Season tickets 26/27

[garydavidson]

Celtic fans are happy about it: https://celtsarehere.com/celtic-fc-ticket-allocation-update/

[glenrothes saintee]

I’ve got my ST for next season, but it will be my last one if the club continue giving 3 stands to the OF

[Aitchy]

As usual, @blueheaven has hit the nail on the head.

Adam Webb has done many positive things since taking over the club, but the decisions communicated today have undone a lot of that great work. Most supporters would have accepted a slight increase in the cost of season tickets but the different pricing structures, removal of U13's free entry in the East Stand, moving the away fans to the Ormond stand and decision to just give three stands to Rangers and Celtic has rightly angered a lot of supporters. So much good will and a connection between the support and the club has been built up over the past season and it almost feels like that has been obliterated by todays announcement. Have already spoken with a few people who said they wont be renewing or who were thinking of getting a season ticket and have now decided against it.

Very disappointing. 

[Cagey]

1 hour ago, blueheaven said:

I've been generally supportive of the new regime since they arrived, but to me this feels like a real own goal, for multiple reasons:

- The whole pricing structure is really confusing and offputting, and it doesn't help that the price chart on the website is of really poor quality which makes it difficult to zoom in on and read properly.

- Am I right in thinking this limits how many season tickets the club can sell, because everyone needs to be able to fit into the non-padded seats of the Geoff Brown Stand (I'm assuming fans being moved from other stands won't be able to choose the padded seats) - so that puts the limit at somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000? I thought the aim was to grow the home support, not restrict it.

- The new arrangements also limit the number of away fans who can come to games. If we end up with a crucial game this season against someone like Aberdeen, Dundee or Dundee United, who could conceivably bring a big support, there will no longer be an area of the Main Stand to put them in. I don't see how this benefits us as a club that is trying to maximise income?

- I currently sit in what I think are pretty good seats, towards the back of the Main Stand, fairly close to the padded seats. It looks like my ticket is going to go up from £395 to £415 (a 5% increase). That's fine. I can live with that. But my Dad, who sits in the seat right next to me, is seeing his seniors ticket go up from £250 to £300 (a 20% increase). And what's really crazy is that a seat in the middle of the East Stand will now cost £425. So a ticket in the East Stand, with the sun in your eyes and significantly less leg room, will now cost more than a pretty good Main Stand ticket. Surely that makes no sense?

- Why do the confusing price variants not apply to the walk-up prices? It looks like a walk-up fan can just go to the East Stand or the Main, and sit in any section they like, and just pay a flat price for it. Is that fair?

- What is the club going to do to prevent people from simply buying seats in cheaper areas and moving to more expensive areas once the game starts? In a full stadium it's difficult to do that, but McDiarmid is rarely full which means people can basically sit where they like. It seems to me that this is going to create friction among fans, especially as we no longer have 'reserved' stickers.

- There are all sorts of reasons why people choose to sit where they sit, but it's always been the case at McDiarmid that the fans who want to make some noise during the game tend to gravitate towards the north end of the East Stand. This pre-dates the FCU by many years and means our singing fans are close to the away fans, which helps the home support to drown out the away support. I assume that's why the FCU ended up where they ended up. But now, the away fans are going to be at the other end of the ground with nothing to drown them out. Does that really help the atmosphere from a Saints perspective?

- Is the north stand really better for families? It's further away from the car park, and it'll often mean fans having the sun in their eyes. I'm fairly sure that's why it was made the away stand in the first place. Plus, our fans will now be in a nameless stand while the Ormond Stand - named after a St Johnstone legend - will house visiting supporters. At the very least, this change should see the north stand given a proper name (the Tommy Wright Stand please).

- Most disappointing of all is the decision to give the Old Firm three stands. In the past I've understood the club's desire to cash in on these games as much as possible, but it really felt to me that this was the ideal time to make a big concerted effort to change that. Do a big, positive push on getting home fans to come to these games. Use the feel-good factor built up by our promotion and really try to fill as much of the stadium as possible with St Johnstone fans. If it doesn't work, then they could at least say they'd tried, and that would justify reverting to filling the ground with the OF later in the season. But this just feels like we're chucking in the towel without even trying, and that's a major disappointment. I wanted to see us try a new approach to these games - not just do the same things that everyone already hated and we know was keeping our own fans away. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we see another home fan boycott of one of these games, and the Geoff Brown Stand ends up sitting largely empty. If that happens, Adam Webb and co will be entirely deserving of it, and they're also deserving of the criticism they're going to take over this, because countless fans have told them how they feel about this issue and they quite simply have not listened.

