Here We Go Again - Doug King's Latest Pricing Shambles (7 Viewers)

ccfc1234

Well-Known Member
These pricing changes are still rumoured - we'll know for sure tomorrow. But if he's about to scrap the young adult tickets entirely when prices drop tomorrow we're looking at 16-year-old kids - still at school, still living with mum and dad - being asked to cough up nearly £40 for a Category A home game! Forty quid. For a teenager to watch championship football is laughable.

This pattern of misjudgements is becoming embarrassing now and King's had more U-turns on ticket pricing than a learner driver in a cul-de-sac. Every single time, he gets it wrong, fans go mental, and then he has to backtrack with his tail between his legs. It's like watching someone repeatedly walk into the same glass door, and seemingly the bloke just still doesn't get it. He clearly doesn't understand the community/family mindset of football in 2025 or what young fans and families can afford. Either that, or he simply doesn't care - and I'm not sure which is worse.

We know and accept football clubs need money. We're not stupid. But asking a 16-year-old to pay adult prices is mental amd will offend adults on behalf of kids! Granted some will be working Saturday jobs for relative pocket money, but that will in of itself stop them getting to games.

Often when the game is less than inspiring they are the ones helping to create the noise in the ground - and yes, before anyone jumps down my throat, I know it's not just them, but they're a part of what makes our home atmosphere so good.

These are the supporters who should be hooked for life by now. Instead, King wants to price them out before they've even got their first proper job.

He is not new to this now and by now should have realised running a football club isn't like running whatever business he ran before. You can't just look at a spreadsheet and think "right, let's squeeze a bit more out of this lot." Football fans aren't customers - they're the heartbeat of the club. Treat them like cash machines and eventually their credit will run out.

Hope Doug is having a think tonight before green lighting the ticketing team!!

*Disclaimer have have no kids anywhere near the ages effected by introduction of such a policy.
 

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rob9872

Well-Known Member
Realise this is pure speculation so far, but the double whammy on this that he'd care even less about is if away tickets have reciprocal repercussions. That would probably piss me off more than a hike in season tickets.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
How about we all stop the fooooking knee jerk reaction until some actual facts are published & react to that, rather than the rumour BS that gets spouted about.

Can you have a word with this fella, coming out with all sorts of speculation on the transfer thread. He should wait until some actual facts to are published

I’d say Ueda is out of reach playing for Feyenoord & them being place in CL spot.

Sano maybe more realistic based on MVE transfer to us. Whilst we love to speculate why not try a cheeky bundle for Sano & Koki Ogawa 😂
 

HuckerbysQuiff

Well-Known Member
Can you have a word with this fella, coming out with all sorts of speculation on the transfer thread. He should wait until some actual facts to are published

Congrats on finding something to do with transfers which are highly topical & lighthearted rather than something that hit us in the pocket directly 😂 and before you come back at this, I realise we play our part in funding transfers. 👌🏻
 

Sky Blue Goblin

Well-Known Member
Before we shit on a decision where we aren’t 100% sure it’s even being made (not a dig).

Let’s just wait and see what the decision is. If it’s shit I have no doubt the club will see and rectify or at the very least front it
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Before we shit on a decision where we aren’t 100% sure it’s even being made (not a dig).

Let’s just wait and see what the decision is. If it’s shit I have no doubt the club will see and rectify or at the very least front it

To be fair, my one major criticism of our pricing under King has been kids tickets and I've said I'd gladly pay more to subsidise them so I'm not jumping on the bandwagon and I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is.
 

Sky Blue Goblin

Well-Known Member
To be fair, my one major criticism of our pricing under King has been kids tickets and I've said I'd gladly pay more to subsidise them so I'm not jumping on the bandwagon and I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is.
Not saying you are mate, just seems a bit chaotic when the rumour while coming from Saddle hasn’t been confirmed as 100% from his source.

I do agree that the kid pricing is high and should be addressed (although wonder if the family zone could be further increased).
 

ccfc1234

Well-Known Member
Bring back kids for a quid to sell out and lose to Accrington Stanley again
Your right there is nothing in between the two pricing systems. Also was the conversation not about young adult prices? Look at the real terms cost of living for this age group, what sociaitial enjoyments they have post covid isolation. Football is huge for them and the "tuff, that's life sometimes" type comment's above show how little empathy some people have and what a community asset a football club can be.

Let's see tomorrow when I genuinely hope my post can be consigned to history as alarmist and wide of the mark
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
If you locked into the PL package, you were a smart person.

The FZ stuff does get blown out of proportion at times, an adult ST being £350 for 2 ST is an absolute bargain and given that it’s been fixed for 2 seasons, a price increase is to be expected.
 

bigfatronssba

Well-Known Member
These pricing changes are still rumoured - we'll know for sure tomorrow. But if he's about to scrap the young adult tickets entirely when prices drop tomorrow we're looking at 16-year-old kids - still at school, still living with mum and dad - being asked to cough up nearly £40 for a Category A home game! Forty quid. For a teenager to watch championship football is laughable.

This pattern of misjudgements is becoming embarrassing now and King's had more U-turns on ticket pricing than a learner driver in a cul-de-sac. Every single time, he gets it wrong, fans go mental, and then he has to backtrack with his tail between his legs. It's like watching someone repeatedly walk into the same glass door, and seemingly the bloke just still doesn't get it. He clearly doesn't understand the community/family mindset of football in 2025 or what young fans and families can afford. Either that, or he simply doesn't care - and I'm not sure which is worse.

