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Sorry, I'm going to start a new thread so this isn't lost amongst the drivel on the season ticket prices thread.

Apparently the Mariners Trust board were consulted about season ticket prices. If that is true then they should all resign in shame.

The cost of the cheapest season ticket for 1 adult and 1 child at League Two clubs next season:-

£396 - Barnet (NB. Family discounts yet to be announced)
£375 - Grimsby Town
£370 - Plymouth
£354 - Exeter City
£350 - Cambridge United
£334 - Yeovil Town
£330 - Mansfield Town
£329 - Doncaster Rovers
£325 - Hartlepool United
£322 - Colchester United
£320 - Portsmouth (£300 for PST Shareholder)
£310 - Crawley Town
£310 - Luton Town
£310 - Notts County
£304 - Stevenage
£300 - AFC Wimbledon
£296 - Newport County
£280 - Crewe Alexandra
£273 - Carlisle United
£270 - Cheltenham Town
£262 - Wycombe Wanderers
£220 - Blackpool
£219 - Morecambe
£199 - Accrington Stanley
£199 - Leyton Orient

So currently we are 2nd. BUT Barnet have announced a family discount package after a backlash over their own price rises. So the likelihood is we are going to have the costliest season tickets for 1 adult & 1 child. So disappointing for a club which has improved it's PR so much over the past year or so.

These other clubs have had the FA money to help with expenses while we have not . Twenty pound after 6 years , if it assists us to bid for quality players to sign for us , I have no problem with that . This is new territory for our manager and some players so the less moaning the better .

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Sorry, I'm going to start a new thread so this isn't lost amongst the drivel on the season ticket prices thread.

Apparently the Mariners Trust board were consulted about season ticket prices. If that is true then they should all resign in shame.

The cost of the cheapest season ticket for 1 adult and 1 child at League Two clubs next season:-

£396 - Barnet (NB. Family discounts yet to be announced)
£375 - Grimsby Town
£370 - Plymouth
£354 - Exeter City
£350 - Cambridge United
£334 - Yeovil Town
£330 - Mansfield Town
£329 - Doncaster Rovers
£325 - Hartlepool United
£322 - Colchester United
£320 - Portsmouth (£300 for PST Shareholder)
£310 - Crawley Town
£310 - Luton Town
£310 - Notts County
£304 - Stevenage
£300 - AFC Wimbledon
£296 - Newport County
£280 - Crewe Alexandra
£273 - Carlisle United
£270 - Cheltenham Town
£262 - Wycombe Wanderers
£220 - Blackpool
£219 - Morecambe
£199 - Accrington Stanley
£199 - Leyton Orient

So currently we are 2nd. BUT Barnet have announced a family discount package after a backlash over their own price rises. So the likelihood is we are going to have the costliest season tickets for 1 adult & 1 child. So disappointing for a club which has improved it's PR so much over the past year or so.

quote facts or figures all you like...the club and trust have looked into it ...we are consistant with other clubs and no other argument will be entered into.

Well one clubs got to be top of the list, if every time a club was top it reacted by lowering the price then itd be an endless cycle until they cost nothing.

There is, of course, the possibility that the club have analysed the proportion of fans who make this 1 adult & 1 child purchase and decided that it's not that as much a financial priority as other categories of fan (Under 21s, for example)? Merely a suggestion, before you start.

A shame that this impacts you personally, but calling for the MT representatives to "resign in shame" is a bit dramatic.

Completely agree, absolute disgrace

Well to be honest I don't feel like defending the Trust's position on an anonymous website.

My entirely PERSONAL opinion is that if we are to be a competitive force next year then we have to provide Paul Hurst with a competitive budget to work with. I wish desperately to see a reduction in our dependence on the benefices of one person and if this gives us the opportunity to do both those things then it is a price worth paying. Maths isn't my strongest suit but a cost of £70 for a junior season ticket means a junior is paying £3-ish per game.

If you want the Trust's response may I respectfully suggest that you direct this query in its entirety to enquiries@marinerstrust.com

Again personally speaking I do not think that I'll be accepting your kind invitation to "resign in shame". I would say however that there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC. Ir's not really for me to comment on the abilities of someone I'm pretty sure I don't know. Only you will know whether you fit the bill or whether sadly you are one of those who hide behind anonymity on a messageboard.
If you wish to discuss my personal view further please feel free to private message me on here. I won't be responding any more on this thread because to be honest I've nothing more to say.
Ta in advance for reading... :)

EDIT:- I should add my name is Ian Townsend and I hold the position of Treasurer for The Mariners Trust.

