Fire Ticket Prices

Chivas is a new team with a poorer fan base.
columbus and dallas can't draw so they have to charge less.
While I do think the fire overestimated what just a new stadium would draw and their prices are a little too high,not to want to go to a new stadium at least once even if it means paying a little more than you want to seems to me that you are not much of a fire fan.

 

A comparison with other Chicago options is important as well. In other attendance threads, people talked about the effect of having sox games or Lalapalooza, or jazz fest etc. taking place at the same time as a Fire game. In a thread on MLS News & Analysis, I wrote the following:

The cheapest single game Fire ticket is $20 in the Firehouse which gets you a general admission seat on a bench -- as you said, a pretty good general admission seat.

If you want premier midfield seats the Fire go up to $45 a seat.

By comparison:

Cubs 14-54
White Sox 14-46
B-hawks 10-80
Bulls 10-115
Wolves 9-32
Cougars 8-12
Fire 20-45

I think the Fire should have some tickets available for $10. if they dropped parking to $10, then that proverbial "Family of Four" could gat least get in the door for $50. In addition, that college kid who could add to Section 8 (which adds to the atmosphere which makes those $45 seats more attractive) could have an easier time getting in.


I couldn't find single game Bears info, but they kind of prove a point. I don't begrudge any team, including the Fire, charging as much as they can get. It's supply and demand and they are running businesses.

I do think that the Fire have not hit that bell curve optimum price that maximizes revenue.

We are all big supporters, so we already reside closer to that far end of any curve where the team will get our money. But, looking at it objectively as a parent, you tend to look for "something" to do on a Saturday or Sunday. If I can pick up four baseball tickets for $56 or four Fire tickets for $80 (plus $15.00 to park where I would take PT to either baseball team), it makes you think.

Also, I think THE most relevant comparison for the Fire might be the Wolves. Not only is their range lower than the Fire, they have very affordable GOOD tickets. For me, if the Hawks and the Wolves are in town at the same time and I can take my kids to either, its a no brainer.

Better atmosphere, affordable, good hockey -- we go to the Wolves.

 

Tom, I went to a Galaxy game earlier in the year and I think I only paid $15.00 for my GA ticket. When I looked for tickets for the Dallas game, I didn't see that section available. A bit strange, but hardly surpising with all the uses of HDC. I also looked at tickets for the Chivas game the next day and couldn't ge a $14.00 goalline seat either.

Anyay, your point is dead on though. I was shocked to see the prices at TP for the same seat being higher than HDC, but seeing I was on vacation and it was my only chance to see TP this season, I sucked it up.

Just my opinion, FWIW

 

I think Tom's message is something the league should be concerned about, here is a soccer fan who spends countless hours promoting and organizing support for his team in england of which he can only see in person once or twice a year and he hasn't yet gone a few miles down harlem to see the local club team.

If the fire/mls put out a good product at a good price he would go but in his opinion they haven't and he hasn't gone.

 

It's been discussed quite a bit here that the fire overestimated what they would draw just because they have a new stadium. We all seem to agree the fire should have $10 tickets and $10 parking. I don't know if the fire will lower prices next year or not. I still say if you are a big soccer fan that you would have gone to at least one game to see a SSS no matter the price.
I'm not a sox fan but when they opened their new stadium I bought expensive tickets just to see the stadium.
More advice you can't stuff the money in your coffin and take it with you.

 

I have the right to say you are not real soccer fan if that is my opinion. You and others may disagree but that also is your right.

 

They have gotten feedback from enough fans but will they basically want to admit they made a mistake. Corporations hate to admit they were wrong.Parking prices are controlled by the village of bridgeview so I would be surprised to see that lowered.

 

Let's not get into ripping each other about who is a fan and who isn't. I've had quite enough of that on these boards so quit telling people they aren't real fans and quit being so damn sensitive about it. Stay on topic.

 

I think you answered yourself.

You are either not that AVID or it is something else.

Parking can be circumvented to a certain extent.

Tickets can be had for less outside stadium, I have gotten 2 free ticket from people and had to pay $10 for one.

 

Chicago Tom,
I think you are 100% correct. The Fire are over pricing their product. What is even worse is that they are even gouging their season ticket holders. Take for example the two USOC games which the Fire were selling tickets for $15 and had season ticket holders use their bonus games which for me was $31. Thus, I paid slightly over double the cost they were charging. But I have learned my lesson. Next year, I won't get suckered into the season tickets. Since every seat is a good view it doesn't matter where I sit. And add to the fact that there was not one game this year in which you couldn't get a ticket (except maybe the Public Safety match) people would have to be insane to get season tickets.

I plan to still go to games but probably much less since I won't feel obligated as a season ticket holder. I hope the Fire front office learns that they should try to foster support and not and try to rip off their more loyal fans.

