2023/24 Match Ticket Prices & Cats

[Davkaus]

7 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

 

100 quid and you'd be expecting top 4 every season. Not sure Man. City charge anywhere near that for their prem games but could be wrong on that one, Newcastle certainly don't.

You can get an adult Man City season ticket for less than £300. You can get a kid's season ticket for about the cost of a kid getting a claret membership and sitting in the 1888 seats for a match.

A decade of cheating probably helps that, mind you. For a more legit comparison, our match tickets for category 1 games are more expensive across the board than Liverpools (though they don't do "cheap" games). Plenty of their tickets are cheaper than our category 2 games.

We're being absolutely **** gouged.

Edited July 17, 2023 by Davkaus

[Jim Witton]

3 hours ago, villarule123 said:

I was thinking around £20-25 was my limit for the European games! 

It's only the Conference... 

If they are Cat B prices for a Thursday night 6pm kick off, there will plenty of empty seats. 

Also I’m sure Wolves & Man City we’re both cat A last season and there was 1000 plus empty seats for both. 

[ender4]

3 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Is the play off match part of season ticket package or does anyone have to purchase that separately as could obviously plan for that game from end of May.

Season ticket package is only for the 19 PL games.  All other games are extra.

[sidcow]

I expect cup games and the like will become a good opportunity for the thousands who can't get to league matches because of unavailability to get to a game. 

[VillaChris]

Just now, ender4 said:

Season ticket package is only for the 19 PL games.  All other games are extra.

So you're effectively asking 40k + fans to fork out an extra 200-250 quid then next season just up to xmas as if we win the play off that will be four europa home games and then could have a game or two in league cup aswell depending on the draw.

That's a totally different dynamic to just needing a couple of thousand to fill the odd spares dotted around the stands for premier league matches.

They'll be plenty of season ticket holders who'll swerve european games once they see what the matchday prices actually are so will at least give the opportunity for fans to buy 2-3 together but that will cost plenty.

Will certainly actually show potential we do have to fill 52k on regular basis anyway.

[Talldarkandransome]

1 hour ago, VillaChris said:

Our crowds were more 30-35k in those times.

Picked up very nicely in the second half of the promotion season and stayed over 40k since.

However trying to get 52k in if we're mid table with little hope of european qualification and charging 45-50 quid for Cat B matches is going to be pretty tricky I reckon.

It was a nice round number, if not a little exaggerated. Point being, people have turned up in much worse circumstances than £45-£68 a ticket. 

Bleeding the corporate side more would have been my target. They are more aligned with the one-off anything for a good experience demographic. Maybe they have bled them too, I don't know.

But sticking £1560 tickets in the middle of a stand full of fanatical Villa driven patriots isn't my idea of fan engagement.

[Farlz]

Unfortunately it's only going to get worse and worse. Lets be real for a second, we haven't even been close to successful yet.

If we carry on down this positive path the first team could be heading then it's going to start getting ridiculous. It's pretty rotten from the club but what can you do, we're all stupid enough to keep buying/renewing. 

[bobzy]

1 hour ago, Farlz said:

Unfortunately it's only going to get worse and worse. Lets be real for a second, we haven't even been close to successful yet.

If we carry on down this positive path the first team could be heading then it's going to start getting ridiculous. It's pretty rotten from the club but what can you do, we're all stupid enough to keep buying/renewing. 

I'd just hope the club were better than this - it's yet another poor form decision made in the name of greed.

- Joined the shit multiclub ownership model
- Went with a shit gambling company as sponsor one season before they're banned anyway
- Massively increased ticket prices at a time when people are struggling

I'm delighted that there's plenty of people behind this because "money" but it's just really, really poor IMO.

[Davkaus]

10 minutes ago, bobzy said:

I'd just hope the club were better than this - it's yet another poor form decision made in the name of greed.

- Joined the shit multiclub ownership model
- Went with a shit gambling company as sponsor one season before they're banned anyway
- Massively increased ticket prices at a time when people are struggling

I'm delighted that there's plenty of people behind this because "money" but it's just really, really poor IMO.

