Season Tickets Renewals Hit A 10 Year Low

[mahagga73]

I am not shocked by this. You throw in the economy, Peyton Manning being cut, and just the general changes and you see why it has gone down.

At first I thought oh it was just because we have fairweather fans and they are just jumping off the ship now Manning is gone, but the more I think about it I think the economy is just more to do with it. I am sure there are a good portion that are giving it up just because of Manning, but I think a vast majority probably just do not see it being worth it anymore financially.

I am a die hard Colts fan and I have not had season tickets nor do I really plan on getting them. I looked at how much I would have to spend on parking, two tickets, and other expenditures and compared it to the entertainment I was receiving and ultimately it is just not financially worth it. I can watch at home in a comfy chair, not have to worry about parking, lines at the bathroom, stupid drunken fans mad because my friend wore a different jersey, or over priced beer/food. I save a ton of money that can be used for a rainy day fund, vacation fund, and other things for the house.

I can see your point,I always enjoyed the prestige of being a ST,supporting the team financially,and seeing all the teams live.I really like live football.But many are like you,rather watch at home,and that's cool,My dad,god bless his soul,always made fun of me spending all that dough on tickets.

[coltsleafs]

I just joined the waiting list how long do you think it will be until I am able to get tickets?

[deedub75]

I don't think you can call one year a trend. Your numbers may very well prove out, but assuming the 87% that renewed are able to weather the economic storm, there won't be this level of turnover again. If people were not going to renew, it seems this would be the perfect year to do that. So effectively one could say that 87% of the season ticket holders are in this for the long haul (barring unforeseen circumstances like a job loss). Look at what happened to the Pacers. The Colts are doing quite well in comparison.

The renewal rate would have been lower had Irsay released Manning before last day of renewal. He knew all along he was going to release Manning and said last day to release him had nothing to do with the last day of ticket renewal. Lies! He knew that if he released Manning before then, many would not have renewed.

[Malakai432]

The renewal rate would have been lower had Irsay released Manning before last day of renewal. He knew all along he was going to release Manning and said last day to release him had nothing to do with the last day of ticket renewal. Lies! He knew that if he released Manning before then, many would not have renewed.

Ohh you mean he runs his business like a gazillion other business owners around the world do??? I'm shocked! "Such is life," as Andrew Luck would say.

[mahagga73]

I just joined the waiting list how long do you think it will be until I am able to get tickets?

couple years tops.not sure how good they would be though

[deedub75]

Ohh you mean he runs his business like a gazillion other business owners around the world do??? I'm shocked! "Such is life," as Andrew Luck would say.

No. Most other business owners wouldn't say anything about it and they would just run their business. Irsay is vocal and tells straight up lies. I have no problem with the way he runs his business but he doesn't have to lie to the fan base.

[El Poonerator]

Why would that matter?

This would matter greatly if I had the money to afford tickets. Luck is the only choice in my opinion. People keep bringing up Ryan Leaf and Jamarcus Russel being good prospects and failing, but Luck was running a pro-style offense in college. Not to mention neither of the afformentioned QBs were making play calls at the line. He is intelliget and very athletic (same combine numbers as Cam Newton).

[coltsleafs]

couple years tops.not sure how good they would be though

couple years tops.not sure how good they would be though

Ya being from Canada I will probably only be able to go to a game or two a year I wonder if I'll be able to sell the rest at a profit or loss. I guess it depends how the Colts end playing eh.

[oldunclemark]

For the first time in over 10 years renewal rates for season tickets droped below 90% to 87%. Are Colts fans "soft"? Is it the Peyton factor? The 2 and 14? The economy?

http://www.ibj.com/t...RAMS/post/33482

Of course some people wont be back

///we cut a lot of popular players and lots of people arent dier-hard NFL fans and they come to see their hoemtown favroites .

Plus....our prospects of winning are not good this coming year...

...Lot of folks are fans of winning...and they dont want to be connected woth losers

Once we win some...the fans will be back...

[GoColts8818]

Of course some people wont be back

///we cut a lot of popular players and lots of people arent dier-hard NFL fans and they come to see their hoemtown favroites .

Plus....our prospects of winning are not good this coming year...

...Lot of folks are fans of winning...and they dont want to be connected woth losers

Once we win some...the fans will be back...

Throw in the econamy and how expensive Colts tickets are as well. People are willing to spent hard earned money for entertainment on a Colts team if they are winning and entertaining you. People aren't willing to spend that much on a team that is rebuilding. That's not a problem unquie to the Colts either. Unless you play some where like Green Bay where the NFL team is the ONLY thing in town or a place like the Steelers who has given that city something like close to 30 years of compative football if the team starts losing people stop going to games. That's why building a winner is so important to the fan base.

