F.A. Cup Ticket prices

Did anyone else notice how few kids were at Blundell Park today? A quick Google of the F.A. Challenge Cup rules states that for Round 1 a minimum of £10 has to be charged apart from concessions. It would appear that there was plenty of room for some initiative to get more families involved? Are we as inclusive as we can be?

Having initially written this game off to balance the cost of travel to away games like Cambridge I decided to go at the last minute as a break from league football. Regardless of the result, it provided a run out for Davis, Welsh Cardwell etc. and the commitment from the players was there to see................ for a crowd of mainly old blokes like me.

Allowing early bird prices to season ticket holders in the upper would have been a good start

For me and my lad in the pontoon I paid £ 31

Maybe that was an omen for our 3-1 win?  

To be honest I do think it was an expensive for a game between two fourth tier teams, especially when I add on travel costs but..... ( doing a Pete    )

Our win today  was priceless  

UTM

I think MK have to agree to any price changes, they obviously had a fair area of what their away support would be, so didn't fancy cheap tickets making PB a full house!

As it's the cup I think both clubs need to agree to a reduction and to be honest I can't see why there was no offers today. £42 for me and my 19 year old son, despite great 2nd half from Town I still think it was a bit hefty.  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

As it's the cup I think both clubs need to agree to a reduction and to be honest I can't see why there was no offers today. £42 for me and my 19 year old son, despite great 2nd half from Town I still think it was a bit hefty.  

Wonder why there was no deal for the "older" young person.... you can get a season ticket like that but not a one off match day ticket. Bizarre!

It's not as if the officials cost much at this stage. Rules state that at Round 1 the ref has to be paid £45 and assistants £25 .   Almost jumpers for goalposts!

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Wonder why there was no deal for the "older" young person.... you can get a season ticket like that but not a one off match day ticket. Bizarre!

Indeed, my dad did ask when he booked on the phone though it has to be said as an OAP his ticket was £14.

Last week at Cambridge there was a concession for U19's, When I got to the turnstile I said the the fella behind it "one adult and a 19 year old" my lad joked that if he'd have shaved he;d have looked 18, the turnstile operator said to him "you look 18 to me mate" and charged him (I as usual was paying BTW)  the lower price. I doubt that would ever happen at GTFC under the current regime.    
    

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Indeed, my dad did ask when he booked on the phone though it has to be said as an OAP his ticket was £14.

Last week at Cambridge there was a concession for U19's, When I got to the turnstile I said the the fella behind it "one adult and a 19 year old" my lad joked that if he'd have shaved he;d have looked 18, the turnstile operator said to him "you look 18 to me mate" and charged him (I as usual was paying BTW)  the lower price. I doubt that would ever happen at GTFC under the current regime.    
    

Town do actually do a ‘young adult’ ticket. 16-18  is £12 for the Pontoon

Quoted from Croxton

It's not as if the officials cost much at this stage. Rules state that at Round 1 the ref has to be paid £45 and assistants £25 .   Almost jumpers for goalposts!

Plus all the stewards and other ground staff.

Marketing is done on the pitch no need for cheap tickets  

I agree that some reduction in place would have been a good idea, particularly with hindsight on the attendance. But two things spring to mind:
- Fairly sure MK Dons have to agree to a reduction, that may have been a problem or may not.
- We had got 10 points out of the last 4 league games when the draw was made. If we had got a few more points since then, the attendance would have been much higher with a bit of feelgood factor about

I know it was a pss poor gate but seemed more than that especially in the second half. Didn't seem that the ground could hold 5 x that figure.

Quoted from GrimRob

Plus all the stewards and other ground staff.

So it makes sense to have more bodies in the ground buying beers, hot dogs, coffee , shirts, hats, gloves etc.. Even as a commercial exercise, it was an opportunity lost. Even as a miserable, complaining , lonely exile I bought a beer and a coffee!

With no idea at all as to what MK Dongs were willing to agree to, it seems a bit harsh to start having a go at the club for the ticket prices when they quite possibly had no choice in the matter.

