ST package for 2011-update 20 Sep

[Parkdale]

I don't think the comparison to EPL is valid (other may, I don't) but comparing the cost of the east-side reds to other MLS teams:

Toronto - $1562
LA - $1100
Philly - $740
RSL - $550
Chicago - $600

One of these things is not like the other....

LA is higher than us. (if you count club seats, not just 'red' and also not the '$10K tables

from the Globe today: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1715784/

While Toronto’s pricing seems out of line with what most Premier League clubs are charging, the most outrageous season ticket prices for the 2011 season of soccer belonged to the big-city markets in North America. The Los Angeles Galaxy asked a whopping $3,750 (U.S.) for club seats for a 20-match package. New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire each charged about $3,000 for season tickets last season.

[nobodybeatsthewiz]

“We base our season ticket pricing on a number of things, including the demand here and the size of the stadium,” Anselmi said. Toronto FC’s home turf at BMO Field has a capacity of 22,000, with the season ticket base increasing from 16,000 to 18,000 for the 2011 season.

nice little ditty here - increasing by 2,000 are they? the arrogance around this is sickening......they just don't give a damn about what we think, there'll just be 2,000 more of us anyways next yr.

ass.

[Chevy]

Wrong. Do you think Leaf fans complain if the Raptors tickets don't cost as much or increase as much? Different market - supply and demand.

Highest supply and demand for the leafs, followed by the raptors and both those teams play in the best leagues in the world in their sport. Supply and demand for TFC will be tested this year. From my personal experience, demand is wayyyyy down. This ought to test out my theory...

I agree. I don't think they really care, but the prices always increase. My point is if Leafs/Raptors SSH heard the news that "MLSE GIVES TFC FANS A BREAK" I'm sure more than a few would be on the phone to their reps asking for same.

[GTA_WOLF]

I for one would love to see some financial disclosure from this club. Assuming 16000 STHs at an average of $1000, that's $16MM!!! Player salaries run around $5MM (I think), where's the rest of the money going???? Keep in mind, I'm not including revenues from other sources such as game day ticket sales, tv revenue, and concessions.

[bgnewf]

MLSE Is Not A Charity

http://viewfromthesouthstands.com/2010/09/cash-grab/

I try and explain why I strongly feel that short sighted focus on profit year over year may bring the whole thing that is Toronto FC crashing down over the long haul.

Comments always welcome and appreciated.

[Dave67]

Really wonder who they will be rumoured to sign on Oct 13th? Someone that will have us all hitting renew on the last day just in case x signs on for sometime next season.

May I go on the record as saying I still love this team. I just don't think there is value in Season Tickets anymore. Aftermarket here I come.

[nobodybeatsthewiz]

I for one would love to see some financial disclosure from this club.

godspeed, amigo. let's go bloodlet some limestone while we wait.

[DaBandit]

Great post on facebook..

"And what the fuck is with this interest free loan bullshit for the CCL games? Why should we give you the money first then get paid back IF we qualify?

I wish I had this kind of relationship with my bank - How about CIBC gives me the money to play in the market interest free and I can pay them back IF I make the money... back.

Fucking ridiculous.

Again GO FUCK YOURSELF MLSE"

[Parkdale]

May I go on the record as saying I still love this team. I just don't think there is value in Season Tickets anymore. Aftermarket here I come.

It almost makes me wish they didn't fuck up the beer garden.
Remember in the first year when people could go there and stand
right at the railing behind the keeper? it was the closest thing to
general admission seating we could have asked for. But then.....
MLSE decides to drop a few $5K tables in front of the beer garden,
which pushed the rail back about 10 feet and killed any 'vibe' that
section used to have. IF the beer garden still existed like in that
first season, I bet people would give up their seasons and just make
their way into that section on whatever tickets they could find.
Now even that's not an option.

[JonO]

LA is higher than us. (if you count club seats, not just 'red' and also not the '$10K tables

Yeah - but I am buying reds, so that's what I'm looking to. I also specified east stands to make sure the comparison is fair.

