My seat at Man. UTD(gallowgate lower tier) would cost only £342. It costs me £390 at SJP! I cannot believe I have just seen this. I can go and see a team that has won everything and is probably the best team in Europe for £48 less than I can see Newcastle who win FA.

The only reason I checked is too see how high the prices might rise if we made the CL. But I saw this!

Looks to me like the "Free ticket mackems" are simply paying what a fan in the north should be paying for a mid table side. And we are paying way over the odds.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

Answers

The Manure ticket might be cheaper but after you add in your travel costs from Surry, Devon or wherever, you will still be worse off.
NUFC is charging what the market will bear. If it is full every week it is illogical to claim prices are too high. They aren't - 51000 people, voting with their wallets, tell you different.
THEY would have to pay ME to sit and watch Manure at Old Trafford if United wasn't the opponent.
I've never checked this out but I'd be pretty certain that those who complain most about our prices are probably the ones who are first to complain if the club isn't shelling out money for players.
Which team would you rather watch?

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

When we are on the telly as much as them then the need to keep a full stadium isn't about maximizing your earnings (which it is with us) but more about making your television product more attractive.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

My seat is £350. It used to be £392 but I moved up to Level 7 last year for a better overall view of the pitch.

To be honest you can't really say they are more successful so they should cost more. (Manure that is) This just goes along with the idea that we are consumers. In some ways we are, but I'm sure most of us would primarily see ourselves as supporters, not customers.

If however paying £50 a season more means you have a better chance of success from being able to afford a few million more on a better player then I don't have a problem with it. It's only £2.50 more per game, which isn't too bad when you look at it like that.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

I heard that the gate receipts for Chelsea today were a world record of 3 million pounds for a single league game, which to me is very surprising when you think of the size of Chelsea compared to Old trafford, SJP, etc. It does however tell you that Chelsea supporters certainly pay through the nose. And that's why they can afford expensive signings easier than we can

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

It also tells you how cheap it is to goa nd watch football at the Nou Camp, Bernabeu, etc

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

"I've never checked this out but I'd be pretty certain that those who complain most about our prices are probably the ones who are first to complain if the club isn't shelling out money for players."

Completely illogical comment.

I am renewing my ST for sure.

I was speaking on the behalf of kids and those who can't afford these ridiculous prices. Do they not count? Are the fans who pay the more for their tickets the best? Of course not.

Our seats should be cheaper than ManUTD's.

Myself and Only myself knows how much I love Newcastle.

We ARE Consumers anyway, as we buy the right to watch Newcastle. This doesn't mean we don't support them. It just means we have to pay to do this.

The only difference to being a consumer to a football club to being a consumer in a shop is that you are hooked on one club and are only interested in this one club.

The club realises this so puts on ridiculous prices.

They know that although this TV is black and white and only 14" (Newcastle) compared to MUFC's colour TV 20" widescreen. That the consumer will go for the black and white crappy TV even if it is cheaper for the much better TV!

I admit, I am one of these hooked people. I would never consider the 20" (MUFC) tv even if it was half the price of the worse TV.

But it is important that we realise that we are being ripped off and that soon thre will be only 1 thing that we can say the whole 52,000 people must be.

RICH.

Do we only want fans that are rich?

NUFC should represent a cross section of society. Kids, Women, rich, poor, fat, thin, elderly.

Real supporters love geordies and the feeling of being one of these geordies. What happens on the pitch is important but less important that the 3,000 people around you. (or 50,000 at a home math)

I would rather pay less, knowing that poor people and kids can get in and NUFC be slightly less successful but be part of a great set of fans, than to be part of a succesful prawn sandwich brigade.

You only have to compare the silence today to the roar 30 years ago to see evidence of this.

How many of you would swap success for a much better atmosphere a SJP? The singing and the fans are the most important part of "the geordies." We are the geordies.

Nothing beats the pride of standing in the rain singing your heart out after being beaten in London. That is what support is.

When I say ticket prices are too high.. the general response was they need this money to buy quality.

My point being... I don't rate the quality of what I'm seeing as highly as I rate being a georde. Let 11 geordies play if it means we are the loudest supporters in the world. Then drop the prices.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2002

Neu Camp - I looked into a ticket for next weekend - £70 was the quote - our Barca members may clarify

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

"I've never checked this out but I'd be pretty certain that those who complain most about our prices are probably the ones who are first to complain if the club isn't shelling out money for players."

Completely illogical comment.

Illogical???? I don't think so. I thrive on logical and rational discussion. I challenge anyone - to find illogicality in the first statement. The feeling expressed MIGHT be wrong (and I do clearly say I never checked it out) but it is 100% logical.

