When i used to go it was 125 quid for a adult season ticket in the South Stand! know it is 295 quid!

I am pretty sure warrington and st helens were the only times we opened the away end last season aswell in the regular season (and warringtons was poor by their standards). There was some very poor away followings to wigan this season, i think we did get our fair share of thursday nights though.

I get what you are saying. The Saints team under Woolf is the greatest defensive Saints team I've ever seen in nearly 40 years of watching us however when you think back to the early 2000s we had a prime Wellens, Long, Cunningham, Sculthorpe etc plus the likes of Newlove and Joynt.

Its different eras now though with Sports Science and GPS trackers etc, players take better care of their diets and there's much less players with real flair. Thats for a whole other conversation though so I'll try and get back on topic.

The reason I thought we were a hard watch at times last season is more to do with the standard of the opposition and the fact that some games were won by HT. That coupled with the non-existent away support often made a second half meaningless.

However it does seem sometimes that we are misty eyed and nostalgic but only remember the good times. Some Saints fans seem to recall that Knowsley Road was packed out every week and with a great atmosphere. That wasn't the case at all, many weeks I was there with it half full and like a library. The problem of course is that given we have only been in the new stadium since 2012 then clearly there aren't many great memories and occasions to have been created as yet so all the great memories come from the old days.

When was that?
It would be £212 if you had kept your renewal going, or £145 if you were over sixty years of age.

Spot on. I've argued on here many times about attendances at the DW and Central Park and the fact is that the average attendance at the DW in the twenty three years we have been there is higher than the last twenty three years at Central Park.

I recall the averages in the latter Central Park days being really poor. The beauty of a mainly terraced stadium though is that a poor crowd doesn’t look as obvious as an all seater venue does. If we had 10k on at Central Park, that would look ok but 10k at the DW can look pretty poor on TV.

It’s going in to a whole new debate but our current average attendances at a stadium like the HJ or at Saints would look great and feel far more atmospheric. I think the sheer size of our stadium now just highlights the importance of doing absolutely everything you can not only to try and grow the crowds but to make sure you set it up in a way that makes it look as good as it can on TV and so that the Atmosphere is better in the stadium. I would really like them to look at away fans being house in the first couple of blocks of the east Stand but down towards the South end for one. Latics cut around 8-10 rows off at the bottom of the east stand by covering them in banners/advertisements and that pushes the crowd closer together and again improves things. We certainly need to do more of that where possible IMO.

Its about perception. Nothing looks worse than a game on TV whereby the stand that faces the camera is half empty especially if say the game is on terrestial TV (C4) and the sport is trying to gain a new audience.

Offering the renewal price to everyone might help, especially the lapsed season ticket holders, getting the average attendance up by 1k would make a world of difference to the finances especially if people start spending a few bob in the fan zone at RP

its a difficult one for the club to be honest, and i am one in that boat who had lapsed as a full time attending fan. I wont pay full price as i know i wont make it to all the games again this year (approx 50 per game for the ones i know i can attend) because i already have things i am committed to, but at the same time if the price was right would probably take up a season ticket. However, the club needs to be mindful of existing season ticket holders and not upsetting the apple cart too much on that front as they have been paying good money for the 3-4 seasons i havent attended

Early bird renewal (not the dead early price) would be good, but would still work out around 40 per match for me but worth it if i get Saints, Wire, Leeds in the games i'm going to be able to go to

From a club perspective as apollo says, 1000 extra ST holders at the reduced price equates to approx 300k in the coffers before spend at the match / merchandise etc, so may well be worth the short term pain / noise that may get created if they did come up with some form of offer to get fans back

That's wat's wrong with the original post as well Brian
Comparing Apples and Oranges
Wigan's pricing like for like with the 3 other clubs I've chosen to compare them with in the past (Saints/Wire/Leeds) is still IMO the best.

There is a point to be made about the take up of a New ST's and Lapsed ST Holders, but it also has to be linked in with conversations about the renewal being the price it is to reward loyalty, and if lapsed ST holders could come back at anytime on cheaper prices then people will lapse them more regularly.