Quoted from barralad

Well to be honest I don't feel like defending the Trust's position on an anonymous website.

My entirely PERSONAL opinion is that if we are to be a competitive force next year then we have to provide Paul Hurst with a competitive budget to work with. I wish desperately to see a reduction in our dependence on the benefices of one person and if this gives us the opportunity to do both those things then it is a price worth paying. Maths isn't my strongest suit but a cost of £70 for a junior season ticket means a junior is paying £3-ish per game.

If you want the Trust's response may I respectfully suggest that you direct this query in its entirety to enquiries@marinerstrust.com

Again personally speaking I do not think that I'll be accepting your kind invitation to "resign in shame". I would say however that there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC. Ir's not really for me to comment on the abilities of someone I'm pretty sure I don't know. Only you will know whether you fit the bill or whether sadly you are one of those who hide behind anonymity on a messageboard.
Ta in advance for reading... :)

Personally believe that it's entirely appropriate to increase all ticket prices by the small amount that they have. Possibly the biggest problem I can see now is that they were too high before - I'm happy to pay an increase as long as it sees its' way to the playing budget.

Quoted from barralad

Well to be honest I don't feel like defending the Trust's position on an anonymous website.

My entirely PERSONAL opinion is that if we are to be a competitive force next year then we have to provide Paul Hurst with a competitive budget to work with. I wish desperately to see a reduction in our dependence on the benefices of one person and if this gives us the opportunity to do both those things then it is a price worth paying. Maths isn't my strongest suit but a cost of £70 for a junior season ticket means a junior is paying £3-ish per game.

If you want the Trust's response may I respectfully suggest that you direct this query in its entirety to enquiries@marinerstrust.com

Again personally speaking I do not think that I'll be accepting your kind invitation to "resign in shame". I would say however that there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC. Ir's not really for me to comment on the abilities of someone I'm pretty sure I don't know. Only you will know whether you fit the bill or whether sadly you are one of those who hide behind anonymity on a messageboard.
If you wish to discuss my personal view further please feel free to private message me on here. I won't be responding any more on this thread because to be honest I've nothing more to say.
Ta in advance for reading... :)

Barra...
as a fans Trust spokesperson....do you feel the thoughts of the fans were... a) considered, offered...represented at any point of the pricing review
or
b) attended a board meeting and told what the prices were going be without any consultation ?

I suppose the Trust can represent the supporters' views and of course they want tickets to be as affordable as possible, but in the end the prices have to be enough to be commercially-viable, to provide a decent budget to the manager and to make up some of the head-start the established league teams have in terms of years of sustained funding and sponsorship while we've been having 17 away fans visiting for the last six years.

It's also pretty disappointing to hear some of the hyperbolic stuff about "resigning in shame", given that the Trust have put a lot into making the club better and give up a lot of their time to do so. I'm sure people will calm down and reconsider in time.

Quoted from moosey_club

Barra...
as a fans Trust spokesperson....do you feel the thoughts of the fans were... a) considered, offered...represented at any point of the pricing review
or
b) attended a board meeting and told what the prices were going be without any consultation ?

When you consider the Trust have two places on the Board of GTFC it is utterly inconceivable in my PERSONAL opinion that option b could possibly be realistic. At the risk of repeating myself if you want the Trust's view then you should e-mail enquiries.

Quoted from barralad

Well to be honest I don't feel like defending the Trust's position on an anonymous website.

My entirely PERSONAL opinion is that if we are to be a competitive force next year then we have to provide Paul Hurst with a competitive budget to work with. I wish desperately to see a reduction in our dependence on the benefices of one person and if this gives us the opportunity to do both those things then it is a price worth paying. Maths isn't my strongest suit but a cost of £70 for a junior season ticket means a junior is paying £3-ish per game.

