Popular Post OutByEaster? Posted April 21, 2023 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2023 There was a meeting last night of the newly renamed Fans Advisory Board at Villa Park. The clubs notes are below: Quote Fan Advisory Board Thursday 20th April Villa Park Club Representatives Christian Purslow Chief Executive Officer Paul Tyrrell Chief Operating Officer Nicola Ibbetson Chief Commercial Officer Tommy Jordan Communications Director Adam Lowe Head of Marketing Lynne O’Reardon Head of Ticketing Operations Susannah Barnes Commercial Manager Lee Preece Supporter Liaison Manager A general discussion took place on subjects including: The New Holte Experience, Rail Seating & Season Ticket Pricing. Fan Advisory Board Minutes Holte End Survey The club provided an update on the results of the recent Holte End survey which was conducted by YouGov. Just over 3,500 responses. Key themes were matchday experience, new fan experiences and safe standing. As a result of the survey findings, work is already underway to create and invest in new experiences for fans. The was a clear majority who believed that Food & Beverage was in need of more improvement. The new facilities which have been added to Lower Holte (self-serve, tap & go, pour your own pint) scored highly. Connectivity and post-match entertainment were also highlighted with the club looking at various solutions and initiatives to improve the fan experience. Almost half of fans stated that they would be interested in a new enhanced GA+ style experience within the Holte End as a bolt-on to their ticket. Key inclusions fans would like to see are: • a social bar area with good food & drink options and views • wifi access • good quality street-style food • other entertainment (villatv/legends visits/post-match access etc) The Club presented plans of work to upgrade the Ramsey’s Bar space on the middle floor of the Holte End to meet these requirements of supporters. This would have no impact on existing fans seats/season ticket pricing and would be available as a seasonal bolt-on or a match-by-match basis. Accessible Seating Following the successful introduction of accessible seating in the away section of Lower Doug Ellis this season, 8 additional accessible seating spaces will be created within the Holte End as part of a long-term plan to introduce accessible seating within multiple stands and to become compliant with the Accessible Stadia legislation. The creation of 8 wheelchair and 8 companion seats within The Holte on a new accessible platform impacts more than 100 season ticket holders who will be prioritised for relocation. Safe Standing / Rail Seating The Holte End survey showed that three quarters of fans were supportive of safe standing, with two thirds happy to have their seat updated to safe standing. The Club has been monitoring trials of safe standing at other PL clubs and been in regular contact with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. The SGSA has advised us that as persistent standing in areas of Villa Park continues to give them cause for concern, the Club should introduce rail seating during the 23/24 season if it wishes to avoid the prospect of stadium capacity being reduced. Therefore, rail seating will be introduced on a gradual basis at the back of Upper Holte (approximately 2500 seats). Anyone currently occupying standard seats in the back of Upper Holte who doesn’t wish to have a rail seat will be provided with the option to relocate. Approx 1,000 rail seats will also be introduced to the away section in Upper Doug Ellis. It is important to note that current legislation compels clubs to introduce rail seats on a “1 for 1” basis with standard seats rather than as in other European countries where the ratio of rail seat/ standard seat can be as high as 2:1. Therefore installing rail seats is a costly process which results in no extra revenue for the club. More details on the rail seating arrangements will be provided in the coming weeks. Season Tickets The club presented some of the findings of extensive analysis and benchmarking carried out to compare against our Premier League competitors. Our analysis demonstrated we are towards the lower end of Premier League when comparing the price of an Adult Season Ticket. Increasing Season Ticket prices will enable us to continue aligning our pricing more closely with our Premier League competitors and to help bring our revenues more in line with the costs of competing in the upper reaches of The Premier League, while remaining compliant with all the required financial regulations. The meeting was informed that the Club intends for the majority of Adult season ticket prices to increase by 15% and our 23/24 season ticket prices will move us into the top 8 of the Premier League benchmarking. Christian Purslow explained to the meeting that he is acutely aware of how everybody is experiencing the effects of the cost of living and inflation increases, however the Club itself is not immune to those economic pressures. He said our brilliant owners have supported Aston Villa with over £400m of their own money, but football finance rules only permit them to do so much. Now we have an elite manager who has already made incredible progress in such a short time, the Board’s desire is to give Unai the best opportunity to continue his work. He said the Club’s strategy is to make Aston Villa competitive with the very best teams in the country, on the field and off the field and to do that we have to try to balance our revenues with our ever-growing costs. Other ticketing Stadium bowl analysis reveals an imbalance between pricing of the Holte End and the North Stand. Many Premier League Clubs operate consistent pricing behind each goal. Consequently, T2, T3 and T4 will move from Price Zone 4 to Price Zone 3 to reflect pricing in the Holte End and remain consistent with our pricing across the stadium – continuing our fair approach across all fans. The view from the Upper North is significantly better than the view from other Price Zone 4 blocks around Villa Park. As discussed with the previous FCG in April 2022, the Club continues to reduce concessional discounts across all categories in line with wider Premier League benchmarking. Current concessional Season Ticket Holders in Price Zone 4 will enjoy a greater discount to protect our entry price points for fans. Current U14 Season Ticket Holders in Price Zone 4 will still be able to watch a game of live Premier League football for c.