Glory glory nights, under the lights. That's what Spurs being in the Champions League is meant to be all about, right? In the end, Tottenham vs Copenhagen was something of a special night, thanks in no small part to Micky van de Van. However, there were fewer than 50,000 people in the stadium to see the flying Dutchman's amazing goal. It felt flat, more like an early stage Europa League or even Conference League game than a glorious return to the top-tier of European football.
And the blame for that rests in large part at the door of the club and its pricing strategy. Spurs designated the game as a Category C contest, meaning that while a few tickets were £38 or £44, most full-price adult seats ranged £48 - £81. It's a significant amount of money, and one that many people will not be inclined to spend on a not particularly glamorous televised tie in a week with three home games. The team's terrible home form and some dreadful recent performances hardly make people want to splash the cash either.
In the end, the empty seats showed that the club had totally miscalculated things, as it had done for the Villareal home tie. In that instance, tickets were as much as £96. An outrageous sum that again left plenty of empty seats and, consequently, another poor atmosphere.
Tottenham have hinted that they are getting the message, reducing the Borussia Dortmund game from a Category A game to a Category B one. It's a start, but still means there will be almost no tickets under £50 and again the top price will be £96. I'd be surprised if that sells out.
It pains me to say it, but Spurs could learn a thing or two from Chelsea. The Blues are offering ticket bundles for their Champions League fixtures. You can get three match tickets for a maximum of £234. Adult prices start at £198, and it all includes the rather tempting visit of Barcelona.
Given how much revenue the Tottenham Hotspur stadium itself can generate, surely the focus should be on getting people through the door? And that requires competitively priced tickets.
Interestingly, the club does price things a bit better when it comes to the women's side. Of course WSL tickets are going to be cheaper, but Spurs seem to understand the necessity of getting a crowd in for those games. Regular tickets will be very competitively priced for each of the three games being played at the main stadium next year, and premium tickets will also be available at a hugely cut cost.
The Copenhagen and Villareal games have shown that if you want special times at the stadium, you have to sell tickets at a price that means people can afford to be there to make noise.
Comments
Post a Comment