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Trinidad and Tobago national senior women’s team captain Maylee Attin-Johnson has publicly criticised ticket prices for the upcoming FIFA Play Off second leg against Ecuador from 6 pm on December 2 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Trinidad and Tobago and Ecuador played to a goalless draw in Quito on November 8 and the “Women Soca Warriors” need a win next month to qualify for the Canada 2015 Women’s World Cup. No Caribbean women’s team has ever qualified for a FIFA tournament.
(Courtesy CONCACAF)
But the 28-year-old Attin-Johnson, who has a Sports Management degree from Kennesaw State University in Georgia, believes it will be harder to fill the Hasely Crawford ground at the $200 (covered stands) and $100 (uncovered stands) prices announced by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
The proposed price is a steep increase in the $50 fee (covered and uncovered stands) charged for the women’s last competitive game in Port of Spain three months ago; although it matches the admission charge for the men’s team, in October 2005, when the Warriors faced Mexico in a vital 2006 World Cup qualifier.
Attin-Johnson, a classy midfield player, thinks the TTFA should have mirrored the approach in Ecuador where a US$5 and US$2 entrance fee provoked a record women’s attendance of 17,500 patrons.
“I’m very much against those ticket prices (for the second leg),” Attin-Johnson told Wired868. “All we as players want is a full stadium and with those prices, unfortunately, I don’t think we will have one.”
The Warriors captain said she raised her concerns to TTFA general secretary Sheldon Phillips who replied that the goal was to have parity with prices for men’s games and that the special nature of the Play Off game needed a special price to match.
“That is Ecuador; Ecuador is not Trinidad and Tobago,” Phillips told Wired868. “We based our discussion based on feedback we got from the folks in Trinidad and Tobago. That was good and appropriate for Ecuador…
“When the tickets go on sale on Monday that is when the market will speak. But people are waiting to buy tickets and we already have pre-orders… So the overriding issue is the importance of the game and the level of excitement from the public.”
But Attin-Johnson suggested that, after all the women went through in getting to this stage, they deserved a break.
(Courtesy Jinelle James/WOLF)
Phillips suggested yesterday that the TTFA would be happy to get between 12,000 and 15,000 fans on December 2 although he did think a full stadium was possible. The national captain thinks the volume of supporters and not revenue should be the motivating factor behind the local football body’s approach to the upcoming match.
No Trinidad and Tobago women’s player or local coach has ever received a match fee during the course of their international careers. They often received no per diems either and it was not unusual for players and staff to pool money to buy refreshments after training sessions.
After all the problems the Women Warriors overcame to get here; could the TTFA give them the favour of doing everything possible to provide a full stadium for the game of their lives in Port of Spain?
Phillips promised the players a match fee for the first time on December 2. But Attin-Johnson said the team is more interested in getting the emotional support from the public.
“We as players will not be exploited because it is exactly that what is going on,” said Attin-Johnson. “We are the main attraction and we want a packed stadium. What is the reason for the price? Where is the money going?”
In Quito, Trinidad and Tobago head coach Randy Waldrum predicted a full stadium in Port of Spain for the return leg and Attin-Johnson echoed his call.
Whatever the TTFA decides, the Warrior captain hopes Trinidad and Tobago football fans turn out to help push the team over the finish line and into the history books.
(Courtesy TTFA Media)
“I’m just hoping the fans don’t see the cost as a reason not to come,” said Attin-Johnson. “I’m hoping they look at it as a chance to be part of history.”
Match tickets go on sale on Monday November 17 at all Kenny’s Sports Centre outlets, Trotter’s (Maraval Road, Port of Spain), Skinner Park (San Fernando), The Fan Club (Movietowne, Mucurapo), Ramsingh’s Sporting Goods (Chaguanas), All Out (Queen’s Park Oval), Econo Supermarket (Sangre Grande) and Heritage Sport (Scarborough)
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I figure you’ll never succeed if you don’t try. Marketing 101
Another lil marketing tip is placing huge screens outside where you can also charge the fans a smaller fee and sell foodstuff like they do at Wimbledon and some FA matches in England.