We know and accept football clubs need money. We're not stupid. But asking a 16-year-old to pay adult prices is mental amd will offend adults on behalf of kids! Granted some will be working Saturday jobs for relative pocket money, but that will in of itself stop them getting to games.

Often when the game is less than inspiring they are the ones helping to create the noise in the ground - and yes, before anyone jumps down my throat, I know it's not just them, but they're a part of what makes our home atmosphere so good.

These are the supporters who should be hooked for life by now. Instead, King wants to price them out before they've even got their first proper job.

He is not new to this now and by now should have realised running a football club isn't like running whatever business he ran before. You can't just look at a spreadsheet and think "right, let's squeeze a bit more out of this lot." Football fans aren't customers - they're the heartbeat of the club. Treat them like cash machines and eventually their credit will run out.

Hope Doug is having a think tonight before green lighting the ticketing team!!

*Disclaimer have have no kids anywhere near the ages effected by introduction of such a policy.

We're getting the biggest crowds in our history at this level.

Its fair to say that Doug King knows more about pricing correctly than you
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
Remember last time there was a crackdown on kids prices, a lot of adults had to start paying the price they should have been paying in the first place.
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
And didnt that eradicated that problem?

But fans want to stand still when it comes to pricing.. Wait until we get back in the Premier League, they will have a shock..

And that Premier League package was sold as ambition and a gamble for the fans and the owner. But some fans seem to have interpreted it as a promise.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
But fans want to stand still when it comes to pricing.. Wait until we get back in the Premier League, they will have a shock..

And that Premier League package was sold as ambition and a gamble for the fans and the owner. But some fans seem to have interpreted it as a promise.

I dont think fans do want to stand still.
I just think many of us think child prices are too high.

I also think we should be cultivating future support. It won't always be as good as it has been of late, the wider the young fanbase now the better in the future.
I appreciate what happens in 10 or 15 years isn't Kings concern.
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
I dont think fans do want to stand still.
I just think many of us think child prices are too high.

I also think we should be cultivating future support. It won't always be as good as it has been of late, the wider the young fanbase now the better in the future.
I appreciate what happens in 10 or 15 years isn't Kings concern.

I think the club are improving the fan experience. I think they do a lot for kids. Let's be honest success and a good team engages kids. A free ticket to watch a crap team doesn't engage them at all.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I think the club are improving the fan experience. I think they do a lot for kids. Let's be honest success and a good team engages kids. A free ticket to watch a crap team doesn't engage them at all.
Ultimately if you price families out of bringing kids doesnt matter what entertainment you have in place
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I might be looking at £1000 plus tomorrow if rumours are true , for me , a 13 and 16 year old

That would be deeply disappointing

Im yet to add on the 250 plus for the CBS parking too

Obviously somebody will come along and tell me how amazingly great value it is and cheap etc
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
I think the club are improving the fan experience. I think they do a lot for kids. Let's be honest success and a good team engages kids. A free ticket to watch a crap team doesn't engage them at all.

We won't always have it as good as we do now.
My worry is how much will support drop away.

I dont think bearing that in mind when thinking about growing the young fan base is a bad thing. And I'm saying that as a fan, I can see why King isn't thinking about what happens in 10 or 15 years time.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
I might be looking at £1000 plus tomorrow if rumours are true , for me , a 13 and 16 year old

That would be deeply disappointing

Im yet to add on the 250 plus for the CBS parking too

Obviously somebody will come along and tell me how amazingly great value it is and cheap etc

What did that lot cost you this season if you don't mind me asking?
 

quinn1971

Well-Known Member
We won't always have it as good as we do now.
My worry is how much will support drop away.

I dont think bearing that in mind when thinking about growing the young fan base is a bad thing. And I'm saying that as a fan, I can see why King isn't thinking about what happens in 10 or 15 years time.
cant see how it can drop away, we’re getting closer all the time, if we were to get promoted in the next couple of seasons we’ll be sold out every game, we’ll appreciate it more next time, we’re getting great crowds in the championship and we’d prob need a bigger ground 😉
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
Ultimately if you price families out of bringing kids doesnt matter what entertainment you have in place

I went to London yesterday by train, a Tuesday.. It was packed full of Liverpool fans of all ages. Think about that one, Liverpool weren't playing, the train was going North to South. But following the bank holiday weekend Liverpool celebrated their league title win. I'm sure lots of Liverpool fans are priced out. I know long standing Liverpool fans who can't get tickets. All those fans coming back down south aren't season ticket holders.

What it illustrates though is the power of consumer demand. It doesn't matter what team it is, doing well attendances go up, doing poor and attendances go down.

The brutal truth is successful football teams care little about kids when there is a queue of adults waiting to pay more for that seat.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I went to London yesterday by train, a Tuesday.. It was packed full of Liverpool fans of all ages. Think about that one, Liverpool weren't playing, the train was going North to South. But following the bank holiday weekend Liverpool celebrated their league title win. I'm sure lots of Liverpool fans are priced out. I know long standing Liverpool fans who can't get tickets. All those fans coming back down south aren't season ticket holders.

What it illustrates though is the power of consumer demand. It doesn't matter what team it is, doing well attendances go up, doing poor and attendances go down.

The brutal truth is successful football teams care little about kids when there is a queue of adults waiting to pay more for that seat.
Im not sure that extreme pricing due to high demand is a good thing .. its still shit
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
cant see how it can drop away, we’re getting closer all the time, if we were to get promoted in the next couple of seasons we’ll be sold out every game, we’ll appreciate it more next time, we’re getting great crowds in the championship and we’d prob need a bigger ground 😉

A club like ours isn't going to stay on a never-ending upward trajectory.
 

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