We hate Walsall! But ......

[smithie]

....look at what they're doing to try and get a crowd in this Saturday

 

"In a bid to attract more fans, the club are selling tickets in the Tile Choice Stand for £5. Season ticket holders can also bring a friend for £5."

 

Easy to understand, affordable, and pro-active.

 

Is it really asking too much that we do this one day?

[Danish Valiant]

2 games for the price of 1, and HUGE discount on shirts?

 

Not exactly a bad move either... I think we did good decent offers, we just needed to advertise them more. Don't know if Walsall have advertised it much?

[Valiant in Brum]

Norman expects the crowds we had v Northampton and Burton without realising that the prices for Burton were greatly reduced. He has heavily hiked up prices and expects larger crowds.

[smithie]

we just needed to advertise them more. QUOTE]

 

Time and again this doesn't happen. The evidence was in the lack of response to the "offers". The shirt offer is largely irrelevant to most people who buy shirts because they've already done so at full price.

 

We're going nowhere until we get an experienced person in who is properly funded to grow the attendances.

[philmpv]

I'm always dubious when it comes to things like this. I honestly don't think that it would achieve a thing, except ensure that our gate income is vastly reduced for a game. Look at what happened when the club offered the BOGOF for the Crawley and Lincoln games - Lower than average attendance for the Crawley game, followed by a similar home crowd for the Lincoln game. People would find excuses not to go even if it was free. At best, we'd get 7,000 or so if we reduced the prices to the Walsall level, which would cost the club a lot of money. I myself got into going to the Vale when my primary school were given free tickets. The game we attended was the one with the Ray Walker screamer into the top corner. Needless to say I was hooked after that. Unless we have an owner who is prepared to completely subsidise the loss of gate revenue in order to offer vastly reduced ticket offers (which may even be impossible owing to FFP rules - not sure on this) then at our level (where gate income is by and large the ONLY regular notable income into the club)you have to accept that ticket prices are by and large going to be at the current level. The club have put out offers this season (such as the one for the Crawley /Lincoln games) and the response has, seemingly, been pathetic.

[Jacko51]

I actually suggested many years ago when Bill Bell was in charge that we set the playing budget based on income from 22 league games then choose one game during the season to offer free entry to all the walk ups. For that game you do everything you can to encourage the return of the floaters (bribing the ref if necessary!). The club would still have some income for various matchday sales so it wouldn't be a total loss and would give a clear indication of what the actual fansbase is. There is no point in marketing a product if no one wants to buy it, but it would make sense to me to find out how big your market actually is.

[Grumpy Old Man]

I actually suggested many years ago when Bill Bell was in charge that we set the playing budget based on income from 22 league games then choose one game during the season to offer free entry to all the walk ups. For that game you do everything you can to encourage the return of the floaters (bribing the ref if necessary!). The club would still have some income for various matchday sales so it wouldn't be a total loss and would give a clear indication of what the actual fansbase is. There is no point in marketing a product if no one wants to buy it, but it would make sense to me to find out how big your market actually is.

 

Trouble is with Norm in charge everyone (supporters,sponsors etc) know we are going nowhere.Until he goes gates will continue to be poor,stands remain without a sponsor and the image of the club will decline further.

[Essex Vale]

There is no simple answer and no magic wand to wave. If there was then other clubs would have done it. I am in favour of trying lots of different things but the bottom line is, history shows that a successful team on the pitch is the way to get more paying customers through the gate.

 

We definitely must do more to entice youngsters to become our adult fans of the future. However that requires forward thinking with a long term strategic aim that is not distracted by short term expediency.

 

In fairnes to our respective owners over the years, they were all under financial pressure so discounts with no immediate return would not appear attractive to them.

 

The only initiative I can recall that worked, and worked well, and continues to work, is Bradford City's season ticket initiative. Their current price gives fans access to every home league game at a cost of less than £7.50 per game.

 

No other club seems to have had the courage to replicate Bradford City's offer

[Family Stand Terrier]

I'm always dubious when it comes to things like this. I honestly don't think that it would achieve a thing, except ensure that our gate income is vastly reduced for a game. Look at what happened when the club offered the BOGOF for the Crawley and Lincoln games - Lower than average attendance for the Crawley game, followed by a similar home crowd for the Lincoln game. People would find excuses not to go even if it was free. At best, we'd get 7,000 or so if we reduced the prices to the Walsall level, which would cost the club a lot of money. I myself got into going to the Vale when my primary school were given free tickets. The game we attended was the one with the Ray Walker screamer into the top corner. Needless to say I was hooked after that. Unless we have an owner who is prepared to completely subsidise the loss of gate revenue in order to offer vastly reduced ticket offers (which may even be impossible owing to FFP rules - not sure on this) then at our level (where gate income is by and large the ONLY regular notable income into the club)you have to accept that ticket prices are by and large going to be at the current level. The club have put out offers this season (such as the one for the Crawley /Lincoln games) and the response has, seemingly, been pathetic.

Because it was a poor offer that was never going to work. Said as much beforehand. You're asking people who don't attend regularly to commit to 2 games in 7 days, and however you dress it up, it was still full price to watch Vale v Crawley.

 

Last home game of the season, £5 offer to pack the park. Sell off merchandise that will soon be outdated, promote ST offer, just do something more imaginative than all these tied in offers that simply never work.

[Danish Valiant]

As Essex Vale says, there simply isn't a magic wand to wave!

It's a League wide problem, and you can take League 1 into that equation.

There are soooooo many reasons for this, and I'm not suggesting doing nothing! But no matter what Vale try, it's either deemed stupid, not going to work or not enough.

Why must the glass always be half empty? Why not see what's good about it?

 

And I'm sorry, but I don't think Smurf has much to do with these ticket offers! He has people put in place, to do these!

 

And saying that 'people won't come until Norm is gone' is just daft! If we get a good team next season, and are fighting even for the play offs come early March, people will come! No matter if we have Smurf, Donald Duck or My Little Pony in charge!

 

I for one am very very positive for the window to come, because I actually have faith and belief in the staff doing the signings this summer! Aspin and Rudge know what they are doing! And I won't judge his budget, until the window is closed! I or anybody else for that matter, have absolutely NO idea, what the budget is going to be. So lets stop with being pessimistic from the get go, and wait 'till we can judge the actual window.

 

Be positive, trust in Aspin, trust in Rudge and Up the Vale!!!

[timvalefan]

And saying that 'people won't come until Norm is gone' is just daft!

 

I WILL NOT attend another Vale game until Smurf has gone. I'm not stupid, but I will not to treated like the blue idiot treats us fans.

[Essex Vale]

And saying that 'people won't come until Norm is gone' is just daft!

 

I WILL NOT attend another Vale game until Smurf has gone. I'm not stupid, but I will not to treated like the blue idiot treats us fans.

 

I understand your point of view. All I will say is that I am a fan of Port Vale and no one will ever be so important that he will stop me from following my lifelong passion of going to see Port Vale play

[Santa]

Walsall are in danger of getting sucked into the bottom four.

 

If it helps them secure three points it will have been a worthwhile loss leader.

[Danish Valiant]

If MK Dons loose tonight, the are defacto joining us next season

[Santa]

As things stand with Oldham losing and Rochdale drawing, there is a three way tie with Walsall on 48 points for the fourth relegation place.