Proper attendance figures released

JC147 · Mar 23, 2013

Post above me is spot on.

If there's ever looked at time for the prices to drop it has got to be this year. An extra CL qualifier gimmick will not suffice, and would just feel like another kick in the teeth.

GazF1888 · Mar 23, 2013

CelticFC1967 said: ↑

Celtic's pricing structure is a * joke. They should let under-12s in for free with an * ticket, baffling that they charge such high prices for people in that age group. Matchday tickets should also have a student ticket price, most other clubs offer this yet we don't.

Ticket prices should be 20 quid an *, 10 quid concession, 350 quid for a season ticket. No matter how little competition we had in the SPL, that would easily increase ticket sales by a few thousand. If it means reducing the wage bill and losing a player or 2 then so be it, the fans should come first and they should be able to afford to watch some kind of football on a Saturday afternoon. The club offer very little incentive to get folk back - even at christmas when they offered 2 extra tickets per fan, you had to complete application forms and then travel to the ticket office the week before in order to get the tickets - they knew very little people would be able to take up that offer.

When I was in Barcelona in October, they had so much to do around the ground - even when it wasn't a matchday. Massive ticket office, huge superstore, museum, outside cafe's which served beer and food and general areas to gather around the stadium, enjoy a decent pint and a burger and it wasn't too expensive. The fact that Parkhead has never had anything similar is utterly, utterly puzzling for me. Even the likes of Kilmarnock have their own pub/hotel for fans before games and we still don't.

Food stall prices are another issue - I'd be surprised if Celtic pay anything more than about 15p per pie that they sell for 2 quid, the bovril will cost pennies per cup, the fizzy juice even less. They sell all of this for way over the price it should be. £1 cups of tea/coffee and £1.50 pies would be far better and probably sell more. I used to buy a programme and a pie, do neither now due to the ridiculous prices. I know I'm not the only one - you only need to look at how busy places like KFC and Tesco at the forge are prior to games - people know they get better value for money eating somewhere else before the game. I'm no business expert but I'd say that I used to spend around £6 quid on food/drink and programme before I stopped - surely reducing the prices and having people like myself spending £2.50 on food/drink and £1.50 on a programme and therefore £4 quid every week has to be better than spending nothing at all? The main problem is that people still buy items at the overpriced mark they are - once people stop doing that then they'd have no option but to reduce prices.

Treating the fans like criminals is another detraction. As was mentioned previously, people are scared they'll fall foul of some new fangled law of some kind and it'll go against them in terms of jobs/visa applications and so on. Opening a standing area and just letting the fans who want some atmosphere to enjoy themselves without fear of recrimination would help make a difference for sure.

If there isn't some sort of reduction in prices next season then the board will lose a lot of money, more money than it's worth. Sadly, I reckon prices will remain the same and they'll probably fling in an extra free qualifier or friendly/cup game.

The lack of foresight from intelligent men like Lawwell really does confuse me - considering he's a man whom is always determined to find was of making more money then I'm hugely surprised we haven't seen any sort of pubs or bars or cafe's being built in and around Celtic Park.
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Top post.

Hugo Nedez · Mar 23, 2013

Certainly the surrounding infrastructure of Celtic Park should be improved and the above post highlights many good ideas of what should be included.

Markybhoy · Mar 23, 2013

I agree with all the people who are saying that prices at Parkhead are too high. Whether it be ticket prices, food prices or the cost of merchandise, everything is pricey in the current economic climate.

I would love to know though............

If Celtic slashed ticket prices then a natural consequence of that would be that the club would have less money to spend on transfer fees and players wages. It is reasonable therefore to assume that the quality of the team on the pitch would drop. If the quality of the team dropped, would people still go along and watch it(even if the ticket prices were lower)?

I'm not sure. We already hear a lot of fans grumbling about how crap the team is compared to what it was a decade ago. If the team had even less good players in it than it does now then the chances of us making any impact at all in the Champions League would be greatly reduced and we'd probably see more seasons like this one where domestic defeats are not uncommon. Would the people who are already fed up with the standard of the team get fed up with that and just stop going altogether?

I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on that.

Hugo Nedez · Mar 23, 2013

Markybhoy

The club are already committed to a 'buy low, sell high' ethos so even with the tens of millions we've generated in the past year, we will never truly spend what we take in - despite what Lawwell constantly claims - so they might aswell cut season ticket prices and then use that as a public justification for spending so little in the transfer market.

Sween · Mar 26, 2013

Markybhoy said: ↑

I agree with all the people who are saying that prices at Parkhead are too high. Whether it be ticket prices, food prices or the cost of merchandise, everything is pricey in the current economic climate.

I would love to know though............

If Celtic slashed ticket prices then a natural consequence of that would be that the club would have less money to spend on transfer fees and players wages. It is reasonable therefore to assume that the quality of the team on the pitch would drop. If the quality of the team dropped, would people still go along and watch it(even if the ticket prices were lower)?

I'm not sure. We already hear a lot of fans grumbling about how crap the team is compared to what it was a decade ago. If the team had even less good players in it than it does now then the chances of us making any impact at all in the Champions League would be greatly reduced and we'd probably see more seasons like this one where domestic defeats are not uncommon. Would the people who are already fed up with the standard of the team get fed up with that and just stop going altogether?

