Well I must say I am not the least but surprised by this. The commercial marketing we have is absolutely ZERO.
After years of suggestions, still there is no inkling of a Family Ticket as employed by many clubs these days. We seem to want to alienate ourselves from getting more supporters down at the Rec by not offering decent incentives for regular match goers to bring a friend along by purchasing a Family Ticket. These friends might just decide "Hey, this is great, I might see if Uncle Such and Such and Auntie So and So want to bring Cousin WhatsHisName and his playmate - they would love this!" Hence bringing said family members along next match. If they decide that Rugby isn't for them they have not lost a great deal of money, but if they like it, hey presto! another few regular supporters through the turnstiles. You know the old addage speculate to accumulate. We miss the boat everytime!
You see many more people through the gates when the Co-operative are handing out free family tickets for televised games, and if the option of a family ticket at a reasonable price for future games was on offer, again they might just come along.
Our Season Ticket prices are offering no incentive whatsoever.
Given the current Credit Crunch, people will definitely pick and choose their matches now - as J1LP says, I would rather be sitting at home on a horrendous February Sunday when the wind blowing a hooley and snow and hailstones driving down than being down at the Rec getting soaked to the skin and watching us play a mediocre NL2 side in a tin-pot cup and having to pay a kings ransom for the privilege!
I too can see gates dropping to an all time low in the 2009 season. Which will mean a drop in Half Time Draw ticket sales and bar takings will surely drop as a result of people picking their matches. We will, of course have a small increase in spectators when playing a higher calibre opposition, but this will not off-set what we will lose by people choosing to miss out on the lower calibre oppoisition matches, either way the club loses out and loyal support. Loyalty costs nothing, but will cost WRLFC a lot, just read the posts already added to this thread.
I understand that everyone is experiencing the pinch and WRLFC is no exception, but with this increase all I can predict is a marked reduction in crowd figures this year.
Think of the other things families can do on a Sunday afternoon? A day at the beach, family barbecues, a walk around the harbour, all these can be done on a limited budget and you will get much more for your money than 80 minutes of Rugby League.
Come on BOD, give us, the supporters, a better deal as the current ones are NOT whetting the appetite in the slightest.
