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Episode 198: Season tickets are out!
71 Plays3 days ago
Southampton –Season tickets have dropped for next year, and as always, there's plenty of controversial points to talk about!
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Transcript
Season Ticket Reactions
00:00:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott and again today joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host, Oscar. How you doing, mate?
00:00:19
Oscar
Yeah, all good. Thank you.
00:00:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's It's the day we've all been waiting for, right? the They waited for the tiny gem of good news of the 0-0 draw and getting over the points line. And we finally have season ticket information for the championship season.
00:00:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
And but i think it's fair to say it's been received in mixed fashion. I mean, like personally much more looking forward to a year at the championship than this season. how about you, Oscar?
00:00:48
Oscar
Yeah, I think so. mean, I haven't had a season ticket for a while, but I did consider it next year. But just, yeah, I can see there being an uptake, but it's one of those where they've actually dropped the price and and got quite a lot of backlash for it.
00:01:02
Oscar
And, you know, I understand, I'm sure we'll get the intricacies of it shortly, but it does seem one of those they can't really win at the moment. But, you know...
00:01:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's an interesting one. So I guess let's sort of dive into it. as a season ticket holder myself, obviously it's interesting to see the difference season on season. Like you say, there's a 5% across the board drop, which is interesting because obviously more games in the championship.
Controversial Payment Changes
00:01:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
and last time we went down from the Premier League to the Championship, it actually stayed at the same price. They didn't drop it. And considering they kind of, with the the Northern Wall stuff last season, they kind of dropped the price lower than what you were expecting, where they weren't sure whether it was going to be Championship or Premier League. It was a...
00:01:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
sort of a pretty reasonable price in the scheme of things.
00:01:59
Oscar
yeah
00:01:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they've stuck and done the 5% drop based off of that price, that reduced price for the northern section as well, is where I sit. So that's sort of interesting.
00:02:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I guess the big controversial where they're getting a lot of the backlash is the changes to the the split payments and the payments across months.
00:02:18
Oscar
yeah
00:02:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
adding that 5% back on for fees and handling, uh, onto that, which is ah maybe a bit extreme and, and reducing the ability to pay it for over 10 months down to six months.
00:02:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
It, that's going to hit a lot of people hard, I think.
Fan Backlash and Club's Response
00:02:37
Oscar
Yeah, I think, you know, again, maybe maybe something it's It's tricky one. I think, obviously, with the current climate of things, you would like to think that I would have had a bit of foresight towards that.
00:02:52
Oscar
So, yeah, it's...
00:02:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't think they've helped themselves with the wording in the in the release either, right? Because they've blamed abuse of the payment structure system last year or this season currently as to why they've made the changes they've made, which, you know, frankly, is only going to relate to a minority of people who pay by that method.
00:03:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Presumably people who saw the quality of the football this season and decided to stop paying.
00:03:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
And yeah, I think it is unfortunate. I mean, i'm going to be one of the people affected by that change. I paid across 10 months last year and I crunched some numbers.
00:03:28
Oscar
yeah
00:03:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
to sort of give bit of insight. Obviously, as you know, I go with my kids. I'm very lucky in that I go also go with my sister-in-law, and she pays for one of the kids. So worked out that last year we got a bolt-on, silver bolt-on as well.
00:03:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
or We got three bolt-ons across the four of our season tickets. But for effectively, for... One bolt-on and my season ticket and one of my kids' season tickets, it worked out at a sort of £80 a month payment.
00:04:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Whereas just for the tickets for me and one kid on this new payment structure forced across the six months would come in at £115.
Financial Impact on Fans
00:04:11
Oscar
Yeah.
00:04:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
which is sort of month on month.
00:04:12
Oscar
Significant.
00:04:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's a huge jump. Obviously you pay it for less months and the price balance is out, but not everyone's going to be in a position to do that.
00:04:15
Oscar
Yeah.
00:04:19
Oscar
Yeah.
00:04:21
Oscar
No.
