[F. Sidebottom]

There have been a number of threads posted on here recently from the blades about how fantastic season ticket sales are, and ridiculing the Owls sales.

There have even been links to stories about how they have the third highest season ticket sales in the league.

Granted Wednesday haven't announced yet how many they have sold, but with all that has gone on of late, and with continued lack of investment and ridiculous price increases, I can't see it being anything other than pitiful.

But I was speaking to a blade friend of mine this week, and he told me he'd renewed his season ticket. And he'd managed to get his daughter one for free. He told me that this was how it was down the lane - you can get a free childs season ticket with each adult season ticket (that's what he told me although he said they had to be a member at £10).

So, assuming this is right, if the blades have 'sold' 18,000+ tickets, how many of these have been actual sales, and how many have been given away and therefore shouldn't be counted in sales figures? In reality it could be as many as 9,000.

And how many blades got 'free' season tickets for a fictitious child just to boost the 'season ticket sales' figures so they could dance around pretending to be the bigger club?

And if a lot were given away, and Wednesday's prices are much higher than uniteds, how many have Wednesday got to sell before we actually make more money than united on the sales? False economy by the blades?

All that being said, does it make the blades a bigger club if they have to 'give' away tickets to get the numbers up?

Personally I think it's a cheap stunt to try to get the better of us. Won't work in the long term.

[chuffinel]

Originally Posted by F. Sidebottom

There have been a number of threads posted on here recently from the blades about how fantastic season ticket sales are, and ridiculing the Owls sales.

There have even been links to stories about how they have the third highest season ticket sales in the league.

Granted Wednesday haven't announced yet how many they have sold, but with all that has gone on of late, and with continued lack of investment and ridiculous price increases, I can't see it being anything other than pitiful.

But I was speaking to a blade friend of mine this week, and he told me he'd renewed his season ticket. And he'd managed to get his daughter one for free. He told me that this was how it was down the lane - you can get a free childs season ticket with each adult season ticket (that's what he told me although he said they had to be a member at £10).

So, assuming this is right, if the blades have 'sold' 18,000+ tickets, how many of these have been actual sales, and how many have been given away and therefore shouldn't be counted in sales figures? In reality it could be as many as 9,000.

And how many blades got 'free' season tickets for a fictitious child just to boost the 'season ticket sales' figures so they could dance around pretending to be the bigger club?

And if a lot were given away, and Wednesday's prices are much higher than uniteds, how many have Wednesday got to sell before we actually make more money than united on the sales? False economy by the blades?

All that being said, does it make the blades a bigger club if they have to 'give' away tickets to get the numbers up?

Personally I think it's a cheap stunt to try to get the better of us. Won't work in the long term.

Get real Frank.
You're saying that it's not a good thing to catch kids early and assure future fans ?
You're way out in left field on this, besides there's nothing (other than economics) to stop Wednesday doing the same is there ?
I can smell the sour grapes all the way over here.

[tosh13]

A lot of clubs are giving the kids free tickets ,it is assuring they are fans of the future.

[sammsufc]

It could be to get the kids hooked so that the adults will have to pay for the kids season ticket for 09/10 season .... Just A Thought....

UP THE BLADES!

[igm1]

Originally Posted by tosh13

A lot of clubs are giving the kids free tickets ,it is assuring they are fans of the future.

Precisely, it's a good idea. One that SWFC should look into.

[Heyesey]

It is a good idea, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Owls copy it. That said, if all those freely-given-away tickets are being counted in the figure of "season ticket sales," then the Blades are basically lying about their numbers.

[Funky_Gibbon]

Originally Posted by chuffinel

[/B]


Get real Frank.
You're saying that it's not a good thing to catch kids early and assure future fans ?

I don't think he said anything like that. Anything to get kids supporting a local team rather than Man Utd or Chelsea is a good thing. What Frank said is that tickets that have been given away should not be counted as a sale.

[Earwiggo]

Originally Posted by F. Sidebottom

But I was speaking to a blade friend of mine this week, and he told me he'd renewed his season ticket. And he'd managed to get his daughter one for free.

How easy is it to claim a free ticket for your 'son' or your 'daughter'? Your son, or your daughter could be 30 years old, or older. Do we automatically halve United's attendances this season to get a truer figure?
It is a good idea though. My niece's school are doing their best to get 8, 9, 10 and 11 year olds to various activities at Down Trodden Bramall Lane.
Nearly every week there's some 'attraction' there to take your kids to.
Won't work wi my niece though, she's far too well educated

[F. Sidebottom]

If you look at my original post, hidden not too deep amongst the liberal sprinkling of cheeky digs, I was raising the point that surely if you give tickets away for free (or almost free even) then you can't count these towards sales figures and use it as propoganda.

Granted, Wednesday have done one or two similar things (like last seasons Norwich game which was the highest of the season in the league). And I would welcome Wednesday doing a similar scheme for its junior fans.

But surely you blades would love to see the real figure of sales rather than have the wool pulled over your eyes?

Wouldn't it be better if all clubs published the numbers of sales they'd made at each price. Then we'd know who really were the bigger clubs, and we see those that had to resort to naughty tactics to try to play with the big boys.

[SteveBlade]

Its under 12s i believe. Its a good idea ! If this happened with you, im pretty sure you would be happy. Anyway, as i say.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG STOP MAKING THREADS ABOUT UNITED WHEN YOUR A WEDNESDAY FAN OMG CONCENTRATE ON YOUR OWN TEAM OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!

