Torquay United Fans Forum

Agree about marketing and publicity, we need to do better there.

However the figures are available for the £200 season ticket - the average attendance was no more than you would expect for the season we had - and every season since has been the same. 3-4000 when doing well, 1500-2500 when we're crap.

Yep, marketing and publicity: perhaps the club's main area of weakness right now. But then we don't have the money for it at the present time.

I realised it seemed to be going over Old ground and i recognise that Colin lees price of £200 for a season ticket meant that we lost money that season but could it have led in the long run to a larger crowd as More were encouraged to come along..No real figures were ever released for whether new support was gained from that initiative. But look at the way they talk about ti and Promote it. its really shouted from the rooftops and Im sure they pushed it around town. Anything In Wigan need pushing cos of competiton from Rugby. they came into the league relatively recently and I well remember gates of only 2500 to 3500 for Springfield park. but now they get far in excess of that even allowing for a double relation.
its obvious Marketing is at the heart of it

Not only that, Wigan are top of League One and heading for the Championship. The attendances at their games far exceed those at Plainmoor, and there are many other clubs within easy travelling distance to boost the sizes of the crowds. We are in a relatively isolated geographical location with a much smaller population base. Nothing wrong with 'going over old ground' to keep our prices under review but, as Kit_robin says, I believe the club has got it just about right at the present time.

Wigan can of course afford to do this as they are still getting parachute payments from the Premier League (25 million for the first year after relegation then 20 million last year and 10 million this year and next I believe).

Admire the sentiment, but I don't actually think the pricing policy is far wrong at Plainmoor. This is an argument fans have had for years, and many times on this forum, so we're kind of going over old ground.

As for things like kids, under 7s are already free at Plainmoor no matter what, and you can get a family stand or popside season ticket for an under 12 for £25 with a paying adult. I think that's perfectly acceptable.

As for the adults, I paid £280 for my popside season ticket which is just over £12 per match. Again, I think that's fine.

At a club like Torquay, with no real non-football revenue streams, we have to maximise ticket income without taking the piss too much. I think we've done that. Just look at the financial disaster of Colin lees £200 season ticket - more season tickets yes, but the crowds didn't go up. We just had the same number of people paying less per person.

It was brought to my notice last night that Wigan have been a little bit innovative with promotions to get fans and particularly the new generation of fans to the DW stadium..(or whatever its called now) you can watch them for much cheaper than normal and get a youngsters ticket for free if you have kids. at our present rate of attendances I wonder if it might be a good idea to let the new board when they take over know of this initiative and encourage them to invest in the future of our club. (would be a real test of whether they have the best interests of the club at heart) and try this at plainer.
Have a look at what they have done here.

Admins.. this is the Link if its not appropriate to copy the item on here.

http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/wigan-athletic-2016-17-season-card-prices-from-just-179-3042581.aspx

Outstanding value on season cards for 2016-17 at the DW Stadium.

YOU ARE THE ‘HEART AND SOUL’ – Extraordinary value offered on 2016-17 season cards with top adult renewal price of £179 and no standard season card holder paying more than £229.
RENEWALS: £179 adult price in all stands, less than £8 a match.
NEW PURCHASES: £199 adult prices before 1 July, less than £9 a match.
No standard season card will be more than £229 - less than £10 per match.
Lowest ever season card prices at the DW Stadium.
All Team Latics Family Stand (South) adults qualify for FREE under 16 season card.
Saving of over £200 compared to match by match prices, even on most expensive season card.
Every 2016-17 season card (including hospitality) cheaper than same seat this season.
All renewing supporters to qualify for exclusive discounts on hospitality memberships.
Price for ALL seasonal hospitality packages reduced in 2016-17 for ALL Supporters.
June 30: Early booking discount deadline and renewals guarantee your seat deadline.
Demand expected to be high, early purchase recommended.
Continued range of partner benefits to all season card holders.
Wigan Athletic are delighted to announce prices for 2016-17 season cards - at the lowest ever prices offered for Latics supporters in the DW Stadium’s history.

Season cards will be on sale from 10.00am on Tuesday 5 April.

Read more at http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/wigan-athletic-2016-17-season-card-prices-from-just-179-3042581.aspx#ZdjQ6GdzyUfQw9MF.99
There is an extraordinary adult renewal price of just £179 – an equivalent of just £7.78 per match – and £20 lower than the £199 guaranteed renewal price offered to supporters who committed to full 2015-16 season cards.

Also new for 2016-17 is a superb offer of ONE FREE under 16s season card with every Team Latics Family Stand (South) adult season card purchased, available on both renewals and new purchases.

Every new 2016-17 standard season card (including hospitality) will be cheaper than the equivalent seat in 2015-16, with no season card holder paying more than £229.

If purchased by the deadline of June 30, adult season card prices will be a maximum of just £199 (£8.65 per match). Thereafter, prices will rise to just £229 (£9.95 per match).

With individual match tickets expected to be priced at no less than £20 in 2016-17, this represents a saving of £231 even on the highest priced season card.

In addition to the £179 renewal price guarantee which applies to any supporter over 21, there are concessionary prices on all packages for under 18s, under 16s (Team Latics South Stand only) and under 11s.
Read more at http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/wigan-athletic-2016-17-season-card-prices-from-just-179-3042581.aspx#ZdjQ6GdzyUfQw9MF.99

There are reductions too for hospitality-bookers, with all prices reduced in 2016-17, for all supporters.

Season card holders will continue to benefit from an extensive range of benefits with discounts available with the club’s commercial partners.

Latics Chairman David Sharpe said: “We wanted to make a real impact with these prices to reward the loyalty of our supporters.

“We made the guarantee of no more than £199 last season to all season card holders who purchased their ticket before this season and we are delighted to be able to reduce that by a further £20 to £179 for what is the cheapest price ever offered by Latics at the stadium.

“With new season card holders paying just £199 up to June 30 or £229 after that date, we feel these are prices which will attract the supporters to the DW Stadium because this is by far the best value way to be watching Latics.

“We are also delighted to make the offer of a complimentary under 16s season card in the South Stand to go with any adult purchase.

“It is crucial for the future of the club that we attract the next generation of supporters and we expect that this will prove extremely popular.”

KEY DATES

APRIL 5: 2016-17 SEASON CARDS ON SALE
JUNE 30: EARLY PURCHASE DISCOUNT ON NEW SEASON CARDS ENDS + GUARANTEE YOUR SEAT DEADLINE FOR EXISTING SEASON CARD HOLDERS
JULY 1: GUARANTEE YOUR SEAT DEADLINE ON RENEWALS
AUGUST 6: 2016-17 SEASON STARTS

Add the key dates, latest ticket news and fixture reminders to your calendar for desktop, mobile or tablet by clicking the 'add to calendar' button.
Read more at http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/wigan-athletic-2016-17-season-card-prices-from-just-179-3042581.aspx#ZdjQ6GdzyUfQw9MF.99