Definitely 3rd season...still waiting for my invite to the boardroom though.
;-)
Got an invite last season for Sheff Utd game. Think he got it free and I had to pay £50. Worth checking out once. Decent food, proper beer and you meet all the board and SCP.
Definitely 3rd season...still waiting for my invite to the boardroom though.
;-)
Think of the money you saved!
You don't want me to pay for you then G??? ;-)
Must admit, I thought the deal with the invite was with a guest...and we're still waiting for the promised "recompense" for season ticket prices subsequently going down. They can take it out of that. ;-)
Must admit, I thought the deal with the invite was with a guest...and we're still waiting for the promised "recompense" for season ticket prices subsequently going down. They can take it out of that. ;-)
You're right about the deal. Was my brother, dad and me so one of us had to pay £50, other was a guest. Didn't know about the "recompense". When did they say that?
Ah ok, cheers Rufus. My memory isn't as bad as I remembered then!! ;-)
When we reduced season ticket prices in the 2nd season of the deal, the 5 year ticket-holders were £50 worse off (for North Upper) and again this season. Mr Slater made the commitment that 5 yr holders would not be at a loss over the period of the deal.
In all honesty, I paid the money in the knowledge that I'd be going anyway & it was helping my team.
Ah ok, cheers Rufus. My memory isn't as bad as I remembered then!! ;-)
When we reduced season ticket prices in the 2nd season of the deal, the 5 year ticket-holders were £50 worse off (for North Upper) and again this season. Mr Slater made the commitment that 5 yr holders would not be at a loss over the period of the deal.
In all honesty, I paid the money in the knowledge that I'd be going anyway & it was helping my team.
Good to know. So, in a couple of years when we've been taken over, I'll make sure he gets that money back.
I have one and I am also waiting for my boardroom invite. I wrote to Stephen Kavanagh, the then chief executive, suggesting that as we have paid more than than the year to year purchasers that it would be a nice gesture if the club offered a few free tickets from time as it would swell attendances and add to revenue (programmes,drinks etc) my suggestion was politely declined.Another piece of poor PR I am afraid, the club should show some appeciation to those that paid a large chunk of money in advance
Ah ok, cheers Rufus. My memory isn't as bad as I remembered then!! ;-)
When we reduced season ticket prices in the 2nd season of the deal, the 5 year ticket-holders were £50 worse off (for North Upper) and again this season. Mr Slater made the commitment that 5 yr holders would not be at a loss over the period of the deal.
In all honesty, I paid the money in the knowledge that I'd be going anyway & it was helping my team.
Good to know. So, in a couple of years when we've been taken over, I'll make sure he gets that money back.
Enjoy the boardroom!
Or they'll simply raise season ticket prices by £100+ over the next 2 seasons of the deal. That only works though if the club are promoted. I don't think a rise of that size would be palatable or good business if not.
I have one and I am also waiting for my boardroom invite. I wrote to Stephen Kavanagh, the then chief executive, suggesting that as we have paid more than than the year to year purchasers that it would be a nice gesture if the club offered a few free tickets from time as it would swell attendances and add to revenue (programmes,drinks etc) my suggestion was politely declined.Another piece of poor PR I am afraid, the club should show some appeciation to those that paid a large chunk of money in advance
Especially when issuing free tickets: a) doesn't cost the club anything b) might encourage you to bring a potential new fan along c) is already done by the club for school kids (e.g. Udders 3,000 comps) d) will make you feel special
I paid £1450 for my 5 yr S/T. North Upper. If I'd bought anually, so far, it would have cost £290, £240 & £240. So unless the prices go up to 2x£340, which will equate to £1450 I will be worse off :-(
This was raised at the Target 40k meetings. The promise, IIRC, was that VIPs wouldn't lose out financially although there is an argument, IMHO, that they took the gamble and it may or may not come off. Also how watertight that "promise" was would be hard to judge.
Craig Parrett, the elected VIP representative was on the T40k committee and would be the person to raise any issues or suggestions with craig_cafc_vip@yahoo.co.uk
Although I'm not sure who he could then take them to. Martin Prothero and Steve Bradshaw don't share their email addresses with the fans and the fans forum has stopped without any word from the Club.
