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Had a quick browse and I see (as usual) the club are quoting our early bird prices against non-early bird prices of other clubs. An example...

Scunthorpe United's early bird prices are quoted [url=https://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/2019/march/12th-man-packages-frozen-until-april-30th/]here[/url].

On the GTFC [url=https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2019/may/season-ticket-information-pack-now-available/]season ticket pack[/url] it states their cheapest seating ticket is £400 when it was actual £360.

I do note however that even GTFC are "happy" to show that our Kids season tickets are the most expensive in League Two. How is that possible for a club in a low income area?

Another example of short term thinking by those running the club. The sooner Fenty and co are gone the better.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Had a quick browse and I see (as usual) the club are quoting our early bird prices against non-early bird prices of other clubs. An example...

Scunthorpe United's early bird prices are quoted [url=https://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/2019/march/12th-man-packages-frozen-until-april-30th/]here[/url].

On the GTFC [url=https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2019/may/season-ticket-information-pack-now-available/]season ticket pack[/url] it states their cheapest seating ticket is £400 when it was actual £360.

I do note however that even GTFC are "happy" to show that our Kids season tickets are the most expensive in League Two. How is that possible for a club in a low income area?

Another example of short term thinking by those running the club. The sooner Fenty and co are gone the better.

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

Yeah.....it still p!sses me off though when tinpot clubs like Salford and FGR have big budgets to spend on players and we just scrape by flirting with relegation.

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

Well why don`t you tell your chums get pro active and get somebody in who can actually run the Club day to day with a 2019 mentality instead of being stuck in 1979 and there little exercise book.

Quoted from promotion plaice

Yeah.....it still p!sses me off though when tinpot clubs like Salford and FGR have big budgets to spend on players and we just scrape by flirting with relegation.

That's because they have rich owners who subsidise their prices. We haven't so we have to live with it.

I will renew mine just like I have for many years previous. All the money raised goes to the club so the more they sell the more money available to Jolley to get better players in. If you don't renew yours you can't moan about the lack of quality on the pitch.

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

YES, OUR BUDGET IS WAY TOO SMALL.

But that’s not because the fans don’t pay enough. It’s because the likes of old ‘Shut up’ and Co are far too inept at sorting out ways to increase income, other than fleecing our long suffering (but rapidly dwindling) loyal fans.

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

Still forgetting the millions we drunk up the wall by the inept twits that run this club by dragging us into non league.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Still forgetting the millions we drunk up the wall by the inept twits that run this club by dragging us into non league.

We did very well in non league you have nothing to moan about we got to Wembley 4 times you should be grateful ;)

As has been mentioned so many times it's unbelievable, the club seem to be under the illusion that they don't need to do anything as people will still turn up. So why should they be proactive about it?

Here's why. There are clubs going down the swanny (no scunt pun intended) as sky,btsport etc see tv football as the holy grail. Fans are ever more being attracted towards the premier league, champions league etc and the £££££££'s that the clubs gain every season. Now, wouldn't you prefer to see town tops in the area instead of teams 100's of miles away. Of course there will be kids brought up supporting other teams but, can't the club do something to attract people to blundell park instead of sitting watching Geoff and the boys!

The club has rested on their laurels for too long, and I fear what the reproctions could be if nothing is done. We have a ground that is at best half full most of the time. It's about time that those working at the club (or at least leading it) started to earn their wage

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

An adult with 2 kids is £360 at Scunthorpe in their seating area. It's £465 for the same at Town. How can anyone justify that? I would guess that most people on the Fishy support Town because their dad or a family member took them. If it's not affordable to watch GTFC as a family then where are the next generation of full paying adult fans going to come from?

Quoted from GollyGTFC

An adult with 2 kids is £360 at Scunthorpe in their seating area. It's £465 for the same at Town. How can anyone justify that? I would guess that most people on the Fishy support Town because their dad or a family member took them. If it's not affordable to watch GTFC as a family then where are the next generation of full paying adult fans going to come from?

They don`t want any fan`s they hate the ones they already have judging by how they speak to them SHUT UP

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

If the club board think like you, it's no wonder we're stuck in the bottom half of the 4th division.

Can you not see that you boost income in the long-term and make the club more sustainable by growing the fanbase. And you do that by getting young kids to attend games in bigger numbers. You don't do that by charging a lot more for an adult and 2 kids than the club <1 hour down the road.