00:04:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh, I haven't worked out yet. If I'm going to be in a position to do that, to be honest, it's going to be a fun conversation with the, uh, financial advisor, the, uh,
00:04:25
Oscar
Yeah.
00:04:29
Oscar
Yeah. Yeah. I think it's it's you know it's always ah it's always a difficult one with with piling things up. And again, you would like to think they'd be a bit more foresighted towards it all.
00:04:41
Oscar
you know Again, it's tricky. I think especially with Sports Republic because they're trying to find that balance between making us financially sustainable. And you know the PSI conversation does come into it. And I know they they do they've done quite a lot of things towards the...
00:04:57
Oscar
towards the sort marketing side of things to try and help build a platform for us to be a bit more competitive in the Premier League in future. And I think people do have to realise that, um you know, if they want that, that is the reality of it.
00:05:12
Oscar
But I think, again, the club have to realise they're making enough money from other areas that they probably do owe the fans a bit of something for this year. Yeah.
00:05:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, absolutely. it feels like some goodwill, just the smallest piece of goodwill will go a long way. And i kind of feel like they...
00:05:27
Oscar
Yeah.
00:05:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
genuinely he might have been naive enough to have thought that just dropping the price 5% would have been enough of a goodwill and sort of gloss over the fact that actually like the real life cost of to a lot of fans of going is you know it's crazy money like that's that's a lot of money a month to go and watch go watch the football and
00:05:51
Oscar
yeah
00:05:52
Oscar
don't like you I don't know if you've seen have you seen the video that they released alongside it as well.
00:05:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
it was real guilt trippy
00:05:58
Oscar
It was, wasn't it?
00:05:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
real guilt-tripping.
00:05:59
Oscar
Really heart pulling on the heartstrings. They're obviously conscious that they need to sort of try and buy people back in a little bit to an extent.
00:06:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. And now, I will, in the interest of fairness, look at the other side of the coin a little bit.
Comparative Club Practices
00:06:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
because Because, to be honest, it does hurt a bit for me, thinking...
00:06:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've gone from great, great season in the championship to like, am I even actually going to be able to renew? Which is, it's been a bit gut-wrenching. But the other side of the coin is actually not a lot of clubs offer these payment schemes.
00:06:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
A lot of clubs, it is sort of upfront or nothing anyway. And so... you can definitely see especially as that obviously got abused last year to some degree uh it obviously caused them some sort of admin headache for them to have mentioned to out and out mention it in a in a release where they're definitely going to have been looking for more goodwill than than i think they've managed to achieve but i just it's just such a big change it's uh
00:06:54
Oscar
yeah
00:07:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
It is an interesting one.
00:07:01
Oscar
Yeah.
00:07:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's some some other changes as well. I guess we'll go into the other bits after the break about the bolt-ons and the way they've been structured. But first, a message from our partners at Bionique.
Bolt-ons and Their Value
00:07:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, and we're back. yeah, I guess let's move on from the the split a bit. The pricing, I don't know if there's a lot to talk about. It's a drop of 5%, more games.
00:08:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
I kind of feel like that's sort fair enough. I don't know how you feel about about the prices in general, Oscar.
00:08:10
Oscar
Is it how how, what's the difference in reflection to our last season the Championship? Has it changed much from that?
00:08:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
i think it's it's pretty close to be honest uh i know that when we went when we got relegated to the championship before we were on the back of ah ah think three straight years of price freezes anyway which made it much harder to judge and then they they more or less kept the price the same going into the championship i think there was a slight drop
00:08:30
Oscar
Yeah.
00:08:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then, yeah the there was quite a substantial increase for the non-Northern areas last year.
00:08:49
Oscar
Yeah.
00:08:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that really, when you when I saw it in sort of the perspective of the season tickets of the other clubs around us, it really, it was still cheaper.
00:09:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was still sort of behind the the rise you might have expected.
00:09:01
Oscar
Yeah.