£8 a match – ranking as one of the lowest prices on our benchmarking of other Birmingham-based leisure activities including other local teams. Cup Tickets Aston Villa are one of the only clubs in the Premier League to include free domestic home cup games within their season ticket product offering. The Club believes it is reasonable to remove this benefit from next season whilst ensuring all of our loyal season ticket holders continue to have priority access to Cup games. North Stand Redevelopment Mr Purslow told the meeting that the club remains in dialogue with all external stakeholders regarding the plans to redevelop Villa Park and the Board was delighted that we were selected as a host stadium in the UK & Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2028 Bid. He said a timetable for demolition and rebuilding work will be announced soon following full consideration of logistical and economic factors. Our new Inner-City Academy in Brookvale is scheduled for opening in time for the start of the next season. 4 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted April 21, 2023 Author Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2023 The headline there is the 15% rise in season ticket prices across the board, the removal of a free cup ticket from the season ticket offer and the change in the pricing for those people that sit in the three central blocks of the Upper North Stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallisFrizz Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 That is a big increase, club are lucky we’re doing so well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post blandy Posted April 21, 2023 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2023 I get that costs etc…but the price increases and reduction of concession discounts and so on are really tough and unsympathetic. I mean they lost me with this season’s price increase of around 50% and I wonder how many more they will lose as a consequence of these further increases. Essentially the argument seems to be “other clubs charge way too much, so we will too, because we can”. I’d like it if the FAB, not just at Villa, but at all clubs kind of pushed for similar to the away ticket price limit for home tickets, too. This rampant ticket price inflation is, or will be, counter productive. All those TV billions and still… The U-14 prices are the one commendable aspect. Other than that, thanks for the update, Scott. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbcuk Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 (edited) Not good just cause other teams charge more they are looking to align our prices to them and to get rid of the free cup game Edited April 21, 2023 by rbcuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talldarkandransome Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 Whilst everything is more expensive these days, I don't like the argument that we are aligning with our competitors on pricing. We all approve of the owners and pretty much everything else about our club but pricing is the one thing that will piss people off. I class going to matches as a luxury at the moment, and luxuries are limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewieGriffin Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 Easy for me to say as a non-STH who struggles to go very often, but if we want to compete with the big 6 without Champions League money/prestige for bigger sponsors, then the club has to get it's extra revenue from somewhere... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody1000 Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 If we want to compete financially against the teams at the top then we have to increase our matchday income. Ticket prices have to rise, it’s s*** but it’s the way it is. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted April 21, 2023 Author Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2023 I guess the difficulty is that it's not like it was a decade ago where you could make a decision to rock up on the day if you felt like it. You can't buy a season ticket at the moment - there's a waiting list that's most likely six or seven years long, and we're a season away from getting to the point where non-season ticket holder will need to be in a members ballot to even get a match ticket. Add to that, that we're working against a set of rules which absolutely demands that every club wrings every penny they can out of every supporter. The Premier League, the FA, UEFA, FIFA and Aston Villa football club aren't interested in changing that - and they haven't been since 1992 - it's a maxim of maximisation - the only way that things will change in that regard is through outside bodies - and by outside bodies, I mean government. I wouldn't hold your breath. As it is, we go to the seventh highest priced, which is about where we should be, but the journey has been meteoric, and the price rises feel that way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWARLEY2 Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 I understand them but dont understand why they are using the " other clubs do it " fob off. They will need to be careful. Us brummies arent as mad as other areas of the country in that it needs to be value for money . All my disposable cash has gone due to inflation and rising costs of everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talldarkandransome Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 1 minute ago, StewieGriffin said: Easy for me to say as a non-STH who struggles to go very often, but if we want to compete with the big 6 without Champions League money/prestige for bigger sponsors, then the club has to get it's extra revenue from somewhere... Whilst it's not a bad argument I don't buy it anymore. I'm fed up of being ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talldarkandransome Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 A few years ago they managed to come up with a £30 cap for away tickets across the board. What's so different about home tickets 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsky_11 Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 12 minutes ago, StewieGriffin said: Easy for me to say as a non-STH who struggles to go very often, but if we want to compete with the big 6 without Champions League money/prestige for bigger sponsors, then the club has to get it's extra revenue from somewhere... I'm assuming a 15% increase isn't going to generate much more than about £3M in extra revenue. Doesn't feel like that's gonna make a massive difference to the club. Definitely will to a lot of fans though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted April 21, 2023 Author Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2023 On the changes to the Upper Holte End - you can see the detail on it in the planning application documents on page 209 of the ground development thread here: And having seen those plans and the fly throughs we were shown last night, I've got to say it looks like a really nice facility - bars, food, seating areas, a modern pub feel, like one of those big modern city centre places with the long wood tables, seating around the