14 replies to this topic

[Heywood Tiger]

Following yesterday's doubled attendance figures, i wonder if it's time to look at our admission price and the effect a reduced price has on the Rochdale public's decision to attend games.

I'm not suggesting £5 admission from now on but surely the reduced cost of yesterday's game was the main reason so many were enticed to Spotland.

Perhaps the single figure cost of £9 would be more attractive? With an average of approximately 400-450 home fans,if the reduced cost attracts only an extra 150 people the club would not make a loss against the regular £12 admission (£12 x 450 = £5400 / £9 x 600 = £5400) and the supplemtary income would increase as the number of bums on seats does.

Im know reduced admission costs have been tried before but surely the club needs to use yesterday to keep people interested, especially as the performance was so good.

[Snoopy Loopy]

Following yesterday's doubled attendance figures, i wonder if it's time to look at our admission price and the effect a reduced price has on the Rochdale public's decision to attend games.

I'm not suggesting £5 admission from now on but surely the reduced cost of yesterday's game was the main reason so many were enticed to Spotland.

Perhaps the single figure cost of £9 would be more attractive? With an average of approximately 400-450 home fans,if the reduced cost attracts only an extra 150 people the club would not make a loss against the regular £12 admission (£12 x 450 = £5400 / £9 x 600 = £5400) and the supplemtary income would increase as the number of bums on seats does.

Im know reduced admission costs have been tried before but surely the club needs to use yesterday to keep people interested, especially as the performance was so good.

I cant believe you are so overwhelmed by an attendance of 1000 paying a fiver each - IMO this project has been a disaster all we have done is cut admission by over half and got 400 extra in - good business have we posted any extra profit?

Mark Wynn once told me personally that "a lot of people were staying away from Hornets as they didnt see eye to eye with the people running the club" this was obviously before the new club was created - Mark were are all these people they dont seem to be coming back from what I can see

[Pugwash]

During the Old Co there was a scheme where a game was made £5 in and the gate was, if I remember rightly, no more than usual. I actually said to Daid Vining who was chairman then that if he had offered to give £5 to everyone who came it wouldn't have cost him 5,000!

It was refreshing to see a crowd of 1,000+ yesterday and I spoke with several people who realise that things could have been done differently/better and that we should try again next season.

If you keep doing the same things you keep getting the same results!

The Golden Gamble had a prize of over £120 yesterday, and I was one away, BLAST, so there was obviously at least one positive.

Another positive was that MENCAP will have got a significant sum to help them in their attempts to help others, that's another positive.

A thousand people saw the gentleman who thought Stanky should be sacked answered in no uncertain terms. Another positive!

Hornets whacked Workington big-style, in front of a bigger crowd that would have been there, another positive!

I also found that The News Of The World hadn't hacked my mobile 'phone, another positive!

Not a bad day then eh?

Pugwash.

[Heywood Tiger]

Too many people at this club continously look backwards.

The fact remains that Rochdale Hornets managed to get an extra 500 people through the turnstiles on Sunday. What are we going to do to get them to come back?

Im sure those that attended each contributed as much as possible to Mencap but i dont believe the charity link was the main reason they attended.

The price of a ticket is the most important factor, and people not regular attendees of pro RL matches are not overly keen to shell out £12 to watch a midtable 3rd tier team play. They rather go and watch a decent amateur side on a Saturday for free, where some of the players are not a long way of Hornets standard.

[mickhornet]

Which amateur clubs are these?

[Heywood Tiger]

Both Mayfield and Cobras have some talented and entertaining players playing every week that im sure would not be out of place in the Hornets squad. Then you have the likes of Semisi Cocka and Sisa Koyamaibole (Sale Sharks and Fiji RU) turning up to play every now and again for the Cobras.

Im all for Rochdale Hornets and would like nothing better than to see them competing at a higher level. However if you are charging £12 more than the local amateur clubs do you need to ensure the product you provide is worth £12 more.

[Ex-Kirkholt]

Both Mayfield and Cobras have some talented and entertaining players playing every week that im sure would not be out of place in the Hornets squad. Then you have the likes of Semisi Cocka and Sisa Koyamaibole (Sale Sharks and Fiji RU) turning up to play every now and again for the Cobras.

Im all for Rochdale Hornets and would like nothing better than to see them competing at a higher level. However if you are charging £12 more than the local amateur clubs do you need to ensure the product you provide is worth £12 more.

Just out of interest, it isn't free to watch Mayfield's conference fixtures.

Last time I went it was £2 and was good value for that.

[Hornets Nest]

[quote name='Pugwash' timestamp='1310405346' post='2301046']
During the Old Co there was a scheme where a game was made £5 in and the gate was, if I remember rightly, no more than usual. I actually said to Daid Vining who was chairman then that if he had offered to give £5 to everyone who came it wouldn't have cost him 5,000!

It was refreshing to see a crowd of 1,000+ yesterday and I spoke with several people who realise that things could have been done differently/better and that we should try again next season.

If you keep doing the same things you keep getting the same results!

The Golden Gamble had a prize of over £120 yesterday, and I was one away, BLAST, so there was obviously at least one positive.

Another positive was that MENCAP will have got a significant sum to help them in their attempts to help others, that's another positive.

A thousand people saw the gentleman who thought Stanky should be sacked answered in no uncertain terms. Another positive!

Hornets whacked Workington big-style, in front of a bigger crowd that would have been there, another positive!

I also found that The News Of The World hadn't hacked my mobile 'phone, another positive!

Not a bad day then eh?

Pugwash.

I think the News of The World and the Murdock empire were only interested in hacking the phones of people that may have been of interest to the public, so you maybe waiting a while fella.