What I do agree with, is that 20/21/22 are out of the Norm exception Years due to COVID

And I do believe that anyone who lapsed in those years "Could" have been given an opportunity to reinstate at renewal prices.
And I agree there maybe should be some other alternative to just starting on the top prices for lapsed ST Holders from say 5 or 10 years ago - Let's say a mid way point between the 2 prices if previous ST held in the last say 5 or 10 years

But, and I know people think I'm always defending the club, the OP is very slanted to make the clubs ticket prices look bad when in effect like for like (As I have on previous threads shown with direct comparisons of ours and other clubs prices) ours are very good, especially auto renewal and renewal prices

Nothing wrong with defending our club as others including some of our supporters love to look at the down side first.

In 2000 and 2001 it was 10 pounds in the South stand and 12 pounds in the East and 14 pounds in the West. Now it it 25 pounds in the South and 28 Pounds in the East and West NO wonder crowds have been down in the last 10 seasons on average

You do realise that was 20 years ago and inflation/vat etc happens.

I could argue you're doing exactly what you're suggesting the original post does in comparing apples and oranges. The post is discussing full adult ST prices, not renewals. It was prompted by an article comparing full adult ST prices. It's slightly lazy critique to say a post discussing X is slanted because it hasn't mentioned Y.

I haven't done research on SL renewal prices - Il happily take your word for it that Wigan match up very well against other clubs in that area. Hopefully that means our existing core attendance is secure (not a given because of increased financial pressures but let's hope so). I also made the point that the club are doing a lot of good work off the field. Can't we also consider what the club could do differently to help improve things further? I understand the point that the price of renewals and new STs are linked to a degree - I'm not suggesting that loyalty shouldn't be rewarded. But from the perspective of new or lapsed fans, the relative cheapness of ST renewals isn't going to influence their decision to re-engage.

The post considered some potential reasons why crowds have declined over the last decade and what might help bring some numbers back (which would help the sustainability of the club and improve matchday atmosphere). What do you think about some of the other suggestions to re-engage / attract new and lapsed fans to the stadium? Or would you advocate a strategy of blaming customers for not buying the product? What's the path to increasing attendances and engaging/re-engaging new and lapsed fans?

Another point I was discussing with someone the other day is that as much as we all may have affection for the town of Wigan and obviously the rugby club, I think it's fair to say there are more glamorous and attractive places for young people to aspire to live in. I like the vast majority of my peers from school or college moved on to other places for university or jobs and settled there. What you don't want is for the pricing of new STs, match tickets and flexi tickets to be unaffordable when people return permanently or for visits. The same would be true for people who have disengaged due to Covid, poor entertainment value under Lam or any other reason.

The comparisons with pricing isnt always going to be straightforwards

i have quickly looked on Saints website as a benchmark (not to slate either club)

Saints have Gold, Silver and Bronze in the 2 main stands (380, 350 and 315) where as Wigan is 350 all across for an adult purchasing for the 1st time, so there are pro's and cons with both. My old seat in the East is 30 cheaper at Wigan than at Saints for the season, however if i chose to sit in the end block it would be 35 more expensive

Wigans renewals at 235 and 295 compare well v 301 for Saints (so if you renew early you are getting a massive benefit)

Saints clearly have the benefit of being able to offer a standing season ticket too (280 full price / 226 for renewal), so for less than 17.50 per match you can watch the champions play at home which is clearly very good value for money)

It is a good discussion to be having.One of the things i commented on a few years ago was ticket pricing. Its difficult as we want to watch a professional sport, but not be paying for. There is a tipping point where i thought that over 20 (going back about 5-6 years when i made the comment) was a point where i felt that fans would start to think about it. Some prices are closer to 30, even standing at poor grounds away from home (Cas, Wakey). At the end of the day we are predominantly a Northern working class sport, so prices need to reflect that, but equally we cant have it all ways and then complain about standards if we arent prepared to pay for it

Not trying to point score as I agree with you this is not a thread to slate other clubs. However if I remember correctly, Saints had an early bird offer (pre 1st Dec) which may not be on the website now and was less than the £301 you quote.

