Blog Post #9 – Customer Segments in Football?
Article of Discussion: “Chelsea Supporters’ Trust chairman Tim Rolls says young fans are being priced out of games”
Date of Article: November 3rd 2014
The article discusses Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Chairman Tim Rolls Belief that some Chelsea fans are being “Priced out” of attending games. These comments come in response to Chelsea Coach Jose Mourinho’s comments that playing home games “are like playing in empty stadiums”. This topic is very personal to me as I have been a loyal Chelsea FC Fan for over 10 years and football (Soccer) is a mainstay in my families’ culture. For the 2013/2014 Premier league season, the price range of a Chelsea F.C season ticket was £595 – £1250(approximately 1079 – 2267 CAD),the fifth most expensive in the league, and £41-£87(approximately 74 – 158 CAD) for single games. These figures are unaffordable for many members of the Chelsea Fan base.
I believe Chelsea fc should look to target a number of customer segments rather than just focusing on older more affluent if they would like to maximize attendance at home games. There are many members of the English working class as well as young fans attending university who are being priced out of the ability to watch their beloved team play live and by offering student discounts on tickets they could enlarge an alternative customer segment. Moreover if they decide not to cater to customer needs then they shouldn’t make public negative statements. These comments may bring negative publicity to Chelsea Football club as a business, as this could be public criticism of their consumers. However with customer/brand loyalty to the club it should be an issue that can be fixed.
Cover Image Source: Chelsea FC Official Website