View Full Version : Ticket Crisis at Stamford Bridge?
madtroll
14-08-2006, 05:41 PM
It didn't happen last season. It didn't happen much the season before.
Due to low demand from members, Premiership tickets at Stamford Bridge are going on General Sale again. Stadium expansion? Who needs it when you can't even fill 40 odd thousand.
Our opening match, Sunday, against Man City is on General Sale (same fixture last season was a member sell out) - now any Tom Dick or Harry can buy 4 tickets each. This is not good for home support at all. Even Liverpool at home will be going on General Sale in a few weeks.
It is Shevchenko's league debut and we can't even shift all the seats. Much like the Shield yesterday, where only 13,000 Chelsea fans bothered to travel. And Celtic at home where Stamford Bridge was a ghost town.
The old chestnut, "Where were you when you were shit" now becomes irrelevant. Where are we now we are Champions?
If I could get back home for every match, I would. I'm not exactly a rich person, but I can make one or two per year - and that is from Canada, where it costs me more than a season ticket to get back for one match.
What about the other fans back home - what are your excuses? Is this a stand against high ticket prices? Because if it is, it is not doing our club any good whatsoever. Prices didn't go up at all this year, so where is this apathy coming from all of a sudden? Was our numbers really made up from Japanese tourists last year, who have now moved on to something else?
I think it's a nationwide thing actually. I mean United had 40,000 only for our Grand Opening of the new quaddrants.....now THAT made the 76,000 seater look well empty.
Having said that though, i think u guys are gonna be in for a bit of that this season. partly cuz the novelty of u being champions has worn off, and partly cuz of the way in which the team plays.
I agree with u though, if i were in teh country, and had hte money, i'd go to every match no matter if we're shit or not.
moymatt
15-08-2006, 04:08 AM
It didn't happen last season. It didn't happen much the season before.
Due to low demand from members, Premiership tickets at Stamford Bridge are going on General Sale again. Stadium expansion? Who needs it when you can't even fill 40 odd thousand.
Our opening match, Sunday, against Man City is on General Sale (same fixture last season was a member sell out) - now any Tom Dick or Harry can buy 4 tickets each. This is not good for home support at all. Even Liverpool at home will be going on General Sale in a few weeks.
It is Shevchenko's league debut and we can't even shift all the seats. Much like the Shield yesterday, where only 13,000 Chelsea fans bothered to travel. And Celtic at home where Stamford Bridge was a ghost town.
The old chestnut, "Where were you when you were shit" now becomes irrelevant. Where are we now we are Champions?
If I could get back home for every match, I would. I'm not exactly a rich person, but I can make one or two per year - and that is from Canada, where it costs me more than a season ticket to get back for one match.
What about the other fans back home - what are your excuses? Is this a stand against high ticket prices? Because if it is, it is not doing our club any good whatsoever. Prices didn't go up at all this year, so where is this apathy coming from all of a sudden? Was our numbers really made up from Japanese tourists last year, who have now moved on to something else?
I feel ya man, but don't you think it's a natural response to the growing ticket prices all across the EPL(at least as far as I've heard). And do you go home during the christmas holiday, cause you can catch 4 gams in around 10-12 days.
simongabriel
15-08-2006, 04:15 AM
I'd give anything to get a chance to go back to England and catch as many Chelsea matches as I can, but me and the future-missus are going to Napa instead for our honeymoon. :D
randy420
15-08-2006, 05:30 AM
I think it's a nationwide thing actually. I mean United had 40,000 only for our Grand Opening of the new quaddrants.....now THAT made the 76,000 seater look well empty.
There is a slight difference between opening home game in the Premiership and a meaningless friendly that we took part in. And besides, that 40 odd thousand that came to ours and made it look half empty would have filled the Bridge.
I feel like Officer Barbrady here, but ok.. move along, there is nothing to see here
DanneS
15-08-2006, 11:08 AM
The only thing to do is to follow the rules of the market.
If the demand is too low then it's time to lower the ticket prices.
Normally a smaller club would do that along with other marketing to make people more curious to go to the match but with the backing of Abramovich it's not a necessary thing to do for Chel$ki. There are also the pride of the top clubs, that they serve top entertainment to people and that they have the right to charge high prices because of that.
The english football clubs should learn from the west-end theatres of London. Customers who have managed to save a couple of pounds on the ticket price will come back to see more if they like the club. Otherwise there will in the end only be die-hard supporters and "japanese tourists" left in the stands - and a lot of empty seats.
madtroll
15-08-2006, 03:27 PM
dimz has a good point.
We probably had alot of bandwagon fans last season (and the season before), ensuring a good fill for every Premiership match. This season, however, the novelty of Chelsea being champions has worn off for many of those people.
We have never had a large loyal fan base - and it will take a very long time at the top to gain anywhere near that of United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Kenyon can play the odd game against the Suwon Bluewings, and gain a couple of Korean fans - but by the time the next season rolls around, they have moved on to whatever other team played in their country pre-season.
