Saturdays Gate

[ARNU]

Its a mixture of pricing and crap performance.

2 of my party no longer come at all and another 2 of my pals used to have season tickets but have been only twice this season.One of those games was the £2.50 one that we naused up recently and the other was when they borrowed a couple of ST's of people who could not/didn't want to attend.They wont be coming back anytime soon.Actually got a text Saturday telling me how they were glad they didn't have to watch another home defeat.

[Daggers No 2 Fan]

East End Club West End Prices.

We certainly are not one of the cheapest D4E in fact I would say in an away supporters view we are one of the most expensive.

You know D4E my Son used to bring four mates regularly and up to 8 on an occasional basis. Last Season they were charge £6 this year it is £17, a eye watering 283% increase.

This Season only 2 out of that 8 have been to a couple of games. The decision to decrease the age band for Juniors was in my mind commercial madness, you priced out a element of a potential future fan base a element who are less able to afford it.

The rise to a tenner they would have suffered, but £6 to £17 was madness for what after all has been a very poor product over the past two seasons.

So there is 8 we have lost with £600 in revenue down the pan.

If they're gone from Junior to Adult prices that quickly, then I'm assuming they're between 16 and 18. In which, they are presumably still in education and as such would be students, and so would qualify for concession prices. Otherwise, if they're not in education and are earning, why shouldn't they pay full whack like the rest of us.

[dagger4eva]

Admission prices at Burton were £15 for an adult and £5 for a youngster. That seems about right to me. I think £27 for a lad and a Dad to stand in the sieve is quite a lot.

East End Club West End Prices.

We certainly are not one of the cheapest D4E in fact I would say in an away supporters view we are one of the most expensive.

You know D4E my Son used to bring four mates regularly and up to 8 on an occasional basis. Last Season they were charge £6 this year it is £17, a eye watering 283% increase.

This Season only 2 out of that 8 have been to a couple of games. The decision to decrease the age band for Juniors was in my mind commercial madness, you priced out a element of a potential future fan base a element who are less able to afford it.

The rise to a tenner they would have suffered, but £6 to £17 was madness for what after all has been a very poor product over the past two seasons.

So there is 8 we have lost with £600 in revenue down the pan.

We were discussing the prices for home tickets though, not away (which is seated only)

Although not many other clubs in the league can offer a terrace ticket, £17 for League 2 isnt terribly expensive, when you are considering I know of Ryman League south clubs which charge around the £10 mark.

Is pretty sad to hear of all these people no longer attending games.

Anyway, in case you have all missed it the club are holding a fans forum in the next few days which will enable anyone to ask the manager, new chairman (you listening Arnu) and Tomo any question you so wish.

[ARNU]

DaggerNo2fan.You're basically saying "if you don't like it don't come".You have your wish already mate.Thats whats happening,people don't like it whether it be the pricing or the football and they aint coming are they ? If nobody attempts to address these 2 problems it will carry on.To me and you the price may well be peanuts or it may be that we feel we are/aren't getting our moneys worth.If you've got little or no disposable income,which Id suggest most 16/17 year olds have you aren't gonna like the price surely.

[NickMurphy]

I think the changing of the age bands has discouraged a few from buying where they may have done before. Whether it's right or wrong or not is another matter, but it's near enough fact. Although having said that, I think it had more of an impact on season ticket sales rather than on a match by match basis - although some students or 16-18 year old's might see £12 as a bit much to watch L2 Football.

The fact advance tickets are the same as on the day doesn't help either, wasn't this to do with "bringing it into line with new Football League regulations"? Something which I don't quite understand given that I've seen other clubs using the old pricing model.

When is the fans forum by the way? Haven't seen it advertised and I reckon a fair few might head along this year compared with other years.

[admin]

Ok then genius, I'll put this question to you. What would make new fans want to support Dagenham rather than support the likes of Orient, Southend, Wimbledon, West Ham etc.? What makes supporting our club more attractive than supporting one of our rivals?

Pretty much nothing. Support for football clubs isn't direct competition, it's driven by other things, including emotional attachment.
People will tend to support either:
1) their local team
2) a team they have some sort of link to (e.g. through family supporting the club)
3) a team that is successful

Now, let's look at those in turn. Most of the locals aren't really locals any more, so don't care. The links will reduce as more and more people move away.

The team isn't really successful. It's had some good moments over the 20ish years it's been around. It hasn't had the time that the other clubs you mention have had to build up support.
It wouldn't matter what any other club offered, I wouldn't stop supporting my team to go and support them. It works exactly the same the other way.

