Bubbles wrote:

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Surely this will impact on next seasons money,if as you suggest we spend it this season then fail to get promotion.Has nothing been learnt over the last couple of seasons,about living within your means.

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Agreed - Promotion Push or BTB won't affect next season - this will.

I don't want to sound like a doom and gloom merchant (probably too late for that!) but I would have thought there should be some kind of adjustment made depending on which league we are in. A quick bit of maths:

BSS: 21 + (lets say, 3 friendlies), so 24 games at £12 entry fee = £288. An £88 discount, entirely fair if you intend to go to every game and are willing to stump up your cash early.

BSP: 23 + 3 = 26 x £15 (the minimum for that league) = £390.

Whilst a £190 discount is massively appealing to us as fans, surely it is, frankly, ridiculous and unsustainable for the club? The type of supporter who will buy a season ticket will probably be there come rain, wind or shine and whilst they deserve an appropriate discount for their constant support, 190 quid is a tad OTT...

-- Edited by Ashford Wing on Friday 15th of February 2013 03:35:35 PM

How about category of games...

IF we stay in this league for example.. CAT A / CAT B Cat A Being the top half clubs we predict who we should have decent crowds for, CAT B for teams who we think will not compete and who dont bring many fans.
All you need is a sign at the turnstiles saying CAT A and CAT B ... todays game CAT A etc.

 

If we go up then you could have £16 and £15 CAT A / CAT B

Ebbsfleet £13
Chelmsford £13
Dover £13
Bromley £13

Plus FA Trophy and FA Cup

Maidenhead £9
Basingstoke £9
Weston super Mare £9

Plus County Cups

Would the £9s see bigger gates than the 400 or so that would come to see us play a lower half team on a Tuesday as they are under a tenner?

The main problem we have is that where as Dartford can usually get 50%+ capacity we usually can't even get 20%.

Our main challenge is to increase attendances. Unlike Dartford who have Princes Park stuck in the middle of nowhere and accessible by a single decker bus that only runs once every 30 minutes, we're in the middle of a huge and densely populated catchment area, with good transport links.
Yet for some reason we can only muster in the region of 500 fans compared to Dartford's 2000.

As has already been mentioned on here, many people don't even know Welling exist, and those that do our deterred by the ticket prices which aren't much cheaper than Charlton's.

The club have done their bit by listening and lowering season ticket prices (temporarily).
We've now got to do our bit by spreading the word and ACTIVELY promoting the club via leafleting and social networking.

Unfortunately I won't be able to make the WUSA meeting tomorrow but I'm hoping someone will ask for volunteers for leafleting.

Although leaflets cost money, social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter are free, and we need to make the most of these. I'm hoping more people will be using these as the promotion push continues. Hundreds of people view and use this forum, yet only a handful promote the club via Facebook and twitter. All you have to do is click a button. If for example a hundred people shared the Early Bird ticket article on the main website, we'd have sent the equivalent of 1000s of interactive leaflets. This publicity is priceless and works very effectively when used in conjunction with the paper leaflets.

Let's start by sharing the season ticket article, then hopefully at the WUSA meeting we can set about walking the streets and leafleting front doors.

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/wellingutd/news/early-bird-season-ticket-offer-861028.html

As Welling United becomes more of a household name, attendances will increase, and with that commercial revenue will too.

-- Edited by WingsTillIDie on Friday 15th of February 2013 08:37:07 PM

Surely this will impact on next seasons money,if as you suggest we spend it this season then fail to get promotion.Has nothing been learnt over the last couple of seasons,about living within your means.

Has anyone questioned the financial benefit of going up then ?? I cant see that they have ...

People were assuming that the early bird will lose us money. Such as the £10.2k figure above.

If we go up, yes the early bird tickets will be incredibly cheap but we will almost definitely have more season ticket holders, and higher gates. Plus as previously stated the higher commercial revenue will plug any gap. One example is that we can charge substantially more for advertising if we regularly have 1000+ gates, as opposed to their being no early-bird offer and there being less than 1000+ gates because nobody can afford the post-promotion season ticket.

