League One Bradford City boosted by innovative ticket scheme
Tuesday 4 August 2015 11:21, UK
Sky Sports News reporter Tim Thornton reports from Bradford on a new scheme pulling in a new breed of fan.
Bradford City are leading the way when it comes to ticket pricing. The League One side set out eight years ago with a clear goal of making football affordable for families.
This summer by pricing their season tickets at just £149 they have exceeded all expectations, and they will kick off the new season this weekend with over 18,000 season ticket holders.
So why are Bradford able to offer such great value for money, when other clubs don’t?
Joint chairman Mark Lawn thinks Bradford’s approach makes good business sense, and he has urged other clubs to do more.
He said: "If you have the capability and fanbase then why not? We did all our calculations based on getting 15,000 season ticket holders so to get 18,000 is amazing."
It is a view backed up by the club’s chief operating officer, James Mason. "In the 2006/2007 season our season tickets were £234 and we sold 4,850," he said.
"The following year we launched the cheap season ticket scheme with tickets priced at just £138 and we sold 12,270. This season the season tickets are £149 and we have sold over 18,000. The numbers speak for themselves.”
Lawn and his joint chairman Julian Rhodes have overseen the transformation in attendances and are proud of what has been achieved.
Lawn acknowledges they took a risk and said: “When I first came into the club we had 5,000 to 6,000 season ticket holders. Now we have 18,000 and it makes great fiscal sense.
"We are nearly out of shirts, we are working on getting more matchday kiosks because we’ll sell more pies. There is a much bigger uptake on everything and the football club will be better off.”
But he is adamant that it is not just about what works for the club, it is about giving something back to the supporters.
“We don’t want to price fans out of the game and it is all about getting working class fans back into the game.
“For a husband, wife and two kids under 11 it works out at £13 a game. That is tremendous value. We’ve had grandparents getting in touch who want to bring their grandchildren and that really pleases me. People from Newcastle, Huddersfield and Leeds who aren’t necessarily Bradford fans but they want to bring their family to a game.”
Although the approach has paid off for Bradford, Lawn admits the scheme has not had universal approval and said: “I’ve talked to other chairman and chief executives and I’ve been accused of cheapening the product.
"Fleetwood are the closest club to us in terms of season ticket pricing, but our season ticket is for £149 in any part of the ground. No one else does it like us.
“We’ve attracted players to the club because they want to play in front of huge crowds. It is a big selling point for our manager Phil Parkinson and we’ve achieved great things on the field in the last few years.
“We’ve been bold and it has paid off. And there is a real buzz around the club as we look forward to the new season.”