sides, lounge areas, a view onto the pitch and the outside balcony - it's going to be a very nice place to be if you want to see a game. The "but" to that sentence though comes in that it will be a ticketed venue, they call it GA+ at the moment - you'll need to buy in; either as a bolt-on addition to your season ticket, or as a bolt-on to a match ticket in the Upper Holte, so there will be a cost associated. If that cost were for example, set at £10 a game (a complete guess by me) then with the increase to the current season ticket price and that extra upgrade, an upper Holte End Season ticket holder looking to GA+ their season ticket and get access for the entire season might be looking at the thick end of an extra three hundred pounds on top of this years season ticket price. The clubs pricing will of course be driven by demand, and what I think is good news is that you will need an Upper Holte End ticket to get in - you don't buy into the Holte by being GA+, you need to start by being in the Upper Holte - so that's 6,000 people, for a new area with a capacity of around 1,000. It means no access from the Lower Holte End to either the lounge or the balcony, but it will mean that for a chunk of people, the Upper Holte End experience will be much improved - and no one gets moved out of their seat to make room for Ga+ folks. I'd guess, some of those 1,000 spots will be available as GA+ Upper Holte season tickets, some of those spots will be available for existing regular season ticket holders as one off match-by-match upgrades, then I guess they'd be on sale to members who bought a ticket in the Upper Holte, then to friends of season ticket holders in the Upper Holte, then to general sale - that regular ticket hierarchy. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling an awful lot of the Upper Holte is currently season ticket holders, so it might end up being quite difficult if you fancy inviting a friend who isn't a season ticket holder or member to the Upper Holte lounge for a one off game - and certainly for the first couple of games next season, I think those tickets will be gold dust. It does also beg the question on the experience for the other 5,000 Upper Holte Enders, the ones with no access to that facility, and no more middle level of the Upper Holte in which to congregate - they'll be restricted to the upper, Upper Holte concourse only and while the club are working to try to bring some of the cleverer stuff from the Lower Holte kiosks up there to help balance that off a bit - for me, it feels like it'll have some impact - one sixth of the people removed and one half of the space - but I don't sit in the Upper Holte and it could just be that my gut feeling is completely wrong. Having said all that, it really does look like a terrific facility and if I were sat in that part of the ground, I'd want to get into there as often as I could afford - it'll be brilliant on matchdays. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Davkaus Posted April 21, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2023 (edited) Quote however the Club itself is not immune to those economic pressures. PL clubs pleading poverty while they wring every penny they can out while paying people 6 figures a week. Cry me a **** river. Can't believe they've got the nerve to put the prices up so much two years in a row, but people will pay it. It's been many a year since I had a ST, but two big hikes in a row *and* they're taking away the cup ticket? They're taking advantage of the Emery miracle to fleece people from every angle they can. They lost me as even a casual match-going fan when you needed to pay for a membership for a chance to buy a ticket, and the greed just increases each season. Shame it arrives with such an upturn in our fortunes (and I'm sure they'll stress there's no coincidence there), but they've priced me out, not so much purely in economic terms, I could justify the odd ticket, but it's got to the point I'm fed up of feeling like I've had my trousers pulled down every time I go to a game. The greed of the Premier League is as disgusting as it is relentless, **** the lot of them. Edited April 21, 2023 by Davkaus 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 28 minutes ago, Davkaus said: The greed of the Premier League is as disgusting as it is relentless, **** the lot of them. It's a disgrace. But its the same in all other sports. Irish rugby tickets are eye wateringly expensive, 3 figures for the "cheapest" ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villatillidie95 Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 All i'll say is that the club better keep delivering on the pitch so that these numbers they are demanding are sustainable, a couple of bad seasons on the pitch and a lot of this stuff will go unused. Are these Fan advisory bodies representative of the fan base as a whole, or is it a very self selecting group, sort of like magistrates? Because some of these things look like great additions, but it would be good to have some elements in the body who dont just agree with everything the club want to do or who dont push back on things like price rises or get them to consider things from a more laymans point of view, maybe someone with less cash in their pocket or who is seeing the facilities and space they have access to eroded. It would be nice for the club maybe to petition more of us season ticket holders, in all areas of the ground, to see what features we would like, what can be done better, what is fine, what needs changing etc. I wouldnt want these meetings to just be a series of talking shops or just approving of everything that the club presents to them. Would be great to hear more about how the engagment process is with the club as i dont know much about them but seemingly a lot of the changes seem to be taking from us in some way or form, be it monetary or space wise etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted April 22, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted April 22, 2023 FAB 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 Purslow is a **** rat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talldarkandransome Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 58 minutes ago, sidcow said: It's tough but you're hardly being ripped off when there are 6 other teams charging more and thousands queuing up to pay for what you've got. It's not great but this is a massively in demand sport. Supply and demand will always set the price. Don't buy that argument anymore, there's lots of companies taking advantage of folk at the mo and I have the choice to avoid this rogering. I miss going to every game but I'm in no rush to get back at that expense. We can agree to disagree this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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