There's no way they get rid of the souvenir cups which generally make free PR when people take them home. Kids love to collect them...and the parents like using them for parties vs a breakable glass. As far as water goes, I've always been able to get a free cup just by asking. I can't imagine they'd take the free self-serve refills out.
After thinking about it some, here's some thoughts on each one. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if each tier had "All of the following plus" instead of how they did it. I think I got the list right. BLACK TIER Water bottle - remains to be seen. $5 menu - If you eat during the game, which I almost never do... although this could change with $5 options. Food and beverage discount - Again, if someone eats during the game. Youth Programs - It's nice for the soccer moms/dads. Apple TV - Nothing new. Team shop discount - Again, it's nice if someone takes advantage of it. Discounted single game tickets - Move along. Nothing to see here. Promotional items for other games - They struck gold here. It's a shame it took them 20+ years to do so. Member-only events, Payment plans, Renewal gift, Member scarf, dedicated rep...yawn. The monthly payment plan definitely helps a lot of people, however. Presale priority at other venues - Too bad we can't get NWA presale, given the Nationwide connection to both teams. GOLD TIER Preseason kickoff event - Will the players be there? Will it be "old school" where they mingle around? "Big if true." If it's just an opportunity to mingle with the FO and other fans, then it's a yawn. Family Day invite - This sounds like Crew Fest, which has only been around maybe once or twice this decade. Gear sale - What they could do is have early access for Legacy members. It's always fun to go and see who's there and what's for sale even if nothing is bought. A bonus? If it's at the end of the season, it obviously won't be in the middle of December. Huzzah! Chalk talks with coaching staff - This could be interesting, but probably won't be. OTOH, it's a chance to potentially play the "Questions The Media Won't Ask" game. Crew 2 tickets - For me? Huge. All of a sudden, the cost of my Nordecke tickets essentially went down by the cost of Crew 2 tickets. Are they transferable? Could someone essentially sell a Crew 2 ticket for $5? It's an easy $5/ticket for someone and the buyer saves money. (Say someone has visitors from out of town or family wants to attend a Crew 2 game.) It'd be nice to change the member scarf up, but I suppose that's why we get the renewal gift too. LEGACY TIER: Lunch series - This could be interesting. Post-match autograph sessions - Autograph Alley with the whole team every game? Or will it be "select players after select games" or whatever twist is imposed? Either way, it'll help outbound traffic by not putting so many people into the exit lanes at once ... especially for games that conflict with an event at the arena. Guaranteed Gate Giveaways - If the game is scheduled to kick off at 2pm, but bad weather pushes it to 4:15pm, we won't have to go in at 1:15 to get something OR hope someone drops one on the ground. This is massive. Priority access to parking - It seemed to be a bit of a mess this year since so much was already taken, but it's always a nice benefit. It seems like most of the time, there's no need to do this, unless someone wants the same nearby lot every game. It seems there's always a spot if someone doesn't mind the walk. This has potential to change in the winter, however. The Kilbourne Garage doesn't have the same appeal in February as it does in June. If anyone wants a conspiracy: The doubleheader with Crew 2 was a "dry run". They obviously now have more than a good idea of how many people would attend a Crew 2 game if they're already there for it. "Give them the damn tickets and even fewer people would drive out to the stadium for something they've already paid for."
I knew I was in the best company - on and off since 2004. Much love. Hey - did I miss opting out of something? Re: Burnley tickets.
Email your rep. It may not be too late. @Ch(Elsey) -- Here's an idea I just got: If you email your rep with info that you're from out-of-town with a situation that doesn't allow you to come to every game, maybe you can be automatically opted-out for every opt-out game.