- Those of you who chipped in to raise money for the safe standing section - how are you feeling about knowing you've chipped in for an area for the Union Bears and the Green Brigade to come here and have a great little time in? Not great, is it? Just a thought, but maybe someone at the club who was involved in all of that might have communicated that this was on the cards before people started asking for money?

If they wanted to completely kill the promotion buzz, they've done a wonderful job of it. Just like many of us on here, I've done what the new regime asked of me as a fan. I've spent my money on tickets, on merch, I even bought club shares (which, let's face it, were vastly overpriced) for myself and my Dad . What they're doing now honestly just feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 per cent.It doesn't seem to have been thought through. Shambles 

[Aitchy]

Meant to add, I have seen a few people asking who the club consulted with regarding these changes. In February I received an email from the club inviting me to meet with this company - https://impresariostrategic.com/who-we-are/. Due to other commitments, I was unable to attend.

 

 

[templeofsaints]

Just had a reply direct from Adam to my questions:

1. Re the capacity - if ticket sales are higher than expected then a section of the East Stand will be held back for home fans - not sure how segregation etc will work for that. At the least I'd expect Premium Sts to be punted to one end.

2. For the GB stand - "You will get the nearest to equivalent available seat.  Our new ticketing partner is very advanced.  This process should be better than previous seasons."

3. Premium+ seats in GB stand are for renewals and Campbell suite ticketholders only.

4. Re people buying entry and then sitting in standard/premium - that will be addressed by training stewards so that people sit in assigned seats. Probably similar to the bodyguards that stop you sitting in the padded seats for the pre-season friendlies when the GB stand is the only one open.

So not exactly inspiring. I will say its good to get a direct reply from Adam (apparently he's being cc'ed in on all the queries/issues raised). Keeping some seats in the East if we outsell the capacity of the GB stand should work and at least ensures every ST holder should get into the game, that probably addresses my main issue. I'll reserve judgement on the equivalent seat argument. 

[RandomGuy]

Being shoved in the East and overwhelmingly outnumbered by OF fans on every side sounds horrendous.

[Mizfit]

I have some thoughts on the latter part which I’ll give later. 

[Havana Saint]

25 minutes ago, RandomGuy said:

Being shoved in the East and overwhelmingly outnumbered by OF fans on every side sounds horrendous.

The East Stand is going to get absolutely destroyed with Sectarian stickers everywhere, graffiti and broken seats. It will be an utter mess.

Welcome back to the top flight 😢

[Mizfit]

Right sorry was out with the dog. 
I think when you look at the available prices for other clubs in the division, we’re on par with them now. Spent a bit of time this afternoon checking over those who are out. 
 

Do I agree with such a large jump? No not really, but I get why it’s happened. And it was always going to increase this year. 
 

I’ve ended up being fortunate in that my seat has reduced slightly, but others aren’t getting the same chance. The club has engaged with supporters as @Aitchy has showed but I’d wonder by how much. 
 

Complete removal of the U-13’s go free from the east is a surprise and such a price difference for people to take their kids into that stand is too. The club should’ve really encouraged the family stand but then highlighted that the east is available with a reduced cost season ticket. Making clear the benefit of free under 13’s still exists in the North. 
 

splitting the east is a dumb as **** idea. If we oversell season tickets then it’s simple. You give the old firm the same as Hearts. 

[GMac]

I received a reply from Webb,  decent of him to reply....Corporate dugmeat, ramm it.   Just don't move us from the East stand.   The fans need to make a stand (pardon the pun) , do we boycott all OF games this season if they insist on moving us.

[Melbourne Saint]

3 minutes ago, GMac said:

I received a reply from Webb,  decent of him to reply....Corporate dugmeat, ramm it.   Just don't move us from the East stand.   The fans need to make a stand (pardon the pun) , do we boycott all OF games this season if they insist on moving us.

Boycott it unless we get 3 stands 

[Havana Saint]

5 minutes ago, GMac said:

I received a reply from Webb,  decent of him to reply....Corporate dugmeat, ramm it.   Just don't move us from the East stand.   The fans need to make a stand (pardon the pun) , do we boycott all OF games this season if they insist on moving us.