Previously all the senior staff had their emails listed in the programme (not any more) or these issues could be raised at Fans Forum or Target 40k meetings. Or even supporter club Q & As.
Martin Prothero declined an invite to Bromley Addicks via an intermediary while Steve Bradshaw is still to respond to the invite he was sent. Of course, they are not obligated to come to such events but it does seem odd to ignore a group of customers who are willing to pay for a product five years in advance or just any group of fans who might want to help the Club.
This season's promised VIP Q + A with the Chairman was postponed and now seems to have been forgotten. It was one of the terms of the VIP scheme that VIPs would have an annual meeting with the Chairman and it happened in the first couple of seasons.
Henry - I agree it was a gamble. But at the time that we did this, the gamble was probably more about whether we would have a club in 5 years, not whether we would gain financially.
I bought the 10 year ticket when we came back and the subsequent 4 year one as well (5 year launched in the 9th year of the initial one), so I think I have done OK, but so have the club in getting a significant injection of cash during a close season from those able to participate.
As I said before, I don't think price rises to the level to make this equitable would be palatable for all those buying annually and I wouldn't want to see that. If the Chairman was to keep his word, I wouldn't have any issue with any plan running past the 5th year - perhaps a heavily discounted ticket in year 6.
Just to say I've got a 5 yr ticket in the East, and it's definitely in its third year. My invitation to the boardroom came for the home game against Huddersfield game last season. A truly memorable night, with good grub, wonderful anecdotes from host Brian Kinsey, a cracking game & result, we sat behind Patrick Stewart during the game and met Curbs and Keith Peacock after the game. Well worth the upfront investment just for that night!
Can anyone remember when the Five Year Season Tickets were issued? My dad's got one and he wants to know when it expires.
Rang the ticket office and they didn't know
Cheers
Anything that might require a bit of thought is way beyond them.
It's a bit of a shambles that someone can ring up & be allowed to put the phone down without an answer like that.
Whilst I agree they should have known, the comment about them "Anything that might require a bit of thought is way beyond them." is unfair, they work bloody hard and are under a lot of pressure with all the redundancies since the prem days. I have always found them polite, eager to help and effective including trying to save me money. Seems anything these days that the club do that is not 100% right is met with total and unfair derision, maybe some on here should work in the work environment that Airman Brown has described.
Can anyone remember when the Five Year Season Tickets were issued? My dad's got one and he wants to know when it expires.
Rang the ticket office and they didn't know
Cheers
Anything that might require a bit of thought is way beyond them.
It's a bit of a shambles that someone can ring up & be allowed to put the phone down without an answer like that.
Whilst I agree they should have known, the comment about them "Anything that might require a bit of thought is way beyond them." is unfair, they work bloody hard and are under a lot of pressure with all the redundancies since the prem days. I have always found them polite, eager to help and effective including trying to save me money. Seems anything these days that the club do that is not 100% right is met with total and unfair derision, maybe some on here should work in the work environment that Airman Brown has described.
Agreed...always been excellent and tried their best to help any time I've dealt with them.
There are several more senior staff in the commercial centre who would know when the five-year ST started and of course such an enquiry should have been referred on or an offer should have been made to call the enquirer back. It's a mistake that didn't happen, but without knowing the circumstances it's a bit harsh to make general criticisms of junior staff. I doubt if most on here in employment would do their job including six day weeks and evenings for what they are paid. Most (in fact all) of them are excellent with supporters most of the time. The staffing level is better now than in recent years because I managed to create extra posts over the last 18 months to relieve the pressure a bit.
In terms of value, the commitment that Steve Kavanagh gave was that VIPs would be no worse off over the five years. I'd be very surprised if that wasn't the case simply because of price rises that will be introduced in years four and five.
Giving free tickets to existing supporters who already come doesn't make much sense from the club's point of view, although I accept It is bound to happen to an extent through the comps that go out generally. Almost invariably what the VIPs requested were cup tickets, understandably, but these have a cost to the club because it has to pay the share of the notional revenue to the opposition, the competition pool and the VAT man.
On Henry's point about the senior figures not being available, I can't entirely blame Steve Bradshaw as he hasn't been there long, won't know the answers and it isn't clear externally what the scope of his authority is. When they announce their commercial appointment, for example, it seems he won't be in charge of that area. He could easily become a fall guy.
