'Pay What You Like' Hits Scotland's Top-Flight

As part of a whole raft of offers and initiatives to get more people through the gates of the Tulloch Highland Stadium, Inverness Caledonian Thistle have designated their top-flight fixture against St Johnstone on Wednesday 21 January as a 'Pay What You Like' game.

At the time of writing, Inverness sit proudly level on points with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership but they have always faced a struggle to boost attendances.  

One Caley Jags fan, writing on the Daily Record website this week, suggests that the slightly inhospitable nature of the stadium may put people off but a bigger factor may be the club's rapid rise from their formation in 1994 as a result of a merger between two Highland League sides and the difficulty that then ensues trying to build a fanbase when loyalties in the local area already lie elsewhere.

The club have also announced the following: Saturday 13 December v Partick Thistle - season ticket holders can take up to 2 under-16's to the match free of charge.

Sunday 4 January v St Mirren - season ticket holders can bring a friend for a fiver while under-16's (max 2 per adult) can attend for free.

Saturday 31 January v Ross County - all under-12's (home and away fans, accompanied by a paying adult) can go free.

Last season in Scotland saw Albion Rovers enjoy great success with a 'Pay What You Like' fixture and their decision to extend that to season tickets in the summer has seen attendances rise by around 40% at Cliftonhill.

“Things are going well and there is a great feelgood factor in the community and around the club," said player/manager Darren Young with his side in the hunt for promotion from League Two.

Update: March for Hitchin Town Before Some Free Football

We looked last month at a planned 'No Pay Day' in the battle to save Hitchin Town and their historic Top Field ground from plans to sell up to property developers.

The 'No Pay Day' will now take place on Saturday 6 December for the game against Poole Town which kicks off at 3pm. It will be preceeded by a march to raise awareness of the campaign.

Update: Oxford United Pleased With Ticket Offer Response

We looked last week at a pleasing initiative from Oxford United in which the U's were contacting around 700 lapsed season ticket holders from last season were being offered a free ticket for the AFC Wimbledon game tomorrow (22 November).

Around half of that number have contacted the club to book their place and, quoted in the Witney Gazette, Kevin Smith, the man responsible for sales and marketing at OUFC, said: “It won’t change the attendance massively, but hopefully the 300 will remember why they used to come every fortnight and even those who haven't take it up will appreciate it.

"We could’ve done nothing and we can’t do that. I think this is the right thing to do."

Can Norwich City Break Crowd Record Again?

As a perfect example of how under-21 football, marketed properly and with a family-friendly kick-off, can be a win-win for clubs and supporters, Norwich City take a bow.

Free entry to their October clash with Tottenham Hotspur saw 10,405 come through the gate at Carrow Road, a record crowd for a Barclays Under-21 Premier League clash.

An exciting 3-1 victory for the hosts followed and the initiative is being repeated when Liverpool are the visitors on Wednesday 17 December for a 7pm kick-off.

Tickets are available now from the club via the official website, over the phone or in person at the ticket office.

Birmingham City Launch Grassroots Tickets Initiative

Birmingham City have featured more than once before on these pages and it is clear that the club, despite its struggles on the pitch and the turmoil created by distant owners off it, has people within its ranks who realise the importance of the club to the local community and the duty they have to maintain those links.

That is perfectly illustrated by this week’s announcement of a new initiative that will see local clubs and leagues sell Blues tickets - at a discounted rate of £10 adults, £5 for 13-18 year-olds and £3 for under-13’s – and receive 50% of the proceeds for themselves.

"We view it as a win-win for all sides,” commented Wayne Cowen, Blues' head of ticketing and retail at Birmingham City. 

"We understand how important grassroots football is through the work we do in our academy and we want to be supportive of it. The added bonus for us is extra supporters in the stadium, many of them youngsters who will hopefully become future Birmingham City fans."

Come Back and See Us Say Oxford United

I'm always pleased when I come across an offer of a kind I haven't seen before and Oxford United have come up with an excellent one for their home game against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday 22 November.

Deals for season ticket holders (while always welcome) can sometimes be of limited value. Reduced admission prices for a match (again, generally a positive thing) does run the risk of upsetting slightly those who have paid in the summer for a season of football and rewarding people who may have no intention of coming again or have not shown a commitment to the club in the past.

Charting something of a course between the two, Oxford are offering a free ticket for the Wimbledon game for season ticket holders from 2013/14 who didn't renew this time around.

As a former Coventry City season ticket holder I recognise the words of U's chief executive Mark Ashton who told his club's official website: "I know that deciding not to renew a season ticket at your football club is a big decision and one that I am sure was not taken lightly."

Mr Ashton arrived at the club in the summer and this iniative is part of his drive to engage with supporters.

Those people who qualify for the offer are being contacted by email and post in the next couple of days.

More 'Football for a Fiver' at Coventry City

This photograph was taken at the Ricoh Arena on Wednesday night as Coventry City repeated their 'Football for a Fiver' offer for the visit of Plymouth Argyle in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

It was the second successive game that the Sky Blues had reduced prices for following on from Sunday's FA Cup tie against Worcester City (the result of which I will gloss over) and a crowd of 7,121 came through the turnstiles to watch the home side triumph 2-0.

City are also aiming for a big pre-Christmas gate when they entertain Fleetwood at the Ricoh on Saturday 20 December, traditionally a day when attendances are slightly lower, and admission for this game is £10 adults, £5 concessions and £1 children.

Free Football in Bracknell This Saturday

Just a quick glance at the official Bracknell Town FC website tells you that this is a club that aims to place itself firmly at the heart of the local community with the 'Winter Ale & Sausage Night' looking particularly inviting!

And the Robins have partnered with their local newspaper the Bracknell Times to offer free football this Saturday when they entertain Cheltenham Saracens in the Uhlsport Hellenic League at 3pm.

A voucher will be included in this Thursday's free edition of the 'paper which just needs to be cut out and handed over at the turnstiles.