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Old 11-20-2018, 08:04 PM   #681
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Article on Cavalry with voting poll on your impression of ticket prices.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1065068711386595328
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Old 11-20-2018, 08:06 PM   #682
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^^^^ sorry for the double post (I think I posted this at almost the same time! (Not sure how to delete)

Some interesting comments regarding the season ticket release and stadium design;

http://www.totalsoccerproject.com/20...tadium-layout/

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Old 11-20-2018, 08:09 PM   #683
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That poll can’t be what they were hoping/expecting, but then again they don’t seem to think the prices are out of line. I suppose the only thing to convince them is going to be a massive decline in actual tickets sold from the 1000 founding members.
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Old 11-20-2018, 09:33 PM   #684
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When the article refers to "safe standing", is that supporters?
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Old 11-20-2018, 09:43 PM   #685
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That article sounds like a club who's going to stick by their pricing scheme, unfortunately. As long as the supporters section has the cheapest tickets, I'm buying seasons, but I can completely understand why everyone here is reconsidering.

Safe standing does refer to the supporter section, yes. There is supposed to be safe standing in the South end, which is intended to be the supporters section. The member email did not show this, and think that initially confused and angered us supporters. The safe standing on the West side by the corporate section is intended for the walk up crowd.

Ian emailed me last night to say he'd get back to me shortly. Haven't heard back from him yet. I imagine he has a long list of people to get back to.
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Old 11-21-2018, 07:05 AM   #686
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So are the cheapest actual seats going to be the 30 dollar ones? I wish it was clearer at this point.
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Old 11-21-2018, 10:35 AM   #687
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There was simply no way Ian Allison was going to just come out and say that they messed up. I think they genuinely think this is the needed model for them to survive. Definitely some positives and negatives in what he said, and definitely a lot of questions for them to answer before they get to bill my credit card in January.

By saying "... I know that we’re not playing in a public facility or any of those kind of things, so we have some other elements that don’t fall into their setting of the equation, ” he pretty much admitted that they are pricing in the stadium upgrades and passing those costs on to the season ticket holders. That's understandable, but when your product has no proven demand, its also a bit disappointing.

By saying “You’re not going to be looking at CFL lines. You’re not going to have a half-empty stadium that was designed for 30,000 people but only using a third of the stadium. All these things came into account” it sounds like he expects most CPL stadia to not do what teams like the Sounders/Seahawks do and swap out the lines. Sounds like he also thinks we should pay a premium because of it. Now, if you have 3000 in a tarped up CFL stadium, that will look bad, no doubt. But 10000? tough to say.

Do I think that is worth a bit of a premium? Actually, I do. Worth a 25%+ premium? That I'm less sure on, but we'll see if the market is there for it.

It also sounds like they are focusing on the pro sports event rather than the pro sports product. I get the impression they know the on-field product will be poor by professional standards and will remain poor for at least a few years, but that having top notch amenities (to be demonstrated) can overcome that. As a soccer purist, I do have issues with this, but I understand that there aren't many purists in Canada as a whole, let alone Calgary, and they need to appeal to a different market to survive (and preferably a market with some deeper pockets).

That said, I think reading between the lines of some of his comments, they are aware there is a value proposition issue. Seems clear they are going to be tossing some extras at the higher tiers. I just hope its enough to justify MLS/Flames/Stamps pricing.
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Old 11-21-2018, 11:30 AM   #688
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One thing that I think is being overlooked is that at the low end, the ticket prices are the best in the league (assuming they are actually the $13 ones).

I know hanging out with people who are rowdier - the singing, drumming, chanting, swearing, flag waving type people - is not everyone's thing, but at that level I think there is a lot of value. Getting into that covered grandstand though is a different story.
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Old 11-21-2018, 11:47 AM   #689
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gb450 View Post
^^^^ sorry for the double post (I think I posted this at almost the same time! (Not sure how to delete)

Some interesting comments regarding the season ticket release and stadium design;

http://www.totalsoccerproject.com/20...tadium-layout/

64% are "very disappointed" or "angry" about ticket pricing.
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Old 11-21-2018, 11:48 AM   #690
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shermanator View Post
One thing that I think is being overlooked is that at the low end, the ticket prices are the best in the league (assuming they are actually the $13 ones).

I know hanging out with people who are rowdier - the singing, drumming, chanting, swearing, flag waving type people - is not everyone's thing, but at that level I think there is a lot of value. Getting into that covered grandstand though is a different story.
I think all of the Troops level pricing is reasonable (I'm assuming the covered section is $29 as well). I think they did that part right.

They just need to show why Corps is a $20 jump and Battalion a $50 jump.
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Old 11-21-2018, 02:46 PM   #691
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The $13 tickets are likely going to be all the crappy sightlines placed awkward distances from the pitch. Those had better be the cheapest in the league. The $29 tickets are alright too. That's probably where I'd be looking to buy for single game purchases. The question, is if the email shows season ticket price or gate price.
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Old 11-22-2018, 10:54 AM   #692
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https://canpl.ca/video/forge-fc-brin...-hortons-field

Hamilton (Forge) released their renders of how their stadium will be configured. Apparently capacity is around 10000. No CFL lines. Looks pretty good to me. Makes me wish we had a CFL facility with a decent configuration that could be reduced to ~10k like that.

Cavalry, you're up to look at least as professional as that, if not moreso.

