Season Tickets!

Do you know what the lowest go for? Actually, the Fire did a good job on suite sales. I believe Mike Colletti was in charge of that. If he was no wonder they did a good job. He was a great ticket rep.

 

That would be a 175% increase!

 

I'M EXTEREMLY BOTHERED BY THIS

 

Bothered by what?

And why?

 

Michael Colletti was/is a great guy and was a good ticket rep, but it was Mike Beauvais who was in charge of suite sales- Colletti worked under Beauvais. He and Colletti both left the Fire in the same week, I believe.

Now, Steve DiLenardi, who is Canadian but don't hold that against him, is the suite guy...

Not that it matters, or has anything to do with anything...

 

Aresenal,
Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't 100% sure. Do you know where they ended up going and or why?

I am also bothered too, that the Fire charge some of the highest prices in MLS and do not have discounts for youths. Unless the Fire producing a championship team (and I am not talking USOC) or get some big name players, their expensive prices will start to turn away some of their fan base.

 

This is me not being an apologist or shill for the FO, but I would imagine you'll find that people who live in this area pay more for a whole bunch of things, not just soccer tickets.

Ticket prices aren't set by how good the team is, how new the stadium is, or anything like that. They're set by what the seller thinks the market will bear.

Sellers can absolutely get it wrong and set what they think the market will bear too highly. If the consumer doesn't buy it (and price is the cause), prices have to come down unless the seller wants to just beat his head against a wall.

That's just the way the free market works. Or is supposed to.

 

You don't say?

Just messin with ya.

 

I know. That's freaking outrageous. I'm working on the softcover edition that'll be much, much less than that. But no one's going to give me a $15,000 advance or print thousands of the things so that the price comes down.

But I don't really expect anyone to plunk down $18 or whatever to see photos of my summer vacation. I just had fun doing it.

 

Well, then Guppy has to face facts, if you want to bring in more people on a regular basis, you can't rely on your college training, you have to learn more about your fan base, and adjust the ticket prices accordingly.

$10.00 bench back seats.

 

I think how good a team is and the facilities they play in and other things determine what the seller thinks the market will bear. Just as when TP was built, Guppy thought the smaller stadium would create a demand for the Fire and that he could jack up ticket prices. Those intangibles are what sets the price actually.

This year is going to be a pivotal year. If the Fire perform like they did in the first half of the season and no big name players are signed, I believe they will draw less than last year. If they have a good season, and the Beckham buzz works out, and heaven forbid the Fire sign a big name player the Fire could really see an improvement from last year.

Actually, I think this is going to be a pivotal year for MLS in general. If Toronto follows through on all the momentum they have now, RSL gets salvaged, and Beckham lives up to the hype MLS can really have a breakthrough year. If on the other hand these three areas flop we could see the MLS bust in a few years.

 

Well, that's partly true, yes.

They can say "We're providing you a much better atmosphere in which to watch the games, in a facility that's brand-new, properly-sized, without football lines, on Saturdays (for the most part)" and all that and say that's worth x more than what it used to be worth. They can also say "Well, we're a championship team, we're worth it," but no one offers you a refund when you go in the tank like Columbus did this past year, so it only works the one way.

 

Kenn:

I'm bothered that Season Tickets for the Fire at Toyota Park are considerably higher than other stadiums and teams. Sorry I don't buy your point that a team's geographical location dictates price.

I'm bothered that the Fire have NO Youth Ticket Price. I have a three and half year old and a 2 year old I do hope some day they are loyal Fire fans but right now forcing me to pay full price for their seats so I can bring them along to a game (if they are in the mood to do so) is a crock.

I'm bothered the Fire asked Season Ticket holders to pay up front for seats unseen and forced a minimum of a two year contract and then when you ask them to be flexible and work with you to alter your contract to work within your family they jam a contract down your throat.

I'm bothered that individuals who never have been to a Fire game before the new stadium opened somehow managed to get seats in front of me even though I paid IN FULL for my seats the day season tickets went on sale and have been a season ticket holder since the club started in 1998.

I'm bothered that the stadium club is an afterthought and does not have a view of the field like every other soccer specific stadium in the US does yet is pushed as a premium or some kind of wonderful add on. yes I know nothing can be done about this I should get over it.

I'm bothered that season ticket holders were told that the All Star game would not be included in the cost of our tickets as the league controls that game and then I learn that anyone that buys a season ticket for Colorado gets the All Star game included in their season ticket package.

I'm bothered about the way premiums and game day give aways are handled for season ticket holders with multiple seats.

I have other things that I'm bothered by but you know what I really believe it no longer matters what I think.

I can shout, argue, curse, scream, cry, rant and/or rave it really does not matter because I have come to believe is all I am (or for that matter all any one is) to the organization is dollars.

Some can argue that is how it is at many other teams across all pro sports. Locally as a full season ticket holder with the Cubs, Sox and Hawks and partial with the Bulls I can tell you that is not the case (well okay with the Hawks it is) the others no way they entirely value you as a fan and as customer.

