Club budgets 2014

[A face]

Awful form from Dundalk to increase the prices so highly. Terrible prices. Can't imagine many neutrals wanting to pay 20 quid into a League of Ireland game. You'll get into many English Premier League grounds much cheaper.

Agreed, €20 is just a non-runner for most clubs. You would have to question the value, and the problem is .... undecided fans wont tell you when they make their mind up, they just wont be there. And its too late at that stage.

[Yossarian]

Awful form from Dundalk to increase the prices so highly. Terrible prices. Can't imagine many neutrals wanting to pay 20 quid into a League of Ireland game. You'll get into many English Premier League grounds much cheaper.

I agree that €20 for the stand is too much but I'd love to know what English premier league ground you can get in to for less than €20.

[Ezeikial]

€20 is very steep. €15 should be the very most even that is a bit steep if an adult is bringing 2 or 3 kids to the game.

It will be very hard to attract new fans to the club if they are paying €20.

Harps increased price an adult terrace ticket from €10 - €15 a few years back and I saw many people turn and walk away when asked for €15

Although I think that the €20 Adult Stand price may be counter productive, it is worth remembering that €15 is the standard ground admission price.

An adult bringing 3 kids under 12 will either get free admission for the kids (if they are Junior Supporter Club Members) or will pay €5 each for them into the ground. Total cost for Family Group of 4 that you mentioned- either €15 to €30. (I pay €22 for 1 adult and 1 child in most grounds as a visiting fan)



It will be very hard to attract new fans to the club if they are paying €20.


On-pitch success is the no 1 attraction of new fans (although price is obviously an important factor)

[micls]

20 euro is madness. Even 15euro without access to the stand is high. Surely 15 euro is pricey enough to get into a stand in the LOI?

I think 15 euro is a bit high for us to go to, though I understand the reasoning, and that gains you entry into whichever stand you'd like.

[Mr A]

I agree that €20 for the stand is too much but I'd love to know what English premier league ground you can get in to for less than €20.

According to this (http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/17/football-ticket-prices-premier-league-europe) from early this year: Newcastle at 15, while Wigan's cheapest ticket was 20. Edit: just realised those figures are obviously £ not €. So Newcastle is actually at ~€18 and Wigan at ~€24.

On the other hand you could get into any Bundesliga ground for less than €15. And most from Serie A.

[Dodge]

That's why changing to 52 week contracts impact so heavily on a club's budget because it obviously results in an increase in wages.

The biggest reason clubs don't offer many 52 weeks contracts is cash flow. Most clubs live week to week and, more specifically, game to game. With little income between November and March, they don't want to *have* to pay wages in that same time frame.

We all know it's not ideal and shows poor planning etc etc but it is what it is

[MiniMourinho]

I dont think it shows poor planning. I think it shows how poorly supported and thus financially succesful the league is. Clubs simply cannot afford to pay players when they cannot generate income themselves. The only way around it is for all players and staff to accept a lesser equivalent weekly salary and spread it over 52 weeks. But the problem is that because clubs have zero cash, they cannot afford to sign a contract for longer than 12 months because next year the budget might be massively slashed again and they cannot slash the salary of a player on a 2 year contract going into the second year. Hence, why would they sign a player for 52 weeks when after 40 weeks he wont be playing or providing a service to the club.

Very different scenario if you have 10,000 coming to games every week.

[oriel]

The prices announced by Dundalk can be dressed up as much as they like, the prices for the ST's in general are good value, most agree on that.

€20 into the stand is MADNESS.

I just hope the club will listen to fans on this.

[nigel-harps1954]

Sligo season ticket prices. Are they gearing up for 20 euro tickets too?


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[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Same prices as last season I'm pretty sure (certainly the aduly one is) except for the Gold ticket, which wasn't there last season, to enable people to have their own seat in the ground

[brendy_éire]

Derry City's season tickets for 2014 are the same as last year (still inclusive of archaic discrimination against men in their early sixties).

Adult Stand = £180/€215
Concession Stand = £125/€150 ( Women > 60, Men > 65, & Students with card )
Adult Stand + 1 Child U12 = £220/€265
Adult Stand + 2 Child U12 = £255/€305
Adult Stand + 3 Child U12 = £270/€325

Adult Terrace = £155/€185
Concession Terrace = £115/€140

------------------------------

Going by last year's attendance figures, I'd say our budget will be reduced a bit this season.