Edited by Hornets Nest, 12 July 2011 - 08:17 PM.

[Pugwash]

That bit HN, was like the ....and finally, at the end of the news. I have never had a mobile 'phone!

Pugwash.

[Pugwash]

Gate prices are difficult to get right but get them right you must.

Pitch the gate prices too high and people stay away - a shortfall ocurrs.

Pitch them too low and, again, you have a shortfall.

Some clubs and I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone, se up the available cash and then Joe Soap writes a cheque when the brown and sticky hits the fan - that's OK as long as Old Joe remains happy with this state of affairs. If Joe should get a bit miffed by keep having to prop up what is a failing venture to then you end up looking for a new cheque-writer and in the meantime you have to cut drastically to make ends meet.

Hornets, as I see it, cannot do this as we have no Mr. Soap and all our budgets are set and everyone has to live within the budgets unless we can raise some money another way, say fundraisers.

Don't forget, next season Stanky wants to run a reserve team, that will require a budget and the money will have to be found somehow.

A decent home fixture in the 'Trains Cup' wouldn't go amiss but I guess we will continue with the Gateshead, Barrow level home games which bring in nothing. Also, getting rid of the stupid 'Free Round in the Cup' for season ticket holders. All it does is punish the Championship and Championship 1 sides who loose money on the 3rd round games and then those that get through and draw a S.L. club get 'stiffed' as waht few S.L. fans do come usually don't have to pay. LUDICROUS!!!

The way I see it is that any reduction in 'gate prices' would have to be more than accounted for by increased gates or the club would go backwards. I'm sure that if 1,000 people put their money in for season tickets now the club MAY be able to reduce the price but I can't see that happening really. I would like to see the £12 at least held if possible and see if that pulls in a few more fans but the fans have it in their power by attending and becoming members to have their say.

Pugwash.

[Heywood Tiger]

400 £12 tickets balances the books, 1000 at £5 makes more money and attracts more people to buy programmes, food, shirts etc.. Im suggesting somewhere in between £5 and £12 would be better for the club at the minute.

[Jeffles]

It's a very difficult decision to make. The reduced price might get more fans in for a one off match but will it get those people coming in every week? IMO it won't. People did not only attend because tickets were cheaper. I think it helped that the match was a fundraiser for a charity too.

There is a point where pricing is out of proportion with the "objective" quality on offer. If it was a simple equation of price v quality we'd all be watching Salford in Super League where a Main Stand ticket costs 25 quid - twice the price but infinitely more full time players and quality opposition. Most Hornets fans that attend every week know that they pay a premium on the price-quality index relative to Super League and other sports in their ticket to meet the costs of running a club that does not have Sky money or national exposure to help fund it. It's that "irrational" spending that we do as supporters because they are our club.

By all accounts, Sunday was a great success in that it got an extra 500 people through the gate. It would be good if that became an annual event.

Edited by Jeffles, 13 July 2011 - 11:26 PM.

[mickhornet]

I think SL is very boring,apart from Warrington.Just because the players are full time doesn't make the product better.We have had only 2 dissappointing games , Donny at home, and Oldham away.3 great away days , Worky, Donny, and Keighley, where we got 2 free pints in the bargain.The Swinton match at the Willows was brilliant although dissappointing we did'nt win.I watched Salford v Bulls, And Salford v Crusaders last year, both games were really very boring indeed.At £25 it must be appalling value.I think i paid £12 to stand concession price.

[Heywood Tiger]

It's a very difficult decision to make. The reduced price might get more fans in for a one off match but will it get those people coming in every week? IMO it won't. People did not only attend because tickets were cheaper. I think it helped that the match was a fundraiser for a charity too.

There is a point where pricing is out of proportion with the "objective" quality on offer. If it was a simple equation of price v quality we'd all be watching Salford in Super League where a Main Stand ticket costs 25 quid - twice the price but infinitely more full time players and quality opposition. Most Hornets fans that attend every week know that they pay a premium on the price-quality index relative to Super League and other sports in their ticket to meet the costs of running a club that does not have Sky money or national exposure to help fund it. It's that "irrational" spending that we do as supporters because they are our club.

By all accounts, Sunday was a great success in that it got an extra 500 people through the gate. It would be good if that became an annual event.

I dont understand your point, the club are trying to attract new fans who dont feel the need to pay a premium to support a club they have no affiliation with. A £25 Salford ticket is riddiculous. These same fans can go and watch Wigan from a seat on the half way line for £19. They watch worldclass sport with a pre/post game experience to match.

This, along with amateur games, is what Hornets are competing with, they either need to improve the product or reduce the price in my opinion.

Edited by Heywood Tiger, 18 July 2011 - 03:25 PM.

[Jeffles]

My point is that I think a reduced ticket, say to 9 quid, would not get the extra 150 in every week along with secondary income required to make that a financially worthwhile decision. I think the Workington game demonstrated that people might respond to a discounted ticket on a one-off basis, especially when there is a charitable incentive to do so but that it is not evidence of some sort of price point problem with Hornets' admission prices. If the club had the resources, it would have been interesting to survey spectators at the Worky game to see what kept the non-regular spectators away, what got them to that game and what would make them attend in the future. In my opinion, a reduced ticket would not pay off.

You are right that people respond to the standard of play and pricing when choosing whether to support a side in person at the ground but there are other considerations as well. The timing of games, spectator amenities, pre-match entertainment, access to transport, friendships with fellow fans and even a supporter's irrational affection for the club are among them. It is incumbent on the club to consider all of these and provide the financially safest solution when choosing a time for their games and choosing the price of admission.