Galway United

Jim

The first Galway game I can go to since I moved down and it's against Bohs.

To the away stand!

El Mullo

Uniteds five match unbeaten run against Bohemians ended with a 2-0 defeat at Terryland last night.

Our "A" championship team take on FC Carlow on Sunday at Cappagh Park, Knocknacarra. KO is 2.00pm.

Malice

Jim wrote: »

The first Galway game I can go to since I moved down and it's against Bohs.

To the away stand!

So were you the jinx?

InchicoreDude

Adult tickets cost €12, concessions €10, and secondary school students €5. A family ticket of €20 is also on sale (two adults and two secondary school students). U12s are free of charge.

far too expensive, should be €10 for an adult and €5 for students / oaps. If you want to charge secondary school students, then €2 would be more appropriate. I'd imagine €5 is quite a bit for a parent to be giving to a secondary school student at the moment too.

I went to the Dundalk game a few weeks back, was wondering how much it was gonna be for a student. Was very surprised to see that it was so steep to be honest.

I had gone to a number of GAA matches during the winter where it was €5 for students which was appropriate; their €13 for adults was too expensive. But there is no doubt I got better value going to the GAA games.

I love going to matches and have been to many Galway Utd matches in the past (Including a couple of seasons as a season ticket holder). However, I cannot justify paying €10 of my money to see them at the moment. It is just too much...

InchicoreDude

InchicoreDude wrote: »

far too expensive, should be €10 for an adult and €5 for students / oaps. If you want to charge secondary school students, then €2 would be more appropriate. I'd imagine €5 is quite a bit for a parent to be giving to a secondary school student at the moment too.

I went to the Dundalk game a few weeks back, was wondering how much it was gonna be for a student. Was very surprised to see that it was so steep to be honest.

I had gone to a number of GAA matches during the winter where it was €5 for students which was appropriate; their €13 for adults was too expensive. But there is no doubt I got better value going to the GAA games.

I love going to matches and have been to many Galway Utd matches in the past (Including a couple of seasons as a season ticket holder). However, I cannot justify paying €10 of my money to see them at the moment. It is just too much...

Are you having a laugh?.... we're in the same division as St.Pats who's season ticket alone is over E200 to our E99 one.

E2 for a secondary school student? :rolleyes:

E5 a lot to give to a student now?... come off it now, this is Ireland not Ethiopia, even a family on Welfare are taking in circa E35,000 p/a

E10 too steep?... it's more then E10 into a nightclub, and it's not much more then a box of fags which serve no purpose then to destroy your lunges.

GAA games during the winter- aka league games in LOI terms they're the equivilant of friendlies.
Also GAA players don't get paid so it's a stupid comparison in fairness, they don't have weekly financial targets to reach to survive.

We're charging in at a basement price which is far less then any other premier division club and on par with a first division teams.
We couldn't possibly go any lower without going out of business.

In modern Ireland for E10-12 there isn't a whole lot you can do, afaik the cinema is even that dear now.

I think the real issue is results, when Liverpool reserves or the likes come to play then admission doesn't seem to be an issue.

Amazing how people spin this about such a minuscule figure yet usually are the ones who pay E300 odd euro to go to one Premiership game.

El Mullo

Two adults, two secondary school students and four younger kids can all go to a match at Terryland - for example versus League Champions Shamrock Rovers - for €20.

Adult season tickets work out at €6 per match.

The student rate of €10 is reasonable, most students are working or have some other source of income. "Student" nowadays can be anyone from 18 to 78.

WallyGUFC

The Liverpool game last year really was a sad sight.

Jim

Few pics I took at the Bohs game if anyone's interested!

http://pix.ie/jimeatsmenu/album/410145

InchicoreDude

Are you having a laugh?.... we're in the same division as St.Pats who's season ticket alone is over E200 to our E99 one.

E2 for a secondary school student?

E5 a lot to give to a student now?... come off it now, this is Ireland not Ethiopia, even a family on Welfare are taking in circa E35,000 p/a

E10 too steep?... it's more then E10 into a nightclub, and it's not much more then a box of fags which serve no purpose then to destroy your lunges.

GAA games during the winter- aka league games in LOI terms they're the equivilant of friendlies.
Also GAA players don't get paid so it's a stupid comparison in fairness, they don't have weekly financial targets to reach to survive.

We're charging in at a basement price which is far less then any other premier division club and on par with a first division teams.
We couldn't possibly go any lower without going out of business.

In modern Ireland for E10-12 there isn't a whole lot you can do, afaik the cinema is even that dear now.

I think the real issue is results, when Liverpool reserves or the likes come to play then admission doesn't seem to be an issue.

Amazing how people spin this about such a minuscule figure yet usually are the ones who pay E300 odd euro to go to one Premiership game.

I compare Galway United games with GAA league matches and am told by you that it is not a fair comparison. Yet, you go on to compare Galway United prices with a packet of cigarettes, the cinema & a night club!

