A personal view – By Michelle Shaw – Co Vice Chair of the CSG
I’ve been a Chelsea supporter since 1964, going to my first game in 1974. I went all through the bad times in the 70s and early 80s, until I gave up my season ticket, discovered music and travelling, got married, had kids and was a happy little housewife. Those that know me may be struggling with that latter image! But yes, you read correctly…I STOPPED GOING TO CHELSEA FOR A WHILE.
Disgusted? Disappointed in me? Want me off the CSG? Well, guess what? I never stopped loving Chelsea, watching them whenever I could and supporting them. And also guess what? Chelsea survived! And so did I until the kids were a bit older and I was a bit richer. And then I came back, well before Roman and I brought the kids with me this time.
Why are you telling us this, you’re wondering? Why, as an officer of the CSG, would you be telling us you missed a decade? Well, I’m telling you this because I can’t believe the attitude of some of you to the idea of boycotting just one game for the greater good.
I understand that missing a game for some is difficult – there are a multitude of reasons why many want to go – I myself have heard – “I’ve never missed a game”, “I want the loyalty points so I can get an Arsenal away ticket”, “someone else will take my place”, “the Club need the money so we can be the best” (this latter one particularly amuses me) – but sometimes sacrifices are necessary and I feel that this is one of those occasions.
I’d just like to make this absolutely clear: not only am I boycotting Genk, I am also boycotting Leverkusen and Valencia. My choice, I know, but as soon as the ticket prices were announced, I made the decision. Why? Because I don’t want to wake up one May and find I can’t afford my season ticket any more.
The club won’t go into administration if you don’t go to one game - I can promise you that we’ll still be able to afford to pay the wonderful Mr Mata’s wages. And Frank’s and even JT’s. Really. The club receive tens of millions from the premier league, UEFA, sponsors, advertisers – the list is endless. This boycott is to make the club think – to make them understand that gate receipts are equally important to the balance books and if they get them wrong – like I believe they have this time, we will react.
And perhaps someone will take your seat for this game – but I promise you the club don’t want to outlay tens of thousands of pounds for radio & paper advertisments to tempt in the tourists is – just one boycott could make the club think again.
But you go to every game? Fantastic! I applaud you. Enjoy it while you can afford it, because what I do promise you is this – while you pay it, the Club will charge it. And keep pushing it higher, until one day you won’t be able to go to every game. You’ll decide you prefer to eat once a day, or pay your fares to get to work or have a roof over your head
The only way to send a message to the Club is by a low attendance at the Genk game. Remember Rosenborg. You all enjoyed low prices for a while because people talked with their feet. DO IT NOW, while you can still afford to go.
I hate the idea of deliberately boycotting a game, moreso because I can only afford a small number of games myself every season. I guess my financial situation means that I boycott most European games and some League and Cup games lol. I also dont know how the club, even if they reduce prices, can ensure that tickets still dont end up in the hands of the silent well-off customer (I wont call them supporters, cos they dont). However, I really dont see what else can be done. I have seen for myself how ticket prices discriminate against not only the less well-off supporter, but also – generally speaking – the more vocal supporter.
As an agjunct to this situation, I believe ticket prices are a major contributing factor to the amount of “booing our own” that goes on at SB. It may be something to do with the more well-off generally going to football to be entertained rather than to support – that’s what my experience leads me to believe, though of course I cant know for certain.
But I do know that something needs to be done, and in the absence of any better ideas I am inclined to agree that a boycott may be a worthwhile exercise.
Great article Michelle, it’s with a heavy heart that I wish you guys well with this.
*adjunct…. Doh!
from my point of View
the club gas got it wrong on Premier League prices this cat AA and A Rrubish we should boycott a leauge game Premier League prices are more worrying for me but the group stage has gone up $15 pounds in two years so i know where your coming from but please try and remember the leauge prices are also far to high and need to be looked at
Problem is most people at perm games and season ticket holders therefore have already payed for the game.
I do agree, Jim, that the league prices should be looked at too. The category AA especially.
Excellent article.
Difficult one though…people shouldn’t be made to feel uncomfortable about attending a game. It means an awful lot to some people.
It would be particularly galling to boycott the match only to find it’s a sell-out, albeit to tourists and respodents to the radio advertising campaign.
A boycott can only really work when there is only one receptive party.
Perhaps a concerted attempt to get national publicity to voice the true fans’ concerns would be more effective (there are a few media types in our ranks, I beleve).
I spoke to Ken Bates for a fanzine YEARS back now-just around the “leccy fence” fiasco/stunt-and he gained a lot of my respect by telling me that ” most chairmen would prefer one punter paying £40,000 than 80,000 paying a fiver, covering costs that way AND having atmosphere”.
He wasn’t with them and said, prophetically, that they’d all live off the TV money soon enough and those wanting expensive tickets for sod all atmosphere in return. We lost.
I’m afraid a boycott of the game will not work, because someone else will snap up the ticket.
If you want to boycott anything make it the shop and food and drink outlets in the ground. But you need to make sure the club knows why these are not selling by popping a leaflet (which this site could mock up for people to print off) into each one telling them you will come back when you can afford a ticket AND a drink or food, instead off letting someone else take your seat for the genk game.
If 1000 of you don’t buy a drink it will cost the club £3,500 that’s equal to 87 empty seats, and you still get to watch the game and support the boys.
But I feel that £40 for a champions league game is quite reasonable we had some good years where the club subsidised the c/l tickets and had some of the cheapest tickets around, but we all knew it could not last.
I personally think the CL prices are reasonable for most games at £40.
If people either need or want to economise maybe they should consider giving the pub a miss like I do currently or restrict the time they spend in it.
I dont think a boycott is either called for or would work personally.
The less attractive games will attract less people unless the tickets were reduced to CC prices.
Possibly the club could consider a special price for the weakest team in the group though as a sweetner.
It all revolves around Konkrete Ken’s legacy. Forget “egress” and other “planning issues”. A cynic might beleive that a disciple of the principle of “Supply and Demand”, might build his New Bridge with a capacity that ensured that Demand was always outstripped by Supply.
Less concrete means less cash invested (none of it Konkrete’s anyway). Less seats means a nice little price premium.
More for less.
If the stadium had a more realistic capacity the prices would likewise have to be more realistic.
But all the time there are barely enough seats for the punters who want to go, they can charge pretty much what they like.
I hate it when fans have the audacity to not only pick and choose the few games they wont go to but pick a game they’ll boycott, you’re right when you say somebody else will take the ticket.
Do you not realise that £40 for a Champions League ticket is quite reasonable, especially for somebody going say 6-10 times per season.
If you’re fortunate enough to go each week to almost every game, i suggest you stop complaining, or make the necessary cutbacks elsewhere.
It’s really not that hard to budget it, like somebody said boycott food and merchandise, but you’re cutting your nose off to spite your face by not going at all.
I agree with Jack – I do not think £40.00 is too excessive for a CL game. By all means boycott the food and drink, which will hit the coffers more than a half empty stadium, which will effect the atmosphere and have a detrimental effect on the players who do not set the prices at the bridge. I will be there in full voice chearing on the boys! CAREFREE
i agree mate where are you sitting im in matthew harding lower
I sympathise with season ticket holders, I really do. But do they realise how many Chelsea fans there are who would love to attend every game, but can’t afford the luxury of a season ticket? There are thousands of us! And if I can get to 5 or 6 games a season via general sale it’s better than none at all, which is why I’ll be there against Genk. There are more effective ways of protesting as has been suggested.