I thought when i first saw the plans of the expansion of the covered end, I would of liked it to be more like the Kop at Liverpool. one level stand all the way up. seem to make the crowd look and sound more impressive. Not sure if that would of helped with acoustics but i just think it looks better than having two tiers.
Maybe this could be brought up for the next supporters meeting. Demolishing the covered end and re-building it as a one tier stand. made out of a material that bounces sound outwards.
The club is distancing itself from it's fanbase (lack of comms), not interested in ticket pricing initiatives etc, and has allowed many years of accumulated knowledge to leave the set-up (Airman Brown et al).
That's why we have 15000 home supporters for a local derby, shut our own fans inside a police cordon, and don't care that we will have less than 10k ST holders next year.
Meanwhile, on the pitch (if you can call it that) we are in a relegation battle after getting 100+ points in L1 last year.
Put all this together and it's starting to look a worry.
can you blame them with all the negative publicity, policing, ticketing restrictions, etc let alone the playing form at home and the atrocious pitch
Nope, not at all. I've opted out of Millwall matches a little while back as they are just not worth the effort & money for me to get up there, knowing we are going to lose and that the atmosphere and travel arrangements will be primarily dictated by the living brain donors from Bermondsey ably supported by our own finest. No fun at all but I'll be back for the Leeds game.
Charge a flat rate of £15 for adults, £5 under 16's to sit anywhere in the ground and I am sure that would make attending the games a lot more affordable to the masses and increase the average attendance in the process.
Clubs in the German top tier charge around €20 to watch matches there. Cheaper than most Championship clubs. If they can make it work financially then I am pretty sure it can in the second division of the English leagues. Might even pull in a few more floating fans based in the South East with more attractive ticket prices.
The more home fans you can get at games the louder it is going to be. Simple!
This obviously won't happen as the English game is poisoned with greedy boards/owners/players looking to fleece the general paying public!
At most clubs the most vocal section of the ground is that section immediately behind the goal. The North Lower should be one of the most vocal sections of the ground, instead large parts of it are empty (despite the section behind being more occupied) and as a consequence quiet. The fact that it is not more occupied and noisy is largely due to pricing.
Match day pricing in the North Lower should be identical too the North Upper prices. The match day price in the North Lower should not be the same as the most expensive seat in the ground. The match day price in the North Lower would also appear to be falsely high when season ticket prices are compared. The cost of a season ticket in the North Lower is the cheapest ticket in the ground for one adult buying one ticket. This pricing structure I believe commenced under the previous management regime. It's purpose, in my opinion, is to allow the club to overcharge (relative to prices of tickets in other stands) away fans for their tickets, by saying tickets cost the same in the North Lower.
When I watch Charlton away I don't expect to be overcharged, nor should fans visiting the Valley be overcharged.
It's time for Charlton to correct, what I believe to be, an error of judgment in terms of pricing. Match day pricing in the North Lower and South should be amended. Crowd numbers and atmosphere in the North Lower would improve. I also believe the atmosphere in the gound as a whole would also improve, due to the proximity of this stand to both the pitch and the other stands.
I think you'll find that we have to charge the same for equivalent seats for home and away fans. By making the North Lower expensive we can charge away fans the same. Of course if we put home fans in the South stand this could be solved, then we could give the away fans the two or three blocks on the South side of the West stand or East stand. However, this would cost money and I don't think it will be done based on the number of times the club has gone to the trouble to explain why they haven't done it already!
Thank you for your enlightening post.
Do you think a ticket for a seat in the South Stand is comparable to one in the West Stand (when you consider facilities and view), and should be priced the same?
I agree that the club do not appear likely to move away fans to a different stand (whether I agree with the club's reasons is another matter).
I think the rules cover the view, although I don't know for sure. Thus the West lower would have to be the same as the East. I think the ticket prices in the corners of the East and West are comparable with the current prices for the South stand. Where we would come unstuck is when we want to charge £40 for a ticket for a big game. We would have to charge all of the East and West the same price if we put the away fans in there.
However, I think it is the cost of providing segregated entrance and exits that would be the most expensive barrier to changing it all around.
Comments
Maybe this could be brought up for the next supporters meeting. Demolishing the covered end and re-building it as a one tier stand. made out of a material that bounces sound outwards.
That's why we have 15000 home supporters for a local derby, shut our own fans inside a police cordon, and don't care that we will have less than 10k ST holders next year.
Meanwhile, on the pitch (if you can call it that) we are in a relegation battle after getting 100+ points in L1 last year.
Put all this together and it's starting to look a worry.
Clubs in the German top tier charge around €20 to watch matches there. Cheaper than most Championship clubs. If they can make it work financially then I am pretty sure it can in the second division of the English leagues. Might even pull in a few more floating fans based in the South East with more attractive ticket prices.
The more home fans you can get at games the louder it is going to be. Simple!
This obviously won't happen as the English game is poisoned with greedy boards/owners/players looking to fleece the general paying public!
However, I think it is the cost of providing segregated entrance and exits that would be the most expensive barrier to changing it all around.
Make the East Stand the Family Stand again rather than the NEQ.
Make the season ticket prices for the North Lower the cheapest in the ground for Adults.
Of course the ideal solution would be safe standing but that will probably never happen.