Yeah but prob would make overall more money by having more fans there. Including food and merch. They obviously did not plan for Messi. Inter Miami just played at Kansas and 72k fans attended. #messieffect
I know, he played at the football stadium. But the point is, that's a big number! Yet Columbus's new stadium only seats 20k! They should have made it at least 30k to play for future growth of the sport. I mean if you're gonna do all the work to build a new stadium that will suit you for the next say 20 years, why would you make it for 20k, that makes no sense. That's literally smaller than the old stadium which was built like 30 years prior.
I think they knew what they were doing. They have fixed costs, they know there's going to be 20,000 people there every week, there's a rocking atmosphere, variable pricing means they're going to get the maximum price for any available seats, they'll never have to tarp off sections like at Red Bull Arena, and if they do ever need to expand I believe they can cram in a few thousand additional seats in the corners.
Making it super expensive really sucks for a lot of families though. Prices have gotten out of hand. Food/drink prices are outrageous too.
Fortunately we have a resale market. I found tickets for $26 for the upcoming match against Montreal. After they sign Neymar it's going to be more difficult to find cheap tickets. It wasn't that long ago that it was alleged that 30% of MLS attendances were getting in free. From 2016 ``A decade ago the San Diego Union-Tribune reported nearly 30% of the tickets distributed for MLS games were free, a figure the league does not dispute. A former official with Chivas USA, a franchise the league bought and folded in 2014, said the club was still giving away at least that many comps just five years ago... Howard Handler, the league’s chief marketing officer, said the number of comp tickets distributed has declined by an average of 20% over the last two years. It now accounts for about 9% of announced attendance, he said.`` It shows how far we've come.
The Union want to expand Subaru Park, but know it won’t be easy: ‘We want to be better, bigger’ https://t.co/3epU3bkUnm via @PhillyInquirer— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) April 20, 2024
"It shows how far we've come." is quite the cope. Fact is, for a typical middle class family, it's expensive. It's like, maybe they can go once or twice a year. If you add in the fees, and the food, it's expensive. Even USL games are expensive. Its more like a treat, like going to an amusement park.
Is that $26 before fees? probably. So you take your wife and 2 kids. Add in the fees. Now how much is it? How much are the cheesy fries, and you have to wash it down with a drink, for 4 people. Probably about $16 for the cheesy fries and $8-10 for the drink. Add it up
No-one is forcing you to buy drinks. If you're that broke that you can't afford to take the family to a soccer match, Chucky Cheese or Olive Garden occasionally it's probably time for some introspection.
Which MLS team has prices that low? The least expensive single game ticket for the Philadelphia Union is $39 + fees and taxes. Parking will set you back another $20+.
Oh I can afford it and I've taken my kid to plenty of games. But you seem to be missing the point and you have no empathy for the greater populace. Way to show every one your true colors douche bag
Well that escalated quickly. I guess if we didn't pay the players, and didn't build stadiums everyone could get in for free.