....are they a thing of the past?

I can't recall the last time that ICTFC had any proper ticket offers...and in fact, they seem to have fallen out of favour across the game in Scotland (although it may just be that I am less aware of them these days).

Five years ago tonight, ICTFC ran with a "Pay What You Can" match versus St Johnstone (we did it a year later against Partick as well) and it was one of our more successful initiatives in terms of getting a few extra people through the gate whilst maintaining (actually a marginal increase) the income levels.

With no ticket offers to attract new fans in and a diminishing matchday experience (excluding the match itself) giving them very little reason to return even if they do, is it any wonder there's a struggle to grow attendances?

Discuss....

I want to say the PWYC scheme possibly worked well, but I wonder if there were any cheapskates and paid the absolute bare minimum.

The tickets in schools was another great scheme (Its how I got into supporting the club), but they also give away free tickets at the kids training sessions (again, participated in those, great move).

Otherwise, I can't think of how else they could encourage fans...cut out tickets in the P&J/Courier? (is that even allowed?). Going back to the idea of the stall/shop in the Eastgate?

Looking at our fixture list we have five home games between 1st Feb and 3rd March. That is a big ask for pay at the gate fans, so this would be a good time to have an offer available. Two games are cup games so it limits the clubs options. The club could consider giving fans free or discounted entry to the Morton game on Tuesday 3rd March if they buy tickets for the Alloa and Partick games.

The club also needs to focus on attracting more children to games. We have thousands of empty seats at every game so why not give away 500+ tickets to different schools for the remaining home games. Tickets could be valid for an adult/child so parents get free entry, hopefully they will buy food, merchandise etc. If kids enjoy the games then it could result in season tickets sales for next season (perhaps).

All credible suggestions. These need to be relayed to the Board to consider acting on together with those outlined by the Chairman and CEO at the open meeting last year.

Edited January 21, 20206 yr by Row S

Montrose fc down here are currently running a scheme to encourage kids to read if kids get and read 4 library books they then get a card stamped and can take it to the ticket office and get free and reduced tickets. Also offering family tickets like a paying adult can take kids for say £2 or one adult one kid free. There are loads of different options available to make it more enticing to families to get bums on seats. Also do what Aberdeen are doing pre paid meal vouchers £5 for a pie drink and sweet. 

PWYC and free ticket schemes are only worthwhile if they provide a long term positive effect on footfall which unfortunately they haven't in the past. Offering cheap or discounted/free tickets for a single game as a promo could be seen acceptable but to many ST holders they feel penalised by these events as ultimately they end up paying more per game over a season than walk-up's do - especially if they have a kids ticket and then they are thrown about schools for free. Do these types of promo too often and ST holders will be better binning them and just doing walk up all season - afterall what (if any) reward does the loyalty of paying upfront every year get fans?

Schemes like PWYC should be considered for cup games where everyone can have the same advantage - afterall its not like we even get free entry to any of these with a ST anymore.

The club has to offer more outwith just the plastic seat and game on show (for £20-30), the thought of going to the football should feel like an event or something to look forwads to - not done out of duty or (in the case of ST holders) just because we have already paid for it. Better promotion, advertising and facilities need to be looked at - its been said so many times before, ICT (like many Scottish clubs) do the bare minimum and rely to heavily on fan loyalty when there are so many more avenues to spend the every reducing disposable income individuals/familes have.

Edited January 21, 20206 yr by bdu98196

Poverty When You Capitulate ? Surely our new Board can find funding from other sources ? ?

7 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

PWYC and free ticket schemes are only worthwhile if they provide a long term positive effect on footfall which unfortunately they haven't in the past. Offering cheap or discounted/free tickets for a single game as a promo could be seen acceptable but to many ST holders they feel penalised by these events as ultimately they end up paying more per game over a season than walk-up's do - especially if they have a kids ticket and then they are thrown about schools for free. Do these types of promo too often and ST holders will be better binning them and just doing walk up all season - afterall what (if any) reward does the loyalty of paying upfront every year get fans?

