I agree, and it doesn't even have to be all of the seats given away at that price. Load up the concourse with cheap ticket buyers and let those who want to pay a premium to sit closer do so.

One of the first things I do, instinctively, when a game is starting at the Dome is to scan for empty seats to estimate the crowd.

The games are always much better with a full atmosphere and noisy crowd. If that is lost, I think that it's definitely possible that people might stop coming to the game.

Why not have $8 tickets at the door for the concorse and fill it up each week. If it fills up then increase it to $10 next week. That way it brings back the energy and makes the more expensive tickets more attractive. Plus new people might come to the game and become season ticket holders for the following season.

They did that about 5-10 years ago selling the tickets at the door for $10 ea. Can't hurt can it?

Ticket prices at Adelaide are an absolute joke. I have stopped going because even for an on the night ticket in the rafters it was still overpriced. I love the basketball, and adelaide puts on a good show, but when the tickets are overpriced i simply wont go. Its not like im asking for $5 tickets either, i want to pay a 'reasonable price' I think reasonable is about $15 for a adult on the concourse - no seat garunteed.

Go the Adelaide Utd method - all season tickets were equal to about $10-$11 a game for the FULL season, no matter where you sat (in the GA section), and after the first few rounds they slashed the price of the remaining tickets to something stupid per game.

How many people will hold off for the discounted price though? Good idea in principle.

They didn't announce it until after a few rounds - no-one knew it was happening! And these guys averaged around 11,000-12,000+ all season, knew how to connect with the fans very well.

The bottom line is, its a waste of breath (key strokes) Adelaide management dont listen, this has been going on for years, perhaps they need to realize that they will get more money with discounted seats and bums on seats, rather than a half empty expensive seated stadium. Hell, if it were cheap enough, id go, id take my g/f and my parents and probably buy a few beers and hot dogs as well (dont get me started on those prices). But anyway..... People buying season tickets now can be assured of being able to watch todd gowers crazy antics for another full season - 36ers should be paying us to watch that rubbish.

Speaking of Gower he came into my work yesterday...having not stood near him since he was in our ABL squad, I didn't realise he was only about 6'3, 6'4.

Probably 6'4"-6'5"? Taller than I am (6'3" and a bit).

5,000 tickets at $25 per game
or
8,000 tickets at $15 per game

You make $5,000 less with the later but you get a GREAT atmosphere, extra sales on merchandise, food, car parking etc etc.

And at $15 per game it is a cheap night out for the family!
Be competitive with the prices, look at the other options for families, footy, cinemas etc and make the basketball more appealing not just for the fact that it is an exiciting sport for spectators but the fact that it SHOULD be cheaper also!


Cheers, DJ

Guys, keep posting your beefs here & I'll compose a list of prioritised demands to submit to management. Not that I'm a head honcho by any means, I'm a volunteer (I more than likely spoke to some of you recently about keeping your seating alive) with a passion for keeping Pro-ball alive.

I'm retired & pay full tote up-front as soon as I get the call, but I realise that others have more options than I do for their entertainment. Don't whatever you do, be put off by last year. Considering that last year, the whole team would have felt Brett & Tanya's pain, they did a remarkable job. With that behind them & Brett hopefully getting the court time that he deserves in Athens, I've got a gut feeling that this year is going to be something special. Add Willie & the Big Fella into the equation & I can guarrantee a fun year. Not results, but a fun year all the same.

Cheers, DDFan

Rees' warm-up dance is worth at least $2/game...

Dropping the price is not going to be financially viable to the club. If you're not passionate enough about the game to pay $25, you're not going to go for $15 either. You may go ocassionally, but not enough to make it worthwhile reducing the ticket price. If you are passionate about the game, then you will make the sacrifice and pay $25. Let's face it, smokers spend a lot more than this on cigarettes and its not even good for your health. I would rather see a decent price charged so the club can afford to put a decent team on the floor.

Dont worry about Gowers crazy antics, get that man to a hair amchine! when it is long, man it goes in all directions (Just kidding with you Todd!).

I don't smoke, so does that mean I'm entitled to be angry at the overpriced tickets?

EC - I disagree. When you're asking a family of 4 or 5 to make a committment, the difference between tickets for a season at $25 and $15 is pretty substantial. The cheapest seats for 2 adults and 2 kids comes to $976. Drop that by the same ratio as $25 down to $15, and the family can go for $610. $350+ difference.

"If you're not passionate enough about the game to pay $25, you're not going to go for $15 either."

Why not put it up to $35 then?

I go to the movies less because they're generally more expensive these days. The same goes with most forms of entertainment. This is Australia where people are sports mad and there are a number of competing options available.

