of the last - if not the last - to switch to producing a new home and away shirt every year rather than every two years. Likewise, Town are also one of the few clubs that has operated a senior citizen band at 60. The decision has been taking this season to increase the concession age category to 65. The qualifying date used by the Club for price bands is August 10, 2017. So if you are aged between 23, and 64 on that date, you will pay an adult price. If you are 65 and above on August 10, you will pay the senior concession price. If you are currently paying a senior concession prices for a season ticket but will be 64 or younger on August 10th, your season ticket for 2017/18 will need to change to an adult ticket. However, the increased cost will be subsidised by 50 per cent. The supporters who fall into this bracket will be contacted directly by the Club.

There is never a good time to increase prices or make pricing adjustments. It is coincidental, that the Club continues to have a difficult time on the field at the same time as it has to consider how to fund next year’s budget.

The facts are the Club’s playing squad spend for the past 3 seasons have continued to rise – 3 seasons ago playing squad spend went up by 17% on the prior season – two seasons ago 7% - and this season it went up a further 8%. Playing squad, coaches & academy costs as a percentage of turnover is now running at 91%. I am pleased to say that all non playing squad costs remained static by saving costs and efficiencies.

To expect the owner to not raise ticket prices when he continues to support an ever increasing playing squad spend is not reasonable. He has set out a clear strategy which is to have careful management of the Club’s annual budget and where that budget is spent along with how the Club is to raise revenue to meet its investment priorities of focusing on the Academy; having a competitive wage structure and careful use of our transfer budget on developing players.

It is regrettable to have the raise prices and the Club has no desire to do so but we have to face economic reality of running a financially sustainable Club if it is going to survive. The owner is doing his bit with the increasing costs and we need the fans to help.

I respect your decision with regards to your view to cancelling your season ticket, but I hope that if you do we will do sufficient on the pitch next season to encourage you once again to commit to returning as a season ticket holder in the near future.

Everyone here at the Club wants nothing more than to see the Club success. We are confident that with continued support of our fans through this difficult period we can realise this ambition.

Thank you for your continued support at this challenging time.




Total nonsense, but what else was I to expect.

[Post edited 20 Mar 22:20]

[ashfordblue]

Typical response to your email, now if the Like of Huddersfield can lower their prices and attract more fans through the turnstiles, then so could we, I think they have cut their own throat here, I mean players wages going up 8% and playing crap football, I hope the club does one thing, get shod of all the non playing and constant injured players, that should cut down the wage bill, and have a playing staff of say 15 1st team and the rest of the squad can be made up of youth coming through, they call it living within your means or cut your cloth accordingly, if we happen to go down to Div 1 then that's the only option the club have got, and then Mr Evans can put the club on the market and sell to another investor, you can then sod off and play your corporate ticket scamming sales elsewhere, and let us rebuild a club that's for the fans by the fans, get rid of Mick and his team and bring in an up and coming manager who can work with a young squad.

[marko69]

Get rid of players like "Didsy". The 60-64's are stumping up more than anticipated (or budgeted for) due to (quote) the "increasing playing squad"......, BUT certain squad members, (who are being paid) are on their arse most of the year. Obviously appreciate every club has their injury list, but get these almost permanent hobblers emptied.

Thanks for sharing that Bluejacko. Sounds rubber stamped and has an air of "like it or lump it" about it.

[goldandblack]

makes you wonder the intelligence of these folk running our clubs, since moxey (our ex ceo) left for delia's pie and mash the new folk at Wolves seem to understand how to bring the fans in even or especially when the team are playing crap. average home crowds are 21k.
2 or 3 times this season its been a tenner to get in, our match v Brighton is £20.00 to get in and bring a friend for £5.00.

Next seasons ST prices are froze or if more than 16,000 sold we get a lump sum back.
the over 60s and kids prices have been lowered.

All we need now is a football team, wont hold me breath on that one tho,

[marko69]

Aye but Mevans is a money grabbing b*stard, "wanted" by South America!