To compare GAA league games with friendly soccer matches shows a real lack of understanding of GAA as well (For example, they are not during the winter, they are during the Spring beginning in February and as such should be regarded as direct competition to the LOI)

But anyways, back to the point. I stand by my view that €10 is too much for a student; If that is less than other LOI clubs, then I would argue that their prices are too high as well.

I am not trying to be down on Galway United; I have a lot of time for the club and have been to a good few games in the past. However, as a current student, not earning any wages, I cannot justify paying €10 for a game. I am sure there are others who would feel the same as me in my situation. Maybe not but I can only look at it from my viewpoint. I would imagine I am exactly the kind of person Galway United should be trying to attract; keen sports follower but dont go to many Galway United games at the moment (i.e It is would probably be easier to persuade me to go to games than other less interested sports fans). At the moment, I find it too expensive to go to a Galway Utd game, at €5 I would probably go to a few more. If I was earning wages at the moment, I would not hesitate paying over €10 (I have done so in the past). So you argue that Galway United would go out of business if they reduced the prices further? Would it not be better for them to get me through the gate at €5 a pop for a few games rather than just for 1 game at €10? Maybe I am a lone voice, I dont know. Hopefully, Galway United do take into consideration a breakdown of who exactly attends their games (How many students, how many adults, how many kids etc.) so that they can plan accordingly. I would be a little dismayed if they did not.

You talk about Liverpool reserves and I would fully agree with you on it. I too do not understand why people bother to pay for such games when they could go to a competitive game instead. As I said, I am looking at this from a personal opinion. I also dont go to premiership games (I cant afford to!) and I'm sure a lot of people cant afford to.

Two adults, two secondary school students and four younger kids can all go to a match at Terryland - for example versus League Champions Shamrock Rovers - for €20.

Adult season tickets work out at €6 per match.

The student rate of €10 is reasonable, most students are working or have some other source of income. "Student" nowadays can be anyone from 18 to 78.

I agree that the family ticket is good value. But not everybody is part of a family. The same with the season ticket but not everybody can get to all the matches (so it doesnt work out at €6 per game).
Makes no difference on the age of the student; I am 26 and a student. What makes a difference is if that person has a source of income, not one student in my class has any source of income. And €10 is a lot of money when you do not have an income....


As an aside, I just googled galway united ticket prices. This link (http://www.galwayunitedfc.ie/Match-Day-ticket-prices) is the second hit. In this link, it states the 2005 ticket prices:

Galway United ticket prices for the 2005 season remain the same as last season::
Adults €10
Students €6 (with valid id)
U16 €3
Senior Citizens €3
Tickets can be bought at the gate for each home match. All season ticket holders can use their coupon on their season ticket voucher to bring a friend for free to one home game. Match programme costs €2.

I am aware that these were probably division 1 prices. However, they were also 2005 prices which should be different to 2011 prices in the sense that there was more money for customers in 2005. It is somewhat interesting that Google failed to find a hit for this seasons ticket prices (Although admittedly I didnt look too hard)

Ye may think it is silly to be arguing over €5 but I re-iterate my point. For people without a source of income that have to be constantly looking at what they are spending, €5 represents quite a bit. They will also be looking for getting their money's worth. I do understand it comes down to results, perhaps if Galway Utd were performing better people might not be so reluctant to part with their money.

Anyways, thats my take on it anyway, I really dont think I am being unreasonable in my stance but hey I dont know the ins and outs of Galway United or the League of Ireland, just an ordinary joe soap football supporter.

Pinturicchio

Yes, we were in the First Division in 2005.

The first result for "galway united 2011 match tickets" on Google: http://www.galwayunitedfc.ie/galway-united-match-tickets

InchicoreDude

The first result for "galway united 2011 match tickets" on Google: http://www.galwayunitedfc.ie/galway-...-match-tickets

aah ok, Fair enough, I just used a slightly different search term...

Malice

gilberto_eire wrote: »

Amazing how people spin this about such a minuscule figure yet usually are the ones who pay E300 odd euro to go to one Premiership game.

That's not quite a fair comparison. The price paid to travel to a Premier League game will, unless you're doing it wrong, basically be a weekend away rather than a couple of hours on a Friday evening.

El Mullo

Some interesting points about ticket pricing, Inchicore Dude.

Galway United set prices to (a) try and allow as many as people as possible to attend our matches and (b) to try and remain financially competitive with other Premier Division teams.

If United charge (for example) €5 for students and €7 for adults, you might get another 100 people to attend, but the level of the gate will be such that it will be impossible to field a competitive team at that level of football.

Our prices are already lower than most other Premier Division (and in the case of the season ticket, most First Division) teams. Even if it the admission fee was €2, there are people who will say "I'll buy a bag of chips at McDonaghs instead", which is their prerogative !

Malice

El Mullo wrote: »

If United charge (for example) €5 for students and €7 for adults, you might get another 100 people to attend, but the level of the gate will be such that it will be impossible to field a competitive team at that level of football.