I also think the fact the Colts have been sold out since 2003 and people think they can just sit at home and watch them on TV helps stop people from going. They just don't want to pay that kinda money to watch bad product and right now the Colts are a bad product. If Luck or RG3 is everything they are cracked up to be that will change and it wont be long till you can't get Colts tickets again without paying threw the nose.

[lollygagger8]

I'm a Colts fan, and I'm not Soft.

[oldunclemark]

I am actually hoping to go to more games this season.

If we dont get off to a good start, there will be room for you

[mahagga73]

Ya being from Canada I will probably only be able to go to a game or two a year I wonder if I'll be able to sell the rest at a profit or loss. I guess it depends how the Colts end playing eh.

yeah,in this market,they better be winning if you want to make any money on tickets to be worth your while.In that case,you shouldn't have any problem getting tickets for the next couple years I wouldn't think for individual games.

[mahagga73]

Lol its funny to see the ramifications of this attrocity sinking in. It's over. Forever. Ticket sales, national tv coverage, sponsorships, ESPN spoofs, and all the money and local attention to come with it. In 5 years the waiting list will be depleted.

Hey its a business, right. Consumers will not pay for an inferior product especially when its overpriced.

I agree.I'm in a conundrum,I hate the fact the Colt's have become one of the greedy butt NFL organizations I despise,but I could never even concieve of hoping they lose,ever.Been a fan for 35 years and I bleed blue.They are going to get their comeuppings I suppose.They may have overdone themselves for this particular market,banking on Peyton playing forever.I am going to go to a lot more Big Ten games here at Illinois.It's just as good a time for a fraction of the money.I was pretty much priced out of my season tickets but I will go to a couple games for sure this year no matter what the record.Have to see my horseshoes,it's in my heart.

[Malakai432]

No. Most other business owners wouldn't say anything about it and they would just run their business. Irsay is vocal and tells straight up lies. I have no problem with the way he runs his business but he doesn't have to lie to the fan base.

Yeah that is a very good point, definitely alittle to vocal.

[Jules]

If we dont get off to a good start, there will be room for you

I hope to go to the game in NE this year too. Been to a few there over the years and I have always had an excellent time. (and holy crap you should see the shopping Kraft has there.....he really appeals to my female heart )

I don't care if the Colts appear to be out matched in a game heading into it. Hey, if the upset happens and they do in the the NFL every season, I was there to witness it's beauty live. And if they lose they lose.

I think this season might be a blast for me personally as a fan. Like the birth of a new era.......I am excited to watch it's early stages.

[Warhorse]

Season tickets hit an all time low, yet fan comments about this fact hit an all time high.......

[Thewholefnshow28]

I'm a Colts fan, and I'm not Soft.

So now how much you spend and why you spend it is a barometer of your softness?

I agree.I'm in a conundrum,I hate the fact the Colt's have become one of the greedy butt NFL organizations I despise,but I could never even concieve of hoping they lose,ever.Been a fan for 35 years and I bleed blue.They are going to get their comeuppings I suppose.They may have overdone themselves for this particular market,banking on Peyton playing forever.I am going to go to a lot more Big Ten games here at Illinois.It's just as good a time for a fraction of the money.I was pretty much priced out of my season tickets but I will go to a couple games for sure this year no matter what the record.Have to see my horseshoes,it's in my heart.

The Colts are definitely not the worst team when it comes to greed. They could be like the Giants or Cowboys and charge you for a personal seat license and then say ok now that you have bought one of those now you have to buy your season ticket. Oh you want to have two tickets then you have to buy two PSLs.

[mahagga73]

So now how much you spend and why you spend it is a barometer of your softness?

The Colts are definitely not the worst team when it comes to greed. They could be like the Giants or Cowboys and charge you for a personal seat license and then say ok now that you have bought one of those now you have to buy your season ticket. Oh you want to have two tickets then you have to buy two PSLs.

I didn't say they were the worst.PSL's wouldn't fly in Indy so that comparison is irrelevant.The Cowboys and Giants have a more affluent deeper pocketed fanbase.The Colt's concessions,ticket prices,parking,and all that are among the upper crust of the league.That's all good when you have PM winning 12 games a year but now the situation has changed dramatically and there is going to be a fallout.That's all I'm saying.When the Colt's are not winning consistently or downright stink you could throw a rock and not hit anybody in a lot of sections.