On the other hand Prothero and Slater won't have any detailed understanding of the "customer experience", but it is directors who need to be held to account. Prothero is paid a huge salary to lead the business on a day to day business, so he should be pressured to appear and speak publicly for it. On the basis of the last five months, I'd say good luck with that.
For those of you who've been invited to the directors' area, how long a notice in advance did you get of the invite? It's just because five of us haven't had the opportunity yet... Thanks.
Rick - thanks for the post. I take your point about being no worse off, but to do that would mean a £100 rise for most in each of season 4 and 5 for annual season ticket holders. I think we would be hard pushed to justify a 41% increase, even if we reached the Prem, in the current climate and I wouldn't want to see that happen.
If they do want to stick to the commitment then perhaps it just needs a re-think about when any equalisation takes place.
"Giving free tickets to existing supporters who already come doesn't make much sense from the club's point of view"
Not sure I agree with this at all. If you give current supporters / attendees an extra ticket they will give it to someone else who could then become a potential new customer. I can't really see how this differes much to football for a fiver, I can't imagine many of the peope who go to those games have no connection with the club or any anyone already going and decide to and simply turn up? Surely most either stopped going or know someone who goes regularily and are new themselves. We then want to encourage them to continue and this is what the spare ticket would also do. Surely this is in fact better than comps which just go out to random people who are never likely to return? Football is a social thing and most do it because they have friends who do and they meet up with them.
Rick - thanks for the post. I take your point about being no worse off, but to do that would mean a £100 rise for most in each of season 4 and 5 for annual season ticket holders. I think we would be hard pushed to justify a 41% increase, even if we reached the Prem, in the current climate and I wouldn't want to see that happen.
If they do want to stick to the commitment then perhaps it just needs a re-think about when any equalisation takes place.
It wouldn't. It would mean a single £50 increase on the current adult prices (on pre-deadline rates) in seasons four and five, because the "correct" price was charged in the first season and prices were cut by £50 (mostly) for seasons two and three. In my opinion, that is nailed on. That was always my plan but I think the risk is that they will go beyond it, because the current directors have limited understanding of the CAFC fan base. I agree that a £100 increase in one hit would be likely to be counter-productive.
For those of you who've been invited to the directors' area, how long a notice in advance did you get of the invite? It's just because five of us haven't had the opportunity yet... Thanks.
My recollection is that I was notified a month or so before the game and was given the choice to postpone the event if it didn't suit me. Tickets and boardroom passes followed about two weeks before the game.
"Giving free tickets to existing supporters who already come doesn't make much sense from the club's point of view"
Not sure I agree with this at all. If you give current supporters / attendees an extra ticket they will give it to someone else who could then become a potential new customer. I can't really see how this differes much to football for a fiver, I can't imagine many of the peope who go to those games have no connection with the club or any anyone already going and decide to and simply turn up? Surely most either stopped going or know someone who goes regularily and are new themselves. We then want to encourage them to continue and this is what the spare ticket would also do. Surely this is in fact better than comps which just go out to random people who are never likely to return? Football is a social thing and most do it because they have friends who do and they meet up with them.
That depends on the assumption that current supporters would a) see a free ticket for someone else as a bonus to them and b) would give it someone else who does not currently attend. If that could be guaranteed then I'd agree with you, but in practice neither is necessarily true. That's why we went for the halfway house which is reduced prices for guests of STs, which means there is ticket revenue to mitigate the loss from people trading down.
As far as the bulk comps and Football for a Fiver are concerned, there is plenty of evidence that they bring in people who have never considered going before. I agree that most do not become regular supporters but some will and even those that don't usually spend money while they are there. In any case, Football for a Fiver stacks up in its own terms, as I've said before. Even if no one extra ever came back the club is still better off financially on the day as long as it's a near sell-out.;
Comments
It's a bit of a shambles that someone can ring up & be allowed to put the phone down without an answer like that.
So that would mean they offered it at the beginning of our second season in League One. Makes sense
;-)
Must admit, I thought the deal with the invite was with a guest...and we're still waiting for the promised "recompense" for season ticket prices subsequently going down. They can take it out of that. ;-)
When we reduced season ticket prices in the 2nd season of the deal, the 5 year ticket-holders were £50 worse off (for North Upper) and again this season. Mr Slater made the commitment that 5 yr holders would not be at a loss over the period of the deal.