Schemes like PWYC should be considered for cup games where everyone can have the same advantage - afterall its not like we even get free entry to any of these with a ST anymore.

The club has to offer more outwith just the plastic seat and game on show (for £20-30), the thought of going to the football should feel like an event or something to look forwads to - not done out of duty or (in the case of ST holders) just because we have already paid for it. Better promotion, advertising and facilities need to be looked at - its been said so many times before, ICT (like many Scottish clubs) do the bare minimum and rely to heavily on fan loyalty when there are so many more avenues to spend the every reducing disposable income individuals/familes have.

Season ticket holders get other discounts with their season ticket not Just reduced tickets prices which supporters who cannot commit to a season ticket don't get. By your own logic you are cutting off trying to get supporters in just to appease season ticket holders. When I visit Inverness with my three boys I used to look to see if there was a game on and take the boys along as I was able to take two for free but now  each cost an extra £6 on top of the adult walk up ticket effectively making  it nearly £55 per visit to sit in the cold and wind after factoring in half time pies etc or I can go to the cinema where I  can get heavily reduced tickets and snack deals through a work scheme making it £30 to have entertainment for us all in a warm dry environment. There are so many ways the club cam try and attract new fans and reenergise existing fans to attend. Its not just about the ticket price it's about the extras folk buy that will add to revenue. Think outside the box.

Why don't you stuff cheap sweets and a hip flask in yer pocket ?

7 minutes ago, MorayJaggie said:

Season ticket holders get other discounts with their season ticket not Just reduced tickets prices which supporters who cannot commit to a season ticket don't get. By your own logic you are cutting off trying to get supporters in just to appease season ticket holders. When I visit Inverness with my three boys I used to look to see if there was a game on and take the boys along as I was able to take two for free but now  each cost an extra £6 on top of the adult walk up ticket effectively making  it nearly £55 per visit to sit in the cold and wind after factoring in half time pies etc or I can go to the cinema where I  can get heavily reduced tickets and snack deals through a work scheme making it £30 to have entertainment for us all in a warm dry environment. There are so many ways the club cam try and attract new fans and reenergise existing fans to attend. Its not just about the ticket price it's about the extras folk buy that will add to revenue. Think outside the box.

What discounts do we get other than 10% off the club shop? That's all I'm aware of.

I remember going to a game at Hamilton where it was a pound or maybe even 10p to get in, this was like 7 years ago or something. 

Edited January 21, 20206 yr by Fraz

54 minutes ago, Fraz said:

What discounts do we get other than 10% off the club shop? That's all I'm aware of.

Hospitality discounts sports bar loyalty scheme. That plus ticket discounts. For north stand you receive an £82 a season ticket discount plus free kids season tickets so large ticket discounts. Your basically getting 4 games free. 

Its about getting bums on seats. If your lucky enough to be able to commit to a season ticket that's great but lots of folk can't and by not offering some sort of enticement is a bad business model and short sighted. 

21 minutes ago, MorayJaggie said:

Hospitality discounts sports bar loyalty scheme. That plus ticket discounts. For north stand you receive an £82 a season ticket discount plus free kids season tickets so large ticket discounts. Your basically getting 4 games free. 

It would be an interesting statistic how many ST holders make every game a season but the benefits you talk about mean spending more to get a small % back (not everyone wants to spunk out more on hospitality food, drinking at the bar or merchandise). Plenty ST holders around me cant make every game and many probably only manage 50-70% for various reasons, including TV and rescheduled midweek games among some. Start doing promos regular and I'm sure many will look at the economics and decide PATG is better so they can get those free deals too - so how does that help the club?