[mahagga73]

YEAH BABY!!! maybe now I can swing in there and swoop me up some tickets. Cause when luck and the new era get in full swing all these blowhards will be trying to * up the season tickets again.

good for you,not everybody gave them up because they are bandwagon.the economy and the high unemployment rate has a lot to do with it.just consider yourself lucky and don't downgrade those who don't desire to pay the outrageous ticket prices and costs of going to a game anymore.

[schwamm]

I didn't say they were the worst.PSL's wouldn't fly in Indy so that comparison is irrelevant.The Cowboys and Giants have a more affluent deeper pocketed fanbase.The Colt's concessions,ticket prices,parking,and all that are among the upper crust of the league.That's all good when you have PM winning 12 games a year but now the situation has changed dramatically and there is going to be a fallout.That's all I'm saying.When the Colt's are not winning consistently or downright stink you could throw a rock and not hit anybody in a lot of sections.

OK, fair enough. I seldom buy concessions beyond maybe 1 beer during games, so I can't argue your point there. Season ticket prices haven't climbed much since the old stadium, though. And I'm not sure I understand the parking cost bit. If you go to a game in most other cities, the stadium is isolated, so you have no choice but to pay for stadium parking. I usually get downtown about 3 hours before kickoff, and find free parking on the street. Yeah, it is usually a hike to get to the stadium, but I can handle walking 15 +/- blocks. When it gets really cold, I use that as an excuse to duck into more bars on the way, and save $boatloads$ by not having that beer at the stadium... :O

[lollygagger8]

So now how much you spend and why you spend it is a barometer of your softness?

I'm just saying the original post said maybe Colts fans are getting soft. I still make the trip, and spend a ton of money when I go to games on food/merch/beer. I watched the Colts lose 4 times at home last year. Economy is killing people. Heck, I spend $100 just on gas to get there and back.

[BIGugly]

Season tickets hit an all time low, yet fan comments about this fact hit an all time high.......

Not quite true. There are still 8,000 on waiting list. All time low was a looooong time ago when only 40,000 + were sold.

[BIGugly]

At 87% retention you are lossing 13% of your customers (i.e. fans) each year. That means in 5 years you have lost over HALF of your current customers and are relying upon new clients (i.e. fans) to fill those seats. The stadium is around 63K in seats, 13% of that is about 8000, or in other words the current waiting list. Thus if the trend continues we are talking blackouts in 2 years. In 2008 we were at around $25,000 on the list (first year Lucas Oil). In 2010 that dropped to around $16,000. You simply have more leaving thru the back door than you can shovel in the front door.

I just feel like Irsay has to see the math and has bet the farm on this. I just hope he's right.

Correction. It represents only a 6% loss of season ticket sales..so far..The waiting list now will get the opportunity to pick up about 2000 or so that are not retained.

They NEVER sell 100% to season ticket holders. About 5000 tickets are withheld for single game sales, give aways to youth clubs, etc.

Now redo your math. Oh, and be sure to include some playoff appearances starting in about 2 years......

[BIGugly]

To the guy who said the waiting list is over 9000,he must be looking at the 2009 report or something because there is no way.

When LOS was built with an increase in seating from about 55,000 to about 65,000, the waiting list after selling out the new stadium was about 12,000.

It's over 8,000 as of yesterday.

[BIGugly]

I juts hope we don't have lots of empty seats like the last few games of 2011.

Most of the empty seats were in the Club Seat area. Would see 4,6 and even 8 in a row empty. Many of those seats are Corporate and Brokers seats, not "Fan Seats": Seating outside the 30 yard lines were still pretty full, even at 12-0. When the QB was changed at game 12, it picked up again, except for the club seats. After 2 wins, even those began to see a resurgance.

[mahagga73]

I'm not renewing this year...why?

I got on the list when I was divorced and had a kid half the time. Now I am married with three kids. We either ditch the kiddos or buy more seats. And buying more seats is just way to expensive. 2 was taxing enough.

Plus I live in Louisville, so it is also, like mentioned above, a cost to value ratio that I am no longer willing to pay.

I enjoyed it and would like to do it again in the future, just not now.

It REALLY doesn't have anything to do with Manning, just a coincidence. I am excited to see the new direction of the club and the development of a young QB.

I have the same problem,can't find a decent

Yes, but how many miles a day / week do you drive? Not uncommon here in the US to drive an hour each way to work so thats around 120 or so miles a day. That equates to filling up 2x a week at $80-100 a pop so thats $800 a month just on fuel cost for driving. I guess its a good thing everyone is umemployed many couldn't afford that. mod edit

mod edit

Edited April 16, 2012 by shecolt
political comment

[mahagga73]

Of course some people wont be back

///we cut a lot of popular players and lots of people arent dier-hard NFL fans and they come to see their hoemtown favroites .