[charlton837]

My letter;


FAO Mr Milne,


So this is the result of your much vaunted season ticket review. I must say that my first reaction was, what genius thought this up?, however on reflection that reaction has turned to anger.


I fail to see how you can attract ANY new customers with a price rise and at the same time driving away fans who are actually on the brink of giving up their season tickets after many years.

As for the concessions age going up, you are punishing fans who due to their age have been season ticket holders in most cases 30 years or more. Is this our reward for sticking with the club and introducing our children and grand children to this once great club?.

If you force supporters like us away, not only will you lose our custom, but also those we bring with us.

For the first time, I really don’t know whether or not I will renew my season ticket and will wait and see if common sense will prevail over this matter. You are risking losing a lot more in revenue than you will ever get by new sales if the number of current season ticket holders who I know and who are undecided on whether or not to renew for next season, decide not to renew due to the price rise and the quality of football on show.

I hope you will reply to this letter with any thing other than a standard brush off!



Yours from a VERY disgruntled fan,





The Response;


Dear Mr Jackson

Thank you for your email, we appreciate all your views and opinions. I can assure you that the views of the fans are important to the Club and are taken into account when we reach important decisions.

The Club were one of the last - if not the last - to switch to producing a new home and away shirt every year rather than every two years. Likewise, Town are also one of the few clubs that has operated a senior citizen band at 60. The decision has been taking this season to increase the concession age category to 65. The qualifying date used by the Club for price bands is August 10, 2017. So if you are aged between 23, and 64 on that date, you will pay an adult price. If you are 65 and above on August 10, you will pay the senior concession price. If you are currently paying a senior concession prices for a season ticket but will be 64 or younger on August 10th, your season ticket for 2017/18 will need to change to an adult ticket. However, the increased cost will be subsidised by 50 per cent. The supporters who fall into this bracket will be contacted directly by the Club.

There is never a good time to increase prices or make pricing adjustments. It is coincidental, that the Club continues to have a difficult time on the field at the same time as it has to consider how to fund next year’s budget.

The facts are the Club’s playing squad spend for the past 3 seasons have continued to rise – 3 seasons ago playing squad spend went up by 17% on the prior season – two seasons ago 7% - and this season it went up a further 8%. Playing squad, coaches & academy costs as a percentage of turnover is now running at 91%. I am pleased to say that all non playing squad costs remained static by saving costs and efficiencies.

To expect the owner to not raise ticket prices when he continues to support an ever increasing playing squad spend is not reasonable. He has set out a clear strategy which is to have careful management of the Club’s annual budget and where that budget is spent along with how the Club is to raise revenue to meet its investment priorities of focusing on the Academy; having a competitive wage structure and careful use of our transfer budget on developing players.

It is regrettable to have the raise prices and the Club has no desire to do so but we have to face economic reality of running a financially sustainable Club if it is going to survive. The owner is doing his bit with the increasing costs and we need the fans to help.

I respect your decision with regards to your view to cancelling your season ticket, but I hope that if you do we will do sufficient on the pitch next season to encourage you once again to commit to returning as a season ticket holder in the near future.

Everyone here at the Club wants nothing more than to see the Club success. We are confident that with continued support of our fans through this difficult period we can realise this ambition.

Thank you for your continued support at this challenging time.




Total nonsense, but what else was I to expect.

[Post edited 20 Mar 22:20]

Fairly sure Ian Milne has a standard response and just adds one paragraph which is personalized. Same as the letter he responded to the EADT with. Guess with the number of mails he is getting he and his team wouldn't have time to answer all of them. The bit i don't like is where he says "we need the fans to help". Tell you what Ian give us something to be proud of and we will! I think you will hear most fans saying we want the owner to do his bit! Its not our fault our playing squad costs are significantly up and we are left with a crap team that is embroiled in a relegation battle. Why should the fans pay for that, we didn't suggest bringing in a big squad of mediocre players.