Blog: Early birds should be flocking to AFC Telford

It's perhaps not as early as I would have anticipated but still a worthwhile catch in my opinion, if you jump on board and quickly!

AFC Telford launched their season tickets on Monday, aiming to get the club noticed and get the current supporters back on side.

They will be looking to attract new spectators and also to rejuvenate some former followers into making the trip down to the New Bucks Head on a more regular basis once again, too.

For me, the prices certainly set out to do just that. The facilities that we have at the New Bucks Head will be second to none for the next campaign.

There is realistic hope that things will be significantly better than the last couple of seasons worth of struggle at the higher Blue Square Premier level.

I have the confidence that the prices of our season tickets will represent good value for money.

An Early Bird adult season ticket works out at £10 a game, or £11.10 at the normal price seeing a saving of as much as three pounds per game, or £63 for the entire season.

Concessions can watch the game for as little as £7.10 a game with an Early Bird ticket.

That's a saving of more than £60 across the season, compared to the £210 paid in total on the gate for each of the 21 league games.

The 9-16 age group bracket seems to be copping the most flack at the moment but, in my view, reverting to kids being under-16 is definitely the way to go.

Last season, those over 14 were being charged a much more significant amount than their 13 year old counterparts, turning off supporters, who in my view, are at their most impressionable age.

For a couple of quid a fortnight, they can go out with their parents, family or friends without a massive outlay and still be able to do all their other things that teenagers do.

Last year the board got it wrong this season, for next season they have rectified that. Well done!

A £9 Increase for the season for a 13, turning 14 year old next season, compared to a jump of £91 on last seasons' flawed policy.

Grumbles in respect of the pricing for children in my view are completely unfounded. Also a sign of the clubs commitment to the community is the 16-19 bracket.

Not just taking account of the students but the young people in general that are typically working to minimum wage, or undertaking apprenticeships and the like.

This positive approach to pricing will stagger for longer the progression to paying full adult rate.

Those that progress on from 'Kids 4 £2' do not make the mammoth jump of £ 178, the jump they would need to make at a lot of clubs that once you become an adult at 16, you have no in between.

Similarly a jump on the gate of £11 from £2 for under-16 to £13 for adults is huge and will encourage dishonest claims in respect to peoples' ages that will result in lost revenue to the club.

As a business we need to ensure we continue growing –to do that we must ensure that people are buying into the clubs values.

We shouldn't be looking at making a 'quick buck'.' This season's new pricing policy addresses that.

The idea to offer under-8s free season tickets is also a positive way of hooking the fans in when they are younger. It will also help swell our attendances in the short term, too.

The club have taken great strides to ensure good value for all of their supporters and should be applauded for that.

Like all businesses in the leisure, recreation and tourism industry, they are all competing with each other for custom.

AFC Telford United are no different and I think their approach for next season offers value for money.

They will give the new manager, when he is unveiled, a more than fighting chance with the budget a positive uptake in season tickets will give him.

Next up in the good news stakes, shirt manufacturers, managerial appointments, retained lists and future player recruitment.

It's all to come in the forthcoming weeks and months, but all come with the health warning, no matter how hard you try.

Yu can't please everybody all of the time, so instead you need to do your best to please most of the people, most of the time.

Here's hoping that is just what they are doing. Come on, people, get down to the Bucks Head and get your tickets ordered.

Show your support for the one team in Shropshire whose heart is at the centre of the community.