00:09:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it,
00:09:06
Oscar
That's why be interesting to see the comparisons between us and sort of similar level clubs to ram where where we are and the ones that are sort of lower Premier League towards top championship.
00:09:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Yeah, it will definitely be interesting. And I would think that it would probably be at the right in the middle is where I would estimate it being sort of maybe at the top end of the middle.
00:09:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it's interesting to think as well that it comes in a season where we saw easily offering season tickets for £99 effectively in an effort to attract disillusioned Saints fans, presumably.
00:09:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
It will be interesting to see how popular they are with those changes and with the prices, what they are. And, you know, last season was the the demand, I think, was the highest the most season tickets we've ever sold.
00:09:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it'll be interesting to see if the demand is the same with that in mind.
00:10:01
Oscar
Yeah, especially in the environment off the back of that, where I think quite a lot of fans are pretty disillusioned with everything at the moment.
00:10:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and and rightly so, because it's been it's been a horrible season. But I wanted to talk about bolt-ons, and I think it's a a controversial, probably, topic.
00:10:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know your thoughts or feelings on them, but you're saying about like changes to the profitability of the club and the other sources.
00:10:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
but actually think the bolt-ons were quite a nice way of doing that because they're optional. You're not obliged to do it. and And like I said, last year we got some bolt-ons for the retail voucher codes for the shirts.
00:10:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've had some issues usually in the retail vouchers, but I don't think that changes my opinion on that they were pretty a pretty reasonable thing.
00:10:52
Oscar
Yeah. Yeah.
00:10:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
This year they've they've changed it a bit. And some of the wording is is quite interesting around the sort of packages you get with the hospitality, whereas last year it was sort of a generic...
00:11:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
hospitality upgrade, like the gold tier ones are specifically for the Dell, whereas the the sort of more expensive ones, the platinum ones, are pairs of tickets to any of the club restaurants, and a pair of tickets to a Saints Legends tour, and then a pair of tickets to an exclusive event, which, you know, is something that they've been pushing more of this season, right, with these different events and the sort revenue that generates.
00:11:20
Oscar
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
00:11:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I think it's think it's interesting. i I don't think it's a bad idea to to push those and to try and, I guess, entice people in with a taste by sort of reducing the price with that as a bolt-on.
00:11:45
Oscar
yeah So but the bolt-ons are like their extra bonuses that you can choose to pay for on top of your, to basically upgrade your ticket for a game or something, right?
00:11:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know. What you...
00:11:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so so you you can tack them on with your season ticket, which does mean that you can spread the cost of that across the the length of the season ticket, which last year was really useful with the 10 months as well, because you know we we stuck the bolt-ons on.
00:11:56
Oscar
And other things.
00:11:59
Oscar
Yeah.
00:12:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
It meant that come kit launch, we were able to get a shirt without worrying too much about it. And this year, yeah, it's the same. You can stick
Merchandise and Branding Strategies
00:12:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
it on the end. They've got four tiers this year.
00:12:22
Oscar
Yeah.
00:12:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
But as well as the mentions of the hospitality, what I, as a very maths-based person, immediately deduced was the values. right And so the the lowest tier is the foundation tier, which just comes with a the gift pack, which used to come as standard as the season ticket, with the season tickets. But I think on the back of one of the fan surveys, I think basically the response was, why are you sending me this tat? I'd prefer other benefits of being a season ticket.
00:12:51
Oscar
yeah
00:12:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And what they what they took from that was, let's remove that as a free thing and add it as value. And it comes with a donation to the Saints Foundation.
00:13:00
Oscar
yeah yeah
00:13:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, that is an additional £40 on top of your season ticket. And now last year the gift pack was valued at like £25 or something.
00:13:10
Oscar
yeah
00:13:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
So you're using that as a basis.
00:13:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Then the next tier up is the silver pack. And this comes with the gift pack and the donation as well. But also a replica, the a voucher for a shirt basically. So season ticket and a shirt and your little gift box.
00:13:22
Oscar
Yeah.
