Source: FOOTYMAD
Sheffield Wednesday season tickets reduced - Some might say it's not enough?
Gesture made to fans but is there any value? Sheffield Wednesday FC announced on Thursday 6th May that season ticket prices for the 2010/11 season would be reduced by figures up to £30 until the end of the month. Following the relegation of the club to League One this offer has been made as a gesture to the fans in order to try and replicate the levels of support achieved in the past season. Around 14,000 season tickets were sold for the 2009/10 campaign and during that season the club introduced a new initiative for the purchase of season tickets. For many a year the prices of season tickets were released towards the end of a season and the 1st deadline to benefit from the best renewal prices would come in mid-June. This time around the club released the prices for 2010/11 during the first half of the 2009/10 season and set an initial deadline for primary discounts in January. Understandably, as the club struggled in the league, uptake was slow for the tickets which at adult levels largely represented a price freeze. As a result the deadline was put back twice with April 9th being the final date to achieve the best price. Given the fact that the large majority of season tickets are traditionally purchased prior to the first deadline (regardless of when that may be, the most important aspect is the change in price) a total of just over 9,000 sold represents a significant drop compared with last season. Although some have been sold since that first cut off point it seems that the club have had to offer a reduction in order to try and boost sales ahead of the new campaign and those that have purchased since April 10th will be refunded the difference between what they paid and the new price. Despite this offer there is still a question mark for many with regards to whether the reduction is enough. The club chose to introduce season ticket deadlines during the season for the first time this season which must surely be classed as a mistake. Given that the threat of relegation hung over the club throughout the majority of the season fans can hardly be blamed for not paying up front. Staunch supporters may argue that the decision to turn up should not be based on which division the club is playing in but how can it be fair for the club to charge the same price (now more) for third division football as they would for second division matches? The standard of the playing squad is likely to decrease, the cost of player wages is also expected to go down so irrespective of the overall quality why should supporters be charged more than last season for this and without any doubt the standard of opposition as a whole is far inferior which as a result decreases the quality of the matches on offer. As an example, an adult season ticket on the Kop for the 2009/10 season bought as a renewal at any time up until the end of May 2009 would have cost £333 for second division football. At the same stage this year renewal deadlines for loyal long-time season ticket holders have long since passed and the price for 2010/11 to the end of the month for the same seat now stands at £360 for third division football, where is the value in that? By the same token there doesn't look like much value in this price compared with match day prices. As things stand there are four price categories for next season: A*, A, B and C. Looking at the teams in League One, if Leeds and or Huddersfield/Charlton get promoted as looks likely it is difficult to see how more than a couple of opponents in the division could be classed as A let alone A*. There is good cause counting for into double figures the number of teams that many supporters turning up on a game-by-game basis would class as category C and by this account it is fair to state that the cost of turning up for 20+ games on an individual basis should not be in excess of £400 anyway. If less than 8 of the games are classed as category C and more than 3 or 4 are classed as A or above it will be difficult to see a great uptake I match day sales for the majority of games at this level. Of course the categories are reflective of the level of opposition in League One and not English football as a whole but the prices are still reflective of Championship football and this has to be taken into account. Great strides have been made in improving facilities and relationships off the field but the bottom line for supporters is value for money on the field and with this in mind the decision to cut off renewals for long-time season ticket holders before the end of this particular season will prove to be a mistake that will be bore out by the attendances during the next campaign. The last time that the Owls were relegated to the third tier adult season ticket prices were reduced in the main and this helped to contribute to an average attendance at Hillsborough in 2003/04 of over 22,300 with the lowest home league crowd that campaign being 18,799. It is highly unlikely, unless Wednesday storm the league that these kinds of figures will be achieved and yet 2003/04 was one of the worst seasons in the club's history.
