CAN WE MAKE LIVE MATCHES BETTER?

[norwichfox]

Watching Andrea Bocelli completely ruined my match day experience at the 2016 Everton match...

[Sol thewall Bamba]

1 hour ago, yorkie1999 said:

The match day experience came in when people started doing surveys.

I want to know who the club asked to come to the conclusion that light shows and playing The Greatest Showman was what people wanted. In no other line of business that I can think of would a company do absolutely zero market research when trying to design an "experience". 

 

On balance I should say that the stadium expansion survey was decent but time will tell if that actually comes to anything.

[1972 Fox]

Does anyone remember The Shamen performing Ebeneezer Goode live during the halftime break at Highbury in the early days of Sky Premier League coverage?

 

That was decent entertainment but can't imagine it happening nowadays. 

 

 

[Stadt]

I’d imagine for a lot fans the biggest improvement in the matchday experience would be if the food and drink wasn’t shit, overpriced and it takes ages to queue up and get it. The contract with compass was extended for a long time but the club have been absolute fannies in letting them getting away with being toss.

 

Personally, I’ve probably bought less than 10 pints in the ground. Paying north of a fiver for Chang is outrageous when it takes an age to get and is naff pint anyway. The club would rather partner up with Chang “because of their long standing reputation as a global beverage supplier” or some other marketing guff but I’d much prefer locally brewed beer in the ground. Charnwood, Everards, Tollgate and Braybrooke all produce better beer and I’d gladly have a few in the concourse prematch rather than trying to leave the pub as late as possible 

[Rusko187]

20 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

You guys should see what the MLS is like. Its embarassing. I went to my first toronto game and pre-match there were fireworks going off, I asked what theyd won.... nope, nothing they just do it everygame.  They also have a fricken theme park attached to the stadium and blare music all game, you genuinely cant hear the crowd. 

 

The only pro was a big bucket of popcorn... because why the hell not. So add popcorn to the KP is basically the only improvement I want .... Oh and swap the kop for the family stand 

I went to see New York Yankees on my honeymoon, Baseball is a tough sport to watch live anyway as it's a lot slower pace than portrayed, but everything else that comes with US Sports is either very cringe, or over-done. So much advertisement, disruption etc... it's horrible.

 

Football is fine as it is, we just need more chants... but that's on the fans, I do not expect anything from the club.

[Footballwipe]

46 minutes ago, Stadt said:

I’d imagine for a lot fans the biggest improvement in the matchday experience would be if the food and drink wasn’t shit, overpriced and it takes ages to queue up and get it. The contract with compass was extended for a long time but the club have been absolute fannies in letting them getting away with being toss.

 

Personally, I’ve probably bought less than 10 pints in the ground. Paying north of a fiver for Chang is outrageous when it takes an age to get and is naff pint anyway. The club would rather partner up with Chang “because of their long standing reputation as a global beverage supplier” or some other marketing guff but I’d much prefer locally brewed beer in the ground. Charnwood, Everards, Tollgate and Braybrooke all produce better beer and I’d gladly have a few in the concourse prematch rather than trying to leave the pub as late as possible 

I absolutely agree with this. I've never understood the need to buy overpriced crap in the ground. Think I've "treated" myself to a couple of pints at games this season but before I wouldn't touch the stuff in kiosks. Genuinely can't get my head around the inability to go a couple of hours without a beer/or food.

 

However, I do counterbalance this with the football finance podcast I listened to where someone, quite eruditely, highlighted how the profit margins on the items they sell (particularly pints) are extremely slim even at the prices they charge today, and about managed to convince me the prices were okay. (I mean, they're still horrific let's not lie)

 

It does feed into your wider point about getting people into the ground as early as possible because at the minute there's no motivation to. As the years have gone on, for me, the later I leave for the ground and the quicker I bolt home after the game. Then again, I suspect a lone 30yo male is not their target audience to get a better "matchday experience."