As well as the folk in NEL, the club has to attract as many people from the wider Lincs area. If you're in Brigg say, and you look at prices and travel time/cost which way you going to go if you don't have a particular allegiance to one club or the other?

Quoted from KingstonMariner

If the club board think like you, it's no wonder we're stuck in the bottom half of the 4th division.

Can you not see that you boost income in the long-term and make the club more sustainable by growing the fanbase. And you do that by getting young kids to attend games in bigger numbers. You don't do that by charging a lot more for an adult and 2 kids than the club <1 hour down the road.

As well as the folk in NEL, the club has to attract as many people from the wider Lincs area. If you're in Brigg say, and you look at prices and travel time/cost which way you going to go if you don't have a particular allegiance to one club or the other?

We're fast becoming the most reclusive club in the EFL. Neanderthal thinking (when any is done at all) leading to being constantly outsmarted when it comes to recruiting investors, sponsors, fans and players.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

We did very well in non league you have nothing to moan about we got to Wembley 4 times you should be grateful ;)

You could say we were spoilt Micky ;)

Says it all about whether the board think about the fans or not. Fenty's latest comments in the Telegraph regarding ground improvements, now claiming how much improved Blundell Park is under his tenure. The guy is deluded. Blundell Park has become a bigger shithole in the past twenty years than it ever was comparing fan requirements over the ages and how other clubs have modernised in that time. Can't even afford a lick of paint. Anyway, grant funded floodlights make up over 200k out of the 250k spent and the fans have paid the rest..

Tweet from CA sums up his sentiments perfectly..

https://twitter.com/codalmighty/status/1133694449584922625

Also taken from CA..

Town always sell 3,000 season tickets. Last season average attendance was 4,430 so if we assume that the 430 will cover the away fans that means an average 1,000 extra Town fans paid to see each game. Let's look at some maths behind that.

Let's say, for example, that the average cost of a season ticket is about 250 quid: that equates to £750k. Let's also say that, with concessions, 1,000 matchday tickets are sold at an average of £15 a game, so £15,000 x 23 games gives an additional 345 grand across the season.

So the sum of home matchday income is around £1.1m. If Town followed other models and charged the £150 Bradford do, then they would have to sell 5,000 season tickets in order to produce the same sort of revenue they already do.

Now I am not saying they shouldn't lower it to try and attract that extra 2,000 – but you can see why they don't. The model stays as it is because nobody in the club is prepared to take that bold step of short-term pain for getting more people in the ground.

This forward thinking may or not work, but Town have to think about the future, and how to get the fans of the future invested. £250,000 worth of ground improvements is all well and good. But when you're doing it because you have to, rather than improving the experience and encouraging attendance because the supporters are important, then that is why we never sell many more than 3,000 season tickets every year.

Not got mine yet 😤

Probably been a meeting at BP this morning telling MJ that the budget has been cut because the Main Stand bogs needed an extra coat of paint.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Probably been a meeting at BP this morning telling MJ that the budget has been cut because the Main Stand bogs needed an extra coat of paint.

Two ply toilet paper would be nice.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Two ply toilet paper would be nice.

That’ll be the proceeds from the Burrell sale 🤪

The fact we're about to go into June and season ticket renewal packs have gone out tells us everything we need to know about the club.

Absolutely bonkers.

May-June-July.

3 month window to maximise your season ticket sales. Why, oh why have the club denied themselves a third of what is surely one of their most lucrative methods of drumming up renewals?

Quoted from diehardmariner

The fact we're about to go into June and season ticket renewal packs have gone out tells us everything we need to know about the club.

Absolutely bonkers.

May-June-July.

3 month window to maximise your season ticket sales. Why, oh why have the club denied themselves a third of what is surely one of their most lucrative methods of drumming up renewals?

Scunthorpe's early bird discounts ended on 30th April. Why do we have to wait until the season has finished before we start selling for the next season?

Quoted from arryarryarry

toilet paper would be nice.

Amended accordingly !!

Quoted from diehardmariner

The fact we're about to go into June and season ticket renewal packs have gone out tells us everything we need to know about the club.

Absolutely bonkers.

May-June-July.

3 month window to maximise your season ticket sales. Why, oh why have the club denied themselves a third of what is surely one of their most lucrative methods of drumming up renewals?

To be fair, I did renew in May...in a masochistic sort of way.

