The Lower Grounds Matchday experience

[sidcow]

Have we worked out if this is actually a success or the disaster everyone was hoping it would be? 

[DJBOB]

If only there was an adjacent space to watch the matches before or after. The Live matches even.

What an idea that would have been.

[M_Afro]

2 hours ago, PieFacE said:

As mentioned previously, went to the Lower Grounds for the Forest game and thought it was decent. Would definitely go again. Seeing as I only go a couple of times a year, it would be worth the money. 

Pretty enjoyable experience tbh. 

I also went. Took my 9 year old. We both loved it to be fair. We will definitely do it again. We met Alan Evans, Tony Morley, Nathan Baker and Terry Donovan. All lovely guys. Terry in particular spent a lot of time talking to us and was really interested in my boys u9’s team. He was really encouraging and just a lovely bloke.

I’m sure it’s a day we will both remember for a long time. We had good seats in the upper trinity.

[imavillan]

7 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Have we worked out if this is actually a success or the disaster everyone was hoping it would be? 

not sure everyone was hoping this would be a disaster!!!

As a fan who can't get to many games and struggles to get tickets, when i used it for the Luton game it was a huge success for me.

I'd happily use it again and for me, for the odd game or two it's great value.

It's just what the club needs to help increase revenue and just what fans like me need to get to see a game at VP.

[sidcow]

22 minutes ago, imavillan said:

not sure everyone was hoping this would be a disaster!!!

Well not everyone but read back and you'll find plenty. 

[imavillan]

5 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Well not everyone but read back and you'll find plenty. 

equally there's plenty that give it the thumbs up.

 

[MrBlack]

I think the issue is just that it took the holtr suite service away from the holte enders, after they'd already paid for their season tickets and been told it was being refurbished for them.

As a standalone offering it was a good idea to give fans without a booking history an option to attend the odd game, and for people wanting to splurge a bit for a special occasion to upgrade their experience.

But the season ticket holders in the holte have still been shafted. I guess the success on the pitch has helped mask that problem.

[T-Dog]

The issue is that we used to use it before a game, spending a lot of money in there, some of us drinking, some not, some eating, some not - To pay EXTRA for something that was (maybe wrongly) assumed to be part of holding a ST 'privilege' feels completely wrong. It had it's flaws, but it was a much better option than any of the other local places. I also can't help but think they must be losing money? We could be 10 strong and struggle to get to the bar, assuming half were drinking and half weren't, that was £40-60 round a time, and we'd be there for 2/3 hours, and that's before paying for food and that too. From what I've seen, I'm assuming the capacity is smaller now? 

[nepal_villan]

The Padded Seat  -  social media account that do tours of sports hospitality offerings visited the Lower Grounds in a recent video.  Seems pretty attractive based on the video.

[OutByEaster?]

It's a nice facility in that it provides a good experience on a matchday for those that use it - it's a nice place to go pre and post match - nothing wrong with that.

It's upset people who have lost something and not been compensated by an improvement elsewhere and you could say it hasn't been a success due to how many of the spaces are given away for free each week in there, by some accounts, there are a lot.

Neither of those things take away form it being a great place for Villa fans to gather pre and post match, or for it's ability (alongside the Terrace View) to provide those prepared to spend a lot of money on a one off getting access to games (which you can see as a good or bad thing).

For me, it has problems in the way that it is being sold (or not sold in this case) and therefore the impact it has on revenues versus the unhappiness it caused, that prevent it being declared a proper success.

The club could fix this next season by finding a better way to sell and use the space.

[PieFacE]

19 hours ago, romavillan said:

 Where did you sit in the end?

Upper Trinity. Decent seats too

[The Fun Factory]

2 hours ago, T-Dog said:

The issue is that we used to use it before a game, spending a lot of money in there, some of us drinking, some not, some eating, some not - To pay EXTRA for something that was (maybe wrongly) assumed to be part of holding a ST 'privilege' feels completely wrong. It had it's flaws, but it was a much better option than any of the other local places. I also can't help but think they must be losing money? We could be 10 strong and struggle to get to the bar, assuming half were drinking and half weren't, that was £40-60 round a time, and we'd be there for 2/3 hours, and that's before paying for food and that too. From what I've seen, I'm assuming the capacity is smaller now? 

This times ten. I think most supporters realise the direction of travel of the match day experience with cheese rooms imminent, but as you said taking away something free with your season ticket with basically no replacement plus the dreadful communication in the summer was a poor show by Villa.

[MapleVilla]

So am I right in thinking it's one big open bar sort of area for before and after the match? Not somewhere you'd sit during the game?

[OutByEaster?]

8 hours ago, MapleVilla said:

So am I right in thinking it's one big open bar sort of area for before and after the match? Not somewhere you'd sit during the game?

Correct. It's closed during the game itself.

[Zatman]

15 hours ago, nepal_villan said:

The Padded Seat  -  social media account that do tours of sports hospitality offerings visited the Lower Grounds in a recent video.  Seems pretty attractive based on the video.

First time seeing it and that actually looks good and if including hotel price its a snip

I have seen him go to London teams and pay double for a similar service. He went to one of big clubs recently either Liverpool or Chelsea and were serving up poorer food choices 

[nepal_villan]

3 hours ago, Zatman said:

First time seeing it and that actually looks good and if including hotel price its a snip

I have seen him go to London teams and pay double for a similar service. He went to one of big clubs recently either Liverpool or Chelsea and were serving up poorer food choices 

Can’t speak to hospitality but the normal food at the Emirates was pretty awful when I was there in December.  They had a wide selection but everything was quite poor. For example the pizza was soggy and gourmet sausage was bland.
 

Feel American stadiums/arenas do food much better. 
 

 

[alreadyexists]

This is showing up as £110 for the Ajax game… but it is a Thursday night so wouldn’t be able to make the most of the beer unless I book the Monday off work.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kingman]

On 29/02/2024 at 15:30, OutByEaster? said:

The club could fix this next season by finding a better way to sell and use the space.

IMO it Needs another venue, Waste of space and revenue if not utilising the front or upstairs spaces. 

For the amount of people on the benches in the backrroom they might as well use The Holte pub or a hall opposite at Aston Halll or even erect a temporary marquee type structure on the car park. 

I would be interested to see the end of day takings comparison with full capacity Holte Suite paying customers V's circa 30% capacity All Inc customers 

 

Edited March 1 by Kingman

[cheltenham_villa]

10 hours ago, Kingman said:

IMO it Needs another venue, Waste of space and revenue if not utilising the front or upstairs spaces. 

For the amount of people on the benches in the backrroom they might as well use The Holte pub or a hall opposite at Aston Halll or even erect a temporary marquee type structure on the car park. 

I would be interested to see the end of day takings comparison with full capacity Holte Suite paying customers V's circa 30% capacity All Inc customers 

 

I think you can safely say it's making more money else the club would have done something different. 

People seem torn of Heck but one thing I think we can all agree on is that he will make difficult decisions quickly in his pursuit of increasing revenue without regard for fan opinion. 

[thunderball]

Looks great, I’m taking my daughter for the Spurs game. 

I am down the M5 in South Wales, but would love to go much more often if it was an easier proposition: parking, access and egress, catering and secondary entertainment, I would happily spend a day in a captive environment and family members who are fans too would absolutely suck it up. That totals a big spend, but instead the club gets next to nothing from me as a non ST holder. I am not alone in this so it just underlines there is a market for a premium spend above ST, pie and pint.