How much should we really be paying?

[12th Man]

Just as a matter of interest what is the cost of a coach? I seem to recollect a suggestion that its £1000 or so for 48 seater.

 

If its as dear as that, then the bus must be subsidised by someone as £15 a head wont cover it.

 

A supporters bus from Elgin, direct to the stadium with pick ups in Forres, Nairn and I think also Ardersier was included in the price plus return, was going to cost the      'Moray Eagles Supporters Club'     

£190 for a 33 seater bus with driver or £220  for a 49 seater bus with driver.  (prices quoted a couple of months ago)

Edited November 18, 2014 by 12th Man

[Scotty]

Perhaps when the SPFL markets itself properly and makes itself relevant and attractive to potential sponsors then the cost of entry and the % of turnover that comes from gate money will become as "irrelevant" as it is for some clubs in England ... until that time, the club has to charge what it needs to so it can try and make ends meet. They are not attempting to rip-off fans or to make a fortune from them merely trying to sustain the current level that we all enjoy ......

 

Where the club are failing ... or perhaps more accurately where Inverness appears to be failing the club, (or a bit of both) is in getting more bodies through the gates. Part of that is money, I agree, but equally the SPFL have to also take a large slice of blame for their lack of foresight in marketing and managing the product and making it not only cheaper but also more interesting to a bunch of people who have a multitude of online or TV options to choose from as an alternative.

 

I have said it a few times now and no doubt will again ... but one little 'factoid' from my North american existence ..... is that I can watch any one of about 6 English games on a Saturday morning without having anything other than a cable TV  subscription with a basic sports package. Same applies for Sunday or other games as well as Champions League, Europa League, World Cup etc. I had no real interest in the EPL in years gone by but nowadays I follow it a bit more as I tend to select one game and watch it unfettered after jumping through hoops to establish my VPN connection so I can also listen to the extremely flawed product that is Open All Mics in the background. Where there is a Scottish game live on TV it is shunted off to a channel that literally no-one (that I know) has which is part of the most expensive package and invariably involves either the green or blue half of Glasgow against someone else .... certainly not a showcase of the product !!

 

 

 

 

Caley Thistle

1. Play attractive football in the top league ::: 
2. Come up with some innovative ideas to try and increase crowds ::: 
3. Be fiscally responsible in an effort to sustain top level football ::: 
4. Try to keep prices to a minimum ::: 
5. Get more people through the gate ::: 

 

SPFL

1. Find a main sponsor ::: 
2. Market the league globally and make it available on accessible media ::: 
3. Dont sell the league short when marketing and agree to stupid/cheap deals ::: 
4. Listen to what a broad base of fans want in an effort to increase interest in the product ::: 
5. Have the best interests of the game in Scotland at heart and don't give the top 2 clubs in the land such a huge percentage of the prize money ::: 

[Sir C the 3rd]

I wasn't suggesting sorting the shortfall or anything. If I did i'd be working at the club.  Like I say I understand the business reasons for what the price is, just saying that the quality of the football in Scotland doesn't justify what the price is. 

Edited November 18, 2014 by Sir C the 3rd

[+Fraz]

 

 

So you can do better than £15 return then.

??????

 

 

A post earlier on said that you can't do better than £15 return but it turns out you can.

 

The crux of the matter is though, people can talk about breaking even etc. all they like, but for the price we pay, do we really see a standard of football that justifies it?  I wonder how many people would like to come to more ICT games, but have simply been priced out by their own club.  If prices keep going up, there'll probably be many more as time goes on.

 

 

Regarding the bus: Of course you can do better unless it's free, even County could do better if they had someone with even more money.

 

To put it in perspective the bus costs around £600 and it holds 49 max. At £15 a head we need 40 folk to break even (rarely does) and the very most profit we can make is £135 a bus if it's full (vary rarely does). We end up subsidising the bus quite heavily every year to keep the costs as low as we can for people. If drinking was allowed I'm sure we'd get more on the bus but alas rules are rules.

 

We'd love to offer it cheaper, do loyalty offers or make it cheaper for kids but ultimately they'd all need yet more cash to subsidise. What's the average return bus cost to Killie or Glasgow? £20? £30? £40? I think £15 is pretty good particularly for an adult.

 

If you're aware of any ICT leaning wealthy businessmen with a few spare grand we're not aware of please PM me!

[Huisdean]

So you can do better than £15 return then.

??????

 

A post earlier on said that you can't do better than £15 return but it turns out you can.