Same with these US tours - total waste of time, especially if they are not going to put on a good show (and win!).
Lose the bandwagoners, lose a large number of our working class fans who have been alienated by high prices and Kenyon's other antics - and you are then left with the diehards; those who will go regardless of price, weather, and business practices.
Doesn't leave many on a cold rainy January night. Old times, eh!
GOOF!
16-08-2006, 06:15 AM
madtroll, id just like to say, having an england flag with chelsea fc written on it as your avatar is a disgrace. i really dont see how anyone can consider chelsea a british club.
deviant
16-08-2006, 06:19 AM
madtroll, id just like to say, having an england flag with chelsea fc written on it as your avatar is a disgrace. i really dont see how anyone can consider chelsea a british club.
United have just as much english international players as Chelsea. Neville, Rio, Rooney to Lampard, Terry, Cole so Im confused :confused:
randy420
16-08-2006, 06:21 AM
madtroll, id just like to say, having an england flag with chelsea fc written on it as your avatar is a disgrace. i really dont see how anyone can consider chelsea a british club.
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
United have just as much english international players as Chelsea. Neville, Rio, Rooney to Lampard, Terry, Cole so Im confused
I see the point you're making here, but they've also got Wright-Phillips, Bridge and Johnson, who have all had call ups to the England squad. We've also got Wes Brown, Paul Scholes, Kieran Richardson, Michael Carrick and Alan Smith who have received call ups.
Still though, his point is retarded. If anyone doesn't deserve to be called an English/British club it's Arsenal
If anyone doesn't deserve to be called an English/British club it's Arsenal
I don't care what you call Arsenal, just as long as you admit it is the best football club in the world. :D
bricktop
16-08-2006, 07:34 AM
I don't care what you call Arsenal, just as long as you admit it is the best football club in the world. :D
hrmmm somehow I doubt that'll happen anytime soon ;)
R9magia
16-08-2006, 07:39 AM
We probably had alot of bandwagon fans last season (and the season before), ensuring a good fill for every Premiership match. This season, however, the novelty of Chelsea being champions has worn off for many of those people.
I agree with you 100%, this is probably the main problem. Last year in September I was in London and after failing to get tickets for the Tottenham vs. Liverpool match, I decided to go get some tickets to watch Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. There was a small line at the stadium and 100% of it was tourists (mostly Asians). In the stadium, the section I was sitting in was literally nothing but tourists...Right next to me were 4-5 teens decked out in Chelsea blue. For a second I thought they might be the only "real" fans in my section but 2 minutes into the match a couple of them started asking me questions about "soccer". They were Americans who had never seen a football match in their lives but thought it would be cool to see Chelsea, the team they heard was "the best in the world".
Anyway, that day the stadium was sold out but the atmosphere was terrible and I would estimate that out of the 40,000 people in the stadium only 15,000, at best, were true Chelsea fans.
akibo
16-08-2006, 07:58 AM
You want more people to Your matches? Lower the prices a quid or two and lose 6-8 of first 10 matches by the scoreline of 1:2 or 2:3, then in the end finish second in the prem and reach the cl final - guaranteed sellouts for the next season as far as I can see. A bit of a marketing scheme maybe, but it won't do any good for the club if they continually win 1:0. *ahem*acmilan*ahem*:rolleyes:
Chelsea just doesn't seem to have any real character. They are like the rich kid who won the school bicycle race because he could buy a much better bike than anyone else. Nobody is much impressed with that, and it is not genuinely endearing. The only fans you earn are the johnny-come-lately bandwagon chasers. And you don't even win over a whole lot of those until your success lasts long enough to become habitual. You can buy victory, at least for a while, but you can't buy love. ;)
United have sold something like 62,000 season tickets already. Way more than expected and we haven't won anything of real note in 2 seasons. I can't figure out if the fans are real ones flooding back in after the Glazer fiasco or if they are band wagonists who 'somehow' know that United will lift it come may?!
Silas
20-08-2006, 05:29 PM
United have sold something like 62,000 season tickets already. Way more than expected and we haven't won anything of real note in 2 seasons. I can't figure out if the fans are real ones flooding back in after the Glazer fiasco or if they are band wagonists who 'somehow' know that United will lift it come may?!
Bandwagoners don't know who'll win. They know who's won and a big name in the team.
62000 season ticket holders :eek:
Lotfilms
20-08-2006, 05:37 PM
Still though, his point is retarded. If anyone doesn't deserve to be called an English/British club it's Arsenal
I always thought they were French.
fshroyer
20-08-2006, 08:05 PM
I don't care what you call Arsenal, just as long as you admit it is the best football club in the world. :DDamn Right!! Chelsea just doesn't seem to have any real character. They are like the rich kid who won the school bicycle race because he could buy a much better bike than anyone else. Nobody is much impressed with that. You can buy victory, at least for a while, but you can't buy love. ;)
Spot on. Sorry, but it's true....
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