BRUM IS BLUE!

Blues deadline for renewal of season tickets has now closed and we’re open to relocation. Last season, as years of boycotts and misery came to an end, Blues had over 18,000 season ticket holders. I’ve not seen the figures that relate to the total renewals this season yet, but the club has reported a 98% renewal rate as of the time of the renewal window concluding. The club will then be contacting those on the waiting list on Monday to confirm if they’ve been successful in getting the opportunity to get their hands on a seat next season, currently there are over 14,000 fans on the waiting list.

In total Blues can be expecting at least 32,000 fans that want a season ticket, this is in comparison with Blues with Blues full capacity of 29,409 and that full allocation doesn’t take into consideration away fans and segregation. As such Wagner and Co will have a decision to make, do they sell out completely with season tickets or do they save a proportion of tickets for general sale?

It highlights that many fans are coming back, couple that with a new generation of fans as well and it’s clear to see that as long as Blues continue on their current trajectory we’re going to need a larger stadium as a minimum. I suspect though that to keep demand up as well as allow for extra revenue, Blues will retain a few general sale tickets. I think it’s a case of allowing a few tourists to pay higher prices but also allows an opportunity for the fans who can’t make it week in week out to be able to potentially get a ticket.

Wagner has shown a determination to include the fans, but also to utilise it as a marketing tool to export the club around the world (Or into America) and I must admit I do like it but it also means that Wagner and Co will make their decisions with not just the fans in mind but what aesthetics look best for the club. I remember Blues regularly selling out when I was younger, I remember working at a social club around the corner and on the rare years I didn’t have a season ticket you could hear every home goal or decision, I remember feeling the stands bounce as fans chanted or cheered (And now we know why they bounced!) and all of that is what makes me proud to be a Bluenose.

I do however also remember dwindling crowds, even in the Premier League, as the monotony of being just a number in the Premier League set in. I remember the ever falling attendances in the Championship, a combination of boycotts against the owners and a lack of interest in watching a club that should be in the Premier League being left to rot and struggle in the Championship. To keep attendances high we’ll also need the football to be exciting and competitive, this is where you can end up in a loop of wasted money, failed football experiments and reduced attendances, I do think our owners are more shrewd than this though so I suspect it won’t be an issue.

All in all I think we’re looking at a very well backed Blues next season and in the years to come. I’ve sorted my seat and I’ll see you there next season!