00:13:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now that, they've got that worth a value of £95 plus, plus pound and the cost that the you pay for on top of the season ticket is £85.
00:13:30
Oscar
Yeah.
00:13:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
So what I'm reading from that, and deducing, is that with that £95 of value, you take into account the £40 from the gift box and the donation, they're expecting shirts to be about £65 to £70 next season, which seems high for a championship season, right?
00:13:47
Oscar
Yeah. yeah Yeah, it does.
00:13:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know if...
00:13:57
Oscar
It does. It seems to be, without going too much into the financial side things, because I can't pretend it's something I'm massively an expert in, does seem like, again, a lot if you're trying to if you're trying to rebuild, which is what I got from that video, is that they're trying to reintegrate the feeling around the club you know of what we are et cetera.
00:14:21
Oscar
So again, not the smartest move to bang up the share prices if that's going to be the case.
00:14:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I just think it's a really interesting decision. I don't know how much of that is, of course, sort of pre-decided and pre-tied in with the Puma deal. Or maybe that was decided, you know, long before a ball was kicked this season, right? Where, oh yeah, part of the deal is we introduce this shirt as the introductory one and then in the second season we introduce it and it has to have a price increase.
00:14:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know. I'm not an expert in any of that side of it, but it is interesting.
00:14:48
Oscar
So do... No, do all the bolt-ons include the the extra bonus donation to the Saints Foundation?
00:14:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, all four layers include the the gift pack and the donation to the Saints Foundation. then silver, gold and platinum all include the shirt as well.
00:15:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then the difference between gold and platinum is gold, you get a match day meal and drink for two at the Dell with one bolt on, which is interesting
00:15:17
Oscar
And that's about every game.
00:15:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
for one game.
00:15:21
Oscar
Sorry for one game. Yeah.
00:15:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, one you also get a pair of tickets for one game for Saints Bar and you get a SFC tour for two people as well.
00:15:28
Oscar
Yeah.
00:15:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
tro Now the difference between that and last year, because we didn't we didn't have a platinum last year, we only had the gold as I recall. I believe the price for the gold last year when we were looking was £165 on top of your season ticket.
00:15:49
Oscar
Yeah.
00:15:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that came with the same, the gift pack, the shirt and the one upgrade hospitality.
00:15:55
Oscar
Yeah.
00:15:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
obviously you get a couple of extra bits this year, but this year it's £285 on top of your season ticket.
00:16:02
Oscar
Yeah.
00:16:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's not not cheap.
00:16:04
Oscar
That is hefty. No.
00:16:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. but But I guess you're getting you know a couple of upgrades as opposed to one upgrade and a tour.
00:16:11
Oscar
Yeah.
00:16:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then, the yeah, the platinum, which we didn't have last year, but makes use of the, I guess, the higher levels of hospitality.
00:16:19
Oscar
Yeah.
00:16:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's a pair of tickets to a club restaurant, a pair of tickets to a Saints Legends tour, and a pair of tickets to an exclusive event. And that one's £595 on top of your season ticket, which is, yeah, that's...
00:16:31
Oscar
Jesus.
00:16:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know Even if you were looking to spread that, that's that's basically a whole other season ticket for most of the crowd.
00:16:40
Oscar
Yeah.
00:16:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's definitely a certain market they're targeting there, and it's not most of the fanbase, that's for sure.
00:16:42
Oscar
Yeah.
00:16:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
but i think but like say I think the idea of both ones is fine, and I don't don't mind it.
00:16:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's It's all optional at the end of the day. you No one's forcing you need to grab it, and And maybe the shirt one works out at good value, but just it just feels a bit tone deaf, right?
00:17:08
Oscar
Yeah, I think so. I think like it's it's a nice opportunity to sort of show a little award. and And even if it is, you get all right, maybe not get a shirt with it, but you get something small that only you can get as a season ticket holder. like you know Again, I can't profess to have been a season ticket holder for all my life, so I'm a bit blind to some of it.