If you want the Trust's response may I respectfully suggest that you direct this query in its entirety to enquiries@marinerstrust.com

Again personally speaking I do not think that I'll be accepting your kind invitation to "resign in shame". I would say however that there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC. Ir's not really for me to comment on the abilities of someone I'm pretty sure I don't know. Only you will know whether you fit the bill or whether sadly you are one of those who hide behind anonymity on a messageboard.
If you wish to discuss my personal view further please feel free to private message me on here. I won't be responding any more on this thread because to be honest I've nothing more to say.
Ta in advance for reading... :)

EDIT:- I should add my name is Ian Townsend and I hold the position of Treasurer for The Mariners Trust.

Firstly, I'm not hiding behind anonymity on this or any other website. I've been using GollyGTFC as a username for well over a decade and plenty of people on here and elsewhere know exactly who I am. If you aren't one of them try using google and feel free to follow me on Twitter if you like.

Anyway, back to the important issue. How is it right/fair that...

Young Adult ST (19-21) costs £170 which is the equivalent of just under 9 and a half individual match tickets.
Young Adult ST (15-18) costs £130 which is the equivalent of exactly 10 individual match tickets.
Children (14 and under) costs £70 which is the equivalent of 14 individual match tickets.

I really couldn't care less about the cost of Adult STs. Infact if you search through enough posts I suggested a £38 increase was likely (and fair) as I foolishly believed the club would keep to the pricing policy and formula used in the past rather than lazily just add £20 to everybody which results in the most expensive adult ticket going up just 6% and all juniors going up by an extortionate 40%.

Junior STs went up by 150% (£20 to £50) just 3 years ago. Add this years increase and in just 3 years they have gone up 250% (£20 to £70). That is an absolute disgrace when you consider half the clubs in League 2 offer "free" season tickets for accompanied juniors and most of the rest are well below £50.

How can a club like Grimsby Town in an area with high unemployment and where a third of children are living in poverty charge so much for children to see football?

I am very pleased with the requested ST prices, we need to give the manager a competitive budget and I for one will be delighted to do my very small bit to do so. I also call for an Operationpromotion fundraiser, I pledge an extra £500 to start the ball rolling. We need to get out of this league.

#Operationpromotionleagueone

BP Vicar, Jason Paget.

The TV money & Premier League solidarity payments mean we are £1,000,000 better off than last season before you take into account that we won't be able to count the away fans in the Osmond during an break in play for any injury next season.

What I am saying is, I think the club could have avoided putting children's season tickets up 40% given the huge financial windfall of promotion.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

The TV money & Premier League solidarity payments mean we are £1,000,000 better off than last season before you take into account that we won't be able to count the away fans in the Osmond during an break in play for any injury next season.

What I am saying is, I think the club could have avoided putting children's season tickets up 40% given the huge financial windfall of promotion.

The same 'windfall' the other 23 clubs have. And it's not like the kids will be paying the 40% out of their money box! We need to have an advantage, it's only the 4th division, it won't do at all. Let's crack on, get to the third division then push for the play offs. That, for me is our natural level. Championship nowadays looks beyond us, I won't accept 4th division football. I can't do much about it but whack my moolah in, do the same. Let's get us out of this league.

Quoted from 75

The same 'windfall' the other 23 clubs have. And it's not like the kids will be paying the 40% out of their money box! We need to have an advantage, it's only the 4th division, it won't do at all. Let's crack on, get to the third division then push for the play offs. That, for me is our natural level. Championship nowadays looks beyond us, I won't accept 4th division football. I can't do much about it but whack my moolah in, do the same. Let's get us out of this league.

Spot on BP , this windfall as you put it has given these league clubs an advantage for years , with York and Daggers also now having a parachute payment . Something that we could never budget for , until now . How would you feel if we aligned ourselves to , let's say Hull to loan , rent out or something , their excess players . Not only for our benefit but for theirs to be playing in the league as Townsend did . I think we have a better chance now than last season , the drop into the conference for some is just unheard of .

Also the money saved could be used to sign better quality players . I would have thought all aspects have been looked at . Again your right I don't think we would be able at this stage contemplate championship football for sometime .

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Firstly, I'm not hiding behind anonymity on this or any other website. I've been using GollyGTFC as a username for well over a decade and plenty of people on here and elsewhere know exactly who I am. If you aren't one of them try using google and feel free to follow me on Twitter if you like.

Anyway, back to the important issue. How is it right/fair that...