I mostly can relate to that if I'm honest. Obviously very few people would start changing teams and if they do there not proper football supporters. What I think the club should be looking at is attracting younger fans. One example of where the club don't do themselves any favours is the start of this season. We all know about the whole business with West Ham and the Olympic stadium and from there the smaller clubs need to attempt to do something to help there own club. Leyton Orient offer 1000 free season tickets for people 18 or younger. We put up our season ticket prices and ditch our 18 category of tickets so there have to pay a lot more. See what I mean

[matt_drfc]

East End Club West End Prices.

We certainly are not one of the cheapest D4E in fact I would say in an away supporters view we are one of the most expensive.

You know D4E my Son used to bring four mates regularly and up to 8 on an occasional basis. Last Season they were charge £6 this year it is £17, a eye watering 283% increase.

This Season only 2 out of that 8 have been to a couple of games. The decision to decrease the age band for Juniors was in my mind commercial madness, you priced out a element of a potential future fan base a element who are less able to afford it.

The rise to a tenner they would have suffered, but £6 to £17 was madness for what after all has been a very poor product over the past two seasons.

So there is 8 we have lost with £600 in revenue down the pan.

If they're gone from Junior to Adult prices that quickly, then I'm assuming they're between 16 and 18. In which, they are presumably still in education and as such would be students, and so would qualify for concession prices. Otherwise, if they're not in education and are earning, why shouldn't they pay full whack like the rest of us.

Yeah you're right. But last season I'd pay £6, now I've finished my education and I'm looking for a job, I can't afford to pay £17. Thankfully my grandad comes, and he pays for me as he can afford it. I'm very lucky in that aspect. But people who are in education and qualify for concessions will pay £12 which is double last seasons amount, still quite a bit.

[Daggers No 2 Fan]

DaggerNo2fan.You're basically saying "if you don't like it don't come".You have your wish already mate.Thats whats happening,people don't like it whether it be the pricing or the football and they aint coming are they ? If nobody attempts to address these 2 problems it will carry on.To me and you the price may well be peanuts or it may be that we feel we are/aren't getting our moneys worth.If you've got little or no disposable income,which Id suggest most 16/17 year olds have you aren't gonna like the price surely.

Nope, absolutely no idea why you've mentioned me here, I've said absolutely nothing like that.

You're point about disposable income is an interesting one though. If someone has little disposable income then maybe they aren't someone that the club should be trying too hard to get in. Football is after all a luxury.

[Daggers No 2 Fan]

East End Club West End Prices.

We certainly are not one of the cheapest D4E in fact I would say in an away supporters view we are one of the most expensive.

You know D4E my Son used to bring four mates regularly and up to 8 on an occasional basis. Last Season they were charge £6 this year it is £17, a eye watering 283% increase.

This Season only 2 out of that 8 have been to a couple of games. The decision to decrease the age band for Juniors was in my mind commercial madness, you priced out a element of a potential future fan base a element who are less able to afford it.

The rise to a tenner they would have suffered, but £6 to £17 was madness for what after all has been a very poor product over the past two seasons.

So there is 8 we have lost with £600 in revenue down the pan.

If they're gone from Junior to Adult prices that quickly, then I'm assuming they're between 16 and 18. In which, they are presumably still in education and as such would be students, and so would qualify for concession prices. Otherwise, if they're not in education and are earning, why shouldn't they pay full whack like the rest of us.

Yeah you're right. But last season I'd pay £6, now I've finished my education and I'm looking for a job, I can't afford to pay £17. Thankfully my grandad comes, and he pays for me as he can afford it. I'm very lucky in that aspect. But people who are in education and qualify for concessions will pay £12 which is double last seasons amount, still quite a bit.

But that's how life works. Everyone hits a point where stuff has to be paid for that someone else used to pay for. Prices for loads of things go up when you stop being a child. It might suck, but that's how life works.
If we set the prices low for juniors to attract them, then there will always be a big jump when someone stops being a junior.

The club could drop prices. But for each £1 it drops from the price, it's got to get around 100 extra people through the gate for every game. If someone struggles to find £17 then they're probably going to struggle to find £16 or £15 or £14.

[Richie]

Ok then genius, I'll put this question to you. What would make new fans want to support Dagenham rather than support the likes of Orient, Southend, Wimbledon, West Ham etc.? What makes supporting our club more attractive than supporting one of our rivals?

