The fight against modern football 3

Discussion in 'Business and Media' started by Numquam Moribimur, Apr 14, 2012.

  1. Schapes1

    Schapes1 Member

    May 7, 2012
    My point is that clubs are a brand and they should work to enhance it. Especially in the US and Asia. There are growth opportunities.

    Was in London this weekend and saw Fulham vs Sunderland. Really good game. No pyro. No Ultras.
     
  2. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    and billy the badger and miles the meercat are sooooo cuddly! and only £15.99 each!
     
  3. Potowmack

    Potowmack Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That meerkat is wearing an ascot. That is awesome on so many levels.
     
  4. CCSUltra

    CCSUltra Member+

    Nov 18, 2008
    Cleveland
    Club:
    Hertha BSC Berlin
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I watched a fair share of the Bundesliga games this past weekend. They were all really good games. There were ultras. The atmosphere at the games was incredible, especially watching my team avoid automatic relegation.

    I will say, though. The Köln fans are idiots.
     
  5. vifvaf

    vifvaf Member

    Nov 28, 2008
    Norway
    Club:
    Valerenga IF Oslo
    Nat'l Team:
    Norway
    It`s great you had a good time in England this weekend. Not so great for the working class people of Hammersmith and Fulham or the people of Sunderland who do not get the chanse to go to the match because of rich football tourists from Asia or America. People that has been a part of the clubs since they where born and helped build the clubs to what they are today.
    And for all you know there might have been lots of casuals and hools at the match without your knowledge :p
     
    guignol and Numquam Moribimur repped this.
  6. Numquam Moribimur

    May 30, 2005
    Club:
    Manchester United FC


    :D :D
     
  7. CCSUltra

    CCSUltra Member+

    Nov 18, 2008
    Cleveland
    Club:
    Hertha BSC Berlin
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm going to disagree with you on this. Everybody has a right to go to the match. If an American or Asian is visiting a country, why shouldn't they be allowed to go to a game? They are supposed to be for everyone.
     
  8. vifvaf

    vifvaf Member

    Nov 28, 2008
    Norway
    Club:
    Valerenga IF Oslo
    Nat'l Team:
    Norway
    I agree that everyone has the right to go to the match. Not saying they should not be allowed to go to the game. Im only saying i think lokals should get prioritized and that their interests should weigh the heaviest as i find it to be the best solution over time. So not trying to exclude Football tourists as they are a huge contribution the clubs economically . Only saying i would prioritize the lokals.
     
  9. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    To be honest, if you are a local and can't find a way to get a ticket ahead of someone who lives several thousand miles away, you've only got yourself to blame.

    When tickets go on general sale - typically the only time someone from abroad can get a ticket - the time for needing to give priority to anyone has passed.
     
  10. Schapes

    Schapes Member

    Aug 20, 2001
    Like every strategy. Boycotting doesn't always work. The problem is with the Royals and Pirates - they are doomed to be doormats till another owner. Boycotting does work sometime though.

    In terms of arrangers - you don't hear about anyone being charged with responsibility for the Rangers issue. Is there no investigation into who is responsible? Will no one go to jail?
     
  11. Schapes

    Schapes Member

    Aug 20, 2001

    So when you go to a restaurant and have a bad meal, do you continue to go? I don't. I still watch and support my club every week. I still want them to win. It is just that I like most people work hard for my money. I spend my entertainment dollar judiciously. If they start winning, you are right, I may go to more games. Just because someone doesn't go to games - doesn't mean they are any less of a fan.
     
  12. Schapes

    Schapes Member

    Aug 20, 2001
    The Green Bay Packers (NFL) are the only team owned by shareholders
     
  13. Schapes

    Schapes Member

    Aug 20, 2001
    First off, I am not rich. Second, this is maybe only the third time that I have been able to buy tickets from the club. Usually have to buy them from a ticket broker.

    Why the hate on football tourists? The locals had every chance at those tickets.
     
  14. Schapes

    Schapes Member

    Aug 20, 2001

    AGREED
     
  15. Schapes

    Schapes Member

    Aug 20, 2001
     
  16. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    right. so they get in line for a ticket on game day just like a working stiff. sold out? go to madame tussaud's! they've got becks and posh there looking even more natural than they do in real life!
     