And as people have said, a full house at $15 a ticket ($110k+) beats 4000 at $25 ($100k). And 7500 people who've spent $15 on a ticket have more to spend on food and drinks than the smaller crowd who've spent $25.

On top of that, more people want to go to games that have the atmosphere of a big crowd than want to go to a half-full stadium.

People have posted examples of soccer ticket pricing as proof that fan-friendly pricing is positively received by a previously struggling league.

Cheapest season ticket at the Dome works out to be $19.63/game.

In Perth, for Wildcats games, it's $13.77/game and from what I'm hearing, people are excited about this attempt to ensure that the stadium sells out each game and that the atmosphere is huge.

I dont feel that qualified to talk re ticket prices, considering I have attended the last 4 season on a emdia pass, BUT I still do pay for my wifes ticket, and buy a walk up ticket the weeks I have access visits with my son when we have a game.

Admin told us that the season tickets were lower on cost this year. Legal advice is that they are correct, the actual ticket price itself HAS come down. However, by then addidng the $15 admin fee, it makes them more expensive than previous years. Then add the further $15 charge for those paying by credit card installment, and suddenly I am now paying $350 for my wifes ticket. (well, $349 for accuracy).

I seriously dont think $350 is worthy of what we get. Hard, uncomfortable seating, kids running up and down the stairs and all around the stadium during the game (it's called parental control people!!), and sub-sub-sub standard half time entertainment.

So many people get disillusioned with the half time entertainment (how many donut eating compeitions CAN you watch??), that on the odd occasion when something really good coems along, people are either staring at the ceiling counting panels, or gone outside to watch the grass grow on the oval, becaise they have become accustomed the entertainment to equate to something that would be an embarrasment to have at a primary school function.

Considering that there would be at least $30,000 coming through the coffers from the admin fee (based on 2000 season tickets, which would be a very pessimistic guess), and the fact that the Sixers are obviously running on shoe string budgets (sacked Ninnis, using volunteer car park attendants now), I would expect to see the standard of entertainment improve!!

Yogee, what you're saying about kids running up and down the stairs during the game is probably the reason why kids should not be taken to the games. They are obviously not interested in the game as they are easily distracted by running around. That also rules out Isaac's theory of families saving $350 on admission for the whole family if the price was $15 instead of $25. If you're kids are not interested in the game then it's cheaper to pay for just 2 adults at $25 who will get value out of the game than a family of 4 at $15 where half the family is not interested. I agree with Lucy, what you're prepared to pay depends on how much you want to see the show.

EC, that wasn't a theory, it was a fact. Also, take out the kids and you're asking a couple to spend $628 instead of $392 for their season tickets. Still a substantial difference.

People have said that the soccer was around $10 a game. Netball is under that (around $6 for an adult based on season ticket pricing). Tickets to an AFL game (Port Power) are $12.20 (Adult budget season ticket, inclusive of postage and admin fees!).

It's fair to say that people will choose whether $25 is worth it, but crowds tell the story. I missed almost all of last season, but those games that I did catch seemed to have lower crowds than previous years. Might've been misperception though.

I don't agree with you at all re yout theory about the ticket prices.

That is all well and good for you personally that there is no difference between $25 and $15 for ticket prices.

Sadly, it is a big difference to many when making decisions whether or not to buy tickets, especially those that have families.

I have spoken to many people who love basketball but don't go because tickets are too expensive. I have no doubt in my mind that the 36ers would sell out every game if prices were cheaper.

I am not a financial adviser so I cannot say what the effect would be re the 36ers financial position.

What I will say, and I don't think I am going out on a limb here, is that the 36ers would sell out just about every game if tickets were in the $10 - $15 range instead of $25.

The atmosphere would be better, they would sell more food/beverages and merchandise...and most importantly they would have something to build on as fans who have been lost over the years may return.

It is interesting to note that this same dissention from fans regarding season ticket prices seem to be happening every where that prices have risen again this season.

Adelaide, Sydney, Wollongong and Townsville fans have all been commenting on the OzHoops forum, saying either they have given up having season tickets because the price has become too high for the entertainment value, and they can watch their teams on Fox regularly, or they are keeping their tickets this season, but of they go up again without the "show" improving, this will be their last season.

The only fans that seem to be happy are Perth, who have some of the cheapest season tickets going, and Hunter, who have assembled what I would have to predict as a top 6 finisher team for this season.

Perhaps NBL tickets are becoming seen as "elite" by the average person, and just becoming way tool expensive. I must admit if I stop getting my media pass for whatever reason, we would have to seriously look at whether our budget could really stand a $700 slug every year.