00:17:28
Oscar
Yeah. it it should there should be something that recognises that you've done that, that you've made that commitment, that you've you know even if it's a pin badge every year or this, that, or the other, not...
00:17:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. but That's what they used to send. It used to literally just be a little little box with your physical card in and a little pin and maybe a little letter and sometimes like another little keepsake, like a signed football card.
00:17:51
Oscar
Yeah. But I think that should be the minimum. And if you want to add stuff on, then fair enough, you can do that.
00:17:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:56
Oscar
But there should be something where it's not just right where they...
00:17:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
You have to pay £40 for that privilege this year.
00:18:02
Oscar
Yeah, and also to donate to the Saints' founder.
00:18:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
say
00:18:06
Oscar
That's a bizarre one to me because Saints' founder, correct me if I'm completely wrong, you know, anyone that works for the Saints' foundation, but I'm fairly sure not actually a charity. is and A lot of them aren't actually charity, these foundations, and a lot of the money goes back into the club anyway.
00:18:20
Oscar
I could be wrong with that, but, you know, with a lot of this stuff,
00:18:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I don't know. I know that the Foundation does a lot of good work in the community, but I don't know.
00:18:27
Oscar
yeah.
00:18:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Again, I don't know the logistics or the specials.
00:18:29
Oscar
Yeah.
00:18:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it's fine to chuck it in as a ah ah tick on a benefit, but it feels like...
00:18:33
Oscar
Yeah.
00:18:36
Oscar
Exactly. like If you're going tick this if you want to chuck 10% of your season ticket or whatever into or a certain donation to the Saints Foundation.
00:18:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:45
Oscar
But yeah, that seems a bit cheeky to me to force it on. I suppose it's not forcing because you're opting to buy whatever the bolt-on is, but...
00:18:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. But just with the values going up so much, like £40 for a little gift box and a donation, it seems...
00:19:01
Oscar
Yeah. Yeah.
00:19:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
It seems crazy. That seems crazy even in comparison to the £85 for the shirt. like The shirt feels like the much better value option of the two.
00:19:09
Oscar
yeah
00:19:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
But even that feels...
00:19:13
Oscar
yeah
00:19:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
don't know. Just like you're already paying so much money for the season ticket as it is. And
00:19:20
Oscar
yeah
00:19:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
like say, with the reduced options to to pay over the long term. I think a lot of people are going to struggle with it and it'll be an interesting one to see how it goes. I want to move on to the benefits as well.
00:19:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I guess first a message from our partners at Zencaster. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform.
00:19:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:19:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster. Okay, so um the the last point i want to touch on is the benefits. Now, last season, they came under heavy fire, and I think rightly so, because it felt a lot like but they took away basically all the benefits of being a season ticket holder.
00:20:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
So previously, the year before, and as long as I had been a season ticket holder, which to be fair is only a couple of seasons before that, but you got 10% off in the shop all the time on everything.
00:20:27
Oscar
Yeah.
00:20:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
You got... I think 15% or 20% off of food and drink at St Mary's all the way up to like 30 minutes before kickoff, I think it was.
00:20:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
And there were some other bits and bobs, discounts spotted here and there and and some other bits. Obviously the standard, the early access to tickets and junior season ticket holders being entered into matchday mascot opportunities, which I have never seen come true.
00:20:56
Oscar
Hmm.
00:20:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
but um And all that other stuff. Yeah. But this year, last year, they took a different approach. They took a lot lot of the discounts away.
00:21:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
The discounts were only at very specific times at the matchday grounds. I think it was only two hours before kickoff in the fan zones or something. I don't really go...
00:21:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
to drink beer at the ground to be honest it's not I take my kids we go and take a picnic and sit and watch the warm ups it's ah ah maybe a slightly different match day experience than some of our our listeners but but particularly the the retail discount come under a lot of stick because they it was the you did have a 10% discount but only on weeks where they declared that it was a season ticket order discount week which I think transpired to be about two week period in November
00:21:24
Oscar
No.
00:21:29
Oscar
No.