 

• Huge like for like prices increases for what, 3, 4 years in a row? Even without considering the rest of the below
• Reclassifying most of the shit parts of the ground as higher zones (a decade or so ago a ST in the lower north stand cost about the same as 5 match tickets now - are the facilities any better? Thought not)
• Introducing claret membership so you have to pay for the chance to be eligible to pay for a match ticket 
• Removing concessions from large areas of the ground so kids and pensioners have to pay full price
• Removing lower classified games has been happening for years but they've taken it a step further this season - I'd wager if we get Europe again, we're maybe a season or two away from removing Cat 2 games too.
• Removing the free cup game from ST holders
• A kids' mascot experience costing hundreds when most PL clubs use it as a freebie for goodwill

There must be fans now paying close to double of what they were only a few seasons ago. People will support it because of FFP, but where we've got to is as a club over a handful of seasons is a gouging by a thousand cuts, where a club who's greatest triumph in over a decade is finishing 7th, now has fans paying more than Liverpool's, it's insane.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Davkaus

[delboy54]

Some would say that this is the price of success, but we haven't actually won anything yet.

It does feel like we are being wrung dry though, but with 30 000 in the wings waiting for a ST or a seat to come up on general release that will get snapped up, I suppose its supply and demand.

Its ironic when the song starts to opposition fans "where were you when you were sh*T"...........it wasn't that long ago when Villa closed the top half of the Trinity stand and could not give tickets away. Ultimately is Villa going to end up like the rest of the "Elite" clubs where basically the only fans that go (or can afford it) are the corporates or tourists?

Football (and Villa) is changing, we better get used to it or just go and do something else... 

[Wainy316]

6 minutes ago, delboy54 said:

Some would say that this is the price of success, but we haven't actually won anything yet.

It does feel like we are being wrung dry though, but with 30 000 in the wings waiting for a ST or a seat to come up on general release that will get snapped up, I suppose its supply and demand.

Its ironic when the song starts to opposition fans "where were you when you were sh*T"...........it wasn't that long ago when Villa closed the top half of the Trinity stand and could not give tickets away. Ultimately is Villa going to end up like the rest of the "Elite" clubs where basically the only fans that go (or can afford it) are the corporates or tourists?

Football (and Villa) is changing, we better get used to it or just go and do something else... 

Exactly.  We've been half decent for half a season.  

If we can't maintain this form it's going to backfire on the owners spectacularly.  They should have at least waited until we were a little bit more established.

[The Fun Factory]

It was a sobering read looking at the match day prices. The owners have massively hiked the prices up in the last 2 years.

The cheapest adult match day ticket is now above 40 quid (plus booking fee), and that is before transport and food/drink. Even if you live locally and have basic pre match grub that will be over 60 quid for a day out minimum.

I am earning above average wage and have no dependents but if they keep increasing prices 10-15% every season even I will get to a stage to think about not renewing

I am just trying to think of myself about 14-15 years ago when first got my season ticket for about 260 quid. If I was in my early to mid 20's now I would struggle to buy one.

I read somewhere the average season ticket holder in the prem is 45. What about the future? The young guys who may decide to not bother and watch esports instead.

It is great on the pitch but what price is success? The new north stand will be a gleaming structure but will cost a fortune to get in.

I mean nobody wants to watch Lambert again but I remember getting tickets on the secondary website in the upper trinity for 12 to 14 quid regularly. That is not ancient history, ,less than 10 years ago! I know it is supply and demand but club needs to be careful not to price out the bedrock of our support.

The waiting list will be tested if they are thinking of charging similar prices for europa conference 6pm Thursday kick off matches. Stevenage for example we had 10,000 empty seats on a weekend kick off even after it was  free take up for season ticket holders.

[MrBlack]

17 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

It was a sobering read looking at the match day prices. The owners have massively hiked the prices up in the last 2 years.

The cheapest adult match day ticket is now above 40 quid (plus booking fee), and that is before transport and food/drink. Even if you live locally and have basic pre match grub that will be over 60 quid for a day out minimum.

I am earning above average wage and have no dependents but if they keep increasing prices 10-15% every season even I will get to a stage to think about not renewing

I am just trying to think of myself about 14-15 years ago when first got my season ticket for about 260 quid. If I was in my early to mid 20's now I would struggle to buy one.

I read somewhere the average season ticket holder in the prem is 45. What about the future? The young guys who may decide to not bother and watch esports instead.

It is great on the pitch but what price is success? The new north stand will be a gleaming structure but will cost a fortune to get in.