Yes

[garydavidson]

35 minutes ago, RandomGuy said:

Being shoved in the East and overwhelmingly outnumbered by OF fans on every side sounds horrendous.

Segregation in the main stand is easy because of the location of the pie stalls/toilets with hospitality being a soft split in the stand as well. The away support being in the North stand made the even easier.

I don't see how you can keep some of the east stand for home fans when they will be surrounded on each side by away fans in a narrow area to get into the stand. Sounds a logistics nightmare unless, magically, segregation isn't any issue.

[MrBored]

So....I am I reading this right.

I'm in the premium seating area, so being asked to pay £400 vs 350(ish) last year. Kind of fair enough as in theory at least the standard of football will be better....it will won't it!

However, if I'm being moved for the gruesome twosome then there are at least three games before the split where I won't have my all singing all dancing premium seat. That works to around 17% of the pre-split games if I work it out correctly (quite possibly wrong!).

So pay a higher amount and for the privilege I get to use the seat less. 

[Aitchy]

Nauseating seeing some of those that seem to have the ear of our CEO trying to defend things. 
 

 

[templeofsaints]

10 minutes ago, Aitchy said:

Nauseating seeing some of those that seem to have the ear of our CEO trying to defend things. 
 

 

If thats aimed at me I'm not trying to defend anything. I emailed the club and got a reply from Adam that's all 

[GMac]

9 minutes ago, Aitchy said:

Nauseating seeing some of those that seem to have the ear of our CEO trying to defend things. 
 

 

I can see nothing positive coming from this,  maybe Fran Flax could lift his head above the trenches and explain why this was done before a season ticket was sold.  What will happen if there is enough interest in ST , but just a no more and moving of stands cannot be implimented

[Mizfit]

I’ll put my head over the parapet and predict that this will be overturned on backlash. But it’ll linger for some time now. 

[Aitchy]

4 minutes ago, templeofsaints said:

If thats aimed at me I'm not trying to defend anything. I emailed the club and got a reply from Adam that's all 

Not aimed at anyone on here. More from people on social media.

[Cagey]

1 hour ago, RandomGuy said:

Being shoved in the East and overwhelmingly outnumbered by OF fans on every side sounds horrendous.

Just won't work. Does he think OF are rational people, they are intimidating, just ask the SLO.

What about segregation. What would the cops say. Will they shut the toilets and catering.

Making it up as they go along.

[crieffsaintandy]

Just look what the Yanks are doing at the world Cup should we be surprised? Disappointed in the lack of explanation that families are being herded into a family stand to get the free kids ticket, maybe some of have sat for years with mates and family and take the kids to the east, now suddenly it's costing 50/60 quid etc for the privilege. Back in the day I took my 3 kids and used the ormand family stand due to cost it was completely soulless couldn't wait till they changed it back to the east that was 20 odd years ago, and now take the grandkids, the kids like the east and so do I, they haven't read the room at all.

Emailed still waiting on a reply! Smith will try to be clever with some made up corporate bull, also these surveys who's he asking, as can't see many agreeing with it, seems absolute Fran spin and americanised clap trap! 

Edited May 5 by crieffsaintandy

[Lance Boyle]

Surely the sensible thing to do would be to sell family tickets in the East stand to get the numbers up and make it unviable to move everyone for the ugly sisters games and for the games with smaller crowds it would mean not having to open the North stand resulting in savings on stewarding/staffing etc. on these days.

Whilst giving the OF 3 stands is my main gripe the pricing policy looks like an ill conceived shambles too.

I’m sure the clubs policies on these two main issues will have a significant impact on season ticket sales and I hope they don’t use the excuse of poor sales as a means for justifying their actions.

 

[Ginger Bakers rebel army]

3,000 saints fans in the East on derby day leaving at the same time as 1,800 Dundee fans exciting the new away end at the same time is utter madness

Theres a reason away fans were in the North, simply it was to help keep fans apart. 

The souvenier shop has always been a meeting point for saints fans pre match. Thats now in the away end.

Fancy a pint after the game. Those in the East stand will have walk through the away fans to get to the Muirton Suite or fanzone. For a pre match pint folk will leave the fanzone and have to walk through the away fans.

This has not been well thought through. Away fans should be in the North stand.

 

[Mizfit]