In all honesty, I paid the money in the knowledge that I'd be going anyway & it was helping my team.
Enjoy the boardroom!
Enjoy the boardroom!
Or they'll simply raise season ticket prices by £100+ over the next 2 seasons of the deal. That only works though if the club are promoted. I don't think a rise of that size would be palatable or good business if not.
Cheers, Tel
a) doesn't cost the club anything
b) might encourage you to bring a potential new fan along
c) is already done by the club for school kids (e.g. Udders 3,000 comps)
d) will make you feel special
Maybe time for another letter!
If I'd bought anually, so far, it would have cost £290, £240 & £240.
So unless the prices go up to 2x£340, which will equate to £1450 I will be worse off :-(
Craig Parrett, the elected VIP representative was on the T40k committee and would be the person to raise any issues or suggestions with craig_cafc_vip@yahoo.co.uk
Although I'm not sure who he could then take them to. Martin Prothero and Steve Bradshaw don't share their email addresses with the fans and the fans forum has stopped without any word from the Club.
Previously all the senior staff had their emails listed in the programme (not any more) or these issues could be raised at Fans Forum or Target 40k meetings. Or even supporter club Q & As.
Martin Prothero declined an invite to Bromley Addicks via an intermediary while Steve Bradshaw is still to respond to the invite he was sent. Of course, they are not obligated to come to such events but it does seem odd to ignore a group of customers who are willing to pay for a product five years in advance or just any group of fans who might want to help the Club.
This season's promised VIP Q + A with the Chairman was postponed and now seems to have been forgotten. It was one of the terms of the VIP scheme that VIPs would have an annual meeting with the Chairman and it happened in the first couple of seasons.
I bought the 10 year ticket when we came back and the subsequent 4 year one as well (5 year launched in the 9th year of the initial one), so I think I have done OK, but so have the club in getting a significant injection of cash during a close season from those able to participate.
As I said before, I don't think price rises to the level to make this equitable would be palatable for all those buying annually and I wouldn't want to see that. If the Chairman was to keep his word, I wouldn't have any issue with any plan running past the 5th year - perhaps a heavily discounted ticket in year 6.
Whatever, I'll be there
In terms of value, the commitment that Steve Kavanagh gave was that VIPs would be no worse off over the five years. I'd be very surprised if that wasn't the case simply because of price rises that will be introduced in years four and five.
Giving free tickets to existing supporters who already come doesn't make much sense from the club's point of view, although I accept It is bound to happen to an extent through the comps that go out generally. Almost invariably what the VIPs requested were cup tickets, understandably, but these have a cost to the club because it has to pay the share of the notional revenue to the opposition, the competition pool and the VAT man.
On Henry's point about the senior figures not being available, I can't entirely blame Steve Bradshaw as he hasn't been there long, won't know the answers and it isn't clear externally what the scope of his authority is. When they announce their commercial appointment, for example, it seems he won't be in charge of that area. He could easily become a fall guy.
On the other hand Prothero and Slater won't have any detailed understanding of the "customer experience", but it is directors who need to be held to account. Prothero is paid a huge salary to lead the business on a day to day business, so he should be pressured to appear and speak publicly for it. On the basis of the last five months, I'd say good luck with that.
If they do want to stick to the commitment then perhaps it just needs a re-think about when any equalisation takes place.
Not sure I agree with this at all. If you give current supporters / attendees an extra ticket they will give it to someone else who could then become a potential new customer. I can't really see how this differes much to football for a fiver, I can't imagine many of the peope who go to those games have no connection with the club or any anyone already going and decide to and simply turn up? Surely most either stopped going or know someone who goes regularily and are new themselves. We then want to encourage them to continue and this is what the spare ticket would also do.
Surely this is in fact better than comps which just go out to random people who are never likely to return? Football is a social thing and most do it because they have friends who do and they meet up with them.
As far as the bulk comps and Football for a Fiver are concerned, there is plenty of evidence that they bring in people who have never considered going before. I agree that most do not become regular supporters but some will and even those that don't usually spend money while they are there. In any case, Football for a Fiver stacks up in its own terms, as I've said before. Even if no one extra ever came back the club is still better off financially on the day as long as it's a near sell-out.;