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Success Vs Attendance
Written by WindsorBlue on Monday, 1st Sep 2014 21:07

With the transfer deadline imminent, and not much coming in, and potentially our best player out, we can only sit on the edge of our seats hoping for the best. There is not much we, as supporters, can do to directly impact the day-to-day running of the club.

Unfortunately we can’t pick the team, provide a half-time 'hairdryer', or splash out on a £20m striker who will tally 30 goals a season. However we probably have a bigger impact than we might think. Even more so with the introduction of Financial Fair Play, and revenues that directly affect the club's ability to spend.

I write this blog following a forum rant over attendances I posted. I was firmly on my high horse, from which I have since dismounted. The last thing I ever want to be is negative when it comes to ITFC, irrespective of how frustrating it can be! So this will hopefully look at solutions to increase matchday attendances, which I believe has a direct impact on the success and future of 'our' club.

I call it 'our' club, as we were there before Marcus Evans, and will continue to be there after him. We would be jubilant if he were to dump £20m in the transfer coffers, but this is unlikely to happen. The only way we can increase spending, is to increase revenue. Sounds simple!

It is no secret that we can’t fill our stadium. Last year we averaged 17,110 fans per game, but with a capacity of 30,311, a clear opportunity for revenue generation. I believe we need to find a solution in order to build success. Success and attendance are not mutually exclusive factors. Crowds have dissipated following the long-term mediocrity in the Championship. During our 'recent' history we have been accustomed to periods of trophies and promotions, there is not much light at the end of the tunnel for these days to return.

So if success brings fans to matchdays, what if? OK, here’s where you might think I’m crazy. We have all been to sell outs at Portman Road. I think we can agree that despite the final result, we enjoyed the experience more than a game with 15,000 supporters, and a stale atmosphere. I think we would also agree that the 30,000 strong crowds had a bigger impact on the game, than an assembly half the size.

I’m sure if we had a full house every game last season, our play-off push would have been much stronger, if not inevitable. My point is that attendance and success are inextricably linked, and rather than wait for success to drive up gate figures, we as fans should look to find a solution that will get supporters to Portman Road on a more regular basis.

This IMO would kick-start success by supporting the team, both vocally and financially. In turn this would secure the long-term future of the club. Nobody can deny ITFC are failing to do this, and we, as fans, need to take responsibility and find a solution to this problem.

The solution may sound complicated, but it directly correlates ticket pricing to success, so people get actual value for their entertainment. I imagine this to be the primary reason people don’t have the inclination to watch Town. This raises the first question: if tickets were free, would we sell out? I would hope so! I think people will pay a relative amount to the success that we achieve.

Will we lose games? Of course, but we will also win some and draw some. It is the proportion to which we do this that will encourage or indeed dissuade people from attending. ITFC’s ticket pricing strategy is clearly failing, so to have a 'moving structure' which is measured by performance maybe a solution to the problem in question.

How will this work? Firstly Ipswich would have to set their ambition for the season (which will directly affect season ticket sales). It is reasonable to infer from this the fans expectation. If ITFC say they expect to finish seventh, we should not be wholly disheartened if we finish eighth, but will be chuffed to finish sixth. Season ticket holders would then get a discount or additional premium on their renewal should we fail to meet, or exceed the expectation respectively (in proportion to the success or failure). There’s a thought, a season ticket reduction!

This is all well and good for season ticket holders, and unlikely to dramatically increase gates, but for the occasional supporter it gets more interesting. Ticket prices would relate to the average points per game. For example, if Ipswich set the expectation of 1.55 points per game; in 2013/14 we would have finished seventh.

Yeovil finished bottom averaging 0.8 points per game, and Leicester top with 2.2. I would expect to pay a premium on my ticket to finish top, as the entertainment and value would be greater, however would only want to pay very little to finish bottom.

The crucial part is at what fans would happily pay per average point decimal to sell over 25k tickets on a weekly basis. If we would sell out at £40 a match when we are top (2.2ppg), but can only sell out at £3/match if we are bottom (0.8ppg), we could establish a price point for every decimal in between, giving supporters fair value for entertainment, whilst also increasing success as a result of selling more tickets.

So there are cynics sitting reading this thinking 'this will push prices up!'. Hopefully in the long run it will, as success will directly affect pricing, and revenues will directly affect success, through greater purchasing power etc.

However it’s apparent that the current pricing policy is out of sync with what fans see as value, so a reduction would be required initially. I, as a season ticket holder, would not care if matchday tickets were reduced to a point in which they were all sold. I would not feel devalued. I will have a guaranteed seat, and enjoy football more with the atmospheric gains, thus adding value to my experience.