I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on that.
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I would be happy to put up with a drop in quality if it meant people werent being priced out of the game and the stadium was full every week. There is more to football than having a brilliant team. I would take more pleasure in going to a full stadium than going to a half empty one, regardless of who I am watching. But as Hugo say above, we are not spending cash anyway and our most exciting talents havent cost much at all.

richardm · Mar 26, 2013

Some good posts!

CelticFC1967 you are spot on pal, so much opportunities are being missed particularly when you consider how much space we have around the ground.

I was at Shaktar Donetsk new stadium 2 years ago, even there on non match days they have stuff going on like pubs, a big concourse area selling food and beers and stuff, they utilise their facilities alright!! (they do similar at the new stadium in Kiev now also) Strange that in a country such as Ukraine, yet here we do nothing but have an overpriced shop open selling merchandise, so much potential being lost.

The crowds this season whether you want to look at the unofficial or correct figures suggest there is big room for incentives like as previously mentioned about under 14s getting in for free with an *, its a win, win as so many seats are empty!

At least these youngsters can watch their team and develop the passion as well as contribute some money to the club via food sales, programmes etc.

Next season the club really need to promote stuff better and encourage things like "sell out" days by various methods and try and get people into the habit of going and wake up to the fact folk are struggling right now financially and £29 to watch Hibs is not top of their priorities right now!

As it stands things are badly stagnating, just carrying on as we are and keeping season tickets the same price will only see things get worse before they get any better!

scomur1888 · Mar 26, 2013

CelticFC1967 said: ↑

Celtic's pricing structure is a * joke. They should let under-12s in for free with an * ticket, baffling that they charge such high prices for people in that age group. Matchday tickets should also have a student ticket price, most other clubs offer this yet we don't.

Ticket prices should be 20 quid an *, 10 quid concession, 350 quid for a season ticket. No matter how little competition we had in the SPL, that would easily increase ticket sales by a few thousand. If it means reducing the wage bill and losing a player or 2 then so be it, the fans should come first and they should be able to afford to watch some kind of football on a Saturday afternoon. The club offer very little incentive to get folk back - even at christmas when they offered 2 extra tickets per fan, you had to complete application forms and then travel to the ticket office the week before in order to get the tickets - they knew very little people would be able to take up that offer.

Cracking post.

When I was in Barcelona in October, they had so much to do around the ground - even when it wasn't a matchday. Massive ticket office, huge superstore, museum, outside cafe's which served beer and food and general areas to gather around the stadium, enjoy a decent pint and a burger and it wasn't too expensive. The fact that Parkhead has never had anything similar is utterly, utterly puzzling for me. Even the likes of Kilmarnock have their own pub/hotel for fans before games and we still don't.

Food stall prices are another issue - I'd be surprised if Celtic pay anything more than about 15p per pie that they sell for 2 quid, the bovril will cost pennies per cup, the fizzy juice even less. They sell all of this for way over the price it should be. £1 cups of tea/coffee and £1.50 pies would be far better and probably sell more. I used to buy a programme and a pie, do neither now due to the ridiculous prices. I know I'm not the only one - you only need to look at how busy places like KFC and Tesco at the forge are prior to games - people know they get better value for money eating somewhere else before the game. I'm no business expert but I'd say that I used to spend around £6 quid on food/drink and programme before I stopped - surely reducing the prices and having people like myself spending £2.50 on food/drink and £1.50 on a programme and therefore £4 quid every week has to be better than spending nothing at all? The main problem is that people still buy items at the overpriced mark they are - once people stop doing that then they'd have no option but to reduce prices.

Treating the fans like criminals is another detraction. As was mentioned previously, people are scared they'll fall foul of some new fangled law of some kind and it'll go against them in terms of jobs/visa applications and so on. Opening a standing area and just letting the fans who want some atmosphere to enjoy themselves without fear of recrimination would help make a difference for sure.

If there isn't some sort of reduction in prices next season then the board will lose a lot of money, more money than it's worth. Sadly, I reckon prices will remain the same and they'll probably fling in an extra free qualifier or friendly/cup game.

The lack of foresight from intelligent men like Lawwell really does confuse me - considering he's a man whom is always determined to find was of making more money then I'm hugely surprised we haven't seen any sort of pubs or bars or cafe's being built in and around Celtic Park.
Click to expand...

Cracking post.

Cheese - Burger · Mar 26, 2013

I know that I for one hasve been priced out of going to watch games

I have been a season tickey holoder/regululr fan for a good few years now
(1997 was the year I first started going to games regularly)

I say ive been priced out of going to games because this is the first year Ive not had enough monye to buy a season ticket and i'm not going to pay the extortionate prices it cots to go and watch daft "diddie teams"

Thats not to mention the funny money they want you to give them for a cup of tea/bovril/pie ore whatever

* of Celtic.

Cheese - Burger · Mar 26, 2013

Rant over

Glad I got that of my chest

Shane1888 · Mar 26, 2013

stevenmcmonagle said: ↑

I know that I for one hasve been priced out of going to watch games

I have been a season tickey holoder/regululr fan for a good few years now
(1997 was the year I first started going to games regularly)

I say ive been priced out of going to games because this is the first year Ive not had enough monye to buy a season ticket and i'm not going to pay the extortionate prices it cots to go and watch daft "diddie teams"

Thats not to mention the funny money they want you to give them for a cup of tea/bovril/pie ore whatever

* of Celtic.
Click to expand...

How did you spell 'extortionate' correctly but you couldn't manage 'cost'? :smiley-laughing002: