Aston Villa vs Cost of Living

[villarule123]

It's a weird one for me, I will try and keep my season ticket at all costs but I don't think I'd go to any single game for £40+ if I didn't have one. 

[tomav84]

8 minutes ago, delboy54 said:

Maybe ST holders should get a discount in the shop to make up for losing the Holte Suite and the disaster that is the "corporate" terrace view. 

pretty sure we did once upon a time?

[gwi1890]

7 hours ago, nick76 said:

Yep I only the shirt when it goes on sale in the new year, very much into my wearing retro villa tops in the first half of the season to games because the shirt prices are silly now. I don’t buy new training gear anymore either. 

I’ve been taking this approach for 20 years

[blunther]

This season I kept the ST (after a lot of deliberation), but am missing the Everton game. Bought the reasonably priced European games, and will probably go to any other matches as it's a novelty.

Next season I'll save myself a grand+ and spend more Saturdays with my kid - year on year price rises are noticeable, but mostly just feel like I'm not wanted anymore. Be sad to lose it as it's a great seat. Maybe I'll start going again when we're shit again, I'm not cut out for following a 'successful' club (if you class finishing 7th once as success).

It'd be nice to bow out with a trophy, it's been a while.

[Milfner]

I buy my season ticket & that's it. Never buy a shirt or any other merch. I used to have a pint at HT and a few after the game in the Holte Suite but that's not happening any more. Apart from an emergency pie if I'm starving they'll be getting nothing else out of me. 

[Mark Albrighton]

This scene keeps springing to mind. 

 

[rjw63]

I stopped going to games when Lamebert was still in charge.

Can't say I've missed the matchday experience much, parking three miles away, always **** raining, and the rest of your day being decided on the result, mood-wise.

Financially I've saved a fortune as I used to get two season tickets. I've been spending money on the club since 1976.

I could actually afford a day out for me and the wife in the "Lower Grounds", and she may actually talk me into it at some point.

But personally I don't think it's good VFM.

Could spend that dougn on LPs!

[avfc1982am]

I just don't spend as much at the ground or on merchandising these days, cup tickets etc for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the kids have grown up so can now purchase their own merch which they're not interested in anyway. Secondly, although I can afford the ST and all the other stuff, I refuse to piss money up the wall, especially on things that I feel are unnecessary. My ST and catching up with pals at the game over maybe a pint without stripping my wallet is more than enough. 

 

[cheltenham_villa]

renewed my ST as i still think its ok value and i just love the day out with my 13 year old lad. I didnt take the Everton game but did take the european package. Oddly if i didnt have my ST, i doubt i would go to as many games.

I still spend money around the ground on drinks and food and the clubshop costs me more than i would like it to.

Overall i feel like i get decent value. 

[turvontour]

I said to my son if we are renewing this season, we cant buy much if anything in the ground, and we have to park further away for free. I was spending the best part of £150 a season to park at the game. Plus what could be an extra 10 games in the cup this season, it's been a necessary cost to cut.

The other thing I'll really use is the selling back your ticket thing if I cant go. Without that option i wouldnt have a ST, as generally miss 6 or 7 games a season due to other commitments. 

[Villatillidie95]

1 hour ago, Mark Albrighton said:

This scene keeps springing to mind. 

 

I just saw the 30th anniversary in the cinema the other day and this post resonated with me and how the non hospitality fan is viewed at VP now!

[Vive_La_Villa]

I get it’s great to be back in Europe and it’s what we all wanted but I decided against spending £30 to watch us play the team currently 9th in the Bosnian Premier league on a Thursday night. 
 

Not going to bother with Villa v Everton second string either. 

[It's Your Round]

I don’t go anywhere near as much these days. I moved to Doncaster 15 years ago which is one of the reasons but in that time I’ve still had periods where I’ve been 7 or 8 times a season. There have been times where I’ve not been able to afford or justify the costs of attending, the tickets, fuel, food etc.. all add up, and football has not always been a priority for me. Particularly in the Lambert days. 

I’m in a much more comfortable position now I’m 43, but I still have other things I want to do with my time. I can afford the increased ticket prices but more often than not I weigh up the travel, the full day out and the added cost of paying for my missus and daughter to come when they want to, and it’s easy to decide to stay at home and watch on TV.

That said, I do miss being at Villa Park, and should make more of an effort to see us live while we’re actually good! I’ve just bought a ticket for Brighton at home, £68 though, that’s double what I last paid and a good indicator of how much things are increasing. I won’t be spending any money while I’m there, I’m not waiting half an hour for a pint, the food is terrible, and I only buy the shirts I like when they’re in the sale nowadays. 
 