IF we stay down, the money generated from the early season ticket sales will dramatically improve our financial situation. The position we're currently in should mean we have more season ticket sales than last season.

As for people saying those that buy season tickets will come rain or shine, unfortunately that is no longer the case due to the current economic conditions. The reduction in gates despite our performances reflect this. Hopefully the early bird offer will provide supporters with a limited budget with a way of following the team without breaking the bank.

As for my quote "As for those that question the benefits of going up..." that wasn't directed at any individual. It was pre-emptive statement aimed at anyone who MIGHT question the financial benefits of going up, as some people believe it more financially beneficial to be in the BSS than BSP.
Either way, I can't excuse mentioning Dirtford, which I apologise for profusely.

How could we possibly spend it all? Even if we brought in one loan signing for say £1500 that would be just over 7 Terraced season tickets, and that's excluding the money those season ticket holders will spend on Food, drink, programmes and merchandise.

It's simple sales psychology that more people will be buying season tickets whilst we're at the top of the league as opposed to the same offer being done if we were mid-table. The increased revenue from the season ticket sales resulting from our current position should give us a much larger budget than last season even if a small fraction was spent on a loan signing or two.

JgFc wrote:

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How about category of games...

IF we stay in this league for example.. CAT A / CAT B Cat A Being the top half clubs we predict who we should have decent crowds for, CAT B for teams who we think will not compete and who dont bring many fans.
All you need is a sign at the turnstiles saying CAT A and CAT B ... todays game CAT A etc.

 

If we go up then you could have £16 and £15 CAT A / CAT B

Ebbsfleet £13
Chelmsford £13
Dover £13
Bromley £13

Plus FA Trophy and FA Cup

Maidenhead £9
Basingstoke £9
Weston super Mare £9

Plus County Cups

Would the £9s see bigger gates than the 400 or so that would come to see us play a lower half team on a Tuesday as they are under a tenner?

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Interesting. There are a million and one laws regarding price discrimination - I've no idea whether this would contravene any of them? I don't think the away fans having to pay the CAT A prices would be too thrilled though  

 

Can't see the harm in trying it till the end of the season then (if it could be implemented in time, WUSA are meeting tomorrow after all...), as we have a lot of Saturday/Tuesday fixtures lined up now

JgFc wrote:

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Why rush it? Formulate the strategy in the close season then get it out there to the masses from pre season onwards if we come up with an idea. One off or rushed things are hit or miss. Im not sure given the games postponed and gaps between home games we can take too many risks as we may be trying to catch up financially for a few games.

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 I suspect we are - hence the Early Bird ticket we find ourselves discussing!

Promotion would attract extra people paying on the day, so would make up for current Wings' fans getting a good deal. Also, sponsorship revenue will increase, as will away support. (Many of the ex league teams have decent London fan bases and there are also nearer teams like Ebbsfleet, Dartford, Cambridge).

ColinP wrote:

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Promotion would attract extra people paying on the day, so would make up for current Wings' fans getting a good deal. Also, sponsorship revenue will increase, as will away support. (Many of the ex league teams have decent London fan bases and there are also nearer teams like Ebbsfleet, Dartford, Cambridge).

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 Thank you Colin. My thoughts exactly.

I think it's worth pointing out to people the benefits of getting an Executive Lounge Season ticket. As this isn't stated on the website or season ticket form.

My understanding is you get

• Use of the executive lounge before and after the game, as well as at half-time
• Decent seat in the main stand
• Finger buffet
• Free filter coffee
• Cash bar (so you won't have the queues you get in The Wing's bar).
• Free programme.

At £370 that is a bargain, as even if we stay down it works out at only £16 a game (plus admission to home pre-season friendlies), which considering you normally pay £12 to stand on the terrace, you're getting all the extras for just £4!!!

My girlfriend enjoyed the game yesterday. Might just have to buy us a pair. Certainly works out cheaper than taking her to a restaurant... 

If someone can clarify the benefits listed above it would be much appreciated.

Cheques made payable to welling united fc?

No Cheques still payable to Welling United FC

Yes if you speak to Barrie that can be arranged