Official Site : Season Ticket Special Offer!

I take the club's point to an extent but by mid September they are unlikely to flog many more season tickets and given that one of the advantages of selling season tickets is the ability to plan ahead because you know your income. This would be an advantage of flex tickets too. It would also innoculate the club against fluctuations in form which cause fluctuations in income. In terms of potential impact on future season ticket sales you could look at ways to manage this. Exclude certain 'category' games, make them only available from last weekend in September. Or just accept that it may have a small impact but balance this against providing a service at a reasonable cost as a community club.

As for cost 20 is plenty. The Football Supporters Association supports this and I would hope that all fan representatives endorse it and promote it at all opportunities.

 

I've drawn the line at £25, so I will go to those games when I'm not working that are £23 or £25. That isn't a bad compromise, seeing as I think "£20's Plenty". I'm hardly wanting a bespoke offer. I'm wanting them to offer bundles to suit everyone. ANY 5, 10, 15 etc.

 

This thread is hugely frustrating. Some people don't want or need a season ticket. In fact I would say the majority of people who identify as Barnsley fans don't have one (although some admittedly may not attend games at all). This is about those fans and unfortunately it continues to feel like they are an inconvenience or tool to fleece opposition fans.

Season ticket holders are the lifeblood of the club. Absolutely accepted. But does that mean we have to ignore everyone else (stronger together?) or limit our ability to maximise revenue from non-season ticket fans.

I would certainly have hoped any supporters groups would be at the forefront of any such initiative.

There are numerous reasons I don't want a season ticket. But primarily it is that I don't want to go to every game. I'm at a point in my life when I've got a young kid who I'd rather spend time with, I don't live in Barnsley and have to travel to get to games, and my dad who I go with doesn't want to go to every game.

I appreciate that I only go to 10 or so games a season and I'm not as important to the club and I wouldn't expect to be. But I still invest significant amounts of money in to the club*

(* it would be more if they had new shirts in stock now, when people want them)

A flexi-ticket would probably mean I end up going to more games ultimately (increasing match day spend) because if I've got the ticket then I might decide the travel costs are worth it for example. I'd buy my dad one for his birthday too. If it was available in smaller number of games my mum would probably get one as well. We can't share a season ticket because we go to the same games. If I get a season ticket (regardless of the fact I don't need one) I can't then sit with my dad when he comes without faffing about. More importantly, I don't want to pay for something I don't need.

I don't think any of the arguments I've heard mean a flexi ticket can't work. Why not have 5 games for £100 (or £120) to be bought in the August transfer window. You then buy a ticket online and enter your flexi ticket account to pay (no impact on staffing). Then in December (in time for Christmas) a second window opens up to add another 5 games by the end of January. This allows the club to get money upfront to budget in both transfer windows. Ideally it would be in the form of pre-charged card that you just scan to get in. In a perfect world you'd just be able to add £100 to your account whenever needed.

This is just one model. I doubt that would have any real impact on the numbers buying season tickets. Even if it did it probably means those people are only buying a season ticket because they feel they are unwanted without one now. Which is perhaps the point.

 

Excellent post. I share your frustration. Very few who can go to most games can seem to put themselves in the position of those who can't.

 

Thanks Gally, much appreciated. And I don't want it to sound like a downer on the club. My main frustration is born out of the fact that it is increasingly difficult to simply turn up at a game and just pay cash on the gate, and understand the clubs reasoning as to why they would rather people don't do that. (Grudgingly - progress should be about increasing customers options, not introducing one format at the expense of another). Butt he flexi ticket idea has the potential to significantly reduce the number of people wanting to pay on the gate and brings in upfront investment. Two of the clubs stated aims.

 

It's not very satisfactory if the season ticket initiative has to run out of steam every season before other groups of people are offered anything. The season ticket should just be one of a number of bundles on offer every summer that run side by side. Three home league games have already gone.

 

To be honest it was a tongue in the cheek post aimed primarily at the high pricing of these fixtures: i was not really advocating a flexi deal for these matches only, thats plain daft.

 

But you've said you are happy to pay £25. So 10 games at £25 is £250.

I don't know what else to say

 

Don't you get the concept of getting things cheaper as a bulk buy? If you pay up front you're supposed to get more for your money.

 

No not like either of those, as stated by a lot of people many times

 

Indeed I do. A season ticket is great value and 10 games at £25 not over £30 is also a great saving too. Everyone's a winner.

 

Some people really don't get that a) it's embarrassing to not have a lot of money/want to spend that money and b) not everyone WANTS to attend every match. That's right, some people do not care that much about football that they want to be tied down almost every week for a full season. That doesn't mean that they are bad people and should be sidelined, it means we need to find a way to get them more interested (and perhaps they may want one after all in the future as their circumstances changed). Expecting these people to pay over £300 for something they can't really justify spending that much money on is unfair. Some people on here argue till they are blue in the face that a season ticket is the best thing since sliced bread and can't seem to understand the simple fact that not everyone wants one for various reasons (some stated on this thread).

I think a block of 10 tickets on the flexi ticket is perhaps too many. It is the amount I woud have liked and I suspect would be very popular but I do agree with the club's stance that we should try and turn people who can attend 10+ games into a season ticket holder if possible. What we absolutely do not cater for are people who have a slight interest and might attend 4-5 matches a season if the price was right. This is who we should target with the flexi ticket. Make it a one off ticket for 5 matches at £100. I reckon most people who might only go to a couple of matches would buy this and decide to see a few more and then, once they get hooked, they may increase their number of matches. It would help the 10+ match goers who absolutely can't get a season ticket too as they can at least get 5 of their matches cheaper and they then might do a few more than 10 (leading to the conclusion next year that they would like a season ticket if possible as they are now attending more matches than they thought they would).

 

We did the Super Six (where you had to be able to attend ALL 6 games to make it viable) and a Tuesday-Saturday 2 for 1 Combo (where midweek evening or Saturday afternoon workers were excluded). Nothing FLEXIBLE about either of those two.

 

I've got a season pass and haven't been able to go yet! Mug?

 

This is one of the reasons why the club won't lose out on offering different bundles. People won't always pick the right bundle and either not fully use it or end up having to buy another.