00:21:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
which is was crazy. This year, they they've gone a slightly different approach, which is, again, I don't know how I feel about it, honestly. It's a discount, 10% discount on retail merchandise, with the exception of Kit.
00:22:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
and don't know don't know what other merchandise, really, you'd be interested in receiving a discount on.
00:22:06
Oscar
yeah
00:22:11
Oscar
Is that by kit? Is that like the replica shirts?
00:22:15
Oscar
Is that what that's Yeah, agree.
00:22:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, the replica, well, it says it says with the exception of replica kit.
00:22:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I presume that's replica shirts, replica shorts, probably replica socks. I don't know.
00:22:27
Oscar
That's a very broad because that could include training kit. That could include warm-up kit.
00:22:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:33
Oscar
warmup kit No, yeah, that is an interesting one.
00:22:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:36
Oscar
mean, I guess...
00:22:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And again, I don't know if this is, again, part of the deal that they've struck with to bring Puma on board and maybe they're sort of hands are tied, but it just, it feels like a really narrow and specific.
00:22:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:49
Oscar
It does, I think, with a business head on, probably, I think they realise that whatever they do, you know, within reason, but whatever they do, people are going to buy. They're going to buy kit.
00:23:00
Oscar
They're going to buy the shirt, realistically.
00:23:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:23:02
Oscar
It would take a lot for someone not to buy a shirt and they know that, just being the cynic of the football industry. like you know Ultimately, the club shop in itself is not just at Southampton, this is every club.
00:23:15
Oscar
is you know It's a bit of a sham. It's what can we throw the club logo on to try and trick people into spending money.
00:23:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah so
00:23:23
Oscar
And that, to me, seems like, well, we know they're going to buy the kit anyway. If we give them this, A, it looks like we're giving them a benefit, and B, it means that they're more likely to buy the other tap that we sell.
00:23:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:23:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
We might flog some more of this rubbish. Yeah, absolutely.
00:23:37
Oscar
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for a bit of Sir Hampton-branded tap, but...
00:23:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
100%. I'm pretty sure on the shelf behind me I have a
00:23:43
Oscar
Yeah.
00:23:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Southampton branded deck of playing cards. So yeah.
00:23:47
Oscar
Yeah. I'm trying to see what I've got around me.
00:23:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's
00:23:50
Oscar
I've not got too much in here, actually, but...
00:23:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's it it. also comes, so they've changed the structure to the pre-kickoff discounts. So it's 20% on food and drink for up to two hours before kickoff.
00:24:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
and 10% up to one hour before kickoff, which I think is more discount than we were getting this season.
00:24:08
Oscar
yeah
00:24:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Although, to be honest, like I said, I don't really use it, so I didn't really read into what the discount
Enhancing Matchday Experience
00:24:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
was this season.
00:24:17
Oscar
the
00:24:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's including the Dell for what that was.
00:24:20
Oscar
but is that Is that a new thing that's come into it, the fact that they've put a timestamp on it? Because I'm sure it used to just be, if you've got a season ticket, you get X amount off food and drink.
00:24:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know. i know as as long as I have been a season ticket holder, which is since our first relegation season, our last relegation season, it's always been slightly time reduced. But I think that the time has grown.
00:24:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
but i think it was half an hour before kickoff when I first started going all the way up to this season where it was only two hours before kickoff.
00:24:51
Oscar
Yeah.
00:24:54
Oscar
Yeah.
00:24:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I mean, who realistically, who's arriving the ground two hours before kickoff?
00:24:58
Oscar
No.
00:24:59
Oscar
No.
00:25:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
not
00:25:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
not many people.
00:25:02
Oscar
No.
00:25:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, but, you know, this seems this is more discount, I think, and it includes the Dell, which it fine.
00:25:11
Oscar
Yeah, I think that's that's probably what it's they're trying to encourage is changing the match day experience, right? And they're trying to get people to go to the Dell and to the fan zones and to make more of it rather than just, you know, you turn up at one o'clock, two o'clock, go straight in.
