Upping the attendance.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Now I really don't want to appear ungrateful - but if you've already bought a ST, then being able to buy tickets for a fiver for 2 friends/family members is surely helping them out, not the ST holder - so advertising it as if it's a good deal for ST holders is a tad wrong isn't it?

But they don't have a mailing list for "friends of ST holders".... and anyway it is good for ST holders, since they get the benefit of passing on a bargain to their friends/acquaintances.

[No Fixed Abode]

If they offered a free fleece with every ticket purchased the ground would be full to the Patrick Rafters.

[Royal Lady]

As a reward to our loyal season ticket holders, we are offering these special discounted tickets for our important home game - a saving of up to £50 on two seats!
That doesn't "reward" ST holders though, does it? It rewards their m8s who happen to know a ST holder and can get into a game for a fiver!! That's my point.

[Svlad Cjelli]

As a reward to our loyal season ticket holders, we are offering these special discounted tickets for our important home game - a saving of up to £50 on two seats!
That doesn't "reward" ST holders though, does it? It rewards their m8s who happen to know a ST holder and can get into a game for a fiver!! That's my point.

Depends who's paying the money? If it's the ST holders taking their friends/family then yes it does - it they're buying the tickets on behalf of friends/family and being reimbursed then no it's not.

I thin the overall message is clear enough without being minutely de-constructed, though ....

[melonhead]

As a reward to our loyal season ticket holders, we are offering these special discounted tickets for our important home game - a saving of up to £50 on two seats!
That doesn't "reward" ST holders though, does it? It rewards their m8s who happen to know a ST holder and can get into a game for a fiver!! That's my point.

thats a kind of reward though, which gets a lonely ST holder some company, AND may attract new supporters

[Royal Lady]

More fool us I suppose - getting all our family their own ST and adding to RFCs coffers at the beginning of every season.

[No Fixed Abode]

Just thought of another idea. Get Brendy to greet fans. I really can't think of anything better to motiv8 fans to come to games more often. He's so enthusiastic and can shake hands longer than Mr Shakey Hand Man.

[Ian Royal]

As a reward to our loyal season ticket holders, we are offering these special discounted tickets for our important home game - a saving of up to £50 on two seats!
That doesn't "reward" ST holders though, does it? It rewards their m8s who happen to know a ST holder and can get into a game for a fiver!! That's my point.

Quite a few of the people who benefit will probably be Season Ticket holders taking family members who aren't quite as commited as them. Kids, partners etc. In which case they'll be saving money.

Even if it's friends or more distant relatives who'll pay whatever themselves, they still benefit from the warm fuzzy glow of helping out a pal get a cheap ticket.

[Silver Fox]

Now I really don't want to appear ungrateful

So why did you continue?

[Royal Lady]

Now I really don't want to appear ungrateful

So why did you continue?

Cos I was giving my opinion?

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

This could easily reward ST holders, already suggested that we attend, and pay the offering ST a tenner for the seats. Win win all round there, shame RL does not have anyone to do a deal with, how about offering Ian Royal a couple of seats? That would last him all season.

[Royal Lady]

If we did want to a bring a friend or a family member who has inexplicably not bought a ST, they wouldn't be able to sit anywhere near us anyway.

[Ian Royal]

This could easily reward ST holders, already suggested that we attend, and pay the offering ST a tenner for the seats. Win win all round there, shame RL does not have anyone to do a deal with, how about offering Ian Royal a couple of seats? That would last him all season.

Thinking about tapping up a pal and doing exactly this. Certainly pay for him & his dad's beers even if he doesn't take more than £5 for the ticket. I am due a few more games before winterval.

[Platypuss]

If we did want to a bring a friend or a family member who has inexplicably not bought a ST, they wouldn't be able to sit anywhere near us anyway.

#

Surely an even bigger incentive than a fiver for a ticket?

[Svlad Cjelli]

If we did want to a bring a friend or a family member who has inexplicably not bought a ST, they wouldn't be able to sit anywhere near us anyway.

#

Always possible to move your ST seats for a match. Or perhaps other people near you will do the same and free up space near you.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

If we did want to a bring a friend or a family member who has inexplicably not bought a ST, they wouldn't be able to sit anywhere near us anyway.

#

Always possible to move your ST seats for a match. Or perhaps other people near you will do the same and free up space near you.

Why should they have to though, RL and family have some of the best seats in the ground, why would they want to sit elsewhere.

You are closer to facts SC, any idea how succesful these deals have been in the past?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Shouldn't need to - it's an option, that's all. I've found it's sometimes nice to experience sitting elsewhere in the ground for a single match, and sitting with friends/family at a cheaper rate is an opportunity to do this.

Don't have any numbers - but even a few extra on teh attendance that they'd not sell without it can presumably be deemed successful - especially because there's also programme/refreshment sales and the less tangible benefit of "hooking people" who might come back.

[Silver Fox]

Why should they have to though, RL and family have some of the best seats in the ground, why would they want to sit elsewhere?

To sit with their friends?

[roadrunner]

If we did want to a bring a friend or a family member who has inexplicably not bought a ST, they wouldn't be able to sit anywhere near us anyway.

#

Always possible to move your ST seats for a match. Or perhaps other people near you will do the same and free up space near you.

Why should they have to though, RL and family have some of the best seats in the ground, why would they want to sit elsewhere.

Because for a one off they'd like to sit with their friends. Surely you could live with a change of view for one game?

[URZZZZZZZZ]

The economic conditions are making life difficult for all football teams outside the Premier League.

With rising fuel costs and poor wage rises (some cases, falling wages), people are having to watch what they spend and going to a football match can seem very expensive. All the football clubs near me - Luton, Watford & MK Dons - have seen attendances fall this season. Nottingham Forest couldn't fill their ground for their match against Derby and it seems the East Midlands clubs have seen falls in average attendances as well.

All of the above is out of the clubs control. The best way forward for any club is to recognise the difficult economic conditions and to do their bit to help - a starting point is by freezing the match day/season ticket prices. Not sure how Reading's season ticket prices have changed but the match day ticket prices for adults has been in the £22.50-£23.00 range for the past few years which is a good thing - compare with Watford who used to charge £22.50 in 2009 and now their ticket prices are £26.00.

If you put on special offers throughout the season, you run the risk of alienating the season ticket holders. If you designate 4 likely low attendance matches to be £10 specials then the season ticket holder will feel as though their season ticket has been devalued. You could give season ticket holders free guest tickets for these matches but no amount of special offers is going to solve the overall problem - economic conditions. You might get people flooding in for a £10 game but you won't see them again until the next £10 game.

As for luring new customers, I think the beauty of the club does that. The Madejski Stadium provides the nicest match day experience and this can be seen by the fact that people feel its safe to bring their children along.

For the Newcastle match in 2010, I brought a friend from Luton. She was accustomed to the conditions at Luton Town (having worked as a steward there previously). She was gobsmacked by the atmosphere at the Madejski Stadium and the fact there were loads of children about and little in the way of swearing (compared to what she experienced previously). She now regards Reading as her second team.

Unfortunately this post doesn't answer how to increase the average attendance - its very difficult in this economy.

Nail well and truly hit