Young Adult ST (19-21) costs £170 which is the equivalent of just under 9 and a half individual match tickets.
Young Adult ST (15-18) costs £130 which is the equivalent of exactly 10 individual match tickets.
Children (14 and under) costs £70 which is the equivalent of 14 individual match tickets.

I really couldn't care less about the cost of Adult STs. Infact if you search through enough posts I suggested a £38 increase was likely (and fair) as I foolishly believed the club would keep to the pricing policy and formula used in the past rather than lazily just add £20 to everybody which results in the most expensive adult ticket going up just 6% and all juniors going up by an extortionate 40%.

Junior STs went up by 150% (£20 to £50) just 3 years ago. Add this years increase and in just 3 years they have gone up 250% (£20 to £70). That is an absolute disgrace when you consider half the clubs in League 2 offer "free" season tickets for accompanied juniors and most of the rest are well below £50.

How can a club like Grimsby Town in an area with high unemployment and where a third of children are living in poverty charge so much for children to see football?

I see your point here Golly and can sympathise. Often standard price rises do throw up some anomalies and we should be protecting children season ticket prices as I guess most of us on here started going in that age group and got hooked, so like good responsible adults should try to pass on our dangerous addiction to the next generation.

However I think you are out of order to have such a swipe at the Trust. If this was something you raised with the trust in a direct email and asked them what they thought about this I am sure you would of recieved a good reply and the trust would of taken it on board as part of their future decision making and discussed with the club if there was a way to change this. They have always been open and honest about dealing with things and are all people working hard for the club that we all love, even if you disagree with a decision to demand something of them stilll would not be the way to go, surely you cuold work and try and become a part of the trust rather than just slam them?

Quoted from barralad

there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC.

Help GTFC or help the supporters of GTFC?

Quoted from pizzzza

Help GTFC or help the supporters of GTFC?

Aren't the two inextricably linked? :-/

Quoted from barralad

Aren't the two inextricably linked? :-/

You would like to think so but certain Youtube videos and the events of the last 24 hours do make you wonder if the powers that be consider us as 2nd class citizens.

Quoted from barralad

Well to be honest I don't feel like defending the Trust's position on an anonymous website.

My entirely PERSONAL opinion is that if we are to be a competitive force next year then we have to provide Paul Hurst with a competitive budget to work with. I wish desperately to see a reduction in our dependence on the benefices of one person and if this gives us the opportunity to do both those things then it is a price worth paying. Maths isn't my strongest suit but a cost of £70 for a junior season ticket means a junior is paying £3-ish per game.

If you want the Trust's response may I respectfully suggest that you direct this query in its entirety to enquiries@marinerstrust.com

Again personally speaking I do not think that I'll be accepting your kind invitation to "resign in shame". I would say however that there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC. Ir's not really for me to comment on the abilities of someone I'm pretty sure I don't know. Only you will know whether you fit the bill or whether sadly you are one of those who hide behind anonymity on a messageboard.
If you wish to discuss my personal view further please feel free to private message me on here. I won't be responding any more on this thread because to be honest I've nothing more to say.
Ta in advance for reading... :)

EDIT:- I should add my name is Ian Townsend and I hold the position of Treasurer for The Mariners Trust.

Well said Barra............  BTW are you Brian's brother?

Some wider things associated to this are

It should also be noted that buying a season ticket "possibly" gives you priority for a ticket in the cup competitions where it could be argued we now have a better chance of drawing a big side at home and for limited away allocations, nothing comes for free and that is a benefit I am happy to pay a few extra quid for. With the League Cup and straight into round 1 of the FA cup this could happen. Who knows we may draw the Scunts in round 1 again.

We have had no price rise for a number of season's now so it was inevitable that there would be some rises and with this "you cannot please all of the people all of the time" but I would have liked to see something really positive to get younger fans going to games as these are the adult ticket buyers of the next decade or so.

As we are in a bigger pond there is also less chance of us getting to Wembley now and considering we have been 4 times in the last 4 seasons income that this generates needs to be replaced.

We have gone up and 2 weeks ago everybody was positive about everything associated with GTFC but success brings challenges that first  one is staying up and for that we will need a bigger squad with better quality, again this comes at a cost. If on the 14th of May I would have asked you to put an extra £30 or so towards us going up many (who could afford it) would have done it if it meant winning the next day. Before the red crosses fly in I fully appreciate that we have all spent a lot of "hard earned" following Town in non league and before.

