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Wanderers have offered an olive branch to Sheffield United fans looking to back their team on the opening day of the season at the Macron Stadium.
The club has altered their plan to prioritise the sale of top-tier tickets worth £30 for the August 6 League One curtain-raiser.
Instead, 1,100 seats in the lower tier will be made available on Monday morning priced at £28 – £1 cheaper than the highest-band prices at Bramall Lane. If they are sold out, the top-tier tickets will then be sold at £30.
The Blades requested an allocation of 3,000 for what has been deemed a category A game between two sides boasting new managers in Phil Parkinson and Chris Wilder.
It is the first time a new boss has been unveiled on the first home game of the season in 21 years at Bolton, the previous occasion being the joint management team of Roy McFarland and Colin Todd in 1995.
Season ticket prices were reduced by 10 per cent at the Macron in April, and sales have been strong despite relegation.
But the recent announcement of individual match prices for home fans has not been met with universal approval. For category A games, fans will be charged £30 – the joint-fourth highest amount in League One according to available figures.
Millwall also charge £30, while Scunthorpe United (£31), MK Dons (£32) and Charlton Athletic (£37) prove more expensive.
The club argue the number of category A games are likely to be low this season, with Sheffield United’s visit picked out before the fixtures were released as one only “two or three” likely to fit the bill. That is has arrived on the opening day has put Wanderers in a difficult position in what is a high-profile game.
Depending on the club’s circumstances this season, Boxing Day and the final game of the season are the only games currently being considered for the top band prices, while local derbies against Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Co are not likely to be category A.
Last season Wanderers introduced a category D band, which reduced prices to £15 across the board. Those tickets – in both the home and away categories – are the cheapest available in League One, according to the data available.
There is a school of thought, however, that dropping prices so drastically does not necessarily guarantee a big crowd.
Category D was first used for the home game against Nottingham Forest last August, in what was Dougie Freedman’s first return to the club. Surprisingly, the crowd of 16,410 was only the seventh-highest of the campaign and seen as somewhat of a disappointment.
The issue of ticket prices has come significantly to the fore in recent years, however, thanks to campaigns like the Football Supporters’ Federation’s “Twenty’s Plenty”.
Others, most notably Parkinson’s former club Bradford City, have experienced great success with outlandish ticket offers.
The Bantams offer a flat season ticket for £149, £99 for under-16s and also a flexi-ticket for £50 after which fans are charged £10 a game.
Crowds at Valley Parade have improved from an average of 10,322 in 2013 to 18,090 last season. But despite its obvious success with numbers – very few teams have followed suit because of concerns over the business model.
At Wanderers the majority of games in League One will be category B or C, which brings the average price of an individual match ticket down to around £24. But the club have pledged that ticket promotions will be launched throughout the season to enable fans to buy games in smaller bundles.
Reducing prices too drastically would affect the value of season tickets – something Wanderers are keen to avoid – but the club has pledged pricing will be reviewed thoroughly next summer to reflect its circumstances.
Premier League away tickets are capped at £30 this season, which has not reflected well on those lower down the pyramid such as Wanderers.
The club argue their pricing reflects the position of the business and that top-flight clubs have been able to pass on saving because of huge increases in TV and sponsorship revenue this season. There has also been a £1m TV bonus for Championship clubs this term – which means relegation has hit Wanderers in the pocket somewhere between £5-6million.
Source
The club has altered their plan to prioritise the sale of top-tier tickets worth £30 for the August 6 League One curtain-raiser.
Instead, 1,100 seats in the lower tier will be made available on Monday morning priced at £28 – £1 cheaper than the highest-band prices at Bramall Lane. If they are sold out, the top-tier tickets will then be sold at £30.
The Blades requested an allocation of 3,000 for what has been deemed a category A game between two sides boasting new managers in Phil Parkinson and Chris Wilder.
It is the first time a new boss has been unveiled on the first home game of the season in 21 years at Bolton, the previous occasion being the joint management team of Roy McFarland and Colin Todd in 1995.
Season ticket prices were reduced by 10 per cent at the Macron in April, and sales have been strong despite relegation.
But the recent announcement of individual match prices for home fans has not been met with universal approval. For category A games, fans will be charged £30 – the joint-fourth highest amount in League One according to available figures.
Millwall also charge £30, while Scunthorpe United (£31), MK Dons (£32) and Charlton Athletic (£37) prove more expensive.
The club argue the number of category A games are likely to be low this season, with Sheffield United’s visit picked out before the fixtures were released as one only “two or three” likely to fit the bill. That is has arrived on the opening day has put Wanderers in a difficult position in what is a high-profile game.
Depending on the club’s circumstances this season, Boxing Day and the final game of the season are the only games currently being considered for the top band prices, while local derbies against Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Co are not likely to be category A.
Last season Wanderers introduced a category D band, which reduced prices to £15 across the board. Those tickets – in both the home and away categories – are the cheapest available in League One, according to the data available.
There is a school of thought, however, that dropping prices so drastically does not necessarily guarantee a big crowd.
Category D was first used for the home game against Nottingham Forest last August, in what was Dougie Freedman’s first return to the club. Surprisingly, the crowd of 16,410 was only the seventh-highest of the campaign and seen as somewhat of a disappointment.
The issue of ticket prices has come significantly to the fore in recent years, however, thanks to campaigns like the Football Supporters’ Federation’s “Twenty’s Plenty”.
Others, most notably Parkinson’s former club Bradford City, have experienced great success with outlandish ticket offers.
The Bantams offer a flat season ticket for £149, £99 for under-16s and also a flexi-ticket for £50 after which fans are charged £10 a game.
Crowds at Valley Parade have improved from an average of 10,322 in 2013 to 18,090 last season. But despite its obvious success with numbers – very few teams have followed suit because of concerns over the business model.
At Wanderers the majority of games in League One will be category B or C, which brings the average price of an individual match ticket down to around £24. But the club have pledged that ticket promotions will be launched throughout the season to enable fans to buy games in smaller bundles.
Reducing prices too drastically would affect the value of season tickets – something Wanderers are keen to avoid – but the club has pledged pricing will be reviewed thoroughly next summer to reflect its circumstances.
Premier League away tickets are capped at £30 this season, which has not reflected well on those lower down the pyramid such as Wanderers.
The club argue their pricing reflects the position of the business and that top-flight clubs have been able to pass on saving because of huge increases in TV and sponsorship revenue this season. There has also been a £1m TV bonus for Championship clubs this term – which means relegation has hit Wanderers in the pocket somewhere between £5-6million.
Source
