Wednesday 20 May 2015

Important pricing information for this week's game

Some people who recently visited Jack Edwards Reserve (home of Oakleigh Cannons) have noticed that Oakleigh have begun dabbling in the practice of variable pricing at the gate. For those who have become accustomed to the fact that for many years now the price of tickets was standardised by the FFV, this may come as a bit of a surprise, especially considering there is no mention of it in the 2015 regulations that the pricing policy has changed.

Because many if not most South fans are members of our club, we don't notice the fact that at Lakeside there is a ticket surcharge by the venue's ticket operator which is added to the standard $12 fee. Never mind the fact that we don't actually get that surcharge, it's not escaped the attention of some visiting fans.

And while the variable pricing provision is not mentioned in the NPL regulations (something which really should be corrected, along with a typo in the relevant section suggesting it's still 2014), recently elected board member Nick Tsiaras was good enough to send me a copy of the memo from head of NPL Liam Bentley, which notified the NPL licensees of the change in policy, along with the rationale behind it, which you can read below.

In other words, if you rock up to Oakleigh (or any other club for that matter) this season and the pricing seems off, this is why. Let's just hope that it's not used as a means of milking South fans because we bring a few more people than most clubs.

TO: ALL NPL CLUBS
FROM: HEAD OF NPL & WPL
DATE: FRIDAY 20TH FEBRUARY
SUBJECT: NPL ADMITTANCE FEE 
Good afternoon all, 
After receiving feedback in relation to the setting of admission prices in the 2015 NPL Rules of Competition, FFV have reviewed Rule 12.1.2 and will vary that rule to make the admission prices referred to therein ‘recommended prices only’. Clubs will be permitted to charge other than the amount prescribed if they deem appropriate. Please note Under 14s will still enter for free. 
With a focus this year on developing the best match day experience for fans at NPL matches. and bringing greater numbers of supporters through the gate, we encourage clubs to use this flexibility to find out what bests suits their club. It is important to balance a number of things, amongst others: 
  • The number of fans paying at the gate against the money taken in through the canteen on a match day; and 
  • The income from current members against the possibility of attracting long term fans to the club. 
We also encourage clubs to be creative in marketing their home matches to attract new
fans, such as “bring a friend for free”, “women and kids are free” “$5 entry for everyone”, “Entry includes a drink / food” promotions and find out what works for your club.
We also remind clubs to be reasonable in their pricing structure and to not price the average NPL fan out of attending matches at your club.
This issue will be placed on the agenda at the next NPL Delegates meeting and we will track the progress of this throughout the year. There is no downside to having more people turn up at our matches and I look forward to working with everyone throughout 2015 to bring the fans back to Premier League football in Victoria. 
Kind Regards,
Liam Bentley
Head of NPL & WPL

6 comments:

  1. see this is just FFV stupidity. Allowing clubs to pretty much charge what they think is good enough.This will encourage price gouging and uncompetitive behaviour depending on who the visiting team is.

    If clubs like Oakleigh can charge $15 for pretty much an 'ok' venue, then whats stopping south from charging $20+ for an exceptional venue ?

    The FFV needs to set a maximum ticket price cap, and leave it at that. This isn't the aleague where spectators have different level of seating arrangements. This is grassroots football where consistency at the ticket box is needed.

    It is a fact that SMFC fans pretty much bump up coffers at every ground they visit. What's to stop home teams upping the price for South, then dropping it for a team like Bentleigh or Oakleigh who have no more than 20 travellers ?

    This is a disgrace and a fucken stupid idea by the FFV.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'd pay $150 to watch South if Irwin plays. Hard worker at training, focused technical player on match day and great kid off the pitch too. Off topic, but I can't wait for the next blog. He's also Greek to please the 'not enough Greeks' crowd. Not that it matters. He's a gun.

    Manny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spend your $150 on 10 tickets, and bring a bunch of mates along to see him.

      Delete
  3. The clubs should be able to charge whatever they like. They each operate in different regions, have different demographic of supporters and thus should be able to charge what they believe is in line with their marketing strategy. The VNPL is not filled with one size fits all franchises.

    -FS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, but there should be a maximum set by the FFV.

      Delete
    2. There should certainly be a maximum ticket price for the NPLV.

      Allow variable pricing downwards, but not upwards.

      Delete

A few notes on comments.

We've had a lot of fun over the years with my freewheeling comments policy, but all good things must come to an end. Therefore I will no longer be approving comments that contain personal abuse of any sort.

Still, if your post doesn't get approved straight away, it's probably because I haven't seen it yet.

As usual, publication of a comment does not mean endorsement of its content.