Walsall FC - are you aware there's a recession on?

[AndrewP]

Respect to Sheffield United though - Whilst down for the Rochdale game on Saturday popped into the club office and Got an Adult Ticket and 2 kids for £20! (£1 each for the kids for this game).

Looking forward to it.

 

[Saint James]

Taken from the Rochdale website.

Exeips - thanks for the info. This confirms that it would have cost £35 for one adult and three children as an away fan visiting SJP to sit in the OG. Whilst that is more than what I will pay at Bramall Lane on Saturday I suspect it's around the average for families my size in League One. Compared to £56 at Walsall it confirms my original premise that Walsall are ripping away fans off and notably U16's.

 

[Saint James]

Well give Walsall their due they have responded to my e-mail as below. However, I have responded to Daniel pointing out that my complaint was with regard to child pricing for away fans which despite the positive gloss he didn't answer adequately.

Tony,

Thank you for your email.

In terms of our pricing structure, we are not the most expensive club in League One - far from it - especially on adult prices.

For instance, Hartlepool Utd charge £25 adult and £13 concessions http://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/page/MatchdayPrices/0,,10326,00.html

Leyton Orient charge (at least) £21 adults and £14 concessions : http://www.leytonorient.com/page/HomeTickets/0,,10439~2408857,00.html

The Sheffield United fixture you have discussed in your correspondence is not their usual pricing structure, it is a special offer as part of their Family Football Festival:
http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/HomeMatches/0,,10418~1532592,00.html

Sheffield actually categorise their fixtures, so a more accurate reflection of their prices can be found here:
http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/HomeMatches/0,,10418~2383330,00.html

Like Sheffield, we hold a number of Fun Days/ Special Offers every season such as an adult and up to two juniors for just £10 (did so against Yeovil earlier this season) and, in the BBC's recent 'Price of Football' Survey, came out joint second: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14367610.stm

I do take your points on board regarding junior prices and it is something we will look into, along with the possibility of a Family Ticket Offer for away supporters.

For your information this season we introduced FREE season-tickets for all Under-18's, increasing our junior supporter levels by in excess of 300%, as we look to capture the next generation of Walsall supporters.

Kind Regards

Dan


Daniel Mole
Club Secretary

Walsall Football Club Ltd

 

[Jason H]

Oh, he's using that daft BBC survey as evidence. What a tool, that report had more flaws in it than a Gordon Brown budget estimate.

 

[FiddlersCat]

However, I have responded to Daniel pointing out that my complaint was with regard to child pricing for away fans which despite the positive gloss he didn't answer adequately.

And you really expected him to? Away fans are, more than ever, a route to a quick buck nowadays. Why put effort into attracting fans who, bar a cup run, won't be back again for another season? They charge what they want knowing that there will always be fans that will travel and pay whatever the price. It isn't right but I doubt it'll change anytime soon.

 

[Antony Moxey]

Well give Walsall their due they have responded to my e-mail as below. However, I have responded to Daniel pointing out that my complaint was with regard to child pricing for away fans which despite the positive gloss he didn't answer adequately.

Tony,

Thank you for your email.

In terms of our pricing structure, we are not the most expensive club in League One - far from it - especially on adult prices.

For instance, Hartlepool Utd charge £25 adult and £13 concessions http://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/page/MatchdayPrices/0,,10326,00.html

Leyton Orient charge (at least) £21 adults and £14 concessions : http://www.leytonorient.com/page/HomeTickets/0,,10439~2408857,00.html

The Sheffield United fixture you have discussed in your correspondence is not their usual pricing structure, it is a special offer as part of their Family Football Festival:
http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/HomeMatches/0,,10418~1532592,00.html

Sheffield actually categorise their fixtures, so a more accurate reflection of their prices can be found here:
http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/HomeMatches/0,,10418~2383330,00.html

Like Sheffield, we hold a number of Fun Days/ Special Offers every season such as an adult and up to two juniors for just £10 (did so against Yeovil earlier this season) and, in the BBC's recent 'Price of Football' Survey, came out joint second: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14367610.stm

I do take your points on board regarding junior prices and it is something we will look into, along with the possibility of a Family Ticket Offer for away supporters.

For your information this season we introduced FREE season-tickets for all Under-18's, increasing our junior supporter levels by in excess of 300%, as we look to capture the next generation of Walsall supporters.

Kind Regards

Dan


Daniel Mole
Club Secretary

Walsall Football Club Ltd

Seems like a decent enough reply to me: they do special offers for certain games, acknowledge your concerns and will look into it, are looking at other special offers in future for away supporters.

Seems to cover the bases, and as a 'for information' piece on the end, the free season tickets for kids bit looks to be an awful lot more than we're doing. I wonder how the numbers would stack up if we were to do the same - the number of child STs in the Flybe, for example, is, I believe, not much more than a handful.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

Its a shame that clubs do charge what seems a expensive enterance fee for Juveniles(especially in Tony's case when it's x3)..The days of lifting youngsters over the turnstyles( as i did when my son went to a few games with me when he was under 8,have long gone)

Personally i would like to see under 16's admitted for £2 if accompanied by a adult,in a away stand.Or some sort of discount applied for family group members.Not easy to administer & probably open to abuse,but it would be a start.....Getting all clubs to agree to that in a division would almost be a impossibility..

In the end people will vote with their feet & that is only leverage that fans have...

 

[Jason H]

Seems like a decent enough reply to me: they do special offers for certain games, acknowledge your concerns and will look into it, are looking at other special offers in future for away supporters.

Seems to cover the bases, and as a 'for information' piece on the end, the free season tickets for kids bit looks to be an awful lot more than we're doing. I wonder how the numbers would stack up if we were to do the same - the number of child STs in the Flybe, for example, is, I believe, not much more than a handful.

I'm not an advocate of free STs myself - you take a hit short-term without the promise of the supporters actually remaining on board once they have to pay full whack (plus it makes the hike to full price that much steeper).

I wouldn't fret too much about the lack of child ST holders in the Flybe in any case - after all the OG is the designated "family" area plus I'm sure a lot of kids would prefer to stand than sit at matches.

 

[FAN-TATIC]

I am 16, and I will be paying £1. Sod that

You only look 11 years old ECFC traveller, so go in as a kid for a quid! Simples.

 

[Poultice]

Seems like a decent enough reply to me:

I totally agree Mr Mox.

Firstly to get such a rapid and considered response from us would be a miracle as well it being a bit rich for us to be bitching about VFM for away supporters, at least they will keep us dry if it rains.

Walsall have no local derby albeit they are not the hardest club to get to from any part of the country, so away supporters probably aren't their biggest issue, anyone wishing to go there will have the expense of travel anyway plus as this is an evening game and the numbers of kids would not be great on a school day.

I assume their "free" STs would be as part of a family package a la the Gargs.

Pools are the worst example, £100 for an ST yet £25 for away supporters, but again an extra fiver here and there is not going to stop the kinds of people that go away to watch loewer league football, well not most of them at least.