That said, as a season ticket holder, it's always an eye-watering surprise to actually have to stump up cash for a game directly. When you spend the money in one block, it somehow doesn't seem quite the same!

Anyone who went yesterday should could have been guaranteed a half price ticket for the 3rd round. There would have been a lot more there hoping we get through and draw a big gun like MU.

All of the above suggestions would take effort and initiative ........much simpler to to keep the price as it is and have half the crowd there.  

Quoted from moosey_club

All of the above suggestions would take effort and initiative ........much simpler to to keep the price as it is and have half the crowd there.  

Because the club have never reduced ticket prices before? Maybe MK Dons thought it would be better to have a low crowd and give them more chance to get through. They don't benefit from food/drink sales (not sure GTFC do either if it's mostly franchised out).

And the notion that we'd offset lower ticket prices with shirt and gloves sales is laughable. How many people will buy a shirt that wouldn't already have done because they're paying half the ticket price for an FA cup 1st round match? I'll go out on a limb and say zero

The main reason I didn't go yesterday was I couldn't bring myself to contribute to Winkleman and his franchised cronies. I know it hurts my own club as well and I feel bad about that, but I just couldn't get over the split gate receipts. Also, I felt I needed a break after another run of successive defeats so it came at an opportunist time. And I've been a little disillusioned with the way we set up, looking to keep it tight at the back and barely creating anything.

Personally I thought the low attendance was largely/entirely down to the opposition. You could hear the collective groan as soon as they were announced. Pretty much killed the game before it started.

Quoted from pen penfras

Because the club have never reduced ticket prices before? Maybe MK Dons thought it would be better to have a low crowd and give them more chance to get through. They don't benefit from food/drink sales (not sure GTFC do either if it's mostly franchised out).

And the notion that we'd offset lower ticket prices with shirt and gloves sales is laughable. How many people will buy a shirt that wouldn't already have done because they're paying half the ticket price for an FA cup 1st round match? I'll go out on a limb and say zero

The club probably make more money if catering is franchised out, is it a % franchise or a fixed fee I wonder? This club is so commercially short sighted it's unreal not just with ticket prices but also many other income and profit strands.  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The club probably make more money if catering is franchised out, is it a % franchise or a fixed fee I wonder? This club is so commercially short sighted it's unreal not just with ticket prices but also many other income and profit strands.  

I thought I recall reading a few years ago that the caterers pay a fee for’the priveledge’ plus a fixed fee per head of the crowd?

Quoted from pen penfras

Because the club have never reduced ticket prices before? Maybe MK Dons thought it would be better to have a low crowd and give them more chance to get through. They don't benefit from food/drink sales (not sure GTFC do either if it's mostly franchised out).

And the notion that we'd offset lower ticket prices with shirt and gloves sales is laughable. How many people will buy a shirt that wouldn't already have done because they're paying half the ticket price for an FA cup 1st round match? I'll go out on a limb and say zero

My original post, Penfras, was drawing attention to the lack of family involvement yesterday. Even if ticket prices are not reduced , the stub could be monetised in some way in the club shop or future tickets for Juniors? Not Brain surgery, or are you a rocket scientist?

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

Anyone who went yesterday should could have been guaranteed a half price ticket for the 3rd round. There would have been a lot more there hoping we get through and draw a big gun like MU.

If we get a home draw in the 2nd round I would imagine the club will say save your ticket stub,

It will guarantee you a ticket for the next home cup game. Which might be Man Utd.

Is there some other meaning of which I am too thick to appreciate to warrant Pete's post getting 3 red x's

Quoted from golfer

Is there some other meaning of which I am too thick to appreciate to warrant Pete's post getting 3 red x's

It’s because he was naive enough to admit that it sometimes gets to him.

Not everyone on this forum is a Town fan. Beware the enemy within 🤔

Aye-I'll give him one as well 'cos he told me he's got it switched off so he never sees them