Who gets a "Season Ticket Pack" then?

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Scunthorpe's early bird discounts ended on 30th April. Why do we have to wait until the season has finished before we start selling for the next season?

Ah, be fair we didn't know which division we were going to be in, whereas Scunthorpe.....oh, I see your point.

Quoted from diehardmariner

The fact we're about to go into June and season ticket renewal packs have gone out tells us everything we need to know about the club.

Absolutely bonkers.

May-June-July.

3 month window to maximise your season ticket sales. Why, oh why have the club denied themselves a third of what is surely one of their most lucrative methods of drumming up renewals?

Errr well look weve done it this way for 40 years you know and it works just fine.....

Its been evident on here that I've been defending the club when I can, and to try stop the negativity.

However not having any renewal packs sent out, nearly a month after our final game is criminal.

These should of been sent out with games still left to play! even if we was on poor form, they still should be there for fans to decide.

So so so frustrating at times

There is only one Trophy that this club is going to be in contention for this year,that is entropy.

Not got my renewal pack yet either . 😡

Quoted from GollyGTFC

An adult with 2 kids is £360 at Scunthorpe in their seating area. It's £465 for the same at Town. How can anyone justify that? I would guess that most people on the Fishy support Town because their dad or a family member took them. If it's not affordable to watch GTFC as a family then where are the next generation of full paying adult fans going to come from?

Here is the dilemma the club face. Do you sell at a higher price and sell less or at a lower price and hopefully sell more?... subsequently filling the ground and making BP look more daunting to away fans and players. It looks to me that the club wont risk that and risk 'devaluing the product'. Nothing is guaranteed but as others have said before if the clubs approach to operating doesn't change then nothing will ever change. Rigid approaches are more likely to yield rigid results.

Speaking from a personal point of view, It's long been my belief since being a trust board member for 5 years and UK Marketing Manager for a well known sports brand for a further two, everything I have done to help to club or suggested hasn't been welcome. Don't get me wrong, the staff at the club are extremely passionate about the club but when it comes to people suggesting things or offering help you are met with a stronger defence from them than we did last season on the pitch. Not a criticism, most people get defensive of their work.

Not sure if the link will work but here is what i submitted to the club re kits and team wear. the ins and out are another story.

[url]https://1drv.ms/b/s!AoI-SASJj5r6hwBf1gxSn-pho5aL[/url]

Not sure on some of the away shirts and the collars on the home shirts but that’s not a bad range there Wrawbz.

JUST GET DOWN TO BP AND BUY ONE NOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GREAT OFFERS.

£10 each off all three new shirts. (£40 if you buy this month)
Free name and number on one of the shirts.
Bring a mate to any league game (Worth up to £24)
Get in to one of the pre season games free (Worth £10)
£30 off if you want to be a mascot.
A free programme for one game.
And to get you fit for the first game - 3 free days at the Oasis Health Club.
And for the other half you can get 10% off a bottle of smelly for him/her from The Fragrance shop.

And if your quick 10% off Fish & Chips at the CORNERHOUSE RESTAURANT (Ends 31/05/2019)

IT'S A NO BRAINER !

(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

JUST GET DOWN TO BP AND BUY ONE NOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GREAT OFFERS.

£10 each off all three new shirts. (£40 if you buy this month)
Free name and number on one of the shirts.
Bring a mate to any league game (Worth up to £24)
Get in to one of the pre season games free (Worth £10)
£30 off if you want to be a mascot.
A free programme for one game.
And to get you fit for the first game - 3 free days at the Oasis Health Club.
And for the other half you can get 10% off a bottle of smelly for him/her from The Fragrance shop.

And if your quick 10% off Fish & Chips at the CORNERHOUSE RESTAURANT (Ends 31/05/2019)

IT'S A NO BRAINER !

BLOODY HELL MY PACKS NOT ARRIVED SO MISS OUT ON MY FISH SUPPER

(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

JUST GET DOWN TO BP AND BUY ONE NOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GREAT OFFERS.

£10 each off all three new shirts. (£40 if you buy this month)
Free name and number on one of the shirts.
Bring a mate to any league game (Worth up to £24)
Get in to one of the pre season games free (Worth £10)
£30 off if you want to be a mascot.
A free programme for one game.
And to get you fit for the first game - 3 free days at the Oasis Health Club.
And for the other half you can get 10% off a bottle of smelly for him/her from The Fragrance shop.