[bennocelt]

According to this (http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/17/football-ticket-prices-premier-league-europe) from early this year: Newcastle at 15, while Wigan's cheapest ticket was 20. Edit: just realised those figures are obviously £ not €. So Newcastle is actually at ~€18 and Wigan at ~€24.

On the other hand you could get into any Bundesliga ground for less than €15. And most from Serie A.

Can get to see Fc Basel for about 20 Euros at home, tkt can be used for tram around the city, and a decent seat to view the game.
20 euros is a joke for the LOI imho

[wandererfan]

Bray season tickets remain the same, €99 adults , oap €49, child €49

[Jofspring]

€20 is way too high for LOI. You might get away with charging that for European games but certainly not LOI league matches.

We charge €10 for Terrace and €15 for stand and you have people complaining.

[marinobohs]

Can get to see Fc Basel for about 20 Euros at home, tkt can be used for tram around the city, and a decent seat to view the game.
20 euros is a joke for the LOI imho

pricing is always a difficult issue in LOI. attending a match is a 'luxury' item for most fans ( as opposed to a necessity ) and is therefore very price responsive. With so many clubs living hand to mouth changing it can literally make or break a club.

Given the ongoing recession I believe all clubs ( with the exception of St Pats maybe ) should be looking at decreased budgets for next season unless they have discovered new income streams. Contracts once signed can be difficult to get out of so clubs must budget with a healthy dose of realism and not some hopeful dreams of increased crowds.
Frankly, Drogs cup success should have boosted their crowds (bandwagoners) . If it actually indirectly led to smaller crowds what basis would there be for believing a less successful cup season would lead to increased crowds ?

Prize money in the LOI is so low as to be almost worthless in a budgeting context ( Prem division prize money for 4th place less than League registration fee ).

[ATFC-1887]

The new Athlone Town ticketing system allows supporters to purchase their match tickets at entry to the venue in advance of home games.
Adult prices are €15, students and OAPs are €10 while kids are €5.
Athlone Town season tickets are available for €200 and cover entry to all league matches, students and OAPs are €120 while kids are €60. All season tickets ordered before Christmas get a gift of a free jersey before the 1st game of the season. *** Family Tickets available on request for more information email info@athlonetownfc.ie
To order 2014 Season Tickets simply Click Here (http://athlonetownfc.ie/?p=1590)
Match tickets will be available for sale online or from the box office outside the ground an hour before kick off.

[dublinred]

Heard our budget is clipped back to 1 million for the year was 1.2m.

[adamd164]

Heard our budget is clipped back to 1 million for the year was 1.2m.

http://www.troll.me/images/futurama-fry/cant-tell-if-trolling-or-serious.jpg

[Neish]

Although I think that the €20 Adult Stand price may be counter productive, it is worth remembering that €15 is the standard ground admission price.

An adult bringing 3 kids under 12 will either get free admission for the kids (if they are Junior Supporter Club Members) or will pay €5 each for them into the ground. Total cost for Family Group of 4 that you mentioned- either €15 to €30. (I pay €22 for 1 adult and 1 child in most grounds as a visiting fan)


On-pitch success is the no 1 attraction of new fans (although price is obviously an important factor)

But when you bring kids to a game there are usually other expenses, food, sweets, drinks, merchandise. Then if you have this expense every 2nd week it fairly mounts up. I agree quality football is the best way to attract fans but you have to get then in the door first.

Admission in Finn Park for 2013 were
Adult Terrace: €10
O.A.P. Terrace €8
Student Terrace €5
U-12 €3(€1 Only when accompanied by full paying adult) - Quite a few games during the season admitted U-12 free
*€2 extra was paid inside the ground for those who wanted to use the seats

[redobit]

Heard our budget is clipped back to 1 million for the year was 1.2m.

Those type of figures are running costs from top to bottom, not the player budget. I think in 2012 all in to run the club was 1.65 million.

[MiniMourinho]

Those type of figures are running costs from top to bottom, not the player budget. I think in 2012 all in to run the club was 1.65 million.

Holy ****! That's a lot of money!

[White Horse]

Holy ****! That's a lot of money!

Even Mick Cooke might be happy with that.

[redobit]

Holy ****! That's a lot of money!

It some achievement when you think that the club is run by volunteers.

I think Shamrock is the highest running cost. Read somewhere before that its well over 2 million. I think they pay a lot of their staff tho, from their committee members to the kitman get paid I believe!