Last edited by Thunderball; 11-22-2018 at 10:56 AM.
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Old 11-22-2018, 11:13 AM   #693
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Is the Spruce Meadows field going to be natural grass or not?
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Old 11-22-2018, 11:21 AM   #694
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Yes, it will be natural grass.
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Old 11-22-2018, 11:36 AM   #695
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For Soccer, I would much rather that we have the Spruce Meadows natural set-up vs cookie cutter CFL stadium & tarps.
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Old 11-22-2018, 02:54 PM   #696
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Quote:
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https://canpl.ca/video/forge-fc-brin...-hortons-field

Hamilton (Forge) released their renders of how their stadium will be configured. Apparently capacity is around 10000. No CFL lines. Looks pretty good to me. Makes me wish we had a CFL facility with a decent configuration that could be reduced to ~10k like that.

Cavalry, you're up to look at least as professional as that, if not moreso.
Meh, they made it look cozy and intimate in a rendering with 10k people. In real life with a more realistic turnout of half that, it's going to look and feel cavernous with 5k fans in a 25k CFL stadium.

The tarps help slightly, but they don't actually transform the atmosphere that well. BC place in Vancouver is an example of "tarping" (whatever you want to call it) actually changing the dynamic and making half capacity feel full.

3-5K fans in Tim Hortons field is going to look like a smattering.
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Old 11-22-2018, 03:12 PM   #697
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Meh, they made it look cozy and intimate in a rendering with 10k people. In real life with a more realistic turnout of half that, it's going to look and feel cavernous with 5k fans in a 25k CFL stadium.

The tarps help slightly, but they don't actually transform the atmosphere that well. BC place in Vancouver is an example of "tarping" (whatever you want to call it) actually changing the dynamic and making half capacity feel full.

3-5K fans in Tim Hortons field is going to look like a smattering.
That's certainly an issue, but the jury is still out on how Cavalry's structure will look in final form and the closer to 10k they get, the better that experience is likely to be. I'd also point out that ticket holders at the higher levels aren't being gouged to pay for the tarps, or the original work done to the facility.

Right now, I think I'd risk cavernous (with ample washrooms and concession) over something that may ultimately be cobbled together pieces around a field of play with an empty zone between the stands that's all designed to be shoved aside when the horses come. For all we know, the north and south end are going to be basic movable bleachers. Even the grandstand might be designed to be disassembled or moved (though I have hopes that if they are taking down the white building, they are building something permanent in its place. To be fair, McMahon isn't an option right now. Renovation option 3 or 4 in the Olympic bid would have been though.

I think we all hope the final form is slick and permanent in nature with the comfort of all 5-7000 fans in mind (decent seating, ample concessions and washrooms), and not just the handful who pay $200/game. I just think I would prefer this or Winnipeg right now.

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Old 11-23-2018, 10:35 AM   #698
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Here's an interview with Ian Allison. Sounds like stadium work is going through the final stamping and will begin within the next week. Tried to get into the ticket pricing controversy but they seem to be sticking to their pricing model.

FWIW, he hasn't gotten back to my email.

http://www.northernstartingeleven.co...of-cavalry-fc/
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Old 11-23-2018, 11:46 AM   #699
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They might end up revising the seating map and tiers a little, but keep the upper and lower ends of the price points in place. Then be like "see - we told you not to worry".

I still think that they've applied the show jumping model to soccer, and they'll be in for a big shock in year two. Year one they'll get a good boost from novelty and hype. But when/if the supporters find that the experience doesn't match the cost, it'll be a tough sell moving forward.

All of the little annoyances are going to wear on people. They'd forgive a long commute if the seats were reasonably priced and they weren't getting gouged with parking on top of it. They'd forgive the (initial) quality of the soccer if the atmosphere was top notch. They'd look past some of the initial growing pains if there was a genuine feeling that the club and the supporters were both stakeholders. The MLS has done a good job at ensuring that supporters (especially groups) feel like part of a family instead of just a revenue stream. And it has resulted in continued loyalty and growth.
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Old 11-23-2018, 12:42 PM   #700
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Here's an interview with Ian Allison. Sounds like stadium work is going through the final stamping and will begin within the next week. Tried to get into the ticket pricing controversy but they seem to be sticking to their pricing model.

FWIW, he hasn't gotten back to my email.

http://www.northernstartingeleven.co...of-cavalry-fc/
Interesting podcast.

Sort of reminds me of the Feaster/Weisbrod era of thinking they are the smartest people in the room. Hopefully this time they actually are. The veiled digs at the fans complaining on social media and how other teams choose to organize weren't wise from a PR standpoint. True professional sports are going to have fan feedback. I'm sure the show jumping forums don't get too rangy, so this might be something Spruce Meadows has to get used to and embrace.

Sure, there have been some less than constructive comments made out of frustration and surprise, but a lot of people who are voicing concern have a long memory of failed soccer clubs in Calgary.

I'd say they are definitely not changing the prices, as they seem to think that because there are cheap options available, there shouldn't be an issue because everyone gets to see the game. The issue remains value, not price. That is fixable to an extent with some big player announcements and added offers.

Interesting and very valid points about Hamilton and Winnipeg being able to simply open more sections if it catches on, which can justify their lower prices, but what of Edmonton, York, Halifax and likely Pacific FC?

On the bright side, the grandstand does sound like a permanent build, but hopefully as soon as the new stadium is stamped, they release some nice renders.

His last comment about announcements before Christmas was good, but why not just say free jerseys to some season ticket holders are in play? No need to be coy on that when other franchises went there immediately.

I agree with Jimmy Stang though... with higher prices come higher expectations, and there's a lot of likely annoyances that might not be overlooked in year two and beyond unless they really nail it.

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