And if your quick 10% off Fish & Chips at the CORNERHOUSE RESTAURANT (Ends 31/05/2019)

IT'S A NO BRAINER !

(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)(groupwave)

Surey you missed off...guarantee your seat for every game and first dibs on cup and big away games !!!

Quoted from NorthseaMariner

Not got my renewal pack yet either . 😡

Got mine this morning :)

To be fair to the club there's plenty of good offers

Free access to all reserve team fixtures at BP is a new one I think?

My pack arrived in Sheffield yesterday within hours of seeing a grey car with a GTFC badge in the rear window. Was it you at the Nether Green traffic lights? I didn't hoot or flash my lights. Not as if I was on my way to a beer festival or anything.
I'm renewing anyway but I took the sighting as a good omen regardless.

Quoted from Croxton

My pack arrived in Sheffield yesterday within hours of seeing a grey car with a GTFC badge in the rear window. Was it you at the Nether Green traffic lights? I didn't hoot or flash my lights. Not as if I was on my way to a beer festival or anything.
I'm renewing anyway but I took the sighting as a good omen regardless.

That was me mate. First time I've ever been called a good omen!

Quoted from SpudUDontLike

That was me mate. First time I've ever been called a good omen!

Been driving around Sheffield for 50 years and GTFC related sightings are as rare as Kingfishers on the Freshney. I did spot a guy blatantly strolling down Leppings Lane last year in the classic CIBA - GEIGY kit. He looked too young to have bought it when it was current so I guess it was passed down through the family perhaps. If that was also you then good on you!

Quoted from Croxton

Been driving around Sheffield for 50 years and GTFC related sightings are as rare as Kingfishers on the Freshney. I did spot a guy blatantly strolling down Leppings Lane last year in the classic CIBA - GEIGY kit. He looked too young to have bought it when it was current so I guess it was passed down through the family perhaps. If that was also you then good on you!

Thanks but I can't take the credit for that one! There must be at least three of us about.

Quoted from Croxton

Been driving around Sheffield for 50 years and GTFC related sightings are as rare as Kingfishers on the Freshney. I did spot a guy blatantly strolling down Leppings Lane last year in the classic CIBA - GEIGY kit. He looked too young to have bought it when it was current so I guess it was passed down through the family perhaps. If that was also you then good on you!

Kingfishers are a regular sight on the Freshney now and nest in the upper reaches.

Quoted from rancido

Kingfishers are a regular sight on the Freshney now and nest in the upper reaches.

Good to hear. Lazy exile reference based on a 'Britain in Bloom' TV prog. featuring some heroic local clean up on the West Marsh. Last one I saw was by the R Don near Meadowhall despite M1 traffic, Trams and pollution.

According to today's Telegraph around 430 season tickets have been sold so far.

By the 2nd June last year, we had sold 1,100.

We've sold about 40% of what we did 12 months ago!

Staggering.

Quoted from diehardmariner

By the 2nd June last year, we had sold 1,100.

We've sold about 40% of what we did 12 months ago!

Staggering.

Well I havent seen any hard sell from the Club for starters weve had no signings and rumour or not a % of fans were hoping we would have some significant boardroon change/investment . I think the sales reflect the poor Season just gone and the lack of optimism for it to get better? Now sure as anything Town sign Devitt and Cook the sales will start going up at a rapid rate of knots that`s just how we fans are.

Quoted from diehardmariner

By the 2nd June last year, we had sold 1,100.

We've sold about 40% of what we did 12 months ago!

Staggering.

Any other club would surely be panicking at a 60% reduction in sales on the same period last year. If that trend continues imagine the reduction in the playing budget with 60% less revenue coming from season tickets.

Edited.

Quoted from Malta_Mariner_90

Any other club would surely be panicking at a 60% reduction in sales on the same period last year. If that trend continues imagine the reduction in the playing budget with 60% less revenue coming from season tickets.

Edited.

Nobody will have noticed at GTFC they are on sale the fans will come same as for the last 40 years :-/

Quoted from pen penfras

Ahh yes, "our budget is too small", "we don't want to pay more", "we want the club to be sustainable". They can't all happen, so make your bloody mind up.

Would probably help the budget considerably if your mate stopped taking out £200,000 per season from it.

Not surprised. Some signings will help.