 

I've always found it interesting that many fans will sit here and say that they want the product on the field to improve and for MLS teams to spend more money on talent, etc. They want us to be top-tier. And understandably so, they are soccer fans and they want the sport to take hold in this country.

But then they want that same MLS franchise to charge minor league prices.

You just compared the Chicago Fire, a top-level (in this country anyway) soccer team to the f*ing Chicago Wolves. Come on man.

$15 to park WOULD seem like a lot if you were going to a minor league game, but you aren't. I charge $25 per game for people to park in my spot two blocks from Wrigley Field and they pay it. Sure, it's Wrigley. But the Cubs suck and are playing more minor league right now than the Fire ever have. If you have a problem with it, there are alternatives. Take public trans (I've heard it's not THAT bad from some of my friends)....take the Globe Pub's bus. Carpool.

As for the ticket prices, yeah, I think they are a little on the high side, but there aren't many (if any) teams that are operating in the black right now. I also don't think that lowering the prices across the board by $3-4 dollars is going to make the average attendance shoot up to 16-18k all of a sudden. It won't make the average fan say, "The cheapest ticket is $16! Wow! I will go to a game for that much, but I'm so glad it isn't $20 because it just wouldn't be worth it."

I'm sorry if I'm sounding on my high horse here, but the bottom line is that I am paying for club seats, $2,400 for JUST tickets and parking for the season. You won't even drop $55-80 to go to ONE game and support YOUR team in their first year in a BRAND NEW stadium? In a year when we just won a CHAMPIONSHIP and could possibly win another?

I'm saying that I'm a real fan and you're not....I wouldn't do that. I just think you're missing out because of something that is pretty frugle.

 

Season ticket invoices for 2007 are out and, at least for my seats, the price is the same. So it would appears seats will not be less expensive.

Now I just need to assess the value of those seats this season and decide whether or not to re-up.

 

It seems as several of these things were directed at points I made, so I will take a shot.

I'm not arguing that the Fire should do something that will result in less money. I thought I was pretty clear that they should charge as much as they can, but that there is a bell curve that you want to hit on the nose so that you MAXIMIZE revenue.

Are the Bulls and Blackhawks minor league? (ok, don't answer in regard to the Blackhawks ).

They both offer up a nose bleed $10 seat. Of course your $20 seat will be better at TP, but it is general admission bench seating as well.

The point is that the Fire did not hit upon a very good range of prices.

I wonder how many parents look at the Bulls and Blackhawks and say, "$10? that sounds like a good day out." Then they end up looking at seating options and upgrading.

As to you comment about the Wolves, sorry, but that is about the level of the Fire in almost every way. I'll bet players are paid a similar amount. They occupy about the same amount of press space in the paper and on the newscasts. They both have to be creative to sell tickets, but most certainly can be successful.

The difference is that the Wolves will never be in the top league where the Fire have much more room for growth along with the league.

Your example of $16 seats makes the point. First, marketers will tell you that there is a big psychological difference between a number in the teens and $20 (hence the $19.99 price on many things).

Second, for that family of four, (and if you knock the parking down $5.00) the difference is $74 compared to the current $95. You may not do this exercise, but parents do. They are naturally predisposed to the teams they grew up with, so when they are looking at $55 for the Sox or $80 for the Fire, they are already leaning towards the ball game.

 

If I had been running the Fire before the season started I would of had tickets start at $9 and $10 for parking. Also for full season tickets I would have had much bigger discounts than what the fire is offering especially on the higher priced tickets.When and if the team started to sell out games then the following year they could have raised prices.

 

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. Even if they made the stage side seats $9.00 just to have the category and the opportunity. Then bring the Firehouse tickets down to 16-18 or something like that. I also agree regarding season ticket holders.

The biggest potential problem, which has already been expressed on here, is that people will not see the value in their season ticket when they can simply walk up and get the fame basic seat.

 

I think the ticket pricing is too high at both ends of the barbell.

The club seats are too pricey. I really think they have a problem on their hands holding club seat season tickets in year 3. Just not enough incremental value for the price.

Plus the $20 cheapest seat and $15 parking is an issue. I really think the $9 stage end ticket is a great idea (assuming that doesn't get in the way of their party deck plans which didn't seem real active this year).

I thought the season ticket exchange program was a great benefit. It helped mitigate the fact that there is no good reason to buy season tickets to the Fire other than to support the organization. You definately spend less money and have comparable seats and have more flexibility just turning up every game and figuring it out in the parking lot. There are always folks dumping tickets well below face in the parking lot.