The main issue is that the club is in an Area where realistically that even in this league they can only hit capacity for a small number of games a season (dependant on cup draws) so any incentives around ticketing need to be carefully examined.

Overall I think it is a shame that we have put the prices up but overall did we not expect some movement as we move into a bigger league?

And........... I am not sure why the Trust should be criticized as regardless of their input JF and the boys will still do exactly what they want to regardless of the impact on the fans who are not fortunate enough to have big bank accounts.

Welcome back to The Football League ladies & gentleman even in "Division 4" money appears to be the first consideration on every clubs mind,

Should have added an extra £5 or £10 to Adult season tickets and made Childrens the same price as last year, BUT only let CHILDRENS SEASON TICKETS purchase CHILDRENS TICKETS for big games. Dad's are more likely to pay extra for their tickets than extra for their childs!

THE CHILDREN OF TODAY ARE THE FUTURE OF GTFC !

So for a teenager or Young person the cost per match is £5.50-£7.50 ?

Sounds like a bloody good deal to me

Quoted from forza ivano

So for a teenager or Young person the cost per match is £5.50-£7.50 ?

Sounds like a bloody good deal to me

And to me, it's the accompanied under 14's I am on about. Yes I know it is only £3 a game in the Pontoon etc but last year it was only just over £2 (A near 50% more per game). We need the kids as they will be the paying supporters of tomorrow. They were FREE in the Main stand the other year. A £20 increase is a very small (7%)percentage on an adult ticket but is a far bigger (20%) increase on a child!

Don't forget how many Kid's for a quid offers we have in a season as well!

Wow...some town fans really do just want to moan.

The price increase is more than acceptable, I assume those moaning would rather the club plunges further in to debt in order to compete or have a limited budget and possibly fight relegation again?

Remember the year Luton had £450 season tickets in the conference?

This is a fine example of using statistics to support and argument, reality is if one just take the early bird price of an adult season ticket ours are not close to being the most expensive.

What would people prefer? No increase but no increase in playing budget? We've done well to keep them the same price for as long as we have, especially given the obsession so many had with promotion. Cheap season tickets were a fad a few years a go that never really had the desired effect, hence why clubs reintroduced more sensibly priced, slightly more expensive ones to recoup some cash lost. Little evidence exists to support the idea that more people on the ground means more programmes, pies and beer sold. In reality football at every level is over priced but then who is to blame? The clubs for bowing down to player pressures for higher wages? The fans for wanting success? Sponsors for wanting some return for their investments etc?

Who actually knows?

Our season tickets are reasonably priced, simple as that. People would've moaned regardless, will those moaning stand by their decisions though and refuse to buy one? Did the same people attend the playoff final after spending almost £5 on booking/postage which is really unacceptable?

It is fair and reasonable to argue about the whys and wherefores of increased season ticket prices - it is quite another to talk about two committed and decent representatives resigning in shame. It spoiled what could have been a reasonable case......

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

And to me, it's the accompanied under 14's I am on about. Yes I know it is only £3 a game in the Pontoon etc but last year it was only just over £2 (A near 50% more per game). We need the kids as they will be the paying supporters of tomorrow. They were FREE in the Main stand the other year. A £20 increase is a very small (7%)percentage on an adult ticket but is a far bigger (20%) increase on a child!

Don't forget how many Kid's for a quid offers we have in a season as well!

If it was only £2 a game for under 14 then I think the club woefully undersold itself! £3 a game sounds an absolute bargain. I have to pay £9 to watch footie 3 divisions below the conference and even at Winslow United which is little better than village football its £4. I bet many of those moaning happily gave more than £20 to operation promotion but begrudge paying the club £20 more for what is going to be a much better 'product'

How much is it for an under 15 or 14 to visit the cinema.

Very surprised that we should be so far up that league table of prices.

Quoted from barralad

Well to be honest I don't feel like defending the Trust's position on an anonymous website.

My entirely PERSONAL opinion is that if we are to be a competitive force next year then we have to provide Paul Hurst with a competitive budget to work with. I wish desperately to see a reduction in our dependence on the benefices of one person and if this gives us the opportunity to do both those things then it is a price worth paying. Maths isn't my strongest suit but a cost of £70 for a junior season ticket means a junior is paying £3-ish per game.

