From a business standpoint, if the company has new people willing to pay more than current people...well, from a purely business standpoint, it'd be all kinds of smart to accept the money from people willing to pay more, would it not? With that said, it definitely sucks from a fan viewpoint to have to give something up.
This will only be true if the new replacement fans stay loyal and don't just drop their tickets the first time the team isn't good. Those of us who kept buying tickets through back-to-back last place finishes are more valuable in the long run, even from a purely dollars-and-cents viewpoint.
Truth. The loyal fans are definitely going to be there through anything and everything. The businesses who may be using tickets for various employee contests? Who knows how long they can afford to expense four season seats at $25000 or whatever per season. The fans with that kind of money? Hey, it's their money.
What about if they drop their tickets due to changes in their life and not the team's performance? Are they still disloyal?
IMO, no one is disloyal for dropping ST. No one is disloyal if they never step foot inside LDC ... for whatever reason. It is up to the Crew to persuade people.... on a constant basis... to keep buying tickets. The Crew are an entertainment option in Central Ohio. And they are expensive (IMO) and have a lot of variables to their product (parking challenges, weather, quality/results on field, etc.) They have plenty of competition for folks' entertainment spending, yet it is cash grab after cash grab from Haslam/Edwards/Glessing/etc. Either their greed and/or the schedule change will create STH erosion. Then the gaslighting will start again on how "Columbus won't support the Crew."
Personally, I do not think it will just be the Crew with a decrease in STM / attendance if MLS goes to a fall-winter-spring schedule.
In the last 12 months: 1) Biggest Crew home game moved to Cleveland in blatant cash grab, no opt-out for STH 2) Long-time STH displaced for premium seating at LDC 3) Continuing ST language that any home game can be moved without recourse for ST I don't know of any other ST fanbase ... in MLS or any other major sports league ... that have to endure these conditions.
RESCHEDULED, UNAVAILABLE, SUSPENDED AND FUTURE MATCHES. The date, time and location of the Event (and the opening of the gates) are subject to change by Management in its sole discretion, and no such change shall entitle me to a refund or other remedy if I cannot attend or for any other reason. https://www.columbuscrew.com/tickets/terms-conditions
The wording has changed from last season, when it directly mentioned Cleveland as an option outside of Columbus. Still grossly tone deaf to not reference the possibility of an opt-out or refund, if certain conditions have to be met. Especially given the outcry over no STH opt-out for the Cleveland game in April. But not surprising to me with the track record of Haslam-Edwards ownership at LDC so far with its ticket buyers. Not surprising in the least.
1) Biggest Crew home game moved to Cleveland in blatant cash grab, no opt-out for STH 2) Long-time STH displaced for premium seating at LDC 3) Continuing ST language that any home game can be moved without recourse for ST Here are 2 more beauties to this list: - Got pricing wrong in first season at LDC and had to roll it back in several sections - Dr. Pete and medical staff allegedly giving out SPONSOR23 to patients That is a crazy list of screwing with your most valuable customers. And LDC is barely 4 years old. If FC Cincinnati or Austin ownership had this track record ... this place would call their fans suckers and knuckleheads for spending any money in the stadiums.
KHT and such. (It is my understanding that some corners of BigSoccer share pictures such as were the original style of the KHT. The photos changed because the original site owner complained about advertisers complaining or some such. The original site owner sold the site 10 or so years ago. The people he sold it to haven't been seen recently. Use this info as you will.)
Season ticket waitlist for 2026 is gone. Seats can be bought now in all sections, including Nordecke: https://am.ticketmaster.com/crew/bu...2MDQ0NzIkbzkkZzEkdDE3NTc2MDQ1NjAkajM5JGwwJGgw @LaMacchia Any thoughts? (Not trolling. Genuinely curious. That list of shit the Crew has pulled on its LDC ticket buyers is pretty damning).
This is the one thing I'll cut the team some slack on. New ownership group. New stadium. Mistakes are gonna happen in regards to pricing.
I wouldnt say that they rolled back the pricing but equalized it. On the touchline, there were big differences in prices from section to section. The sections on the end would be packed with those between the corners and club sections empty. Now you could pay a different price depending on which row you are in
I know my opinion on this is not in line with the thread, but here it goes. Games at HCS were a hard sell to anyone that wasn't a soccer die-hard. It wasn't easy to get in and out, weather was a huge factor and there were no real options to get a quick bite and walk over. LDC is better in all aspects and the attendance has shown that. I have brought many first timers with me this year and all have enjoyed the event while really not understanding the sport much at all. Which is exactly how I am when I go to Jackets games. I will never be a Jackets STM. I just don't see the value in the entertainment. I get some of you are that way about the Crew, which is certainly your prerogative. If you don't enjoy the experience you will find something else to spend your money on. Fair enough. Crew has been on a pretty good run the last few years, winning multiple trophies and being competitive in all their competitions. We lose a few players, Cucho being by far the biggest, and the results start to waiver. If you only come to see Cucho, or only come because the team is winning, you will never be happy and will always waiver on remaining a STM. I told my daughter, as we were getting our picture taken in front of the MLS trophy we had just won, to soak it in and enjoy it. It isn't going to happen every season but it's more enjoyable to get to the top when you were still supporting when they were shit.