Admittedly their club seats are pricier (but only by about $500 once you include the mysterious club fee). Outside of that, the rest of their seats are cheaper. Oh and they have done better than us over the past few years. And yes - that matters

[bgnewf]

There is a difference between "making money" and "rate of return". Two of MLSE's largest shareholders are public entities. They are TD Bank and the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund. The bank and the pension fund don't just want a profit, they want that pofit to grow year over year over year. If their MLSE investment gives then 10% this year thet bloody well expect 12 or 13 next year. That is how it is.

And that is exactly what MLSE has done for them as institutional investors. I do not begrudge MLSE a profit. If the business that is TFC (which it is by the way) makes no money it fails. The issue is the AMOUNT of profit and what is reasonable. Until MLSE gets these two public entities out if its boardroom I fear that we may never see the kind of sensible business decisions that we all know this club should be taking ever being made.

[Pyeddo]

bgnewf; do you have any idea what the current ROI is on this franchise at this point?

[bdiddy]

Hello everyone;

Its a hard decision - but because I split my 2 tickets with one other person - I think i'm probably going to renew... it sucks paying.. $485 for ST in 111... Especially with the last few games almost being like watching paint dry.

For $20 a game - i'm still going to do it - luckily I can still mostly afford it. If i was in many other sections - I wouldn't be able too.

But - things i'm not going to do.

1. I will not buy anything from the concessions for the rest of the year.
2. I will not buy any more TFC merchandise for the rest of this year or next year. I will deal with my ratty looking TFC jersey that my dog scratched up - the money I would have used buying a nice new jersey is gone on increased season tickets.

So - TFC execs - you now get to have great advertising with my ratty jersey going around the city.

3. I will no longer talk about what an amazing experience gameday is. Because honestly - it's going down.
a) Already this year there are fewer actual fans cheering/knowing how to cheer in the supporters sections. Imagine what next year will be like - when more supports _TRY_ to sell their tickets to more non-supporters so they can try to afford their seats.
b) TFC used to have decent giveaways at games. Anyone remember the first year - where every few games there was a decent giveaway? Hell - Raptors/Leaf games at least get some useless bobblehead dolls... So many times I just watched 3 guys throw 2-3 t-shirts each into the same parts of the stadium.
c) and mainly C... the quality of the players on the pitch... is almost embarrassing... How do you claim to 'Scout' players and bring in this great quality of talent. So we can watch ourselves slowly get booted out of the playoff race each and every year... At least last year it was close to the end...

I'm rambling... annoyed... frusterated... but i'll renew - but MLSE - there better be some kind of extra benefit to us. The Fans. The Supporters.

bdiddy

[bgnewf]

bgnewf; do you have any idea what the current ROI is on this franchise at this point?

Great question.... And one that would be nearly impossible to calculate based on the fact that MLSE is a private company, and trying to break TFC out from the herd would be really challenging as well.

[Roogsy]

Oh my gawd...can you imagine what this team is going to do to us if they ever actually win something meaningful like the MLS Cup?

[Beach_Red]

There is a difference between "making money" and "rate of return". Two of MLSE's largest shareholders are public entities. They are TD Bank and the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund. The bank and the pension fund don't just want a profit, they want that pofit to grow year over year over year. If their MLSE investment gives then 10% this year thet bloody well expect 12 or 13 next year. That is how it is.

Except that's not what TD and the Teachers are doing. Look at the "Fake Tom Anselmi Diary" to see how much playoff revenue these teams are losing out on by not even being mediocre.

If the Teachers and TD were really demanding of profits they wouldn't have left that hundred million dollars for other teams to make.

So, you're right, it would be good to get them out of the board room, but there's no evidence that MLSE would do any better without them. Depends who takes over.