The relationship between a football club and its supporters is unique. If I buy a product and its rubbish, I don’t use that manufacturer again, ever! However, the majority of football supporters will never fully abandon 'their' club. They may vote with their feet, and not attend, but if the clubs' compensated poor performance with proportionate and fairly discounted tickets, it would be fair to think people would come back. It would be in everyone’s interest for performances to improve and we could build long-term success.

Whilst this will never be the most exciting blog you will ever read. I do think it could be purposeful if supporters like the idea. The concept and figures are rudimentary, and bear in mind it was on a brainwave I had this afternoon.

It clearly doesn’t address concessions nor marketing efforts or school schemes that could fill empty seats, or additional revenue generation from greater attendance volumes. I welcome constructive criticism and ideas as to the viability, or invalidity of this concept, often this will determine how realistic it is!




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oldblue added 07:32 - Sep 2
Very thoughtful idea..however the large home support at Norwich game did not offer much vocal support or create any better atmosphere so that part of the argument is flawed
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WindsorBlue added 08:02 - Sep 2
It depends where you sit. It's a bit more nervy etc when you play that lot also. I think on the whole there would be more decibels, mostly in positive support. I hate playing Norwich, and for me, it feels the same as placing a bet that you can't afford to lose. If you win it's brilliant, lose you feel like you've been kicked in the balls, draw is quite a relief. The main point is finding a solution to resolve dwindling numbers, and I think as fans we have a responsibility to try and do this, and are in the best positions to come up with ideas.
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Stato added 08:30 - Sep 2
I think the issue on ticket pricing and innovation is that it doesn't sit well with the vital discipline of budgeting and a cash flow. The club will predict at the start of the season what attendances they are going to have at every fixture and what match day revenues will be. The budget for players wages and transfer fees will then be calculated dependant on that budget. If we do well and attendances and more importantly match day revenues are up then there will be extra available to the manager in Jan window but the opposite is true too so falling match day revenues will damage the playing squad. The club will have very accurate figures based on the rules of supply and demand to show where the pricing should be of match day tickets to generate the maximum revenues. So this is a genuinely tough challenge to solve and most clubs will follow the same model. That doesn't mean to say that there is no place for innovation and new ideas but the club will want to protect match day revenues more than attendances especially as higher attendances demand more club staff and other costs so it isn't quite as simply as higher attendances automatically produce more profit for the club even when those attending also spend at bit in the club shop or bar.
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WindsorBlue added 09:01 - Sep 2
@BossMan it would be very interesting to sit down with the balance sheet, and see how this idea would impinge the P&L account. Ultimately it would place more pressure on the club to achieve what it sets out to do. I'm measured by performance and paid accordingly, in the fact I have my own business. If I give poor service I would expect to be paid less. The rules of supply and demand show, there is loads of supply but not the demand as we cant sell the tickets. There is loads more to think about, but wouldn't it be nice if you could extend the idea further into players contacts, and offset any potential revenue loss from attendance as a result of poor performance. Effectively they would be paid on the same principals, as the fans would pay to watch them.
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Blue041273 added 13:03 - Sep 2
As a concept it makes a good argument. But only if we start to see some success on the field. A successful team will attract more spectators; a struggling team will lose customers. The club is losing money and there are not many ways it can reduce its overheads. With support continuing to ebb away, the club may find it hard to reduce ticket prices with currently little certainty that any reduction will result in increased attendances. A team challenging for promotion will attract more support even at current ticket prices but probably still not fill the ground. It is at this point that the club could introduce more innovative pricing schemes to fill the ground completely. But the downside is that when demand for tickets exceeds supply prices will inevitably go up.
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WindsorBlue added 17:55 - Sep 2
@Blue041273 I agree that there are no guarantees that a price drop will increase attendance...However what have ITFC marketing dept done to actually find this out. Football clubs posses what every business would want. A great local (loyal) customer list. They will have records of every ticket I have ever bought. They could target a survey to those supporters who were regular and are now not. If they reply send them a free matchday ticket or two. It cost the club nothing as there are 12000 spare seats every game. They might even learn something. My point is if ITFC are to ever reach its full potential, every facet of the club must be exceptional in what they do. Whether it be the catering crew not running out of lager (Norwich at half time), or the marketing team fully maximizing every possible seat. They also need to have more interaction with local independence business, schools, hospitals etc, and create a true family club that embrace the local community and in return it should start to embrace it back!
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Gonefishing added 19:27 - Sep 2
I went to the Norwich game and, even if it was free, will not attend again this season unless the standard rises dramatically - very unlikely with our budget and manager. It is overpriced but that is down to people tolerating appalling entertainment. If the demand were more elastic then your pricing policy may have a chance, all be it extremely complicated to implement.
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HarryfromBath added 21:18 - Sep 2
Windsor Blue, many thanks for a hugely interesting read. Linking prices to performance is a fascinating concept. It is distantly echoed by an initiative I have seen at non-league level, where for a one-off game people pay what they can afford or what they feel to be appropriate.