What I originally wrote will be in italics: It is my understanding that some corners of BigSoccer share pictures such as were the original style of the KHT. --I believe this to be true. It was on the "recent threads" list before that broke. The list has since been fixed. Part of the original issue might have been stuff showing up in internet searches, but subforums like the NSR one don't show up, right? The photos changed because the original site owner complained about advertisers complaining or some such. --If anyone can back me up here, it's @Bill Archer. The original site owner sold the site 10 or so years ago. The people he sold it to haven't been seen recently. --Thread here. Andy hasn't posted in a few years, unless he's doing so in the moderator forum, although it's my understanding that forum is quite dead. Here's a post from over a year ago. Note the part about "in the coming months" which has yet to happen. Janet H last logged in a few days ago, but doesn't have any recent posts that I can see. With that said, Dark Knight and Soccernutter are the public faces and are active. I don't know how much contact they have with the owners.
I understand that I’m in the minority here, and perhaps a very small one to boot, but I preferred the matchday experience in the old stadium over the new one. I find LDC claustrophobic, dark, and sensorily overwhelming. The fireworks. The jackhammer. The strobe lights. The ear-splitting amplified sound. It’s miserable. In the rain, sure, it’s miles better than the old place. But I’ve never cared about anything other than the game. I go to the stadium to watch the game. Period. And I enjoyed the experience of doing so more at HCS. I’m also immeasurably more emotionally connected to the old stadium. Crew memories, yes. But also those amazing national team games. Like I said, there might be very few of us this hill, but I’m cool with that.
It's a fair opinion to have. Here's a rebuttal: Claustrophobic and dark might be where someone sits. If they're on the west side or higher up, I can definitely see that. If they're down low, especially on the east side, it might be a different story since they'd be under not as much roof. Do we really need the fireworks every game? Probably not. Would they definitely be appropriate for 5-6 big games per year? Absolutely. As far as the memories, we're definitely starting to build some up with the Leagues Cup and MLS Cup wins, a few US appearances (men's and women's) and whatever else someone wants to consider. It's just a shame we don't have as many early/late season games before 7pm. It'd be fun to have a bit of a postgame scene that doesn't involve being out close to midnight. Regarding HCS: If the only the FO didn't screw Crew 2 up as much as they did. That could have been a nice little scene for families, youth soccer teams, whatever other youth/teen groups and anyone who wanted to relive the HCS days. It probably could still be. I'm not saying 18k or whatever, but 300-450 or so? I'd probably sink the profits, but I'd do this: 1) Every Crew premium season ticket holder gets one Crew 2 season ticket per seat. They pay a fortune. Give them more. --Some Schottenstein Center seat license holders who pay for the seat license and their men's basketball season tickets get complimentary tickets to regular-season women's basketball and men's ice hockey games played at the Schottenstein Center. How many people partake? Not enough to open the third level of the Schottenstein Center. In fact, men's ice hockey games have tables on the floor behind the one goal where large sections of seats are removed. How many premium buyers would show up to Crew 2 games? It's still a benefit for the cost of zero. 2) Every other Crew full season holder gets two Crew 2 tickets per season seat. They can use these tickets for whatever Crew 2 game they want. (This was kind of a thing the first two years and with that $200 waitlist thing they had.) 3) The Nordecke board should work with the Crew FO to pack the house for Heck is Plausible. The Nordecke should do what they did for the USOC games this year where they get X number of tickets for members.
At first glance it's obviously not good. There are numerous causes for the waiting list disappearing, and we can go round and round about them ad nauseam. Price increases, team performance, sale of Cucho, lack of a "face of the franchise", general economic concerns, etc. But how many of us really thought the waiting list was sustainable long-term? It was nice while it lasted, but the smart money never would have bet on it lasting more than a few years. Not for nothing: the premium spaces are still on a waiting list, and demand for them is increasing - as evidenced by the addition of more premium options. I'm not concerned, yet. The business is still financially healthy, as far as we here can tell. Let's see how attendance next season looks before we reach for ropes & ladders.
I get it and the memories of tailgating in the grass with my kids and friends are wonderful to think about, going to Open Cup games with maybe a hundred people in attendance, all the autograph alleys, marching down the ramps with La Turbina when they let my daughter play the drums, all of it were great memories. But I am in awe every time I walk into LDC. I can’t believe that was built in the place I grew up. I wouldn’t trade the memories from HCS but I’m glad my grandkids will be watching from the north end of LDC.