I've seen people mention things in the Season News thread and the CCL thread about season tickets, etc. I thought it would be interesting to start a thread totally based on fan experience and everything that goes with it (STH gifts, supporters sections, food, etc.) I also wanted to give some of my thoughts. As someone who is still new to RSL and Utah I think we have an okay fan experience. I like going to games and I usually don't regret my season ticket purchase. Even when I'm around a really annoying fan, I have to remind myself that it's nothing like the drunken fools that I would deal with at Cincinnati Bengals and Reds games, so there's that. However, I think that there are some things that could be improved. Better beer selection. I would love to have EPIC or some other local brewery have real beer at games. I know this will take an act of the Quorum of the 12, but there isn't enough good beer at games. Supporters in one area. Why are the supporters groups spread out? Honestly, I'm curious Better communication from the team. Maybe it's because I don't check my personal email that much, but I feel like I only hear about watch parties, team store deals, etc. at the last minute. I'd love see your thoughts.
I agree with you on this, it could be better - perhaps via visuals or announcements at the games, electronic schedules you don't have to sign every privacy right away for (MLS). As a fallback Twitter is a pretty good way to keep up with things RSL. Follow the team, Dunseth, Riley and other radio hacks, James, the players, the Baghdad Bob's of the team PR organization, MLS Analyst, the soapbo guys, the keeping it real guy, 15to32's drunken rambling rage account etc.
I follow a lot of the RSL "Family" on Twitter but from the official RSL account, they could do better. As a professional PR guy, it's kind of annoying. Then again, I am neck deep in social media and might miss something due to work constraints.
A joke about the LDS church...again....yeah, about as funny as the last 1 or 2....thousand. Supporter groups is a long-running issue. No one group can get along with any other group. It's one of those "we do it better so you have to assimilate with us" type of situations IMO. Does LBR still get the support (financial and otherwise) from the FO?
The supporters groups issues have extended all the way back to day 1, starting with the The Loyalists. I doubt very much it will ever be fixed which is too bad, a more organized and unified supporters group and section would make rsl and the gameday experience that much better.
how does this get fixed, though? The fo (smartly) is keeping themselves out of this as much as possible. LBR was a big mistake and they admit it (or they did).
It would be kind of cool if each group could take a turn leading a chant or something. The only time that seems to happen is when LBR leads the clap clap Real chant with their drums. The rest of the time it's constant drumming. I've even noticed people in Sec. 35 trying to start the chant that LBR does when they march in the stadium but it never seems to work.
yep which is one thing I'd love RSL to implement: Either no drums at all, or limitation to one or two per SG
Don't get me wrong. I like LBR. I like what they bring to the games but I'd also like for it to be more inclusive.
As a STH all I ask is that my tickets not be ridiculously over priced compared to walk ups and that I get treated with some respect so far, that has been the case. At least for me. I don't buy what UP is saying in that you can get tickets on the secondary market for the equivalent of what you pay per ticket being a STH. But maybe I'm wrong. Having tried the route of just buying individual tickets for pretty much an entire season I can tell you it is exhausting. And that was back in the days when a crowd of 17K at the RioT was considered a good turnout. With all of our sellouts, I just don't see how thats possible
what is funny is that we have like 3 different shades of hipster fan groups. From the more hardcore to the more relaxed and the half shaved in between
We all like soccer here. Honestly, isn't that a little hipster (he types while drinking French press coffee and listening to The Decemberists on Spotify)
The reasons we have considered dropping our season tickets (3 seats): ---no more ticket exchange dates ---Sunday games. We don't go to the Sunday games. By looking at the games on TV it looks like across the league the Sunday attendance isn't what it is on Saturdays. ---discount on merchandise isn't really big enough to be persuasive to make me want to spend more money. ---the STH gift isn't a major selling point, but this season it is more of a slap in the face. ---Meet the team night sucks. Unorganized, long lines, not enforcing the "rules" which leads to longer waits, etc. We stopped going 2 years ago. ---Can get tickets for the games through other means for same or slightly different price. The FO used to do a good job of making the STH feel a little more special. It is getting to the point that the only benefit to being a STH is that you have tickets for all of the games in the same seat. Maybe this feeling also has something to do with the product on the pitch this season.
Elk you have some valid grievances. But we don't have to go too far back in time ('09, '10) to find an era when tickets were being dumped weekly at like half the face value. This was maddening because they were selling for less than we paid for Season Tickets. I remember telling myself "you're helping build the team." We were even complicit in the racket, as the best way to bring friends was to wait for the dump offers...it also helped promote the team and the game experience - at a time when RSL was good and when RSL needed the promotion to grow the business. I'm not saying things are ideal now, but I do think the value around being a ticket-holder has solidified...and not because of the false scarcity "Wait List" advertisement the FO came up with (WTF dudes). Whatever your concerns may be, a polite well-written letter/email to the front office/ticket-rep would do more good than any post here.
At the end of the day you have to ask yourself what you are looking for in season tickets if you want bells and whistles, RSL is not for you (unless you want to spend big big bucks). But if you want a pretty fair priced bunch of tickets then it is.
I'm here! I'm here! I actually liked the coasters. I would pay upwards of $5 for a set of 4 all day long and twice on Conference Sunday. My complaint was that coasters do not, and never would, scream "Thanks for being a STH!" This right here bugs me too. I haven't spent a dime at the team store since they went from a 25% discount for STH to whatever they are doing now. Yea, and this. -. Did that. Haven't heard a thing.
Last year, I did some PR for a big event at the Salt Palace. One thing I learned from the guy organizing the event was that (his words) "Utah people are notoriously cheap". He actually had to drastically reduce the price of admission to this event and hope that enough people would show up because he couldn't get people to pay what the tickets were actually worth. Oh, and more Sunday games!
I must be psychic because I knew before clicking on this thread that 90% of the posts would be complaining about the supporter groups I don't think I'll be renewing season tickets (of course, that's what I said this season too). As people have already said, the perks just aren't what they used to be. Of course those perks aren't why I get season tickets anyway. My biggest gripe is the fact that they are raising the prices next year. Sure you can say, "well it's only a dollar per game," but that's exactly why they are raising them a dollar per game, so that they can say that when people complain about the increase. I'm just disgusted that after such a sorry excuse of a season they would have the nerve to raise the prices. I won't be renewing more on principle than anything else. Of course if RSL miraculously makes the playoffs or if they fire Cassar I'll renew (given my brother renews as well). If they don't though, I'll just pick up tickets on KSL for the games I want to attend. If I do go that route can somebody share their secret of finding cheap secondary market tickets? On the few occasions where I've wanted to bring family or dates to games I have never been able to find tickets under face value (barring Sunday games).
I'm also reading that the last four rows of sections 1, 2 and 37 are being turned into luxury seats and all the STH are being relocated?
Not cheap as much as economically realistic. Mix in half the population paying 10% to the church, slightly below average national wages and bigger than average families and by necessity a lot in Utah have to pinch pennies. It is what it is-can't really blame them.