Arsenal not sold out
A substantial number of tickets still remain unsold for Saturday's clash with Arsenal at The Valley.
It has been pointed out that there are more match tickets to sell this year, albeit to a market enlarged by the people who previously held season tickets. It would be easy to sell the tickets on general sale, but in attempting to screen out Arsenal fans (of which there are a considerable number in S.E.London) some Charlton fans may be screened out as well.
It has been argued that the tickets are too expensive at £25 for concessions in particular. However, the response from sources close to the club is that Premiership footballers are expensive and that relative to other Premiership clubs, Charlton's prices are good value. No doubt they are expensive for some, but that is true of most things.
Of course, there is a wider issue here about whether only older and better off people can afford to follow the Premiership and hence a new generation of supporters is being largely excluded.
Some gloomsters have said that attendances this season will fall to around 20,000, but I would have thought that a relegation struggle would stimulate interest.
What is cast into doubt by this is the plans to expand the ground. These were always justified on the basis that we could sell out on the big matches, but that now looks less likely.
It has been pointed out that there are more match tickets to sell this year, albeit to a market enlarged by the people who previously held season tickets. It would be easy to sell the tickets on general sale, but in attempting to screen out Arsenal fans (of which there are a considerable number in S.E.London) some Charlton fans may be screened out as well.
It has been argued that the tickets are too expensive at £25 for concessions in particular. However, the response from sources close to the club is that Premiership footballers are expensive and that relative to other Premiership clubs, Charlton's prices are good value. No doubt they are expensive for some, but that is true of most things.
Of course, there is a wider issue here about whether only older and better off people can afford to follow the Premiership and hence a new generation of supporters is being largely excluded.
Some gloomsters have said that attendances this season will fall to around 20,000, but I would have thought that a relegation struggle would stimulate interest.
What is cast into doubt by this is the plans to expand the ground. These were always justified on the basis that we could sell out on the big matches, but that now looks less likely.
posted by Wyn Grant at 9:17 AM
3 Comments:
Hi - I don't mean to sign smug but I have been banging on about the flawed assumptions behind the expansion plans for ages. Ironically perhaps, the longer we stay in the Premiership the less attractive are the visits of Arsenal and the like because the novelty has worn off.
http://newyorkaddick.blogspot.com/2006/01/valley-of-dreams.html#comments
Indeed you have and I should have mentioned this. There may well be a novelty factor.
There is always the option that the enhanced capacity goes to the opposition, in which case we would possibly fill for the big games .. but somehow I don't think that we would want that
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