There is an old adage that says that we must give credit where credit is due. Only the biggest cynic – or someone going out of their way to find fault in everything – could possibly deny MLSE a little credit today.
Last month CSN called for TFC to roll back its season ticket and single game prices to 2007 levels. Symbolically it seemed the right thing to do. They keep asking fans to start over; they should start over too.
Stunningly, they did.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Actually, they went further than we suggested. See, we even gave them some wiggle room. Acknowledging that the 2007 prices were set with some degree of loss leader thinking in mind, we suggested a pricing structure that was in line with 2008 prices. We went on to suggest that there should be some sort of benefit to long time fans – if you started in 2007 then you should get a bigger break than someone that started more recently.
That may have been a touch too complicated to implement – many fans have split their account since 2007 and even though they have been there since the start their account number reflects a newer subscriber. Also, is there a significant difference between a fan that got tickets when they were available, and when they could afford to do so, in the early days, but has since become a season ticket holder? I know of a few fans that meet who criteria, including one who I consider to be the team’s biggest and best fan.
It probably wasn’t fair to suggest that I deserved a bigger discount than she does simply because I was on BigSoccer in 2006.
So, I have no complaints about the pricing. In case you can’t view the screenshot that Jason deVos posted this morning, the prices are below:
- Yellow – Was $361, now $190 – Single game was $19, now $10 – 47.4% saving
- Light grey – Was $399, now $220 – Single game was $21, now $12 – 44.8% saving
- Light blue – Was $513, now $551 – Single game was $29, now $27 – 6.8% saving
- Medium grey – Was $646, now $475 – Single game was $34, now $25 – 26.4% saving
- Dark grey – Was $950, now $760 – Single game was $50, now $40 – 20% saving
- Dark blue – Was $1045, now $874 – Single game was $55, now $46 – 16.3% saving
- Club – Was $1292, now $1007 – Single game was $68, now $53 – 22% saving
The single game reduction is roughly the same percentage as the season ticket price is. The two sections that received the least reduction are in the north stand, which was not in place in 2007.
Of note is the price of the supporter’s section. The biggest percentage saving is in the sections that pay the least. It’s likely that you will see the crowd at BMO Field even more tilted towards the corners next year.
That’s not to dismiss the importance of an about 20% savings in the more expensive seats. By and large ticket holders in those sections will care more about the gesture of this move than the actual savings.
This move does not solve all of TFC’s issues. There will still be plenty of fans that will decide that they have simply had enough. We will likely see a drop in renewals. However, it seems likely that this move will be enough to stop a true bleeding. If you were on the bubble this will probably be enough to get you back in the door.
Keeping you there will be up to the team’s performance. The other side to cheap tickets is that they are easier to waste if you don’t think it’s worth your effort to go down. Empty seats will remain a norm at the stadium until the team significantly improves.
However, that’s a problem we have six months to contemplate. Today, we can focus on giving credit where it is due.
Good job MLSE. Now, improve the product.