I talked to my rep today: 1) The membership tiers are, of course, retroactive going back to the first consecutive year someone had season tickets. Now the bad news: If there was a gap due to STC or some other reason, unfortunately that person may not be in a higher tier than they think they might be or want to be. 2) Crew 2 tickets will probably be transferable, but there'll probably be a link or something to download them at. Crew 2 tickets for Crew STMs have been talked about since at least March or so and the game in May was sort of a dry run. 3) The water bottle is a bit of a TBD situation. They probably won't complain too much if someone uses it for a soft drink, but they will need to be empty upon entry into the stadium. They're smart enough to realize people might want to sneak something in. A wise bet may be on clear water bottles. Part of the reason for water bottles vs something in the account for a free soft drink cup *might* be because people will have to remember to bring the bottles. There may be separate water stations such as water fountains, those giant containers with the hoses at the bottom or similar. 4) They're still a little unsure how they'll do the discount food. It's probably going to be either scanning the member benefit card in the account or maybe a different card.
They used to have us show our STM card and then they would hit a button on the old POS at HCS to get 10% off. Then they rounded it to the nearest .50 (they only had 50 cent coins then when they still handled cash)
They are sending out the renewal emails today. Nordecke is $41.72 per game. About the same as last year. Renewal gifts look nice too. About a $100 value.
Not one renewal gift has "Columbus" visible. Except for the inside of the sunglasses. Whatever they don't move through renewals here ... they can hold onto and push as sign-on gifts for a package of games at the Brook Park dome in 2029-30. Or start with some games at the Factory of Sadness in 2028-29 if attendance at SMGF is maxed at 14K or so (announced). I admire the chutzpah as a business professional ... even though it repulses me as a fan of the Columbus ... I mean "The Crew". They are ratcheting up the gaslighting of regionalness with this stuff. Renewals = implicit understanding of regional team concept through receiving regional merchandise.
What a weird accent on the sprint season video. Sounded like a cross between Brit and Aussie--with a little maple leaf "eh" thrown in.
Honestly, the jacket or the vest look like the best option. The shoes may depend on the person's feet. Every time I've done Adidas shoes, they've always felt too tight on my toes. The bag, sure, but how many bags does someone need? Regarding the sunglasses, a quick search reveals a price of $15-30. With that said, does anyone know if the jacket is a winter coat or more of a heavy windbreaker? It looks more like a heavy windbreaker and not so much like a stadium coat a player might wear on the bench in March or October.
There are no details provided for the gifts. The pictures look great though. I agree on the bag, how many do we need? Shoes have legit value if nothing else, they’re hard to find otherwise. I’m still waiting on this years gift. Has anyone received theirs yet?
The Obvious: When's your renewal window begin? Did you check your spam? Did you check in with your rep?
I'm at the "Meet the Team" event at COSI. Wessam misses playing. In the style of "Do Crew Players Know Their Nerdery," Hugo Picard does not know Star Trek. We're 0-2 here, folks.
I'd walk up to every player, act surprised to see them, say "I read that you got transferred," and then walk away. Good way of figuring out who's still to be dealt.
Ohh what an interesting idea. *Evil laugh* It was the first year in ages that I managed to get everyone's autograph, plus the tshirt(*) and still have time remaining. (*)They had a station where you could get a yellow or black shirt. They had lots of sizes, but designs went quickly. By about 90 minutes in, they only had the display shirt, a medium, available of the "speed pattern" which the employees referenced as the "Ohio logo". Any of those designs were available at first. The Bread Financial logo was included with the "C 96" shirt. Honestly, it'd look better without the sponsorship. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it helped that I was there before 5:30. My first line was the one in the "Mythic Creatures" exhibit and it didn't move until a few minutes after six, so I was prepared to be upset. I even asked a Crew employee if they were gonna close the lines early (they were), but each line took maybe 15 minutes at most. The line on the second floor didn't stretch halfway down the hall this year either! 2022's was at HCS when we had those booklets. There was a season kickoff event at COSI before Crewsmas 2020, but I can't remember if players were there or not (I think they were). I can't remember many of the ones in the late 2010s other than the casino nights and the "New Crew" reveal.
Here's the poster for people who are curious: Pick it up today next to Swenson's until 15 minutes after the end of the game or at Hell is Real starting when the gates open. If that isn't convenient, there's a table on the plaza which opens today at halftime or at the start of halftime on Saturday. Both locations close 15 minutes after the end of the games or when supplies run out. Look for a ticket in your account.