I was speaking on the behalf of kids and those who can't afford these ridiculous prices.

You are speaking on behalf of me then. I have mentioned elsewhere I am unlikely to renew next year. If so that is a choice forced on me by economics. Should they reduce the prices so that this economic failure can get in? I'll speak on my own behalf. I think the prices should be what people are prepared to pay. If that leaves me out so be it. There is no earthly reason why the club's income should be reduced and hence the quality of the entertainment on offer reduced, especially when those who do go are prepared to pay more because they want to see a better, more successful team.

The prices are not too high. More than 51000 people agree.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

Yesterday I received notification of the new season ticket prices at Port Vale. These are not relevant at the moment but accompanying the info was a leaflet from Barclaycard. It was offering a Barclaycard Premiership credit card and one of the benefits was, and I quote verbatim, "Any season ticket purchase over £250 made with a Premiership Barclaycard will attract an incredible 0% APR guaranteed until paid off!"

I see no reason, therefore, why folk should not apply for one of these cards, use it to pay for their season ticket, pay off the debt by monthly instalments to suit their pocket, and pay NO INTEREST on the cost. All you have to ensure is that you make the minimum monthly payment. It's got to be worth a look.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

That's a brilliant piece of marketing by Barclays, cashing in to the max on their Premiership sponsorship. Commendable.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

I agree 100% with jonno - the prices aren't too high otherwise there wouldn't be 50,000 turning up every other Saturday.

In comparison with the Free Ticket Mackems, their record signing is £4.5m and they are fighting for their lives at the bottom. Their atmosphere is utter crap at home. Would you really rather pay less to have an atmosphere like this as well as less success?

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

I know what your saying. But I don't think that just because people buy something that it means that the price is fair.

Of course the price is not too high for the 50,000 people there. But it is too high for some people who will never go.

And I am not saying we should lower prices of everything to let poor people have a chance of buying it. But we should if we can afford to. And I believe NUFC could afford to lower prices.

If that was my argument I would have come on and said lower the prices of everything.

I didn't, I said that in certain areas of the ground at ManUTD, the seats cost less than up here at Newcastle.

Judging from my experience in life. You do pay for quality. For instance I am certain that a ticket for Spenymoor will be a lot cheaper than one for Man City.

And A ticket for Newcastle should be less than one for ManUTD the best team In europe.

Jonno, I agree that just because you can't afford to renew doesn't mean prices should be dropped. But when you see a much bigger club selling tickets for cheaper do you not think it is possible for NUFC to lower prices? Are they not being greedy? Or are they doing just enough to survive and make a descent profit? I think not.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

ahhhhhhhhhhh...the price of loyalty eh Jonno.

BTW....hope you weren't one of the boo boys heard recently...on national TV :-)

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

Jim...if MUFC put their ST's up to £700 I suspect we would still sell them all. All that will happen is that the rich get in whil the not so rich don't. Probably all still loyal supporters...just a different wallet size. In my opinion you are quite correct. NUFC ST's are too expensive.

You all play on the fact that NUFC support is made up of 99.999% local support :-)...and as such your ST's should reflect the standard of living in the area....or at least play a big part. Would you expect to pay the same in the North East for a house as U would in the North West (generally) ?

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

Or in Surrey for that matter? :-)

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

It's not about greed to be honest. There is a fairly inelastic demand for NUFC tickets to a reasonable extent. Whether the club charges £3 or £23 for a ticket the ground would still be pretty much full.

If you were selling your car and had two offers, one for a grand and the other for 10 times that much, it's only natural you'd take the higher offer. The club are essentially doing the same, and you can't really blame them.

Although you can't compare the market for spectator sports with others as there is massive loyalty to the clubs - Newcastle fans wouldn't just go and watch someone else because the tickets were too much (in general). But the club is a business and every business aims to make a profit.

Man Utd can afford to offer cheaper tickets because of their huge fan base around the world, places like Singapore will offer millions in income that other clubs don't have access to. We are making inroads with the link up with Dahlian and this is commendable, even if a Chinese flag on top of the East Stand looks a bit odd.

On a general scale, you are right that tickets cost more depending on the quality but only generally. Division 1 is less than Premiership, Division 2 is less than Division 1.

Basically though, fair or not, people do pay the prices for season tickets. NUFC have no duty to give away free tickets - Sunderland's only reason for doing it was to establish a young fan base that will stick with them for years, perhaps eating into NUFC's potential market.

If they cost too much, people wouldn't buy them and it's as simple as that.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

Looking at the Man Utd ticket prices, there isn't a lot of difference to be honest:

£342 £380 £418 £456 £494

The most expensive normal seat at SJP is £498 and the cheapest is £350 - fairly similar to me.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002