West Bromwich Albion is appointing a new marketing manager as part of plans to overhaul its ticketing strategy.
The Premier League club is interested in expanding its group marketing efforts as it seeks to build on its 2016-17 average attendance of 23,876, which was around 90 per cent of The Hawthorns’ total capacity.
West Brom said it is also targeting younger fans and families as it considers extending its Under 11’s season ticket discount, which is available for £45 but currently just available in one stand, to more parts of the Hawthorns.
Chief executive Martin Goodman told the Birmingham Mail newspaper: “We need to look at group marketing – school groups, football teams and so on. We believe there’s a market out there.
“The U11 ticket has increased both adults and senior tickets in that area, so it is something we are considering rolling out into the other areas of The Hawthorns.
“We have learned from what we have done and we will look to put the best results into action in the season ticket campaign in 2018.”
While West Brom is attempting to attract new fans through pricing promotions, it is being careful not to antagonise season-ticket holders.
A series of ‘one-off’ deals last season meant matchday tickets worked out only a fraction more expensive than the average cost per game in a season ticket.
The chief executive has reduced the price of the most expensive match day ticket from £39 to £35, and introduced a middle tier ticket for £30.
“Last season we had two tiers, a £25 ticket and a £39 one,” he said. “What we did this year is bring the top tier down to £35 and introduce another tier.
“Generally I think it’s worked well. It’s easier to slot games into three tiers of ticket prices rather than two.
“Stoke at £39 was difficult to sell. There are really only six Category A games a season that can drive match by match attendance. Hopefully, we’ve addressed the concerns.”
Image: Tony Hisgett
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