[PaddyS]

Premier League football is marketed as mainstream family entertainment, with the whole match day thing like watching Saturday night ITV.

So, can we make live matches 'better'? It depends on who you want your audience to be. Right now the audience is 'the family' so it's probably just about right for them.

 

 

Edited 22 May 2020 by PaddyS

[Stadt]

50 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

I absolutely agree with this. I've never understood the need to buy overpriced crap in the ground. Think I've "treated" myself to a couple of pints at games this season but before I wouldn't touch the stuff in kiosks. Genuinely can't get my head around the inability to go a couple of hours without a beer/or food.

 

However, I do counterbalance this with the football finance podcast I listened to where someone, quite eruditely, highlighted how the profit margins on the items they sell (particularly pints) are extremely slim even at the prices they charge today, and about managed to convince me the prices were okay. (I mean, they're still horrific let's not lie)

 

It does feed into your wider point about getting people into the ground as early as possible because at the minute there's no motivation to. As the years have gone on, for me, the later I leave for the ground and the quicker I bolt home after the game. Then again, I suspect a lone 30yo male is not their target audience to get a better "matchday experience."

Kieran Maguire’s podcast? Yeah it was quite enlightening. Particularly about them losing thousands of gallons of beer because they have so many lines and they have to be cleaned. Say for example though, the club subsidised they price of beer at £3.50 you’d expect you’d have more people in the ground and more people buying more food and snacks.

 

Braybrooke are quite a small brewery so they might not have the scale to produce so much but supporting a local brewery that produce better beer, for probably a lower price would be so much better than what we have now. You wouldn’t know you’re in Leicester based on the food and drink offerings in the ground, the only local stuff we have is Walkers, that’s only because they’re obviously a national firm. I’d love it if we stocked as much local produce as we could, a pork pie and a pint would be belting.

[boots60]

Bring back the Foxy Ladies. Must be in their 40's by now. 

 

One of them is now an international film star! (Nudge nudge wink wink)

[Voll Blau]

2 hours ago, Stadt said:

I’d imagine for a lot fans the biggest improvement in the matchday experience would be if the food and drink wasn’t shit, overpriced and it takes ages to queue up and get it. The contract with compass was extended for a long time but the club have been absolute fannies in letting them getting away with being toss.

 

Personally, I’ve probably bought less than 10 pints in the ground. Paying north of a fiver for Chang is outrageous when it takes an age to get and is naff pint anyway. The club would rather partner up with Chang “because of their long standing reputation as a global beverage supplier” or some other marketing guff but I’d much prefer locally brewed beer in the ground. Charnwood, Everards, Tollgate and Braybrooke all produce better beer and I’d gladly have a few in the concourse prematch rather than trying to leave the pub as late as possible 

Brighton are absolutely the example to follow on this. Was really impressed with their tie-up with Harvey's last year, and the pints out of placcy glasses there were actually half-decently kept too. If modern football and out of town stadia have to exist (in their case that move was definitely justified), then they're the model to imitate in England.

[boots60]

5 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

Brighton are absolutely the example to follow on this. Was really impressed with their tie-up with Harvey's last year, and the pints out of placcy glasses there were actually half-decently kept too. If modern football and out of town stadia have to exist (in their case that move was definitely justified), then they're the model to imitate in England.

and free transport to the ground

[Heskey2011]

22 hours ago, FoyleFox said:

The light shows, fireworks etc can get binned but in terms of generating revenue for the club by creating a fuller day experience, you make a very valid point. 

Likewise

[sacreblueits442]

On 22/05/2020 at 00:44, volpeazzurro said:

Absolutely spot on! Pretentious PR bollocks. They really are missing the point. 

...not so much missing the point, just the wrong ideas and execution!!!!

Just for example, the montage before the game, we sit and watch this every game and it is now firmly a part of the "experience". There is a need to add to the occasion for the day, but not with the light shows and fan cam, .... just that the club has not got it right........this time!!!!