Motherwell Launch Flexi-Ticket

[StevieC]

Looks like one of the first initiatives of fan owned Motherwell (are they officially fan owned yet?) is the Flexi-Ticket.

Rather than offer a half-season ticket they have went for a 5 or 10 game flexi-ticket at a discounted price from standard walk-up costs.

I think its a great idea, and have talked about something similar when discussing season tickets in the past.

[ian cruise]

This sounds like one of these things that might have a large enough take up but still ends up costing the club money. With a half you end up going to games because you've paid for it, with the flexi ticket it's too easy to say "it's a bit cold" or "drank a bit much, I'll use it another week" meaning there's every chance they'll have less people in the stadium. I can see the appeal to fans but I'd question how viable from a business point of view it is, and unfortunately in Scotland every penny is a prisoner.

[lyonhibs]

Seems to be a total no brainer for me with 5000+ empty seats every week.

[ian cruise]

Seems to be a total no brainer for me with 5000+ empty seats every week.

Motherwell have tried schemes like this before, remember their reduced season tickets that cost them a small fortune. The cost of the tickets doesn't bring the fans in as many in the area are old firm fans and don't care about Motherwell. It more likely they have same number of fans at their busier games but other games will be quieter as fans chose these over a half season ticket they would have bought instead.

Motherwell need to start playing attractive football and try get the community more involved, let children in for free up to a certain age or something, to try break the old firms strangle hold on their fans.

[Scouse Hibee]

This sounds like one of these things that might have a large enough take up but still 3ndsxup costing the club money. With a half you end up going to games because you've paid for it, with the flexi ticket it's too easy to say "it's a bit cold" or "drank a bit much, I'll use it another week" meaning there's every chance they'll have less people in the stadium. I can see the appeal to fans but I'd question how viable from a business point of view it is, and unfortunately in Scotland every penny is a prisoner.

I would flip that on it's head and say that folk who want a half season ticket will still buy one. A flexi ticket will enable folk who want to make a commitment to the club do so in the knowledge that their circumstances,work patterns etc will not devalue that commitment.

[ian cruise]

Is like to think it would work for them but living out this way, it's not the price of the football that keeps the fans away. It's the pull of the ugly sisters.

[HH81]

Id pay 100 quid for 5 game ticket. Small saving and that is about what i will manage up fom Yorkshire this season.

[Hermit Crab]

Excellent idea, just the thing for fans who want to attend but can't make it for every home game. Might work with us too, worth trying out in the new year along with half season tickets?

[marinello59]

I would flip that on it's head and say that folk who want a half season ticket will still buy one. A flexi ticket will enable folk who want to make a commitment to the club do so in the knowledge that their circumstances,work patterns etc will not devalue that commitment.
Correct
I'd bin our three season tickets and go for the guaranteed savings rather than the loss against walk up prices I currently enjoy .

[Eyrie]

I only make 4-6 games a season and I'd rather pay as I go than have this as an option. It might suit me but it will hurt the club which means it's a bad idea.

It can only lead to lower attendances, because the walk ups will still turn up when they can but there will be fewer season tickets sold. What would be the point to buying a full season ticket when you could buy this and then pick and choose which games to attend? You could use it for the first few home games and, if the team is doing well, take out another flexi-ticket. If they're struggling, then you can save your cash and time by not bothering.

[snooky]

I would flip that on it's head and say that folk who want a half season ticket will still buy one. A flexi ticket will enable folk who want to make a commitment to the club do so in the knowledge that their circumstances,work patterns etc will not devalue that commitment.

:agree: That's how I kinda see it.

[lucky]

I personally think this would cost us money. Why would fans but STs when you could buy a flexi ticket at 5 games ago?

Motherwell have tried various ticket initiatives in the past..... they've all failed

[Carheenlea]

I personally think this would cost us money. Why would fans but STs when you could buy a flexi ticket at 5 games ago?

Motherwell have tried various ticket initiatives in the past..... they've all failed

While these ideas do have some merit and would appeal to some fans, to devalue a Season Ticket is a risky path to take, and I'd say flexible ticketing would do that.

[StevieC]

I personally think this would cost us money. Why would fans but STs when you could buy a flexi ticket at 5 games ago

Season tickets will give a bigger discount, guarantee your seat, access to Behind the Goals and priority for tickets for big games.

A Flexi-ticket will only suit the walk-up fans, and provides a small discount for paying for matches in advance. Can't see many season ticket holders cancelling in favour of a flexi-ticket.

[IberianHibernian]

Flexi ticket is an excellent idea which would benefit many supporters without jeopardising club financially . Can`t understand why it hasn`t been done before .