Lasana, is it too much to request TTFA’s accounts after this match?
Great point Mr. Pinard, the games in the CFU were very poorly attended. Those games were priced at $40.00 and no game attached more than a 1000 fans and I’m being generous here….The fact is, only the final games attack the “Part-time” sports fans we have…. so you cannot really vex with the TTFA. Not even a season ticket will work….
I say marketing again. Keep the prices down an hook some new fans. But that’s just marketing 101 and me.
How many games do you pay to attend?
I really don’t see those prices as milking the fans for this level of match though. What the TTFA should consider is selling Season Tickets for the year – but I’m willing to bet that even if they were priced at $25 per game there would be few takers. That’s how we roll, I’m afraid. Cynical, maybe, but willing to be proven wrong.
You see it really is not supposed to be cool to milk your customers for ever cent you think you can get from them. Football fans want to support their team no matter what.
So there needs to be protection for the real fans too.
If the TTFA was to set one price for ALL international women’s games, then what would it be? Probably not $200 and $100.
MARKETING…..
How often do we have to get it wrong? Eh TTFF?
Our Female Soca Warriors are on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup(female). Yet TTFF trying hard not to fill the stadium.
Many like me followed and supported our girls in the early qualifiers and then had to rely on i95.5 and Andre Baptiste as the only media house to carry coverage of the recent qualifiers. The girls had no sponsors as our corporate citizens continue to demonstrate their lack of patriotic spirit and selfishness. Since CLICO went into a coma there has been little or no sport coverage.
Now the TTFF has taken an exploitative page from the corporate socoyants (incubus, vampire) and seeking to exploit the girls success, increasing ticket prices to a record $100-$200 price tag.(100% increase).
GEEZ!!!!! Go suck the corporate bodies and implore the release of their tight pockets. Seek to full the stadiums,encourage not deter. Appeal even to the bandwaggonist, not fill your coffers via the girls, support is more important now, fill the stadium, fill the patriot spirit not the account books.
Well sorry Maylee I guess its i95 and Andre Baptiste for me on Dec. 7th. My heart remains with the team.
Thanks for the defence eh Lasana Liburd, but ah eh fraid to speak mih mind…and who vex lorse!
But probably the marketing expert saw it from a marketing point and not from building relationships and expanding the reach. Be careful dey doh say now England bribing you too eh….
In Britain, clubs have to set a standard price for every game at the start of the season. It is a law.
The reason for this is that it stops clubs for taking advantage of supporters by hiking prices when they host Manchester United or Chelsea or Arsenal.
If you think you can regularly sell at $50, then that is the price for the entire season. If you think you can make at $200, then that is the price.
So even if I don’t think $200 isn’t a lot of money, it isn’t unprecedented for fans to actually be protected from administrators who want to milk them for “special” games.
If they didn’t qualify from the Caribbean Cup, they wouldn’t be here. There are different ways of looking at this.
“Unprecedented”? How much was a Men’s WC qualifier ticket selling for prior to the Mexico game in 2005? Wasn’t the price raised for the return leg vs. Bahrain? How much was a Gold Cup ticket for the preliminary rounds vs. the final game? How much was a Group Stage ticket in Brazil vs. the Quarters, Semis or Final game? Right there I’ve established precedent both locally in TnT and internationally for increasing prices in a tournament or where stakes have increased. The comment about clubs in Britain are a non-starter… those are season ticket prices. Take a look at the FA Cup competition first-round ticket prices then take a loot at the later rounds. There is precendent all around, the criticism is off-base and the rationale for attacking the TTFA on this is increasingly spurious.
You are creating an imaginary position and fighting against that. So you are bound to win. I have repeatedly said that the price is on par with the men’s team ticket price at a similar stage. But it is unprecedented for a women’s game.
Any other issues?