  17. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I don't know how it is in other countries, but the days of fans queuing for tickets is pretty much over in England, barring maybe the odd big away cup tie.

    People typically buy in advance, either in person, or more usually online or by phone.

    Clubs also tend to have some sort of loyalty scheme. Season tickets holders first, then club members, then general sale.

    "Member" also isn't the same as being a member in Spain, etc. It's typically a one-off payment of about £2-£5 or so, which gets you registered on the club database, an entitles you to a discount on non-member prices.

    If somebody isn't a member then it's almost certain that they hardly ever bother to watch the club, and I don't think that sort of "fan" really deserves priority over anyone.
     
  18. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    In the USA, yes, but not here.

    The smaller clubs aren't just putting out underfunded sides and pocketting the cash. They are spending as much as they can afford (usually more than they can afford, but that's a different issue). It's just not enough to bring them anywhere near the top sides.

    The income gap is much wider too.

    This list...
    http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/33/baseball-valuations-11_rank.html
    ...has the Yankees getting $427 million a year, and the lowest club earning $160 million a year.

    This...
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/may/19/football-club-accounts-debt
    ...has Man Utd earning £286 million a year (roughly the same as the Yankees), and nobody below Spurs earning proportionally more than that lowest MLB club.

    Many are pulling in little more that the equivalent of $100 million a year, and nearly half earn around half of that Pittsburg Pirates figure.

    The TV income alone for Man Utd is considerably more than the total income of most premier league clubs.
     
  19. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    It differs a bit from club to club in Germany - but generally matchday tickets only make up a small percentage here as well.

    In Braunschweig it's roughly like this:
    Capacity 24.000
    Season tickets - about 13.000
    The visiting club gets 10% of the tickets (required by the league) - 2400
    The other tickets are mostly sold in advance - matchday tickets are probably between 0 (if the game is expected to sell out there's pretty much no chance to get matchday tickets) and 10% in the end.
     
  20. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    actually i can understand the idea of tourists getting in a match when they're on holiday. i even looked into it once but was nauseated to see how much of my money chelsea or arsenal were after: the offer was a package with match, stadium tour, t-shirt and prawn sandwich for... well i forget but about 5 times what i was looking to pay. if we ever go to england during the season again i won't waste time with such folderol, i'll just head right to brisbane road or selhurst park.
    yes, i was being simplistic. my beef is against the
    the seats and packages offered by either the club or ticket agents (who buy up lots of season tix/membership cards at whatever price knowing they'll resell at a profit anyway.

    i usually get my tix online too, but i have bought a couple this year standing in line since i'm often in the area; it saves me a 2€ service charge and gets me a real ticket instead of a home printout. i save them in a great big box with all kinds of other sentimental things. how uncustomerlike of me.
     
  21. Potowmack

    Potowmack Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I guess if you want to give preference to locals, you could limit online sales to people with a billing address in a certain area. The Washington Nationals just did a promotion where they wanted to keep visiting Philadelphia Phillies fans out of the stadium for the Nationals-Phillies series, so they imposed some restrictions on group sales along these lines.
     
  22. Numquam Moribimur

    May 30, 2005
    Club:
    Manchester United FC

    and the Phillies fan still took over the stadium :)
     
  23. Numquam Moribimur

    May 30, 2005
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
  24. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    from what i know about the way the old senators used to draw i guess that's down to the same thing as how OM used to have an extra home game every year at monaco.
     
  25. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Beyond the corporate whores, very few clubs will have anything like that.

    I'm sure it happens, but such selling is actually illegal in the UK. Again, it's only likely for the "big 4" and their ilk.

    One thing more and more clubs are doing - Reading were the first in England, way back in 1998 - is having a season ticket or membership card as an actual card, like a credit card with chip in, that has games loaded onto it rather than issuing tickets.

    It makes it incredibly difficult for touts as they couldn't buy a season ticket and sell it match by match. Even buying individual cards would be problematic as it'd leave a paper trail, as well as looking highly suspicious if one house had several dozen membership cards, ordering new ones before every big match, and never using them again.

    One other advantage was that it saved money by allowing the turnstiles to be automatic, rather than needing to employ people every game, although it can't be a vast saving.

    The real advantage is having a database of all of your "customers", as well as aiding hugely when ticket priority is needed (not that they haven't screwed that up still, on several occasions).
     
    guignol repped this.

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