EDIT- Just been on the website and the December information is still on so I may be wrong. I'm confusing myself now

I think the Saints offer was just to season ticket holders and holding the price at last years amount.

There may have been Stu

, but i just went onto both sites and entered values as i could see them. There was the note on Saints saying that prices were held at 2021/2 price, but just looked like an early bird / renewal and new, where on Wigan i could see the renewal price / early bird and new st purchase

I know Wigan used to have the option to auto-enrol (they may still have) wiganand from memory that kicked in somewhere around Aug - Sept, with the option of direct debit payments as i have used that in the past

as it stands there isnt much difference between the 2 clubs if we just discuss Wigan and Saints, and as i mentioned the standing ST at Saints is really good value (if you are young enough to be able to stand for 80 mins and not feel like your legs and back are falling to pieces



). with an average ticket at less than 17.5 for a renewal

Wigan appear to have changed their approach slightly too in the last couple of years as both the East and West stands are a set price based on age and renewal status, whereas previously we used to have a similar pricing as you do now with the Gold, Silver and Bronze. I personally think that the G,S & B is slightly better as i wouldnt like to be paying 350 to be sat in the top corner of the end block in either the East or West, where you have factored that in and they are slightly cheaper

but as the conversation shows, and the information everyone is presenting that the clubs have a challenge to get it right and attract fans (old and new) to the game that we all love to watch. Pricing too low, and you may not get bigger numbers at games, but priced too high and you risk alienating fans as it costs too much

The auto renewal at Wigan is cheaper than the renewal price but as stated above it comes out at the end of August so you could be in for a very expensive few weeks if you're in the CC Final and play-offs looming

I agree the game is at a tipping point. Clubs still need to pay back loans given during Covid and some fans are struggling with the cost of living so make the decision not to go to games anymore.

Pretty sure this is one of those off season topics that we get every single season.

A ST presumes you will attend every game. If you do, then you can pay a max of £350 saving you £40 (or £3 a game). You then get discount in the club shop and a Magic ticket for half the price. Whilst it sounds a lot, you don't have to pay up front and can pay each month and get the exact same benefits. Buy it early and you save £7 a game.

Now if you pick and choose, or you can't make every game then you still get the chance to save. You can pay £112 for the big four games of the season rather than £120. You then get discount on Magic. Or if you'll attend say 8 games then you can pay £224 (plus a tenner fee) as opposed to £240. Not a big saving but you then get other discounts that may work for you and the more games you attend the more you save.

Apart from give tickets away for free how cheap do people want tickets to be?

Since you asked:

Match tickets to be no more than £25, with all live TV games £20. Season tickets to cost no more than £245 (ie £19 a game).

Assume 6 of our 13 home fixtures are on TV - this represents a saving of £50 against the £295 cost of attending all games on a match-match basis.. The current situation of fixtures being changed at short notice not only for TV purposes, but also to accommodate the Latics means that more and more folk are sacking off buying a ST, and once they dont have a need to go, start picking and choosing their games even more.

I think the auto-renew is probably the better value, but it's always an issue attracting new fans & getting them to fork out for & commit to a full season (especially if it's a family outing). Even without all other prices going through the roof.
One gripe I have, however, is that the wheelchair team's fixtures aren't included in the ST when all the other flavours are. I appreciate it's a different venue with additional costs, but shirly at least some concession could have been made (and there's parking to take into account too)?

I have an adult ST for the SS. I used the auto renewal option when it was first rolled out. My ST now costs me £165 for 13 matches working out at £12.69/match. When you consider the free admission to academy, reserve and women's matches, discounts on cup/play off/magic tickets/Wigan TV and at the club shop and the possibility of taking advantage of the scrum ticket deal I would say it is very good value.

Website shows adult renewal price for 2023 is £212, early bird £265 and full price £295.