[It's Your Round]

I suppose one positive of the extra games and increases is that with less people willing/able to fork out for them. More tickets are available on general sale, which is good for the likes of me. 

[YLN]

I have always thought football shirts were too expensive and have only ever gotten them as a gift. I certainly couldn't justify the expense of it now. It would be 40x the price of my other tshirts and twice the price of my coats 

As for travelling over for matches from Ireland, it was a rarity in the past five years anyway and since Covid and Brexit, that itch has been well and truly soothed. I've started attending more League of Ireland matches with Galway Utd and I'm an Ireland season ticket holder now so I still get that big stadium experience, but now it's walking distance from my apartment.

I would like to go to a game, but it would be as part of a holiday where I'd do other things. At the moment going over for just a game and back again would be an extravagance I couldn't justify.

[Talldarkandransome]

I used to be a season ticket holder as a teenager and through some adulthood. I stopped when I had a child, it was just over £500 for upper holte when I stopped. 

He decided this year he wanted to go to Villa games so I got two memberships, so far he's loved it and so have I. 

I've had to scrap a few other things I used to do but it's been worth it for purely personal reasons. I chose Europe over Everton solely based on cost and I'm missing Brighton as he has a Dodgeball tournament. I'm planning on going to as many home games as possible this season and I'm prepared to make sacrifices for that but I'm already at my upper limit of available cash, I guess I'm lucky then.

I won't roll over and be rogered though

[Oaks]

I gave up my season ticket last season i could sort of see what was coming and it clashed we be buying a new property and my job changing. I went to 9 home games last season as compared to 13 the season before. Im less likely to go to games on sky. I dont seem to be able to buy a holte end ticket now, which makes me less likely to attend games as the experience is vastly different. Im quite disillusioned  with the club off the pitch tbh.

[AvfcRigo82]

12 hours ago, jackbauer24 said:

I'm interested in whether your financial approach to Villa has changed in light of the ongoing cost of living crisis?

With season tickets, and tickets in general, shooting up in price, match day costs up, merchandising costs up and cup game tickets seemingly at inflated prices - have you begun to re-evaluate any spending you normally have with Villa, be that a season ticket holder or watching the football on TV and buying the occasional bit of merchandise?

I feel the gap between Villa fans expectations/ financial health and the approach of the board towards raising income hasn't been this wide in a very long time. But is it grumbling fans or is there a real change - Carabao Cup ticket sales may suggest fans are struggling to absorb costs so easily.

I think our recent and near level of successful aggresive progression has came a little early perhaps or at the wrong financial time, maybe a combination of both.

Are fans not ready for it nor expecting it all to happen so soon? The cost of living has came at the wrong time for the club and fans through no fault of either and it is preventing people enjoying the success as much as they could/should be I suspect.

On average, the regular fan/season ticket holder won't go to the club shop on every match or always buy merchandise etc. Alot of fans also now wait to get the shirts at the end the season due to affordability factors when launched nor justify spending £120 on the pro shirt when they 5hink it's meh to begin with.

It does make sense the club are trying to expand into other areas to drum up revenue and I guess they are covering all bases, so when one area is down, other places are still generating for the club.

Rather than solely relying on just the club shop and merchandise, it's now complimented by match day experiences, bars, and lounges etc etc.

But to do all of it regularly, as a season ticket holder or whatever before you factor in any children, is becoming an successful but expensive obsession.

It's a huge transition of change that's taking place and developing right now across the club. Stadium redevelopments, bars and experiences, calibre of players arriving etc. and I'm sure the club and fans will both adapt to the way and how we plan to do things eventually once all has materialised and settled down.

Fame and glory and competing at the top level in this day and age comes at a price, sadly, it might not be felt as much and seem so bad for most if there wasn't the current cost of living taking place.     Typical!

 

[alreadyexists]

I haven’t had a season ticket for a very long time. So these days I’ve just gone 3-4 times a year, sometimes a bit more or a bit less. Since having kids that’s greatly reduced the amount of free time I have so I probably go a bit less now, but it isn’t really money that is the limiting factor as when I do have a rare opportunity I’m still happy to spend money on tickets, etc., but the chances are just less common now. 

[ChicagoVillan1983]

If we think we have it bad on merch...

Went to the Bernabeu and had to get a shirt while I was there (AVFC 82 on the back of it, obviously).

200 euros (including the letters)...

Was also in Germany earlier in the year and went to see Bayern. Much more reasonable there - only 100 euros. You can tell Bayern is fan owned!

However, usually I just get a new Villa shirt each year with my favorite player of the season once they've gone on sale.