[happyhippy]

Originally Posted by Earwiggo

How easy is it to claim a free ticket for your 'son' or your 'daughter'? Your son, or your daughter could be 30 years old, or older. Do we automatically halve United's attendances this season to get a truer figure?
It is a good idea though. My niece's school are doing their best to get 8, 9, 10 and 11 year olds to various activities at Down Trodden Bramall Lane.
Nearly every week there's some 'attraction' there to take your kids to.
Won't work wi my niece though, she's far too well educated

The 'free' tickets were for existing season ticket holders, and you need to provide proof of their age. You can only get one with an adult season ticket too. Any naughtiness is meant to be easy to stop for our stout yeomanry of the stewards , as a little light comes on to say whether the ticket used is an adult or concession.

Of course, I have absolutely no faith in that system at all.

[Heyesey]

Another thought occurs (that's two for me today, must be having a good day )


...does anyone know if United themselves have referred to this figure as "sales," or is that just media shorthand for "total number of season tickets allocated?" It may not be the Blades that are deliberately counting free tickets as sales, after all.

[Eric_Collins]

I don't think it's a stunt , it's sales marketing for the future. You get someone hooked with a freebie then charge them the next time they want it,
( I know it sounds like a drug dealer type scam ) but it works.

I remember back in the days i was at Longley School and Footballers from SWFC came in giving away free tickets to games that were to be screened on TV.
I should imagine the Blades did the same thing in and around the schools in the support strong hold areas.


Scam or not ( if you want to call it that ) it's bums on seats and bums on seats bring in the cash either by merchandise, food, more ticket sales and TV rights when SKY see 99% packed stadium they should screen more games.

[muntjac]

It's disgracefull.
We should not be making decisions like this for our kids. We should wait until they are old enough to decide themselves whether they want to watch such rubbish.
It could scar a youngster forever.They might think that the tripe served up by both clubs is normal.

[happyhippy]

Originally Posted by muntjac

It's disgracefull.
We should not be making decisions like this for our kids. We should wait until they are old enough to decide themselves whether they want to watch such rubbish.
It could scar a youngster forever.They might think that the tripe served up by both clubs is normal.

If I've had to trawl mile upon mile to get to such delights as being beaten by Altrincham in a Cup replay, or to savour a wonderous win at Newport County (what a shed), arriving at Colchester to find we were already losing 3-0 after 10 minutes, losing at Aldershot for Christ(TM)'s sake ..... various other things too ....

.... then I see no reason why my offspring shouldn't suffer too.

It's like the changes of the seasons and the tides of the sea.

They're not getting away with it.

[swervin]

as an existing season ticket holder i did contenplate getting a free kids ticket this season for my grandaughter, but the trouble is it would mean moving to a different part of the ground and away from people iv'e got to know and all the banter that goes on, as they have all renewed their seats its not that easy to find seats together so i dont think that they will be to many take up the offer

[Redandwhite]

When 2 is actually 1.
When i read that i thought you were going to post about the owls and norwich match

[mrsteabag]

Originally Posted by F. Sidebottom

There have been a number of threads posted on here recently from the blades about how fantastic season ticket sales are, and ridiculing the Owls sales.

There have even been links to stories about how they have the third highest season ticket sales in the league.

Granted Wednesday haven't announced yet how many they have sold, but with all that has gone on of late, and with continued lack of investment and ridiculous price increases, I can't see it being anything other than pitiful.

But I was speaking to a blade friend of mine this week, and he told me he'd renewed his season ticket. And he'd managed to get his daughter one for free. He told me that this was how it was down the lane - you can get a free childs season ticket with each adult season ticket (that's what he told me although he said they had to be a member at £10).

So, assuming this is right, if the blades have 'sold' 18,000+ tickets, how many of these have been actual sales, and how many have been given away and therefore shouldn't be counted in sales figures? In reality it could be as many as 9,000.

And how many blades got 'free' season tickets for a fictitious child just to boost the 'season ticket sales' figures so they could dance around pretending to be the bigger club?

And if a lot were given away, and Wednesday's prices are much higher than uniteds, how many have Wednesday got to sell before we actually make more money than united on the sales? False economy by the blades?

All that being said, does it make the blades a bigger club if they have to 'give' away tickets to get the numbers up?

Personally I think it's a cheap stunt to try to get the better of us. Won't work in the long term.

Clutching at straws springs to mind

[Heyesey]

Originally Posted by mrsteabag

Clutching at straws springs to mind

Then consider what your response would be to a Blades fan making exactly the same point; as I was inclined to do, but he beat me to it. (Of course, I'd avoid the childish ribbing; but the queries about how many season tickets have actually been SOLD rather than merely given away, is one I'd very much like to have answered.)

[happyhippy]

Originally Posted by Heyesey

Then consider what your response would be to a Blades fan making exactly the same point; as I was inclined to do, but he beat me to it. (Of course, I'd avoid the childish ribbing; but the queries about how many season tickets have actually been SOLD rather than merely given away, is one I'd very much like to have answered.)

I'd probably say no more than 1000. Of all the people I know who are season ticket holders (quite a few), the vast majority don't have kids, and wouldn't take a kid under-12 along to matches regularly anyway. In fact, I'm the only one who has bought one.

What also could be taken into account are renewals of season tickets, for those children under-12, who would still qualify for the 'super reduction'.