Marc Ollington
Dear Mr Gazidis,
I hope you are well.
As a season ticket holder it goes without saying that like most supporters I was very upset and disappointed with the 6.5% rise this season. I know it has been stated that there has been no price increase for a few years, and that the percentage price rise is less than inflation during the same period. What this doesn’t do of course is make a comparison between price rises and inflation over ten years or so! The outcome would be somewhat different if this was the case. I did renew my season ticket, but for the first time it was done with some regret.
My frustrations lie in that Arsenal supporters, on average, pay the highest prices in world football (even taking into consideration our season tickets contain 26 games), and I feel taken for granted by the club in many areas. It often seems like every opportunity the club can take to maximise revenue it does so without any thought for the supporters. This goes from ticket price increases in the middle of a recession, to bringing out new kits every season (something Arsenal never used to do) to ‘lying’ about the attendance figures for each match.
I am not a supporter who necessarily demands or expects to win trophies every season but what you have to understand is that you are charging premium prices that continue to rise for a standard of football that nobody can argue is declining. As much as I want to support and get behind the team there is now a disparity between what we are charged and what we see on the pitch. Arsene Wenger delivered a standard of football that was exceptional in the first few years of his tenure and we had world class players (Bergkamp, Henry, Pires and Campbell to name but a few). It is obvious to all supporters that we do not have that calibre of player any more.
Silver members saw their membership go up by 60% this season. The response from the club was that as this membership has added benefits over Red members they should be made to pay more. It is my belief that Arsenal should recognise that most Silver members are loyal supporters of old and come from the days of Highbury. The majority of them joined in the mid-nineties, before the success to follow, and as such are supporters to be cherished. Which other business treats such long standing customers with such disdain? The original membership was around £20 but you then got £1 off each match to compensate for the annual fee. Compared to ‘97-98 the membership has gone up by over 100% in price - with now no money off tickets. You are instead asking a supporter for £40 a year (lite membership) just for the privilege of buying tickets. I think this is nothing short of scandalous.
I work in marketing so I have an understanding of brands and their strength. I envy the brand loyalty a football club has. You can afford to treat the supporters as you see fit (to a large degree anyway) knowing that their loyalty and passion for the club means they will remain a repeat customer. This can only be stretched so far though, and it’s my belief that whilst you do enjoy huge brand loyalty this is being pushed to the boundaries.
The point of this email is therefore to further share with you how a large amount of Arsenal fans are feeling. From what I can ascertain this isn’t just a token majority of whingers, but instead a large section of us feel distant and far removed from a club we supposedly support.
The season ticket price increase was in my mind a serious mis-step. I know you can afford to alienate a section of supporters with a huge waiting list in reserve. It is my firm belief though that in future years this waiting list may not be as vast and long as you think. The country is facing a huge economic downturn as you very obviously know. Now the cheapest season ticket is approaching the £1000 mark even middle class supporters earning good salaries may soon decide this is a cost too far.
I would just like you to consider supporters further in the future. I know and realise that the club level and boxes bring in far more revenue than the ‘normal’ supporters, and as such we are less important. I would love it though if you could be more transparent with us. It was widely reported that we had money to spend on transfers last season. By and large this wasn’t spent. Most supporters are therefore questioning why there has been a price rise that will bring in much less than what is supposedly in last season’s transfer kitty. Where has this money gone, and why are you so desperate for even more money from us? Also in the club’s financial records I understand there is around £40 million of operating costs every year that aren’t disclosed. It has (perhaps wrongly) been rumoured that this money is being taken out of the club by the Directors and such like. With more transparency, and indeed honesty, fans could better understand why our prices are going up.
Without going off topic too much you will have no doubt heard the boos and jeering when our attendance against Aston Villa was announced as 60,000. It was as if the patience of everyone finally snapped. I understand that attendance figures are ‘tickets sold’, rather than those in the ground but why not make that clear? For some FA Cup games the stadium was two thirds full. This small matter just represents the distance between those running the club and supporters. Of course you want to tell the media and potential sponsors how successful Arsenal is, hence every game being called a sell out. There has to be a better way to do it though than the current method. I’m sure you have been made aware how the media including TV commentators have started to mock the official attendance. It’s madness you have got yourself into a mess over something so trivial. The point remains though that it’s these small actions that further antagonise supporters. Nobody likes being made to look stupid.
It would also make sense for the club to start treating the FA Cup the same as the Carling Cup. These games should not be part of the season ticket price when the manager often chooses a below strength team, and sometimes one that is weaker than the Carling Cup. Wouldn’t the atmosphere be more improved with a sold out Carling Cup audience rather than 20,000 missing season ticket holders? What you lose with Carling Cup prices could perhaps be made up by increased food and drink sales to some degree? If Mr. Wenger wants to treat the club as a secondary competition that is his prerogative (he stated very recently that only the Premiership and Champions League are ‘real’ trophies). If this is the case though why are we made to treat it the same as the premier competitions? What you are doing is charging premium prices for a budget service, and it is unfair.
I also propose that our Champions League qualifier should be optional as part of the season ticket. It isn’t the fault of the supporters that we came fourth in what was supposedly a two horse race for the title. Is it right that we have to attend this additional match, and to pay full prices to do so? We have no choice but to have to pay for our failure to qualify. This game should once again be at reduced prices.
Apologies for such a negative email but I care passionately about Arsenal Football Club. I know Peter Hill Wood recently said that fans that moan are idiots but hopefully this email does show some rational consideration. As Arsenal fans we recognise and understand you run a business and not a charity. What should never be forgotten though is that without supporters how can there be a football club? At times we want to feel like a valued part of the club, not as a customer that can be easily replaced.
Kind regards,
Marc Ollington