00:25:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:25:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:26
Oscar
know, I'm like you. I like to get there early and watch the warm-ups and, you know, I usually grab a bit of food on the way in.
00:25:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's almost like go it's almost like you go to watch you know the football which is something that I think the focus gets taken away off a lot from our owners because uh it's and know it's fine you know different strokes to different folks i've I've been in the fan zones a few times before the game if they've had someone interesting or or bands that are half decent on or if it's just you know
00:25:38
Oscar
Yeah.
00:25:54
Oscar
Yeah.
00:25:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or if I've got mates coming with me and we want to go for a drink rather than go and watch the warm up. but And it's fine. It's a lovely experience. And I'm glad that it's there as an option for people. It's just, yeah, ah the discount is, it's kind of more than it was.
00:26:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
It still also feels like, right it's not
00:26:12
Oscar
Yeah,
Saints Foundation and Transparency
00:26:13
Oscar
it's just a bit of ah ah bit of a sad statement of the direction that football's, you know, well, it's been heading in and continues to head, you know.
00:26:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
close.
00:26:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:26:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then other than that, the other benefits are a discount code for Saints Play, which I think is the audio pass.
00:26:33
Oscar
Yeah.
00:26:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
If that floats your boat, why you'd get an audio pass if you go in every week, I don't know.
00:26:38
Oscar
If you go into every game.
00:26:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I mean, again, different strokes for different folks.
00:26:40
Oscar
Yeah.
00:26:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe people sit in the ground with a headset on and want to listen to that.
00:26:46
Oscar
To be fair, I think there are people that do that.
00:26:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
My company.
00:26:48
Oscar
I think those the people that do that are usually the ones who've got their little radios with them.
00:26:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Do you know Great. I'm glad that that is an option for those people. It's not for me.
00:26:57
Oscar
No. No, I agree.
00:27:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Discount on Legend Stadium Tours. this is Again, it's another one where it seems to be something that they're starting to push that I've not really seen before now.
00:27:10
Oscar
No. that
00:27:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Priority.
00:27:12
Oscar
What's the Legend Stadium? Does that get you to do tour?
00:27:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:15
Oscar
Right.
00:27:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think that that is a one of the stadium tours where you're also accompanied by legend. I think it normally involves some sort of sit-down meal or something.
00:27:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Priority access window discount on events at St. Mary's, subject to event promoters. So again, pushing for the other income streams outside of the football.
00:27:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
And a 10% discount on week-long soccer schools, which I don't know if that's been part of the discount package before, to be honest, as my son is only just of an age where that might start to become of interest.
00:27:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I might be...
00:27:51
Oscar
Okay.
00:27:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
taking
00:27:53
Oscar
That's a very specific thing.
00:27:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:57
Oscar
and Interesting.
00:27:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah but Yeah, again, that's that's not something that that is a a real narrow window, right?
00:28:03
Oscar
Yeah.
00:28:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
I guess not as narrow. It's like 8 to 16 year olds that can take part in that.
Aligning Business with Fan Expectations
00:28:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
So i guess it's reasonably broad, but it's, yeah, it seems a bit tacked on and random.
00:28:15
Oscar
It just seems to be one of those things that's been thought up by people that are business-minded, not necessarily football-minded, you know which I think has been a criticism of of Sports Republic in the past.
00:28:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, 100%. hundred percent
00:28:28
Oscar
And it's where you almost want someone with a bit of a football brain or someone... that is associated with a football club to be part of it. And that's where probably you get some of your EFL clubs where that is the case, where you get a bit more of that and they understand it a bit more.
00:28:45
Oscar
When it starts to go, you know, multinational and this, that the other and Premier League in that environment, maybe you lose a little bit of that. So, yeah. Yeah.
00:28:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. ah Yeah. don't think the whole thing reeks of that. And I don't think we should be surprised by that. I mean, our owners are business-minded people who have done a reasonably good job.
