Bluedell 5,516 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 The thing is, as Cal has just said, the club needs our support more than ever, not renewing your season ticket will not help the club, unless financial circumstances dictate wether or not you can renew The bit in bold is true, however I have every sympathy with those who decide that they don't want to renew. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,670 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 The bit in bold is true, however I have every sympathy with those who decide that they don't want to renew. Agreed, everybody has the right to do what they want 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,516 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Agreed, everybody has the right to do what they want Makes them part-timers, but they have that right...... :fish: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmck 117 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 ^ i think it does. those who stick with it through the hard times are better positioned to share in the good times. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CammyF 7,615 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Was thinking about this last night and decided to have a guess at how much money and time and I have invested in following Rangers (since I started going regularly 27 years ago). These calculations aren't exact, just some ball park figures, but still scarey nontheless ; Home Games - 27 years x average price of �£250 for S/T = �£6750 Away Games - 27 years x average of 10 games per season x average ticket price of �£20 = �£5400 Cup Ties - 27 years x average of 6 ties per season x average ticket price of �£20 = �£3240 Home European Ties - 27 years x average of 3 games per season x average of �£25 per ticket = �£2025 European Trips = �£1000 Bus Fare/Prgrammes/ Fanzines - 27 years x average of 36 games per season x �£8 = �£7776 Merchandise - 27 years x average spend of �£100 = �£2700 The above works out at a grand total of �£28891 add to that, that my wife has been going for a third of that time (so add another ~�£9,000) to that. I haven't figured in the social side (RSC / TBO Dances, staying away for an extended break during European trips, staying out in cities after the football for meals and drinks, staying over night - hotel bills etc). So a conservative estimate would be - ~�£40,000 monetory terms and at an average of 36 games per season and an average of 6 hours spent travelling to and from games (at home games we leave at 12:30PM and are home around 18:30PM) works out at 5832 hours (thats excluding European trips). I haven't figured in friendlies, testimonials etc.... Frightening. Cammy F 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I'm sorry but are you saying/expecting fans to shell out hundreds on a ST when the product is rank rotten just to support the club? I wouldn't expect a die-hard "supporter/fan" to use the word, "product". No-one is stopping anyone from switching to another product. Falkirk are reputed to play good football (but I heard even their last game was dire to watch). Manchester isn't too far away and I've heard they produce a good product. And I've heard there is plenty of good football product on the telly these days. It also depends on whether your interested in results or aesthetics. Do you buy a floor cleaner for it's fancy bottle or how well it cleans the floor? If Rangers win the double, are they still a poor product? But objectively, the answer to your question is unequivocally "yes". Millions of fans of lesser clubs than Rangers seem to do it all the time - including when they are not competitive and falling down the leagues... I've always thought aesthetics was a byproduct for most fans, and it was the "neutrals" who most enjoyed a good game, hence the term - "good game for neutrals". Some see supporting a football team as a part of their life, other see it as paying money for entertainment, however the game is about two teams fighting each other for the result and so entertainment is never guaranteed. For that you are better off with something that is purely for entertainment and has a pre-written script. Sometimes you get great results and more people come to watch and when there are bad results the same people disappear. They are considered with disdain by the ever present fans and termed, "glory hunters." Perhaps we have a new breed of "fancy hunters". In the end it's the choice of the individual and I'm observing, not preaching. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmck 117 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 its easy to play into that idealised image of a football supporter when you aren't so explicitly positioned at every turn as a consumer. i imagine it's easier when you aren't financing luxury for a whole industry of people to see it purely in these terms. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Was thinking about this last night and decided to have a guess at how much money and time and I have invested in following Rangers (since I started going regularly 27 years ago). These calculations aren't exact, just some ball park figures, but still scarey nontheless ; Home Games - 27 years x average price of �£250 for S/T = �£6750 Away Games - 27 years x average of 10 games per season x average ticket price of �£20 = �£5400 Cup Ties - 27 years x average of 6 ties per season x average ticket price of �£20 = �£3240 Home European Ties - 27 years x average of 3 games per season x average of �£25 per ticket = �£2025 European Trips = �£1000 Bus Fare/Prgrammes/ Fanzines - 27 years x average of 36 games per season x �£8 = �£7776 Merchandise - 27 years x average spend of �£100 = �£2700 The above works out at a grand total of �£28891 add to that, that my wife has been going for a third of that time (so add another ~�£9,000) to that. I haven't figured in the social side (RSC / TBO Dances, staying away for an extended break during European trips, staying out in cities after the football for meals and drinks, staying over night - hotel bills etc). So a conservative estimate would be - ~�£40,000 monetory terms and at an average of 36 games per season and an average of 6 hours spent travelling to and from games (at home games we leave at 12:30PM and are home around 18:30PM) works out at 5832 hours (thats excluding European trips). I haven't figured in friendlies, testimonials etc.... Frightening. Cammy F �£1000 a year for a highly involved hobby complete with extended social life seems pretty reasonable to me. A lot of people pay more than that for a golf club membership and equipment, which will give them far more frustration and lows than watching Rangers, as well as less highs. Loads of people spend a lot more on fags which is only slowly killing them. Plus I'm sure it's furnished you with many bragging rights about how many games you've seen, how many teams and stadiums, your knowledge of Rangers and football in general etc. That's cheaper than studying and could be argued has far more kudos. I spend more than that on my motorbike, �£450 on gym membership which is a chore rather than enjoyable, about �£400 on playing 5-a-side twice a week, a few hundred pounds a year on cycling etc, etc. Supporting Rangers only costs me a couple of hundred a year as I'm too far away to get to the games and so watch on Setanta. However, as a football fan you can choose to do that and still support the club. The irony is when people complain that there is not enough money spent on the team to make a good quality product and so choose to spend less on Rangers as a result... At Rangers we're not paying premium prices (compared to say, Man U), and basically there are not enough of us paying either (in England far more people are paying for watching football on the telly). The quality of the product obviously reflects that. Looking at what you spend in money and time, the most efficient initial cut for you and Rangers would be to stop going to away games. That would affect the vocal support of the team on their travels but not the finances - and in fact will weaken the opposition making it easier for Rangers to win and probably also make it easier for the team to play good football. It will also cut out the part of supporting Rangers that brings you the most hassle and uses up the most time. Cutting Sky subscriptions and watching Setanta instead would also help the club and people's pockets. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CammyF 7,615 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 However, as a percentage, far more people in Scotland attend and watch football - I'm sure the last figures were 1.75% in England and just over 2% in Scotland (% of population that attend or subscride to football channels). The figures I listed above are on the liberal side, as the price of watching Rangers, and football in general is sky-rocketed. I would imagine that last season, as an example, I sent well over �£1000 pounds on European football alone (and that to two domestic cup runs that saw Rangers get to the final) and the usual 30 odd SPL games. For example, it is now �£36 pounds for tickets for Parkhead and tickets for Tynecastle and Easter Road have also gone through the roof over the last 5 seasons. As I said, I haven't factored in the 'couple of pints before and after the games', or the price of a hot dog, pie, bovril etc. Again, I haven't figured in the money I pay to SKY for SKY Sports when SKY showed Scottish Football - I refuse to suscribe to Sentanta. If you factor in all of the above, you could probably double the original amount. I have had the privilage of witnessing many highs and lows, I have visited some wonderful countries and cities but most of all, I've met some wonderful people whilst following Rangers and the organisations that go along with that (RSC / TBO / GersNet! and not just Rangers fans I may add). Cammy F 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest adamski Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 14 years ago my Govan Front Season ticket cost �£130, including all League Cup, Scottish Cup, first European game, and all reserve games. Nowadays the same seat costs what? �£500? the players are a damn sight poorer, and the facilities are a damn sight poorer so what exactly are we paying an almost 400% increase in those years for? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.