 

As a club season ticket holder I have to agree although being able to greet the team in the stadium club after their open cup championship win was almost worth the money I paid for season tickets.
Someone complained about having to use full priced season bonus game ticket for an open cup game that was discounted. You can never make a season ticket holder feel he is getting shafted. You must always make him feel he is special and that he is saving money.You need huge disconts for season tickets to make person feel he is saving money.

 

You were pretty clear, and I understood your point. You are right. My point is that I would suggest to you that price point is not the overriding influence for the majority of the fans that AREN'T coming to the game. I have been in marketing long enough to know you mean with maximizing revenue. I'm sure there are always things that can be done to better maximize that revenue, but all told, I'm sure they are very close. The majority of the reasons that I've heard when I ask people why they won't come to the games stem from the following group: 1) it's soccer 2) it's not very good soccer (mostly from the Mexicans and Eurosnobs) 3) it's not easy to get to 4) schedule conflicts

There are SO MANY ways around the $20 min priced ticket between group pricing and all of the different ticket offers they have throughout the year that it shouldn't be an issue.

Let's leave the Blackhawks out of it because they have alienated their fan base almost to the point of no return. It's absurd what they have done to kill a once great hockey town.

Either way, it's very difficult to make that comparrison. Have you sat in those $10 seats for a Bulls' game? They're $10 for a reason, they are the worst possible seats in ALL OF SPORTS. I'm not even exaggerating here. They are awful. Also, I happen to know for a fact that the $10 ticket price is a league mandate by the NBA. Every arena is required to have them.

Going further, they're average ticket price has GOT to be over $70. Aside from suites, no TP seat is over that.

Not as many as you think. The $10 is not an option for most games because they get sold out very quickly to large groups and charity organizations. It is near impossible to walk up on game day and purchase a $10 seat to a Bulls game. Try it.

The reserve team is probably right in line with your train of thought on the pay scale....the average salary for players on the first team however, probably not. There can't be any wolves players making was Armas, Sanneh and Thornton are. Also, with the new stadium and increased revenues, the salaries in MLS are going up every year. I would suggest at a much more rapid rate than the growth of the IHL or whatever league the Wolves are in now.

I am a marketer myself and I can also tell you something about perceived value. This MAY be the approach that the Fire is trying to take (though don't quote me on it.) A $10 seat just implies that it is crap, and everyone knows it. What the Fire may have been thinking was this: there isn't a bad seat in the house (someone said that earlier, and it's true) so we shouldn't charge rock bottom prices for a great seat. This also leaves them room to discount those ticket prices for large groups and, again, perceive a HUGE discount. Example, the military received $8 tickets for Armed Forces Appreciation Day on 9/17. So even though they're used to getting in for free everywhere, they understood that they were getting OVER HALF off the price of admission and were grateful for it.

Someone mentioned the party deck/stage. I have seen them use it a few times this year for private parties with food and drinks and whatnot. I believe they tie those tickets in with that price, which is why they left them as a higher price than the Firehouse. I can't see them changing that with the location and private feel of that location.

Finally, I agree with the couple comments someone made about the club seats. A little overpriced, but for all the benefits we've received (the free gift-nice pullover that is $70 at Chicago soccer, players in the club after the game, the postgame party after the open cup final, somewhere to hang out when its pouring rain at every freakin game, advance sales on concerts - haven't been enough of these, but understandable with the amount of saturday games we had in a row).....definitely worth every penny this year.

 

1. It's not a matter of how you can get around the list price. It's the perception of the low end price. A $14 dollar seat is still a good one at Wrigley and decent enough at Comiskey.

2. Agreed. From a former Blackhawk season ticket holder, I am depressed to see how far they have sunk.

3. Oh, I know it is a bad seat, I've been there. The funny thing is that when you look up, there is a whole level of "Luxury Boxes overhead.

4. I realize that as well. My point was (and I have been there myself) is that typical dad may go to their web site thinking "they have $10 tickets. That would be a fun thing with the kids on Saturday." Then he looks at the seating chart and decided to splurge a little. Sure it might not be much, but I bet there are some.

5. I honestly don't know, although I just read an article about a Wolves player just two weeks ago that said he was able to double his $100,000 wolves salary by playing in Russia.

 

The thing about having a 9 or 10 dollar ticket is so that people like chicagotom won't have an excuse not to come. When you move into a new area and new stadium you want to build an audience and not exclude anyone.Once you are so popular like the bears and cubs you can charge more.

 

I have season tix (2) on tha party deck, I will not be renewing next year. I love tha FIRE, and always will, but that $840 I spent can be used towards something else.

I have a handfull of tickets left, and there is 1 home game left in the season. I called the season ticket office today but they were closed (they close at 4PM???). Hopefully when they call back tomorrow, I can exchange the rest of my tickets in for this Saturday nights game. I have at least 5 other people that want to go...

This will be a great determining point in how many playoff games I go to.

PEACE
dj arsonist