Pretty much nothing. Support for football clubs isn't direct competition, it's driven by other things, including emotional attachment.
People will tend to support either:
1) their local team
2) a team they have some sort of link to (e.g. through family supporting the club)
3) a team that is successful

Now, let's look at those in turn. Most of the locals aren't really locals any more, so don't care. The links will reduce as more and more people move away.

The team isn't really successful. It's had some good moments over the 20ish years it's been around. It hasn't had the time that the other clubs you mention have had to build up support.
It wouldn't matter what any other club offered, I wouldn't stop supporting my team to go and support them. It works exactly the same the other way.

I mostly can relate to that if I'm honest. Obviously very few people would start changing teams and if they do there not proper football supporters. What I think the club should be looking at is attracting younger fans. One example of where the club don't do themselves any favours is the start of this season. We all know about the whole business with West Ham and the Olympic stadium and from there the smaller clubs need to attempt to do something to help there own club. Leyton Orient offer 1000 free season tickets for people 18 or younger. We put up our season ticket prices and ditch our 18 category of tickets so there have to pay a lot more. See what I mean

But Orient have an owner who can right off a big loss on season tickets. We don't.

[DagenHammer87]

What gets me is how shit we play every time there's a camera on us, or every time we let people in for 2.50 and play like a Sunday league team that doesn't make the day out worthwhile. Football tends to ruin the fine days out nowadays no matter what club you follow.

A few points to consider , even if I don't have the answers:

1) What promotion does the club make in the romford area etc? I live in hornchurch and it's non existent
2) why aren't we promoting in EVERY Essex newspaper? Surely the people who have escaped narm must be a void of people that don't come back.
3) you have to consider if the admission fees are value for money? Forget what so and so up the road are doing, what is right for us?
4) Make every week kids for a quid maybe
5) categorise home games and reflect the prices accordingly. Cash in on the big support clubs coming down - Southend etc. they come in the sieve once their allocation has sold out - why not cash in on big crowds?
6) I've said it before, if you're not a fan that's read the fixture list, you go past the ground on match day and aside from the scarfers walking up to the ground - the passing trade has absolutely no idea that we're at home.

This next one is controversial, but if you don't like it - write it down and stick the paper up your Terry 'Arris!

7) consider reduced rates into the family stand for people on certain benefits. It'd be a start and might attract people in.

Forget your snobbery, there are some decent people on benefits and they might have friends, family and kids to bring in. It's all numbers.

8) get a proper mascot - I'm sorry the dog has to go. Get the kids involved with a free to join junior daggers scheme with one free match ticket in each membership. You could even do a loyalty stamp card - come to 5 games and you and a friend get in for free next week. The kids are the next generation of daggers - get them hooked before we lose them to everyone else locally.

9. Introduce a singing section in the same way that they have in Europe. Bring your drums, trumpets, them
Awful vuvuzelas etc. you never forget a great atmosphere and we have lost that. Somewhere in the sieve would do fine and it would make people want to come back. The atmosphere is so flat that for the floating trade - like me who can't commit every week - it's depressing. Shit football, shit crowd on that one week a month you go and it doesn't draw you back in

[SUSSEX DAGGER]

With reference to my earlier post and subsequent debate.

Take your point No2 about the Concessions but it still doubled and yes the Lads are in full time education.

The other poster who says about there being a time in Life when we all have to pay I also acknowledge. The only thing I would say there is that employment law still allows Employers to pay below the minimum wage for youngsters labour so not all things in life are equal as the ideal world you live in.

Off the top of my head D4E Burton, Rochdale, Plymouth, Oxford, Morecambe, Scunthorpe ,Northampton, Hartlepool even that shower down the Road gave me a seat but still charge less then the Daggers for the same facilities.

When we have stood at Accrington York and Wimbledon again it was cheaper then the same cost at the Daggers. So we are a long way from being the cheapest .

Anyhow going back to my point that is why we have lost 6 youngsters and what ever way you chose to slice it that was 6 extra People who help make an atmosphere and brought money into the Club. The other 2 now work on a Saturday, I dare say a number of potential fans have to and a Sunday game every now and then may be a way of attracting them. After all the potential audience on a Sunday has to be bigger for that reason alone.

[ARNU]

Whats D4E ?

[matt_drfc]

Whats D4E ?

Dagger4eva I believe

[ARNU]

Yeah that makes sense. All this text speak