Quote TheClubsVoice="TheClubsVoice"The problem with a wholesale discount is that you cannot guarantee that the spectator who entered at £5 will return at the higher price of £15'"
Could the directors be brave and change the matchday entrance pricing to £5 for everybody?
Then work your socks off to get the crowd up to 2,000 to start with. Of the two options in the subject, I know which fans and players would prefer and there would be 3 times the chance to generate income from add-on sales - food & drinks etc. I'd also have a 'happy hour' so that on first team matchdays, all drinks inc beer are half price (and advertise the fact in advance!).
German soccer gets average crowds higher than the English Premier League based on low ticket prices and cheap beer.
Season tickets could then be scrapped from next season (except for those who want them for the stand). This would save the cost of producing and distributing the proposed 40,000 free under 16 season tickets. People don't really value anything that is free. Even a very low cost means that those who really want it will buy.
If the entrance was £5, tickets could be printed for each match and sold at outlets for a small commission eg all those outlets that sell national lottery tickets.
It wouldn't preclude small target promotions at schools and workplaces for each match at even less than £5.
Something is needed to start building momentum now with the opportunity that the proposed re-structure of the game will provide.
Could the directors trial the £5 entrance fee for everybody for the say the last two home league games this season?