how can this offer be alienating fans? your basically paying the normal price for a season ticket including the magic weekend! So probably works out cheaper than last year! So all the lonesome people whining about being ripped off, why dont you do yourselves and the club a favour and bring some of your family along for a discounted price!

2010 season ticket comparison
Based on cheapest adult ticket with early bird discounts (full price in brackets where applicable)Hull KR — £221
Leeds Rhinos — £196 (£215)
Hull FC — £185 (£239)
Salford City Reds — £180 (£206)
St Helens — £179 (£209)
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats — £175 (£200)
Warrington Wolves — £171 (£201)
Castleford Tigers — £170 (£198)
Wigan Warriors — £169 (£198)
Bradford Bulls — £160 (£185)
Celtic Crusaders — £135 (£195)
Harlequins RL — £99 (£119)
Huddersfield Giants — £95 (£180)[/code

A few comments now I've caught up with the thread:

On the face of it, £180 for 13 games + cup + Murrayfield + shirt is decent. But it's a 12.5% rise on last year (inflation's running at about 1.8% at the moment), the price rise for season tickets is higher than for pay on the day (£20 v £13) and I'm fairly shocked to find us the 4th most expensive in the league (yes, you get a shirt, but not everyone wants one).

The idea of a membership scheme to get general discounted admission is a decent one, and it will be interesting to see how much uptake there is of it (not that out ST numbers ever get published), but I'm concerned at the effect that the £18 match day admission will have. My girlfriend hardly went to a game last season because she thought £17 was steep, the same with workmates who'd been the season before. With a matchday price of £18 the club will surely have to run a load of offers to attract casual or first time punters along, and these offers will no doubt end up putting noses out of season ticket holders again and if it's like last season, the offers will be sent to season ticket holders anyway.

Oh, and 30% of UK households are single person households, and they are the fastest growing type of household.

Indeed. And which club has by far the largest student population in Europe on its doorstep?

That's because single people can afford their own houses nowadays whereas in the past they would've spent it all on watching RL?!

Yes, this is the crux. Regardless of where you lie on this debate, it is clear a group of supporters experiences a substantial season ticket increase. That is fair to say.

Now, it's easy to fall into the trap that season ticket holders buy season tickets because they are ultra loyal and will always renew regardless. Think, and get back to basics: a lot of folks base their renewal or purchase on how the club is performing and how they might fair next season.

Consider that in 2009 Salford's off-field activity vis-a-vis the stadium, control of players, retail etc. has been shambolic. True, a lot of really good work is being done in other areas, but it doesn't make the news nor does it influence other club's and their supporters. Our reputation amongst other club's supporters and some sections of the RL media is unhealthy — being accused of peddling tired rhetoric rather than results over the new stadium. We've all read it haven't we? There may well be genuine reasons why there are continued delays over the stadium development, but even the staunchest of the faithful are losing their faith on the issue.

And then there's the basic, most important and most common denominator — the squad. We've lost more talent than we've replaced and there's nothing to suggest that we won't have a perceivably weaker squad in 2010 than 2009. It's hardly a big sell.

On separate but related point, does anyone else think that creating a pay-as-you-go scheme, which in principle I like the idea of, will encourage families and individuals who bought season tickets last year to pick and choose their games instead (perhaps the biggest 5/6 matches)? If so, are the club shooting themselves in the foot by losing the upfront income they sorely need to get them through the winter?

If Cas launch a similar scheme will £50 quid cover all there fans

Can I just ask how much a magic ticket was last year? Essentially a single person is paying £20 more to be a member and have a season ticket. I just spoke to the club and a non members ticket will be £180 so you may as well get the membership. This will give you a free magic ticket (either a day or weekend).

So last year an adult paid £160 + magic ticket. Does £180 really look that bad when you compare it. I'm guessing it was many of the single lads that went up to murrayfield for a boozy weekend last year so this shouldn't alienate that many.

Plus its not just the season ticket holder that gets the free ticket it is the entire household removing the problem of last year where people couldn't afford to go as a family.

Think you wrote this before I put my post on. A non members adult season ticket will be £180. I just spoke to the club.

I did indeed think of that one! I suspect that the club are trying to get single blokes to stop attending as single blokes, and start bring their 'significant others' with them. This effectively doubles attendance within that group of fans and also means that 16-40 year old blokes all have their missus in toe to keep them in line. Whether it'll pan out like that is a very different matter, and largely depends on the women of Salford?!


I'm not suggesting that the club is discouraging anyone, just that they're discouraging young fellas from coming on their own. Having the missus in toe is almost certainly going to keep some of our more riotous Shed dwellers in line, hence reducing the amount of player/coach directed abuse, beer throwing, swearing, ref-baiting, etc.

It'll also lead to a far more family-orientated atmosphere as Mum and Dad coming along will mean they'll have to bring the kids too, or leave them with Grandma. Or perhaps Grandma could tag along too?!

One loud and lairy lager drinking bloke becomes a nice quiet family of 5 each buying hot dogs, hot chocolate, Salford shirts with names on the back, jester hats, etc.

Or maybe the club are far less devious that I suspected, and none of that had crossed their minds?!?