[Just Jimmy]

I've been banging on about this for years. The fife flyers used to do it for the ice hockey and it was superb. With hibs you could even say its for cat b games only or whatever. That way folk wouldnt buy it just to guarentee derby tickets 3 or 4 times a season.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Viva_Palmeiras]

The club has steadfastly stuck to focusing on getting folks to buy STs.
In the time that I was with LWT the club seemed to be fixed on this - with a wee dabble into the membership scheme that was shelved. Presuming STsnare still the be-all the real question is how do you convert a walk-up to a ST? It's a big leap in cost and commitment. Flexi ticket seems like a half-way house but the problem is if it potentially erodes the point of having a ST

One other option could be with a membership that after a number of walk ups could this could then be offset against a ST..

With any of these ifs what's the impact on existing STs. Keep the entertainment up with the product on the park make it attractive to buy a ticket take up the slack by giving discounted tickets to good causes to make it more important to secure a ticket in advance...

[Since90+2]

Season tickets will give a bigger discount, guarantee your seat, access to Behind the Goals and priority for tickets for big games.

A Flexi-ticket will only suit the walk-up fans, and provides a small discount for paying for matches in advance. Can't see many season ticket holders cancelling in favour of a flexi-ticket.

The saving in season tickets against a discounted flexi ticket would be minimal and could actually work out more if you miss a game or two over the season.

Behind the Goals does not require a season ticket to gain entry anymore all that is required is a match day ticket.

[RIP]

Looks like one of the first initiatives of fan owned Motherwell (are they officially fan owned yet?) is the Flexi-Ticket.

Rather than offer a half-season ticket they have went for a 5 or 10 game flexi-ticket at a discounted price from standard walk-up costs.

I think its a great idea, and have talked about something similar when discussing season tickets in the past.

It's all about understanding your different markets Stevie and I reckon this one would suit our Perthshire comrades and other out of towners. It might also apply to other family members such as spouses or kids with normal Saturday activities.

With family and other commitments I'm never sure when I can make games. Often the opportunity arises at short notice. I rarely carry cash and the queues at the TO can be challenging.

I also buy by credit card, or bigger contracts by direct debit. So buyers convenience plays in here.

However with the online option I can select my seat beside my friends and family, print at home which makes it ultra convenient.

Wonder how a fkexi-ticket works with pre-match seat selection.

[Leith's finest]

Did we not try a membership plan a few year ago, I think it was £20 to join and you were after season ticket holders for away tickets etc

[marinello59]

Did we not try a membership plan a few year ago, I think it was £20 to join and you were after season ticket holders for away tickets etc

We had the Famous Five thing around about 2001. I've still got my card somewhere.

[HH81]

Did we not try a membership plan a few year ago, I think it was £20 to join and you were after season ticket holders for away tickets etc

Yes there was that and plus The Hibernians which I paid into for years.

[JDHibs]

Motherwell have tried many times with schemes like this.

Their attendances will never be very big due to the large following of glory hunters in the area.

I work in Wishaw, next to Motherwell, 40 people in the office. We had 1 Motherwell fan. 1 Hibs fan (me), 20 Rangers fans, 6 Celtic fans and a few people who arent interested. Even now the Motherwell fans moved to Qatar. Pretty much all of the people in the office are local.

Its a nice idea and may work for the East of Scotland teams. Be interesting if Hibs do something similar.

[Steve-O]

They do it here in Wellington - a 6 match pass.

With a season ticket you also get a scarf, fridge magnet thing with fixtures on, car sticker etc.

In this day and age, a full season ticket (which offers almost zero discount on walk up) is just not viable for a lot of people.

[lyonhibs]

Quite a black and white view being taken by some re: the different categories (and crossover between them) of attendees at ER.

How does someone who can only commit to a few games a season for whatever reason, and thus for whom a 5 or 10 game flexi-ticket would be ideal, compete with someone who is - in theory - able to attend all home games and chooses to buy a ST?? :confused:

[Steve-O]

Quite a black and white view being taken by some re: the different categories (and crossover between them) of attendees at ER.

How does someone who can only commit to a few games a season for whatever reason, and thus for whom a 5 or 10 game flexi-ticket would be ideal, compete with someone who is - in theory - able to attend all home games and chooses to buy a ST?? :confused:

It appears there is some belief that some folk buy season tickets and miss loads of games. Have my doubts.

[Geo_1875]

It appears there is some belief that some folk buy season tickets and miss loads of games. Have my doubts.

Quite easy to miss a few games if you have to plan your life in advance. Holidays, work patterns, illness, etc, mean I've NEVER had good value from a season ticket. The only benefit is guaranteed tickets for finals and I doubt I'd have had much trouble getting my hands on one anyway.

[Onion]

Looks like one of the first initiatives of fan owned Motherwell (are they officially fan owned yet?) is the Flexi-Ticket.

Rather than offer a half-season ticket they have went for a 5 or 10 game flexi-ticket at a discounted price from standard walk-up costs.

I think its a great idea, and have talked about something similar when discussing season tickets in the past.

Great idea and hope it works for them.

[Brightside]

Motherwell average home attendance last year. 4500. They can't give away tickets.

Hibs are not in that bracket.