Plus....our prospects of winning are not good this coming year...

...Lot of folks are fans of winning...and they dont want to be connected woth losers

Once we win some...the fans will be back...

you forgot about the economy and gas prices,just sayin.Glad things are good for you but there are a lot of suffering people out there and Colt's tickets are not a big priority no matter how much they love the team.The teams record matters little when faced with tough decisions at home,buy Colt's tickets or spend it on the kids.. Edited April 16, 2012 by shecolt
personal shot

[mahagga73]

Lol its funny to see the ramifications of this attrocity sinking in. It's over. Forever. Ticket sales, national tv coverage, sponsorships, ESPN spoofs, and all the money and local attention to come with it. In 5 years the waiting list will be depleted.

Hey its a business, right. Consumers will not pay for an inferior product especially when its overpriced.

5 years,how bout the next couple tops.The product is overpriced for this market bigtime.

[mahagga73]

Correction. It represents only a 6% loss of season ticket sales..so far..The waiting list now will get the opportunity to pick up about 2000 or so that are not retained.

They NEVER sell 100% to season ticket holders. About 5000 tickets are withheld for single game sales, give aways to youth clubs, etc.

Now redo your math. Oh, and be sure to include some playoff appearances starting in about 2 years......

do you believe everything they tell you?you don't really believe this do you?

[JCPatriot]

I hope to go to the game in NE this year too. Been to a few there over the years and I have always had an excellent time. (and holy crap you should see the shopping Kraft has there.....he really appeals to my female heart )

I don't care if the Colts appear to be out matched in a game heading into it. Hey, if the upset happens and they do in the the NFL every season, I was there to witness it's beauty live. And if they lose they lose.

I went to the NE game this past season. There was a period of about five minutes when I thought I might end up watching OT in an empty stadium. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, but you never know what will happen.

[Warhorse]

I hope to go to the game in NE this year too. Been to a few there over the years and I have always had an excellent time. (and holy crap you should see the shopping Kraft has there.....he really appeals to my female heart )

I don't care if the Colts appear to be out matched in a game heading into it. Hey, if the upset happens and they do in the the NFL every season, I was there to witness it's beauty live. And if they lose they lose.

I think this season might be a blast for me personally as a fan. Like the birth of a new era.......I am excited to watch it's early stages.

Bold print is right on the money.

[JCPatriot]

Bold print is right on the money.

Oh, come on. You know you agree with the first two lines too. Don't try to pretend like you're excluding them. ;)

[Jules]

I went to the NE game this past season. There was a period of about five minutes when I thought I might end up watching OT in an empty stadium. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, but you never know what will happen.

How dare they leave early!!!!

We shall punish them on the field this season in stunning fashion.

[BrentMc11]

I'm a Colts fan, and I'm not Soft.

I wish I was still up there. I would fill one or two of the voids....would love to watch the monster being built. I may even go up to Anderson.

[mahagga73]

I wish I was still up there. I would fill one or two of the voids....would love to watch the monster being built. I may even go up to Anderson.

Anderson is a great place to watch training camp,highly recommended

[BrentMc11]

Anderson is a great place to watch training camp,highly recommended

Thank you mahagga73. I am excited to watch the practices and watch the defense develop.

[tamtam10]

Hi everyone,

I'm new around here, hoping to become a season ticket holder for the upcoming season. I'm just a little confused though. I've heard that the waiting list is around 8,000 names but I spoke to a season ticket holder representative today and he told me that I could purchase season tickets right away with no wait. The colts homepage also says season tickets are available. Am I missing something?

[bavanlan]

Hi everyone,

I'm new around here, hoping to become a season ticket holder for the upcoming season. I'm just a little confused though. I've heard that the waiting list is around 8,000 names but I spoke to a season ticket holder representative today and he told me that I could purchase season tickets right away with no wait. The colts homepage also says season tickets are available. Am I missing something?

Yes. You're missing that this thread was being discussed before tickets were assigned to the people on the waitlist.

There are now tickets available.

[deedub75]

Hi everyone,

I'm new around here, hoping to become a season ticket holder for the upcoming season. I'm just a little confused though. I've heard that the waiting list is around 8,000 names but I spoke to a season ticket holder representative today and he told me that I could purchase season tickets right away with no wait. The colts homepage also says season tickets are available. Am I missing something?

The waiting list was obliterated because a lot of people didn't renew their season tickets.