[SeanDrog]

Where on earth does the cash come from for that Sligo budget? Not knocking - just amazed and curious

[Ezeikial]

Where on earth does the cash come from for that Sligo budget? Not knocking - just amazed and curious


In 2011 Sligo reported a turnover of €1,291,613 with a profit for the year before tax of €59,962

This may satisfy your curiosity on where the income came from back then:

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/sport/soccer/cost-of-running-the-cup-winners-was-750000-27588175.html
.

[SeanDrog]

Thanks - very interesting read . The Europa gate receipt of 72k was some figure!

[nigel-harps1954]

Harps season tickets released on Friday.

Adult seated: €145
Adult terrace: €125
OAP: seated: €125
OAP: terrace: €98
Student: €60
U-12: €10

[Jofspring]

Limerick released ours last week also

It's going to be Thomond park for the duration of the season with a premium ticket added.


Area Adult Student OAP u12s
Stand €200 €130 €110 €65
Terrace €135 €130 €110 €65
Thomond Suite €325 €260 €240 €130

Family packages also available www.limerickfc.ie

[bluewhitearmy]

Limerick released ours last week also

It's going to be Thomond park for the duration of the season with a premium ticket added.


Area Adult Student OAP u12s
Stand €200 €130 €110 €65
Terrace €135 €130 €110 €65
Thomond Suite €325 €260 €240 €130

Family packages also available www.limerickfc.ie (http://www.limerickfc.ie)

20% increase on entrance to the terrace this year.

[Mr A]

Still a very good deal though. Slightly odd that students pay the same on terrace and stand.

[JC_GUFC]

One idea I've found strange that hasn't taken off is categorising the matches rather than having a standard entrance fee.

So Dundalk, for example, could have

Category A

Shamrock Rovers
Drogheda
Sligo
St Pat's

Category B

Derry
Bohs
Cork
Limerick

Category C

Athlone
UCD
Bray

For Category A - charge the top prices - eg E20 into the stand - Category B charge standard prices, so E15 in and Category C charge a reduced rate so E12 in.

I just think with the fixed prices fans will pick and choose their games and definitely people will stay away from UCD and Bray matches etc but will turn up for the big ones regardless.

The other benefit of this system is that Shamrock Rovers will surely fit into all clubs Category A so their fans will be screwed over! :)

[Conroy]

Dundalk had the format you layed put above in our first two season back in the premier, It didn't suit and was changed.

[JC_GUFC]

Dundalk had the format you layed put above in our first two season back in the premier, It didn't suit and was changed.

Fair enough, at least it was tested. Maybe people just didn't want to know about UCD regardless of the price so charging a higher amount was better in the long run.

[Bawnville Hoop]

The other benefit of this system is that Shamrock Rovers will surely fit into all clubs Category A so their fans will be screwed over! :)

Paying 20 euro in to that kip, yeah I can see our fans doing that.

[nigel-harps1954]

Paying 20 euro in to that kip, yeah I can see our fans doing that.

Well, if they want a seat in the main stand they'll have to do that anyway.

[JC_GUFC]

Paying 20 euro in to that kip, yeah I can see our fans doing that.

With my plan you'd be paying E20 into every kip!

I guess it's only fair though, given the added security costs involved around hosting Rovers.

[Fivesilver]

I guess it's only fair though, given the added security costs involved around hosting Rovers.

You could get them to hand over a security deposit of a tenner each at the gate, and if anything gets broken, no one gets it back. (-: Could be a great self-policing initiative.

[nigel-harps1954]

Shamrock Rovers season tickets offer discounted entry to premier games? Really?



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[Charlie Darwin]

I assume by discounted they mean it's cheaper than buying a ticket to every game.

[lollymcd]

To try and get boost the gate I think Drogheda should give away 50/100 school child tickets to a different primary school every home match. Some will probably not get used but others, with a bit of pester power, will and perhaps an odd adult will come along too so increasing revenue. They are tickets that most likely wont be sold anyway so what's the harm? Could even build the supporter base for the future.... creates a bit of atmosphere too.

A but callous I know but it could work.

[vinnie]

To try and get boost the gate I think Drogheda should give away 50/100 school child tickets to a different primary school every home match. Some will probably not get used but others, with a bit of pester power, will and perhaps an odd adult will come along too so increasing revenue. They are tickets that most likely wont be sold anyway so what's the harm? Could even build the supporter base for the future.... creates a bit of atmosphere too.

A but callous I know but it could work.