I mean nobody wants to watch Lambert again but I remember getting tickets on the secondary website in the upper trinity for 12 to 14 quid regularly. That is not ancient history, ,less than 10 years ago! I know it is supply and demand but club needs to be careful not to price out the bedrock of our support.

The waiting list will be tested if they are thinking of charging similar prices for europa conference 6pm Thursday kick off matches. Stevenage for example we had 10,000 empty seats on a weekend kick off even after it was  free take up for season ticket holders.

It's worth noting that the majority of the waiting list joined over 2 seasons ago when the prices were reasonable.

It will be interesting to see how much further they can push it, as I imagine the tipping point for most existing ST holders will be similar to those on the waiting list, possibly even higher due to the connection they'll have with their seat.

Maybe you get one season out of someone that's been on the waiting list for 5 years, as a treat, before they too realise the cost isn't sustainable.

Atmosphere won't be helped by any of this. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by MrBlack

[The Fun Factory]

At the next fans' consultation, I hope the general feeling is conveyed back to them.

Sick of using supporter feedback to hike up prices, that is a load of rubbish.

For me the worst thing is charging over 40 quid for home fans to use the North Stand current aged facilities. 30 quid, maybe, but not up to 48 quid! It is practically double what the rate was a few years back.

I think we can accept that for years we didn't charge the current market 'rate' at Villa essentialy due to supply being greater than demand, but I am concerned at the really steep price hikes in the last 2 years.

Edited July 19, 2023 by The Fun Factory

[Davkaus]

4 hours ago, The Fun Factory said:

At the next fans' consultation, I hope the general feeling is conveyed back to them.

Sick of using supporter feedback to hike up prices, that is a load of rubbish.

For me the worst thing is charging over 40 quid for home fans to use the North Stand current aged facilities. 30 quid, maybe, but not up to 48 quid! It is practically double what the rate was a few years back.

I think we can accept that for years we didn't charge the current market 'rate' at Villa essentialy due to supply being greater than demand, but I am concerned at the really steep price hikes in the last 2 years.

Trouble is, as much as people might moan online (and by people, I mostly just mean me and @rodders0223 ), they'll care about one metric, does it affect sales? 

Time will tell, but the ST hike seems to have had little impact. Especially with the reduced capacity while the NS is rebuilt, I think they'll push and push until attendances fall.

My concern (other than not personally thinking I can justify attending anymore) is the long term impact on the next generations of fans, kids whose parents can't justify it, and younger adults who can't afford these rises, and we might price out some fans we never get back, but the owners' goal is clearly that we become successful enough that people who can't afford these prices can go and **** themselves

[ender4]

are the 1888 seats just normal seats with a bit of padding in the centre of Upper Trinity?

[OutByEaster?]

1 hour ago, ender4 said:

are the 1888 seats just normal seats with a bit of padding in the centre of Upper Trinity?

Yes - with a scarf.

 

[VillaChris]

Is the Holte Lounge package really having seats on the front row? I sat there by the Witton corner for a few games last season and it was classed as restricted view due to not being able to see one of the corner flags.

Unless it's just the centralised part of the stand.

[OutByEaster?]

33 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Is the Holte Lounge package really having seats on the front row? I sat there by the Witton corner for a few games last season and it was classed as restricted view due to not being able to see one of the corner flags.

Unless it's just the centralised part of the stand.

The Holte lounge package doesn't have a set block of seats - they'll sit in amongst the existing season ticket holders, spread  all over the Holte End.

[brommy]

35 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Is the Holte Lounge package really having seats on the front row? I sat there by the Witton corner for a few games last season and it was classed as restricted view due to not being able to see one of the corner flags.

Unless it's just the centralised part of the stand.

I think there's already a fairly high majority of the Holte Upper already taken as season tickets that would be occupying seats concentrated from the front centre but fanning out sideways and rearward in an arc. There's been no news of season ticket holders being asked to move to make a block of seats available.

As such, I still can't see how the Holte Lounge buyers, who are buying without an existing Holte Upper season ticket, can be sat together in a big block, unless it's on the left or right edges of the stand which are probably less populated with season ticket holders because it's a poorer view.

I have noted the image of a block of 1050 seats (21 rows of 50 seats) shown in the invitation emails, but can't help think this is a misrepresentation. I'm fascinated how this is going to work.