 

The crux of the matter is though, people can talk about breaking even etc. all they like, but for the price we pay, do we really see a standard of football that justifies it?  I wonder how many people would like to come to more ICT games, but have simply been priced out by their own club.  If prices keep going up, there'll probably be many more as time goes on.

But you have to break even to sustain a team and provide the infrastructure that supports it. I don't think anyone could say we pay our players a fortune so difficult to see how we could reduce ticket prices and maintain the current standard of football. I simply do not believe the cost of attending games is as big a factor as people think but the fact that the number of games that are now on TV and people watch at home or in the pub is killing the game as people get out of the habit of attending. Do you really think that if we reduced prices to £15, gates would suddenly jump?. I hoinestly do not think that is the case.

[Renegade]

Regarding the bus: Of course you can do better unless it's free, even County could do better if they had someone with even more money.

 

To put it in perspective the bus costs around £600 and it holds 49 max. At £15 a head we need 40 folk to break even (rarely does) and the very most profit we can make is £135 a bus if it's full (vary rarely does). We end up subsidising the bus quite heavily every year to keep the costs as low as we can for people. If drinking was allowed I'm sure we'd get more on the bus but alas rules are rules.

 

We'd love to offer it cheaper, do loyalty offers or make it cheaper for kids but ultimately they'd all need yet more cash to subsidise. What's the average return bus cost to Killie or Glasgow? £20? £30? £40? I think £15 is pretty good particularly for an adult.

 

If you're aware of any ICT leaning wealthy businessmen with a few spare grand we're not aware of please PM me!

 

 

Theoretically, if you booked the Megabus far enough in advance and walked to each ground, you could get it for about £5 return.  The ICT buses don't even have WiFi ( ) and while some do have a telly, they don't pick up real telly, let alone Sky, so I was once subjected to having to watch Shrek.  Shrek!

 

But you have to break even to sustain a team and provide the infrastructure that supports it. I don't think anyone could say we pay our players a fortune so difficult to see how we could reduce ticket prices and maintain the current standard of football. I simply do not believe the cost of attending games is as big a factor as people think but the fact that the number of games that are now on TV and people watch at home or in the pub is killing the game as people get out of the habit of attending. Do you really think that if we reduced prices to £15, gates would suddenly jump?. I hoinestly do not think that is the case.

 

 

No I don't think they would jump, at least not by much, but (and this is across the board in Scottish football), prices are out of control.  IMO for the standard of football we actually see, £15 is about right.  £20+ is simply outrageous. 

Edited November 19, 2014 by Renegade

[TopSix]

Shrek.  Shrek!

 

[CaleyD]

Does Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC deliver "Value for Money"?

 

To answer that question, we first have to look at the definition of "Value for Money"....

 

"Value for money" is a term used to assess whether or not an organisation has obtained the maximum benefit from the goods and services it both acquires and provides, within the resources available to it."

 

So, in my opinion...Yes, ICTFC delivers "Value for Money".  When you compare what we deliver with what other companies (clubs) operating in the same market are delivering based on their resources, then I don't see how anyone could argue that.

 

Sure, the club could cut it's costs by bringing in cheaper players etc and reduce ticket prices...but that doesn't make it any better value for money, that just makes it cheaper and in return they deliver a cheaper product.  Although it's highly likely that you then have fewer people willing to come watch an inferior product, reducing the crowds and commanding the need for a larger ticket price!!!

 

Some people may think Scottish Premiership football is expensive (and I wouldn't argue), but that's a different argument and it then falls to choice on whether people are willing to pay what is being asked for it.

 

The unfortunate thing is...there's not much Caley Thistle can do to make the product any less expensive without impacting on the quality.  I could give a list of where I think the problems lie and where fixes are needed....but Scotty's got that covered above.

[+Fraz]

We looked at getting fibre optic installed Rene, but couldn't get a cable long enough.

[RiG]

Also, the Wi Fi on Scotrail / Megabus is rubbish anyway.

[Jenaitchie]

so I was once subjected to having to watch Shrek.  Shrek!

 

As you wish - Shrek 2 next week then

[IBM]

Was Well worth the gate money today!

[dougal]

It's simple really all SPL clubs should get together and charge the punter the same cost

I'd say £15 max for adult and £7.50 max for a concession

If Scottish clubs are serious in trying to get fans back through the turnstiles then it's inevitable that ticket prices will have to drop

Dougal

[CaleyD]

Think we've already covered that one, Einstein!

[Charles Bannerman]

It's unfortunate that we share a border with the country with a league that's become little more than a grotesque business with Arab billionaires and Russian oligarchs treating it like a play-thing.

You could almost be talking about the Highland League there!