I don't understand this point. Now I might be missing something fundamental but lets say you get 100 students to attend that wouldn't have otherwise, isn't that basically an extra €500 that the club wouldn't have gotten? Surely that can only have a positive affect?

El Mullo

200 students at €10 = €2000
300 students at €5 = €1500

Malice

El Mullo wrote: »

200 students at €10 = €2000
300 students at €5 = €1500

That doesn't answer my question though.

onmyperiod

Malice wrote: »

That doesn't answer my question though.

Well it should. Lower prices=bigger crowd but also = less revenue.

Malice

onmyperiod wrote: »

Well it should. Lower prices=bigger crowd but also = less revenue.

How is it less revenue if you get people to go who otherwise wouldn't have gone?

Pinturicchio

Malice wrote: »

How is it less revenue if you get people to go who otherwise wouldn't have gone?

The people who would go anyway will pay less.

ben.schlomo

Malice wrote: »

How is it less revenue if you get people to go who otherwise wouldn't have gone?

Jees they even did a diagram for you

tribesman78

There is a flaw in the model though. Yes if you reduce the prices = more people = less on the gate. But then take into account extra revenue gained from the extra people through selling raffle tickets, programs and other merchandising.

Just a point on that the merchandising stand, would it not make more sense to have this near thee entrance so you stand a chance of capturing the odd person. At the moment it is hidden away and it wouldn't surprise to hear if people didn't even realize there was a stand.

onmyperiod

tribesman78 wrote: »

There is a flaw in the model though. Yes if you reduce the prices = more people = less on the gate. But then take into account extra revenue gained from the extra people through selling raffle tickets, programs and other merchandising.

Just a point on that the merchandising stand, would it not make more sense to have this near thee entrance so you stand a chance of capturing the odd person. At the moment it is hidden away and it wouldn't surprise to hear if people didn't even realize there was a stand.

Given that they have an absolute mountain of attendance data compiled over the years, I am certain that Galway United know exactly how much each person through the gate is worth in terms of spend on merchandise etc, so I assume that they have taken this into consideration when setting their ticket prices.

tribesman78

True point, but this is the same data that they base their ticket price on, which in turn tells them the income they can get based on ticket price vs attendance based on optimum pricing.

ben.schlomo

the merchandise stand used to be inside the gate for a long while and was then moved to the former 'shop' of years ago. Obviously makes more sense to be near the entrance but that area is covered wth programmes, half time raffle and other things and plus the size of the area is less than before as its next to the away fans section.

The ticket prices are very fair given the prices throughout the league, reducing by two or three euro isnt going to entice the bandwagon Galway sports fans to come up unfortunately. Going into schools, working with junior clubs, getting better/regular coverage throughout the local media is the way forward.

WallyGUFC

Malice wrote: »

I don't understand this point. Now I might be missing something fundamental but lets say you get 100 students to attend that wouldn't have otherwise, isn't that basically an extra €500 that the club wouldn't have gotten? Surely that can only have a positive affect?

If you charge 1000 people a tenner thats 10k. If you charge 1100 8 euro that's 8,800. You'll gain on the people that wouldn't usually come, but lose on the people that always do. Trying to find market equilibrium is very tough, especially with such small crowds.

Malice

Thanks Wally. I realise on reflection that my initial model of the scenario was flawed. I started from a premise of 800 people paying e.g. €15 to get in giving €12,000. Adding 100 students paying €5 gives €500. The result being an extra €500. The problem as I now realise is that discounting for a certain segment of the population will affect those members of that segment who already pay in.

This is why I'm glad I'm not an accountant/economist type person!

civis_liberalis

tribesman78 wrote: »

There is a flaw in the model though. Yes if you reduce the prices = more people = less on the gate. But then take into account extra revenue gained from the extra people through selling raffle tickets, programs and other merchandising.

The club do not sell any merchandise. It is handled by an outside party. It would not be significant in terms of revenue in any case.

A good rule of thumb regarding sales of programmes is that 1/3 of the people paying through the gate will buy one. That figure is made up of far more adults than students.

Half-time raffle tickets are generally not bought by students (as far as I know) and don't bring in a huge amount, when compared to the gates.

The half-time raffle and programme sales are not clear profit either. The programme production costs are not insignificant and the prize for the draw would take a big chunk out of the takings also.

The club also make no money whatsoever from the chip vans due to pre-existing agreement.

Malice

civis_liberalis wrote: »

The club also make no money whatsoever from the chip vans due to pre-existing agreement.

I didn't know that. There I was thinking I was contributing to the club's coffers by stuffing my face with curried chips at half time.

El Mullo

The caterers pay an annual fee to the club, regardless of how many curry chips you buy !

InchicoreDude

Do ye have a % breakdown of how many of the attendance are adults, how many are students, how many are U-12s etc. I'd be curious to know those figures.