[jgl07]

Seems to be a total no brainer for me with 5000+ empty seats every week.
Except that 3,000 of the empty seats at Easter Road are in the visitor's end and the remainder are in dribs and drabs around the stadium.

Will the flexi-ticket seats be numbered?

If yes that would blank out a seat for the whole season.

If no, where does the holder know where to sit?

The only way it could work is for a whole block to be made unreserved.

But then what happens for, say, a Hibs-Hearts match? Do you keep a seat vacant just in case the flexi-ticket holder decides to show up?

Sounds a remarkably dumb idea to me. The correct sentiment but unworkable in practice unless crowds drop down.

[Mikey]

I personally think this would cost us money. Why would fans but STs when you could buy a flexi ticket at 5 games ago?

Motherwell have tried various ticket initiatives in the past..... they've all failed

Correct and correct.

[Mikey]

Correct
I'd bin our three season tickets and go for the guaranteed savings rather than the loss against walk up prices I currently enjoy .

I can see the point of an out of town ticket for someone in your situation, but making it easier for locals to attend fewer games is just asking for trouble.

[Keith_M]

At the moment, we seem to have no trouble attracting people to games, so I don't think it's something we should be looking at doing.

Maybe if our average attendance goes down to Motherwell levels we should reconsider.


I remember Rangers(RIP) had a ST in the early 80s called the 'Govan Rover' (I think). The holder was entitled to entry to either the Govan or Copeland Stand for any game but there was no allocated seat. It was an interesting concept but they soon dumped it when their gates increased under Souness.

[BonnieFitbaTeam]

It appears there is some belief that some folk buy season tickets and miss loads of games. Have my doubts.

Your doubts are mis-placed. Lots of people don't get full value out of a ST, myself included. And it's got worse over recent years due to the invidious influence of tv.

[CallumLaidlaw]

This kind of ticket would probably suit me as I tend to miss 3/4 home games a season for one reason or another. BUT, we like our seat, and I like using the payment plan, so for those reasons I'd stick with my ST. Could see plenty that would change to the flexi ticket tho so would probably cost the club, even if it would be good for the fans. With crowds so high at the minute its unlikely to be something we'd introduce. Motherwell are looking at different options because their attendances are relatively low.

[RyeSloan]

Except that 3,000 of the empty seats at Easter Road are in the visitor's end and the remainder are in dribs and drabs around the stadium.

Will the flexi-ticket seats be numbered?

If yes that would blank out a seat for the whole season.

If no, where does the holder know where to sit?

The only way it could work is for a whole block to be made unreserved.

But then what happens for, say, a Hibs-Hearts match? Do you keep a seat vacant just in case the flexi-ticket holder decides to show up?

Sounds a remarkably dumb idea to me. The correct sentiment but unworkable in practice unless crowds drop down.

Indeed...the practicalities of it would be a pain considering our current attendances and spare capacity and for what benefit to the club and customer?

I get the concept but it would seem rather convoluted for something that's not hugely different to someone paying for attending when they want?

[where'stheslope]

Could be a good idea if everyone plays it straight and for the right reason.
If I'm not mistaken the child season tickets were open to abuse and this could be the same, a cheap way to get a season ticket buying every 5 or 6 games at a cut price????
If bought at the start of the season the club has money in the bank earning interest till its needed!!!

[The Modfather]

Aberdeen also have a similar scheme, probably a better comparison to us than Motherwell who have a minimal sleeping fan base.

[lyonhibs]

Except that 3,000 of the empty seats at Easter Road are in the visitor's end and the remainder are in dribs and drabs around the stadium.

Will the flexi-ticket seats be numbered?

If yes that would blank out a seat for the whole season.

If no, where does the holder know where to sit?

The only way it could work is for a whole block to be made unreserved.

But then what happens for, say, a Hibs-Hearts match? Do you keep a seat vacant just in case the flexi-ticket holder decides to show up?

Sounds a remarkably dumb idea to me. The correct sentiment but unworkable in practice unless crowds drop down.

Presumably you wouldn't be buying a seat but "vouchers" or similar for 5 games that need to be redeemed and then you get allocated (or rather choose) a seat from what's available at that moment in time.

I'm sure the club, with the access to data and general savvy they have, would know how many of the Flexi-tickets could be put up for sale and, if the demand is there, when we get promoted wouldn't it be great to be able to split the South Stand vertically against the OF and (maybe, given they would reciprocate) Hearts.

Or perhaps a "Cat B" flexi ticket that also gave you a small discount and/or preferential purchasing window for the "big" games at home.

There's varying levels of demand from fans in varying circumstances and the current ticketing set-up of "Walk up", "Half ST" or "Full ST" is, IMO, too rigid to allow Hibs to make the most of our fanbase.

[Ringothedog]

I would just restart the membership scheme we had, make it £50 to join, you could then purchase tickets at a discount say £20 rather than £22, there could be some sort of priority for away tickets, just after seasons but before general sale. Anything that gets more people to come along but also feel part of the club.