Nationally as a Season Ticket holder for the Steelers once again no way. As a a Season Ticket holder with Manchester United once again no way.

And you know what I'm not the only one bothered I know a great many other people who feel exactly the same way I do.

The sad thing is (and man oh man I mean this is really sad) is that my contract ends this year and I free and clear to walk away from Season Tickets and I am totally on the fence about it where as by before I would have never thought about it and just whipped out my wallet.

For anyone that knows me and my love for the Fire they will understand. I mean it absolutely sucks that I will be spending this season going to games and on one level be sitting there going I love this team and on the other level going I can not stomach the price or value for the experience.

I mean after all when I want to go to a game I could just walk up to the ticket booth and get the cheapest seat available and then enter the stadium and sit wherever I feel I want because I have not seen a regular season game yet that was a sellout nor do I think there will be one.

 

Colletti ended up going to a finance/investment place downtown- Beauvais was at the Schaumburg Flyers and went to another company that sells suite rentals to companies/people for less than whole seasons.

Both left the Fire on their own. I don't want to really speculate on their personal reasons, but if you knew how much they were getting paid to do their jobs combined with the hours they kept and the fact that they worked for Washo and Guppy probably had something to do with it...

As much as I silently disagree with you most of the time, this is EXACTLY right. In theory, not only do they look at other entertainment options, they should look to soccer teams in comparable markets, and use that as a guide as well.

It's getting the most out of what the market will bear. The market will tell them whether or not that it is a fair price. Guppy and AEG can ignore the market, but run the risk of not having anyone at the games. Oh, wait, that's already happened...

 

You don't have to buy it if you want to, but it's economics. It's not voodoo. It's a simple fact that the market for almost everything in Chicago will bear more than the market in, say, Denver.

It's not as simple as geography, it's market conditions that prevail and those market conditions are different in Chicago than they are in San Diego.

I can agree with you on that.

That was club seats, right, not all season ticket holders? Because I wasn't forced to do that. But if you experienced that, I can see why you'd be upset with that.

I'd be bothered by that, too.

You're not the only one who feels this way.

Colorado probably needs the help, but, yeah, I can see where that change in tactics would get under one's skin.

I know you're not the only one to have expressed that sentiment, either.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I believe there are a lot of people who feel the way you do.

Those are powerful sentiments and I think you should write them up exactly as you've written them here and send them to the president of the club. Seriously.

You've expressed yourself eloquently, and like I said, you should put those sentiments in writing in a letter (not an email) and send them to the president of the club. As should any customer.

I had concerns about stuff last year and sent them my feedback as a season ticket holder and they addressed my issues. What could be fixed was fixed and what couldn't be fixed wasn't, but at least I felt like my input was important.

So I'd counsel you to do that.

 

I'll echo chitown's remarks, fully. It gets harder and harder for me to fully support this team primarily due to the way the front office (de)values fans (specifically season ticket holders).

I also agree with Kenn that you should send your feedback to the front office. I too, as Kenn did, took some of my concerns directly to Mr.Guppy in the past. He personally addressed them. His interaction did help me to feel better....for a while.

Of course now my concerns have multiplied over the past two years and I'm feeling just as frustrated as chitown feels.

 

Chitown,
I agree 100% with what you say and I have been saying it for quite a while, much to the chagrin of some people.

I am curious to know the comparison of season tickets sold last year to this year. My guess would be that it is down. I think one more season like last year, sub-par performance by the team coupled with gouging by the front office may push loyal fans to becoming casual fans.

Rather than a single letter there has to be some unity among season ticket holders and those who feel the same should voice their opinions together.

 

Also I wish the fire would have a five game plan. I know I bought a 10 game pack but will maybe go to about 6 or 7 games as I live in Madison, WI.

 

I'm afraid the five game plan will be a "Superstar David Beckham Superfun Pack"-in order to buy a ticket to an L.A. Beckhamshow game they will force you to buy multiple game tickets.

I HATE THAT.

 

It's just like Personal Seat Licenses. If people wouldn't buy them, they wouldn't be able to sell them.

Most teams leverage a really good thing to prop up sales of a thing that's not quite as good. It's unfortunate.

But the thing the consumer doesn't realize is that, collectively at least, they do have the power to keep things like this from happening: by just not buying it.

If the people of Charlotte had told Jerry Richardson where to stick his PSLs back in the early 1990s, Bears fans might not have to be paying them today. If the idea of paying for the right to buy a ticket and then paying for the ticket on top of that had been met with a resounding thud, the whole idea wouldn't have taken off.

[Belushi]But noooooooooooooooooooooooo.[/Belushi] They just couldn't bear to not go see NFL football, so they did whatever it took. And now they're hosed.

 

I don't think we will be seeing Beckham in Chicago this year. I am taking a guess here, but my friend noticed that the Beckham Pop up on the Fire website is no longer there.

I guess we will see later today.

Actually I was hoping to see Beckham.

 

If Beckham doesn't come then I was stone cold lied to by my Fire ticket rep.

I think we will see him in Chicago, but nothing suprises me at this point.

 

There will be a Beckham appearance.