00:29:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
but I mean, I think so ah ah think it's safe to say they have been successful in their aim of making Southampton a more financially stable acquirement.
00:29:17
Oscar
I think so. I think that's what...
00:29:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
We termed profit last in the last series of books and I think that
00:29:19
Oscar
Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:22
Oscar
I think that's what's got to be looked at. Like if people, you know, I understand the argument, like it's all very well and good opening a pub, but that doesn't help us on the pitch. It doesn't, it will, it has to, we have to do it because we have to make a certain amount of profit to be able to spend the money that we want to spend.
00:29:40
Oscar
So they, there is no other choice, but to invest in the infrastructure of the club so that we make enough profit that we can, you know, that we can then afford to go and buy a striker when we get promoted back to the Premier League.
00:29:54
Oscar
Because it's not the lack of investment that's hurting us, it's the fact that we physically can't invest. And it's... All the top clubs are struggling with it. All the sort of... Well, I say the top clubs, I mean the ones that aren't the big six.
00:30:06
Oscar
Because it seems like... You know, you can sell yourself a hotel that belongs to you and that makes you profit. So I'm not in that boat where we can do that. So, you know, we have to find a way of doing it, but they also have to find a way of doing it where they're not going to completely alienate their fan base, which have just spent a year being absolutely pummeled into the ground.
Fan Reactions and Future Outlook
00:30:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah 100% and uh I think that a lot of the reaction I've seen on on various social medias is the same some negative outcry for the you know up in the price for people that want to split the cost.
00:30:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Some people that aren't going to do it because it's not viable with that additional restriction. and you know cause it is a big jump up to go from being able to take two of you, you know an adult and a child, and a bolt-on with a shirt for 80 quid to jump up to 110 for just tickets. is It's a big jump.
00:31:02
Oscar
SIGNIFICANT.
00:31:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then... and then you know, also the rabble who like, yeah, great season ticket standard next move on. But yeah, I don't know.
00:31:13
Oscar
Yeah.
00:31:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's been a mixed reaction think maybe rightly so. I kind of see both sides.
00:31:18
Oscar
I think, yeah, they'll sort of point the headline and say, look, 5% cheaper.
00:31:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
I kind of,
00:31:23
Oscar
Look, look, 5%, but don't worry about that stuff.
00:31:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:31:26
Oscar
But look, 5% cheaper.
00:31:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:31:28
Oscar
And, you know, that's what they'll, but yeah.
00:31:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, they they clearly had an issue with the missing payments last year with the the extended and where they don't do a credit check or do a financial agreement or anything like, but clearly caused a lot of work for the staff chasing up payments and tracking them down and disabling tickets and then having to sort try and resell those tickets as they look sort of sold them, but not made money on them.
00:31:45
Oscar
Yeah.
00:31:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And hey we it, it,
00:31:53
Oscar
Yeah.
00:31:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a shame that what is clearly a minority of people are going to have taken that option away with the headache they've caused.
00:32:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
It'll be interesting to see how well the sales go. Like I say, they had the record sales record high season ticket sales last year.
00:32:11
Oscar
Yeah.
00:32:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know if the numbers are going to be as good this year.
00:32:13
Oscar
No. Especially off the back of that.
00:32:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, 100%. Wow. wow It's certainly interesting. We'll see how it goes. We'll see if I can talk my wife into it. And other than that, I don't know what else to add.
00:32:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
I certainly hope so. I'm looking forward to year in the championship. hope that can
00:32:30
Oscar
Yeah.
00:32:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
My kids are certainly looking forward a year in the championship. They're going to be gutted if we can't make it work. slide But anyway, that is just all we've got time for today. We'll be back tomorrow to talk about Something, I'm sure.
00:32:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm sure that the club will give us something. Until then, thank you very much for joining me, Oscar. It's been a fun one. Thanks, everyone, for listening. Let us know in the comments. How do you think, how do you feel about the season tickets? Are you going to be renewing or or getting your first season ticket next year?
00:33:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Let us know. Until tomorrow, see you next time.