[TFC Cityboy]

btw- got my usual pre-match email blast from TFC today.
Without a second's thought hit REPLY and told them "Fuck off –don’t want to hear from you money-grabbing bandits today"

May be another good way to get the message across...just takes a second and it felt SSSSOOOO good

[DaBandit]

^^ your right, that did feel good.

thx.

PS. Why do those emails always have to capitalize my first name and add a '!'? It always makes me feel like their yelling at me. Hola GORDIE!

[Brooker]

Why do those emails always have to capitalize my first name and add a '!'? It always makes me feel like their yelling at me. Hola GORDIE!

haha I know. I feel like I'm in trouble or something bad has happend.

[CretanBull]

Oh my gawd...can you imagine what this team is going to do to us if they ever actually win something meaningful like the MLS Cup?

Is that a realistic concern?

[H Bomb]

I've reply with a Fuck off regularly this season....they dont get back to you

[gtaguy]

talked to my ticket rep..It was counter productive she told me there is incentives to renew like some stupid giveaway for some prizes and shit like that LOL. I have 1 in 16k chances of winning..LOL

So I have to pay for 21 tfc games and i have to go to a fucking mls final that I don't give a rats ass for becuase guaranteed TFC won't be there ..
38.00 dollars a pop for each ticket this B.S (its not the price its the principal)

I told her to expect a possible ANTI MLSE HIJACK of the MLS Final..

i hope we can all cover the entire stadium with poster,banners,tifo's ,flags . fighting the corporate money hungry uselesness MLSE is and we do it for 90minutes.....



DON'T FEED OR PISS OFF THE FOOTY FANS OR SHITE HAPPENS.

[flatpicker]

Well, for those that do purchase their ST's for 2011,
I suppose there is a small chance you could sell your MLS Cup tickets to supporters who have a team in the final.
You would probably have to hit their message boards.

[Roogsy]

talked to my ticket rep..It was counter productive she told me there is incentives to renew like some stupid giveaway for some prizes and shit like that LOL. I have 1 in 16k chances of winning..LOL

So I have to pay for 21 tfc games and i have to go to a fucking mls final that I don't give a rats ass for becuase guaranteed TFC won't be there ..
38.00 dollars a pop for each ticket this B.S (its not the price its the principal)

I told her to expect a possible ANTI MLSE HIJACK of the MLS Final..

i hope we can all cover the entire stadium with poster,banners,tifo's ,flags . fighting the corporate money hungry uselesness MLSE is and we do it for 90minutes.....



DON'T FEED OR PISS OFF THE FOOTY FANS OR SHITE HAPPENS.

MLSE doesn't understand the word "incentive". They've never really had to work hard to win fans, they've essentially been dropped in their laps.

[woolly]

Well, for those that do purchase their ST's for 2011,
I suppose there is a small chance you could sell your MLS Cup tickets to supporters who have a team in the final.
You would probably have to hit their message boards.

I thought of this, but why the f*ck should I do MLS or ML$E's marketing for them? Don't they pay people to do this sort of thing?

[rocker]

So I have to pay for 21 tfc games

you don't want to go to 21 TFC games? What I mean is, if TFC makes Nutrilite or CL, you don't want to go? you want league games only? Or you mean you can't attend all the games?

[sully]

Maybe this is way off..but anyway, aren't there consumer protections against this sort of thing? I guess

[flatpicker]

The more I think about it, the more angry I get about having to pay for the MLS Cup.
I bought my TFC tickets to watch TFC play.
And now I am forced to also pay for a game that Toronto won't be in?
That's not right.

[sully]

I really couldn't care how they do in Mexico tonight I'm so tired of MLSE.

[DaBandit]

The more I think about it, the more angry I get about having to pay for the MLS Cup.
I bought my TFC tickets to watch TFC play.
And now I am forced to also pay for a game that Toronto won't be in?
That's not right.

It's really no different than having to watch the Marlies play. Or like Leaf STH who had to pony up for the raptors.. It's a disgusting business model and Toronto's sports fans let them get away with it.