Atmosphere has historically been an issue at home games. Sir Bobby used to complain that the crowd had to be lifted by the team and not vice-versa. I'm not sure that this has changed over the years. The crowd for least year's evening game against the Rams was hopping in the build up to our late winner, whereas it was muted for the Norwich derby.

There is a strong argument for trying clever initiatives to boost attendances. The add-on sales would financially compensate any price reductions and children have to be heavily incentivised to counter-balance the relentless drone of the Premier League on our national media outlets.
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WindsorBlue added 09:09 - Sep 3
@gonefishing I am one of those supporters who tolerates it, but I still think nothing beats the thrill of a win, or last gasp goal for a point or three (Birmingham last month, that excitement for a moment cant be bought). That's what keeps me coming back. I also quite like Johnny Vaughn's concept "dont let the football get in the way of a good day out at the football", so I embrace the day, as a day out. Get there early, lunch, beers with the lads etc. Supporting Ipswich is more of a lifestyle this way, and not just a lackluster 90mins...but not for everyone.

As for the budget, this is the point of the blog, but maybe it was glossed over. It needs at least 10000 words I think lol! Without decent revenues from attendance we cannot put decent players out. I actually think Mick is overachieving with the budget he has. So its a vicious circle, and if we cant improve on the playing surface we should explore new ways to attract crowds. It irks me to see empty seats, when initiatives can be implemented to fill them. Even if it means giving them to schools each week, in turn generating future support.

Whilst this concept was picked out of thin air over a bacon sandwich, it may not be the solution. I do think a moving price structure may gain more interest if its advertised correctly each week. A bit like Bookies market their odds (Bus stops, papers, radio), if you see value you might have a punt.

@Harryfrombath from an atmosphere viewpoint, i agree. I think some people stay away because of this also. Whilst I think all fans have a responsibility to create atmosphere, I cant see it happening at Portman Road. A single point price policy may help spread fans who want to make noise, into parts with better views, but ultimately we will remain quiet. The North Stand is far less atmospheric. I think those of us who sat in the old stand would welcome it back with open arms. I'm hoping the introduction of safe standing will be the way forward...after all who wants to sit and sing! ITFC should make a massive push to trial the scheme. It will also increase capacity and lower ticket prices in that area also. I think it would also be an idea to bring the away fans closer to the North. Today's football will not see a huge rise in trouble if any. We are not animals! But may create a more hostile environment, that in turn generates greater noise. A perfect example is when we were moved to the (then) Greene King upper. We had the loudest ground in the PL, and only had three stands. I believe this was a good contribution to this.
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Blue041273 added 10:13 - Sep 3
@WindsorBlue

I have been mightily impressed by your arguments and your almost evengalical efforts to spread a message that all real Ipswich fans hold close to their hearts; the desire for a dynamic approach by the club in their relationship with their fans and the delivery of service/performance/results which broadly meet the variety of expectations. We, of the ITFC persuasion, and there are many hundreds of thousands of us worldwide, all have a stake, in different degrees, in the club's progress (or lack of it) and your blog demonstrates that there is a need for a wider debate which should involve all stakeholders. Your thoughts may provoke some dissent but that is what debate is all about. Many posts on this site are disparaging to contributors with a different point of view. You, in the blog thread, have taken time to respond to contributors explaining your point of view in a civilised manner. All power to you. Well done!
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WindsorBlue added 17:20 - Sep 3
@Blue041273 Cheers pal! I might sign up for the job of fan/club relationship manager lol!! I'm selling my business, so will have loads of time...I was actually thinking of donating some time to ITFC if they would have me...but only if they give me a team trackie to go to work in (initials and everything!).
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paulthebluealien added 15:19 - Sep 16
Success and attendance correspond, Portman Road would have a 25,000 crowd weekly in the Premier League. In reference to the Narwich game the main problem was that you had fans who came to be impressed in a derby and were left bitterly disappointed. That's how football goes though and most clubs, I say most, struggle now with attendances. If by Christmas Town sit in the top 6, the crowd will sit at about 18,000 - 20,000 depending on opposition. Just how it goes.
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