I've been saying this for years, I think all clubs should do it

[White Horse]

To try and get boost the gate I think Drogheda should give away 50/100 school child tickets to a different primary school every home match. Some will probably not get used but others, with a bit of pester power, will and perhaps an odd adult will come along too so increasing revenue. They are tickets that most likely wont be sold anyway so what's the harm? Could even build the supporter base for the future.... creates a bit of atmosphere too.

A but callous I know but it could work.

That is the basis of the free season ticket being offered by Dundalk to primary school children. Visiting schools, signing children up to the free supporters club, and pester power encouraging their parents to bring them to a game.

[Charlie Darwin]

That is the basis of the free season ticket being offered by Dundalk to primary school children. Visiting schools, signing children up to the free supporters club, and pester power encouraging their parents to bring them to a game.
Put like that it sounds a bit predatory. I always knew Dundalk were evil.

[Acer]

That is the basis of the free season ticket being offered by Dundalk to primary school children. Visiting schools, signing children up to the free supporters club, and pester power encouraging their parents to bring them to a game.

It's hard to disagree and likewise, I think this should be a standard for all LOI clubs. I'm sure we'll be paying close attention to how this develops in Dundalk. Have ye any way of keeping track of how successful this is? Did kids make up a significant part of your crowds last year? And did parents need to accompany them in 2013?

[White Horse]

It's hard to disagree and likewise, I think this should be a standard for all LOI clubs. I'm sure we'll be paying close attention to how this develops in Dundalk. Have ye any way of keeping track of how successful this is? Did kids make up a significant part of your crowds last year? And did parents need to accompany them in 2013?

As the team began to be more successful, it was noticable that there were were more and more kids at games. An adault had to accompany any one entering the ground on a chil's ticket

The new season tickets will have to scanned on entry, so we can compare that number to the number of kids tickets sold in the previous year. The impact on accompanying adults will be more difficult to tell.

To be honest, the idea is that the free tickets will be financed by additional accompanying adult tickets. The big potential is generating paying fans in the future.

The success of this idea will hinge on how well we get out to schools, the quality of the presentation, and the resulting signup to the scheme.

Plans are great but implementation is key.

[Nesta99]

Agree with WH, and we are pretty good at getting players out to schools and schools getting up to play in Oriel so interest is built and tickets given out. One example I know as I get grumbled at on a regular basis about it - few players and Paul Johnston visited one of the rural schools, one of the children from a staunch GAA family begged to be taken to a match in Oriel, is now dragging a very reluctant mum to every home game and has signed up to any coaching camp for the last number of years, jerseys bought, has favourite players etc, proper fanatic((and now the mother is getting hooked too as she sees the disappointment of a poor result). The big hook now will be a major trophy as the 2002 cup win caused a new generation of supporter that tbh kept us afloat during the doldrums so, yeah a trophy on top of the promotion work being done would maximise the next band of lilywhites!

[nigel-harps1954]

Harps have been doing free school tickets for the past two or three years now. A different school or youth club or underage football team from around the county is brought in as guests each game. Free tickets are handed out in schools, and it's only one euro for under-12 otherwise. Adds to atmosphere at times, and it's a good boost locally for the club too.

[Mr A]

The problem we have is that the majority of young people leave the county at school leaving age.

[marinobohs]

To try and get boost the gate I think Drogheda should give away 50/100 school child tickets to a different primary school every home match. Some will probably not get used but others, with a bit of pester power, will and perhaps an odd adult will come along too so increasing revenue. They are tickets that most likely wont be sold anyway so what's the harm? Could even build the supporter base for the future.... creates a bit of atmosphere too.

A but callous I know but it could work.

This initiative has been tried at some clubs. I know at Dalymount it was tried ( tickets distributed to local schools in D7) and the initiative worked well. Increased crowds and more spent in shops etc. Also helps to get them young and brand them fans for life ( or emigration, death or insanity).

Not hugely popular with most parents, additional cost and having to miss corrie or whatever. Need to spread it around as while most parents bite the first time by the time little Johnny/Joan comes home for the 4th time clutching tickets................

[TonyD]

This initiative has been tried at some clubs. I know at Dalymount it was tried ( tickets distributed to local schools in D7) and the initiative worked well. Increased crowds and more spent in shops etc. Also helps to get them young and brand them fans for life ( or emigration, death or insanity).

..

I'm sure insanity is no barrier to supporting a LOI club (in fact I'm sure some would say it's a pre requisite :))