At this point last year we had kept hold of McKeown and Fox.  We had already signed Alex Whitmore and were just about to sign Harry Davis.

In the case of McKeown it was a bonus, arguably an unexpected one, but not sure it would shift any extra season tickets, definitely not 600+.

Season ticket sales survived last year because of the feel-good factor on the back of the Jolley escape job and a marketing campaign that was weak, but far better than what we've had this season.

I actually bothered to look at the renewal pack this morning, in the opening statement from Ian Fleming he spoke of a great achievement that a high percentage of our ticket sales last season came from season tickets.  I'm not totally sure that's something to be bragging about.  You can always look at numbers in whichever light you prefer, but you would surely expect the club to be looking at that stat, which I'm pretty sure will be similar to every recent season and realise that we've got a worrying inability to shift tickets during the season.  We're ridiculously reliant on season ticket sales to fund the club and yet our season tickets are dramatically down.

You hope to god that the club has something up it's sleeve to pull out on this one as we're looking at a shocking uptake.

Perhaps the club is genuinely confident of bringing someone like Devitt and/or Cook back to the club.  But will that really be enough to shift the mood of the fans?  Devitt was well remembered for his first spell but his second spell was a bit of a damp squib.  Whilst I think he's as good player and would welcome him back, he's someone who's done well at this level and that's it in the ten seasons since he was first here.  He's hardly going to be a marquee signing.  Could say the same for Cook.  Similar record to what Wes Thomas had in League One and whilst he did well in the Conference with Tranmere, I don't see him selling many season tickets.

Just looking at the gates for when Devitt returned first time round.  The two home games after his return:
5th Jan - Hereford - 3793
22nd Jan - Hyde - 2755
The game before was Lincoln on NYD so that's a bit of an anomaly with a gate of 7,405, as probably was the top of the table clash 4 days before Xmas with Wrexham (4,302).  You go back to mid-November and we were still clocking up gates around the 3,500 mark.   A signing that will shift season tickets has to be someone who's a genuine name.

In the absence of a real stand-out signing that actually makes those infamous hairs on the back of your neck stand up, I can only think of one thing that would seriously shift season tickets this summer...

Quoted from diehardmariner

In the absence of a real stand-out signing that actually makes those infamous hairs on the back of your neck stand up, I can only think of one thing that would seriously shift season tickets this summer...

...but that is never going to happen seemingly.

In the absence of an outside source releasing us from our biggest problem even just a statement from the club, publicly stating their desires for the new season (playoffs) acknowledging the important part the supporters would play in those ambitions (buying season tickets) would be encouraged. I know this might add pressure for Jolley in some regard but at the end of the day the lack any ambition of any kind is killing the club.

A lack of investment usually results in difficulties in attracting new players, and/or the quality players targeted. We have seen this again so far this season.

This impacts on the fans by reducing hope and enthusiasm for the new season. We have already had a dull season, which fans have had to endure. The Club take season-ticket sales for granted.

The perfect storm is now low season-ticket sales. Is this any surprise?

The fans really need something very positive to cling to.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

Nobody will have noticed at GTFC they are on sale the fans will come same as for the last 40 years :-/

I think the problem is that they use the same notebook to record season ticket sales.

Perhaps if they invested £4.99 each season in a new notebook it would be easier to compare with last years sales.

I’m prepared to start a crowdfunding for this with a promise to match any total up to £2.50 (Thus enabling a new book to be purchased). Any excess would probably go towards a box of bic biros and possibly a plastic holder for pens, paperclips etc.

Come on guys and girls. Let’s help update our ticket office. UTM

I've got mine. Don't care who they do or don't sign . I just support the team.

Quoted from Civvy at last

I think the problem is that they use the same notebook to record season ticket sales.

Perhaps if they invested £4.99 each season in a new notebook it would be easier to compare with last years sales.

I’m prepared to start a crowdfunding for this with a promise to match any total up to £2.50 (Thus enabling a new book to be purchased). Any excess would probably go towards a box of bic biros and possibly a plastic holder for pens, paperclips etc.

Come on guys and girls. Let’s help update our ticket office. UTM

Sadly, whilst ironic, this is too near the truth. Worse still, the books had virtually nothing written in them when I renewed last week.

As usual, we have virtually fuckall to be positive about. Even Macclesfield, who are meant to be skint, have made a signing today.