If you want the Trust's response may I respectfully suggest that you direct this query in its entirety to enquiries@marinerstrust.com

Again personally speaking I do not think that I'll be accepting your kind invitation to "resign in shame". I would say however that there is always room on the Mariners Trust board for people who can offer something in the way of Positive Action to help GTFC. Ir's not really for me to comment on the abilities of someone I'm pretty sure I don't know. Only you will know whether you fit the bill or whether sadly you are one of those who hide behind anonymity on a messageboard.
If you wish to discuss my personal view further please feel free to private message me on here. I won't be responding any more on this thread because to be honest I've nothing more to say.
Ta in advance for reading... :)

EDIT:- I should add my name is Ian Townsend and I hold the position of Treasurer for The Mariners Trust.

Aha, so that is your alter ego on here! Whey hey!

I do not have a season ticket as I am away for half the year at work but I'd pay a lot more for my tickets if it guaranteed success!
I also would pay into to a repeat of last years "Operation Promotion" if someone started it off, as I am sure many more supporters would. I would not envisage that we would make as much money as last years but I reckon we would smash £50,000 !

I've not been arsed to read this in its entirety but the club have stalled prices for several years when if not in the Conference they would have gradually risen.

Due to circumstances a season ticket is not suitable for me but most are fans are realistic and happy to contribute towards a competitive budget for us.

I for one put in a three figure sum to Operation Promotion off my own back when i could ill afford it so a few quid extra for me and the kids at the matches I can attend is nothing really, I'll suck it up and look at it as drip feeding a similar extra contribution.

Give the club a break ffs. Yes I'll agree something a bit more creative could have been done with the kids but perhaps this will be looked at in time as we get a footing in League football?

I don't know second junior with full paying adult vastly reduced or second junior free with two paying adults?

Just cough up and get behind them, it's hardly like we're getting massively mugged off and all our rivals have forever operated with league payments/youth funding etc barring maybe Cheltenham who in any case have only had a one year blip and probably had parachute lovelies which long since gone for us.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Firstly, I'm not hiding behind anonymity on this or any other website. I've been using GollyGTFC as a username for well over a decade and plenty of people on here and elsewhere know exactly who I am. If you aren't one of them try using google and feel free to follow me on Twitter if you like.

Anyway, back to the important issue. How is it right/fair that...

Young Adult ST (19-21) costs £170 which is the equivalent of just under 9 and a half individual match tickets.
Young Adult ST (15-18) costs £130 which is the equivalent of exactly 10 individual match tickets.
Children (14 and under) costs £70 which is the equivalent of 14 individual match tickets.

I really couldn't care less about the cost of Adult STs. Infact if you search through enough posts I suggested a £38 increase was likely (and fair) as I foolishly believed the club would keep to the pricing policy and formula used in the past rather than lazily just add £20 to everybody which results in the most expensive adult ticket going up just 6% and all juniors going up by an extortionate 40%.

Junior STs went up by 150% (£20 to £50) just 3 years ago. Add this years increase and in just 3 years they have gone up 250% (£20 to £70). That is an absolute disgrace when you consider half the clubs in League 2 offer "free" season tickets for accompanied juniors and most of the rest are well below £50.

How can a club like Grimsby Town in an area with high unemployment and where a third of children are living in poverty charge so much for children to see football?

In reality, a young adult aged 16+ will likely be paying for their own season ticket and are likely to have more to pay on match day outgoings as well as funding away trips etc for themselves on a low income so I don't think you can compare the prices of the young adult and the junior. If a young adult buys just 1 pint per game all season that's £69 + out their own pocket.

Over the course of the numerous threads I've read so many posts along the lines of 'Why are so many moaning about the price increase!!! It's only a couple of quid!  Better budget/better standard etc. etc'

Despite this I've not actually seen a single post moaning about the increase in the adult season ticket.  To a man/woman, this has been met with an acceptance that it's not only necessary but also fair.

I'm a season ticket holder for more years than I like to remember and I'm what the club would probably call a sure thing.  I'll buy a season ticket each year because I'm an idiot.  It doesn't matter what league we're in, I'll buy one because that's what I do.  My circumstances also make that possible.  I don't have children, I'm fortunate enough to not work weekends or evenings and bar any holidays I have during the season - I won't miss any games.

