Welcome to today’s daily Leeds United comment column, Graeme Garvey tells it like it is on 2010-11 Season Ticket prices.
We knew it would happen and it did. Leeds season ticket prices have risen in excited anticipation of returning to second tier football next season. People in marketing have a lot of brass neck and so it was no shock when the news broke on the website in the way it did. They didn’t bother with any apologies for the team’s poor recent league form, or an appeal to the endlessly forgiving nature of their amazing support, instead it was bright, breezy and even, some might say, a tad overconfident. “Adult renewals in the North Stand start at £450 and all prices are cheaper than the last time the club was in the Coca-Cola Championship,” it was proudly announced, forgetting to add that the last time was when the club were still trying to get away with Premiership prices. They ‘start’ at £450. Where do they end? £630 if you do it before May 7th. Then what will they rise to? New applicants won’t even know what they will pay until June 1st. Why then? Is it sheer coincidence that the League One play-off final is on May 29th and that Leeds have actually thought about the unthinkable? Of course they have, but if it all goes to plan, don’t expect any bargains you newcomers!
If there are a few incurable optimists who still think that Leeds haven’t even contemplated the dread thought of failing to get promoted, they are wrong. How do we know? Because the club has wisely thought of a ‘fallback position’ and the fallback position, “if we are not promoted” is to grant free admission to selected cup ties. Selected cup ties, wow! Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Darlington will be in League Two next year for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy so season ticket holders must instead dream of a couple of plum draws to use their fantastic freebies watching a Leeds second string play Macclesfield and Cheltenham. Suddenly not being promoted doesn’t seem so awful a prospect does it? And that’s always assuming Leeds have any home cup ties.
For all those who can’t or won’t commit to a season ticket, what’s all this Category A, B and C nonsense for match tickets at Leeds United except another way to squeeze as much money as possible from fans? Whilst the issue might pass over the heads of season-ticket holders who pay an average price per game, it is still revealing about the way a club thinks. Many other clubs have different category matches, often dividing it into three bands but not all do. Everton, for instance have all home matches at the same price with a £4 supplement for the Liverpool and Man U games.
A legacy of when we were any good, Leeds still call them Categories A, B and C even in League One. They are clearly having a laugh. Categories G, H and I would be more suitable. Can you remember what category was given to the Stockport County match at Elland Road at the start of the current season? For those who might appreciate a clue, do remember that they are a major attraction and a hugely supported club from just over the Pennines. No, not THEM! Stockport (average home attendance of 4,283 and currently adrift at the bottom of the table) were regarded as such a draw that they were awarded, that’s right, Category A. How ludicrous. 22,870 turned up meaning it was well below this season’s average home gate and the official ground capacity is 39,460 leaving 16,590 empty seats.
A further point to note is that six other teams in League One are able to fill a higher percentage of their seats, including Southend and Brighton (http://stats.football365.com). The key comparison is Norwich, now above Leeds in the league table. They also have a higher average crowd than Leeds and have 94.5% of the total capacity filled, whereas Leeds only have 60%. The net effect is that Norwich play to virtually full grounds every home match.
Season ticket holders might or might not feel themselves outside this debate but part of the reason for not offering special, cheap deals to those who buy match by match is that season ticket holders would then be reminded how much they paid above what is fair for people who are so important to the club. We live in a capitalist world and LUFC is not a charity but it makes good business sense to treat your supporters well. Having three categories in League One might be easier to justify if Leeds were posting ‘Sold-out’ notices for every home game. They are not, there’s usually loads of spare room but, if Leeds United want a rousing end to the season and to be roared on to promotion by huge crowds, why not make all future home games Category C?
Besides the fact that many fans can’t bear the idea of missing their regular sporting ‘fix’, there is another huge obstacle to persuading them they are paying too much. Fans want to believe that what they pay is being spent wisely. Back in 1984, Bob Geldof did a fantastic job through Band Aid of raising millions for famine relief in Ethiopia. It has just been revealed that, as many feared, much of it was corruptly spent on weapons. This is always the problem when you hand money to others and have no say in how it is spent. In the case of Leeds, a huge percentage of supporters’ money goes straight out of football via players’ wages and agents’ fees. Considering the poor form Leeds have shown lately, it is interesting to note what Brian Clough said. He was the wrong person for Leeds at that particular time but his point was a good one when he said players should get a basic wage of £100 per week with the rest in win bonuses. At least that way, the fans have a little more control over the money they give.