3 minutes ago, bdu98196 said:

It would be an interesting statistic how many ST holders make every game a season but the benefits you talk about mean spending more to get a small % back (not everyone wants to spunk out more on hospitality food, drinking at the bar or merchandise). Plenty ST holders around me cant make every game and many probably only manage 50-70% for various reasons, including TV and rescheduled midweek games among some. Start doing promos regular and I'm sure many will look at the economics and decide PATG is better so they can get those free deals too - so how does that help the 

And there is the problem no one willing to try anything to get folk in. Every club down here in Angus Tayside and Aberdeen are doing different things to promote the club with ticket offers but if that's the ictfc viewpoint then crowds will dwindle revenue fall and obscurity. Then the club will disappear it's simple. To be a viable successful business it needs to adapt to changing demands and football as a whole isn't hence stadiums are about at 1/4 capacity everywhere. But if you also look at figures and do 1000 season ticket holders on north stand prices then with the discounts for season tickets prices and free kids season tickets that is just under £100,000 ticket revenue over 18 home games. So season tickets are not benefiting the club other than getting money up front at start of the year. And that is like having a 2000 crowd free for 3 home games. We need to promote the club get new supporters in make it more financially and entertainingly attractive for everyone families, kids, older folk everyone to try and increase bums on seats. 

2 minutes ago, MorayJaggie said:

And there is the problem no one willing to try anything to get folk in. Every club down here in Angus Tayside and Aberdeen are doing different things to promote the club with ticket offers but if that's the ictfc viewpoint then crowds will dwindle revenue fall and obscurity. Then the club will disappear it's simple. To be a viable successful business it needs to adapt to changing demands and football as a whole isn't hence stadiums are about at 1/4 capacity everywhere. But if you also look at figures and do 1000 season ticket holders on north stand prices then with the discounts for season tickets prices and free kids season tickets that is just under £100,000 ticket revenue over 18 home games. So season tickets are not benefiting the club other than getting money up front at start of the year. And that is like having a 2000 crowd free for 3 home games. We need to promote the club get new supporters in make it more financially and entertainingly attractive for everyone families, kids, older folk everyone to try and increase bums on seats. 

I think I may have mentioned it before, but the reason were not packed near every game is cos the SFA neglected the potential of Highland football for too long. It was what, a little over 100 years the SFA had to elect any of the highland teams in, and all because of the apparent A9 conditions, they chose not to, which in turn, sent all fans wanting league football off to Aberdeen or Glasgow, and in turn, causing glory hunters who adamantly support Celtic/Rangers/Aberdeen, yet haven't even set a toenail into any of the grounds. C*unty have the exact same problem, but it's easily disguised by the fact the stands are so small, it looks like more seats are filled.

I really can't pinpoint when all our fans ditched us, looking through highlights of many a game on YouTube, the North and Main stands were pretty full no matter who we're playing. Looking at the North Stand, especially the section I sit in, on YouTube, there's absolute tons of people, now, there's a mere handful. It's really disappointing to see how much of the general public will turn out for one game, then a slight drop in results and those "fans" scatter like cockroaches. The Premiership, and making a consistent effort to push for Europa League spots, is going to bring the fans back. The coefficient has made it all the more likely another spot in Europe will be coming to the league. That said, I don't like dampening our achievements, but I think the lack of Rangers gave us the chance to snag a Europa League spot. We did (nearly) do it a couple years before, but were hauled back by a loss to C*unty. Robbo has been one of the most successful managers we've ever had, he managed to secure back to back Scottish Cup Semis in the early days of our Premiership campaign, again last season, and hopefully, this season too. If he manages that, and we get through the Playoffs, I'm certain we'll get bums on seats (and hopefully more pies, considering there's rarely enough ?)

3 hours ago, MorayJaggie said:

Hospitality discounts sports bar loyalty scheme. That plus ticket discounts. For north stand you receive an £82 a season ticket discount plus free kids season tickets so large ticket discounts. Your basically getting 4 games free. 

You don't get a hospitality discount, just the price of the game ticket you've already paid for off it. I'm not aware what the bar loyalty scheme is maybe as I have been in there in years. Getting a free u12 season ticket etc is just the deal you get at the time it's not as discount as such. When buying a season ticket you are essentially bulk buying games in advance and it's common practice in many businesses to reduce prices when bulk buying. It also helps the club set its budget at the start of the season as it's money in the bank for them regardless of attendance.