Actually your comment above makes no distinction in your argument between the men’s game versus women’s game. In fact your “unprecedented” comment relates to pricing tickets at different dollar amounts during the same campaign. As pointed out in my first comment, this is not at all unprecedented. Even during the women’s qualifying tournament here in the US last month, there were different prices at different stages in the tournament. It may be “unprecedented” within the small myopic world of women’s football in Trinidad and Tobago, but that does not mean that increasing the prices is inappropriate or unprecedented elsewhere. I
Totally agree with Keith Clement on his LAST post. Why is it when someone has a different view or opinion as ours that we resort to name calling and personal attacks? Attack the content of the person’s contribution.
These women have proven their character times over… they deserve better administrators…
Remember that Children Under 12 are only free for the uncovered stadium and No food and Drinks allowed!
Protocol and deportment. Beautiful combination. Doan cuss me
I say again! In the interest of having a full stadium I say reduce prices. Stop being selfish and do it not for you but for the ladies.
We all have to be able to answer questions related to our public lives. At the same time, I always welcome different opinions because that is the only way we can test our own ideas.
So even if from time to time people will disagree, I will never chase anyone who tries to add to the discussion.
Keith Clement and Gerard Emile Zatopek Pinard are among our welcomed voices for that reason. Sometimes we agree. Sometimes not.
But I don’t mind that.
people pay more than dem ticket prices to go one fete for Carnival so why not pay the price for the ticket and support our women
Lasana Liburd Remember no food and drinks allowed on entry and Children under 12 only allowe din the uncovered stands
All ah dem who cryin’ wolf over spending $100 to attend de game does drop more dan dat in one night at Shakers on de Avenue or in cigarettes fuh de week. An doh talk bout Carnival fete….
Wonder if some people have that boy?
(((((BOOM)))))
It must have a How to Run National Sport Organizations for Dummies book somewhere. I shall search!
I figure when yuh guilty yuh deserve licks
au revoir
I always wonder why sound discussions with disagreements, like the Lasana sparked always turned out to be a personal attack…..my comments were just to further the useful debate Lasana rightfully opened. I respect everyone view, but one must know when the conversation is too big for them and quit……so I will make the first move……….
the same man who talking Ethics? look he in a pic with shaq, a political stooge talking Ethics. Lasana please have your members sit some sort of exam to earn the right to post on your wall. #HYPOCRITE.
I still wanna know what went on with the $500
Boy I wish certain politicians come here to get licks too yes.
I think the girls are showing more grit on the fields that I can see the likes of Keith Clement and others of the TTFA showing. I also think the management of the TTFS should do what they are paid loads for and don’t even think of victimising anyone!
Sana u know i does break legs!!! Do not start me!! I tell u leave d girls alone deal with ur brother and them after!!!
The team must concentrate on doing well leave the PR for the experts. You do not have to speak to every microphone pushed in your face. Get you feet in gear for the war..
Quite correct Hoop of Life that my baby….
Crime running hoops around that one.
Hoops of Life was your thing right Keith?
Leave men with they old axe to grind!!! Door step to destiny !!!!
I agree stay away from the politics it gets nasty esp with the nasty people.
but d Liv fullin out dis stadium self
May leave this alone!!!! Football please!!!
If yuh see Lifesport happen an eh say nuttin doe an I was an investigator I lock you up on suspicion alone yes.
And for the record I was never involve in Life Sport……
Pelt your tackle Gordon Pierre! Lol
You’re a player I respect so I would leave it as that……
Sana u want me to jump out!!! Behave ur self
Maylee Johnson tackle harder please ref eh see nuttin
Ouch. Yellow card Maylee! Lol
apples and oranges, people, those events regurlarly sellout, because there is a hue demand for it. the CFU final didn’t even fill the covered stands and that was $50.
all that is relevant is the football market.
First of all Lasana Liburd Manchester United? Really? Secondly do they market jerseys, mugs, keychains etc at games?
You also sound like a damn scamp Lasana…;), but if they get 15K supporters it would not be because of the marketing, but because we want the ladies to do well!