Here's my ideas on how Pools could get more people through the doors.

Firstly, start looking at the information on the database. Find out who are the longest serving season ticket holders, and give them the biggest discount on season tickets - maybe band it by number of years eg over 20 years of season ticket holding = 25% discount, 15 years = 20% etc.

Extra bonuses can be given for renewing in consecutive years, such as a gift voucher to spend in the club shop - half price shirt or something.

To entice non-season ticket holders into buying one, give a straightforward discounting scheme based on dates - buy by end of June = £350, by end of July = £375, first game of season = £400.

On the advertising for season tickets, WORK THE MATHS OUT FOR PEOPLE. I haven't got a clue what £20 x 46 is. So an advert for season tickets should clearly state something like:

"Buy by the end of June, works out at £15 a game. Buy by the end of July, works out at £16.50 per game. Normal entrance price is £20 per game."

Once the season is underway, you can still get the money out of fans. Think about Christmas, and what would make a nice present. A 'half' season ticket, valid for matches from Boxing Day onwards. If Pools are having a decent season they'd sell like hot cakes.

Sell discounted tickets in advance for a set number of games, eg buy tickets for four games for £70 (normal price £20 per ticket). This will please your shift workers and exiles who would be wasting money buying a season ticket as they can't make every game.

At the end of the season if we've got now to play for, offer a discounts of a couple of quid for the last few home matches. Gates recently have been very disappointing considering our form: played 10 - won 6, drawn 2, lost 2, scoring lots of goals to boot. It's unlikely gates will increase significantly even if there's a late surge for the play-offs. Gates would increase if the prices were dropped.

Pools should have the technology to analyse all the supply and demand of tickets, but I don't see them doing owt with it. If they got it right, they would offer the most loyal supporters the best discounts, keep recent Poolie converts on board, and tempt the fairweathers with good offers.

It seems to me they cocked up big time with the pricing this season, but if they take the time to think about it next season we could be looking at record season ticket sales and record average attendances, no matter how well we do on the pitch.

or play entertaining footy

a attendances and season ticket sales WILL drop if we still have the same manager next season.That might sort out the footy problem.
A lot of what PIN says is very good, like.

Nobody at the club contacted me to find out why I hadn't renewed my season ticket. I assume none of the people who didn't renew were contacted. Obviously the club weren't that bothered to find out why.

We have had 5 season tickets for the last 5 years. We only bought 2 this time, no one from the club made any effort to find out why.

i work up in Newcastle and i know this is probably a poor example, but i think the majority of Premier League clubs do this now.

If my mate buys his season ticket by the end of this current season for next, he gets all of the cups games free too. what do we get free with our tickets? Free entry to reserve games!!

This could entice more or at least the majority of renewals.

The loyalest season ticket holders are the ones that have bought each year regardless of increase in cost. Why then offer them a discount when they obviously would buy one anyway.
Harsh I know but a basic economic fact.
Liked some of the other ideas though.

well exactly, the ones who buy season after season wont change that. but to offer incentives, such as free home cup games etc, well then surely that cant do any harm!

Not strictly true. I had a season ticket for a few years despite living out of town. I would have got one this season but the removal of the early bird discount meant I didn't buy it in May, I decided to wait until July. By the time July had come I had used the money for other things.

EDIT: all my best laid plans go to waste!

I knew something wasn't quite right

I think you'll find those prices are for HALF season tickets.

Buying the whole season season ticket sees you get about 3.75 free games a season.

I knew something was wrong ptbap - I was always put off getting one in case I missed the odd one and it became a worthless prospect

I don't know where you got those season ticket prices from, they may have been the student/ u19's prices. But the one normal season ticket bought in our family cost my oldest son £354. The youngest got one for £75 because he is under 16.

I checked the Pools website but I failed to notice the updated time from February (I actually included the link in the post before I realised my own stupidity).

I always thought that the season ticket was useless if you missed 2 or 3 matches. Never mind, PIN's points stand firm

Discounting just the fans who have attended longest will not effect the number of fans going to the game. These fans go week in week out.
We need to try and get the part time supports to come more often. These fans will only keep coming to the games if the football is entertaining or if the ticket prices are lowered.
They should just go to back to the old season ticket pricing method. Discounts for the supporters who buy their season ticket before a set date. The club did fans no favours this season with the interest free thing

Pools haven't got a clue. I was in the ticket office before the game and this bloke had driven from Sedgefield to see Pools for the first time and was told "if you are not on the database, you can't have a ticket". He said "so can I not buy one?". Reply: "Not if you are not on the database." Bloke: "Can I go on the database?". Woman: "Only if you have something with your name and address one". Bloke: "I have my driving licence." Woman: "That'll do I suppose." I almost interjected and said "howay mate, I'll take you round to the Mill House side." Fuck sake Pools. Customer service is as familiar to Pools as big crowds are to Darlow.

The ticket office staff are shit, their attitude is far from genial...