For me the pricing structure is spot on.  More than happy to pay a little bit extra after six seasons where it hasn't budged a penny and now in a higher league.  Very easily I could say I'm alright, Jack.  I don't see why kids tickets are my concern or indeed those of people who can't attend every week for whatever reason...

But I care about the future of this club and I still am disappointed that the club haven't come out with a plan to capture those who can't go but want to go.  This isn't about pricing or adding a quid here and there, it's about the next generation of fans.

Regardless of how you look at it, the increase for junior tickets is pretty staggering and also poor value compared to other clubs at this level.  It's very short-sighted of the club if they're factoring in junior season ticket sales in their budgeting.  The idea should be to get them through the gates, get them hooked and then later on they become those sad fornicators like me who buy the ticket out of habit.  Then they become part of the forecasting, then we worry about the pricing mark-up.  The best part of six years in the Conference was the new generation of fans that emerged and galvanised the club, especially on away games.  We need to make sure that continues.  We can't just take for granted the fact that new fans will continue to come  through the gates.  It's probably a complete anomaly that we've increased our support during our time in the Conference, obviously challenging for promotions has helped but if you weren't previously interested in GTFC would you have really picked up the bug over recent years?  The club need to acknowledge this and put plans in place to make sure that in five years time we've a new set of young fans who are passionate and loud, who will follow us up and down the country every other weekend.   When we slumped out the league we were noway near as well supported as we are now, it would be a great shame if we failed to build on this over the next couple of seasons.

Equally so the lack of a scheme for families and shift workers worries me.  The ticketing announcement smacks of laziness on the clubs behalf.  I would rather have waited another week for the pricing and them come up with something that didn't take 20 minutes to produce.

That said - I also have faith in the Mariners Trust to represent the fans and whilst I agree with Golly's sentiments I find his calling for the resignation of the board members quite distasteful.  The Trust board are volunteers, nothing more and nothing less. They do everything in their own free time, despite the fact they've probably got families and other commitments.  Considering we're less than 12 months since the start of Operation Promotion and the sheer level of graft the Trust put into that effort not only to raise funds but to lift the fans for another push, calling for resignations is really, really poor.

Reading between the lines the Trust look like they're going to announce something very soon, along the lines of Operation Promotion II, hopefully in relation to the ticketing situation.  Until then I'm going to refrain from commenting on the ticketing situation, despite my initial disappointment.  That doesn't mean I find the clubs stance acceptable though, I just have belief the Trust will provide a natural leveller (if they should have to or not is a different matter).

In the meantime, can we all just remember that the Trust board are human beings and 1) don't deserve any personal abuse and 2) are entitled to a break, yes something like Operation Promotion II would be great but we can't just expect them to kill themselves again because we want them to.

Pretty much my thoughts in a nutshell DHM. I'm a pay on the day fan and am happy to pay the extra £2 but also concerned at the pricing of the tickets for the younger generation. It would be good if someone could explain the thinking behind it, if indeed some thought was given to the matter.

Quoted from aldi_01

Wow...some town fans really do just want to moan.

The price increase is more than acceptable, I assume those moaning would rather the club plunges further in to debt in order to compete or have a limited budget and possibly fight relegation again?

Remember the year Luton had £450 season tickets in the conference?

This is a fine example of using statistics to support and argument, reality is if one just take the early bird price of an adult season ticket ours are not close to being the most expensive.

What would people prefer? No increase but no increase in playing budget? We've done well to keep them the same price for as long as we have, especially given the obsession so many had with promotion. Cheap season tickets were a fad a few years a go that never really had the desired effect, hence why clubs reintroduced more sensibly priced, slightly more expensive ones to recoup some cash lost.[/b] Little evidence exists to support the idea that more people on the ground means more programmes, pies and beer sold[b]. In reality football at every level is over priced but then who is to blame? The clubs for bowing down to player pressures for higher wages? The fans for wanting success? Sponsors for wanting some return for their investments etc?

Who actually knows?

Our season tickets are reasonably priced, simple as that. People would've moaned regardless, will those moaning stand by their decisions though and refuse to buy one? Did the same people attend the playoff final after spending almost £5 on booking/postage which is really unacceptable?

Even if we did sell more pies, tea etc, Town nought from the increase in sales as it run by a third party, just more profit for them.