Cheapest adult ticket price comparison:

Thunderbirds	$6.10
Adelaide United	$12*
Port Power	$12.20
Sydney Kings	$12.45^
Perth Wildcats	$13.75
Adelaide 36ERS	$19.60

* single game ticket; season ticket likely cheaper

^ refer another budget member and get a $30 kings voucher

I'm not a financial adviser either, but the club has not taken the steps to reduce ticket prices to make it more affordable. If there was everything to gain and nothing to lose, I am sure they would have done that. Now people may quote me if I'm wrong, but the bigger the crowd is at these games, the bigger the expenses. For example, security, you would need more personnel if the crowd was 8,000 compared to a crowd of 5,000. Cleaners are another example, 8,000 people leave more rubbish behind than 5,000. The list probably goes on but to fund all these extra expenses you have people only paying $15 instead of $25. While huge crowds would be more profitable for the club, you still need to charge appropriate prices to cover the additional expenses a bigger crowd brings. I don't deny charging $15 would see more people coming to the games, but would it be enough to cover the costs?

4000 or 7500, you still have to sweep every aisle.

And I can't imagine that the security cost increase would be an issue. You'll notice that the security protects the court, players, and entrances. 4000 or 7500, you've still got the same number of players and entrances, and same court-space.

I have no problem with $25 tickets below the concourse on the sides. But I think that they should be a bit realistic and make it more affordable for uni students, young couples, or people half-interested in the sport. Offer cheaper tickets above the concourse and behind the baskets and fill the stadium for every game. The potential alternative is that the average crowd drops and the Dome loses its reputation for providing a strong home-court advantage and great atmosphere.

I hope the rumour that they're 1000 down on sales isn't true, and I hope they pull crowds, but last season's win-loss record was the worst in 14 years (11-15 in 1990). They've regained some show-time and a crowd favourite in Farley, but lost one of the best and most passionate players in Cattalini. I think the squad will be competitive in the league, but there is yet to be any real hype being built.

This season I'd try things like:

Three for two: 3 games for the price of 2 (above concourse, limited offer, once per person per season) to up-sell people wanting to just see Kings vs Sixers for example (why not pay for another game too, and you get a third free).

Referral bonuses (hats, lanyards, stress balls -- all that kind of stuff is a lot cheaper than you'd expect).

Newbie Packs that you could buy for a friend (comes with a couple of tickets, advice on getting to the Dome (where to park, how early to get there), and then a little guide for those new to basketball, explaining the travel calls, various referee signals, fouls, bonuses, who's who, etc).

Game and food: $20 concourse ticket gets you in and a $4 voucher for food/drink at one of the stalls (not the walking sellers). Many people would add some money to that rather than just get a drink and a chocolate bar or something.

Business tickets: 10 tickets for $175 or something. Require an ABN/ACN or order on official letterhead. Get a group from work together and drag along those who might never go to a basketball game in their lives. Anyone who can bring in a Business booking gets their own ticket for free (someone could subsidise their own attendance year long by promoting this kind of thing a bit).

People who haven't been to a game will have preconceptions or have not thought about attending -- make them curious, spread the word, etc. If someone says "come along to the footy, Sturt vs Norwood" and it's $5-6, why wouldn't you go along? $12 for the soccer?

If it was $20-25, you'd have to think about it and I daresay that many would turn it down.

I love the idea of the "newbie pack"...brilliant.

Still comes down to my previous comments I have made though...where are the rewards for those people that have had season tickets for quite some time (5 years +).....they deserve something!!

The last thing I know of when Bill (who has been a season ticket holder since inception) got his season ticket for free till they won the next championship.....they ended up winning it THAT very season!!

EC, the more people they get at the games the better as far as I am concerned.

I'm sure you are incorrect re the increased expenses for a sell out and a half full venue.

I am sure that the 36ers admin would have to cater for every game as if it was expected to be a sell out in any event.

I'm sure the 36ers spent money on market research and made the conclusion that they would sell a decent number of seats at the prices set and they may indeed be correct.

Time will tell if some news footage of Farley scoring 40 and dunking on some people followed by some wins will be enough to get a dramatic increase in attendance levels. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

The comparison that Isaac has made between ticket prices reveals a very compelling picture.

I have renewed my season ticket once again but by no means do I think it is value for money.

You don't have to look back too many years to recall that we were paying much less for our tickets, with Lightning games thrown in (with half the Opals playing on it, ie World Class women's bball), more impressive game night entertainment, and a 36ers team full of Boomers (Smyth, Blakemore, Maher, McKay, Ninnis, etc) and quality imports (Davis and Rose).

It is from this standpoint that I don't think we are getting great value for our money.

I'm sure if you looked into NBA prices you would find that fans can get tickets for NBA games for cheaper than $25 per ticket.

Having said all of the above, I am very pleased to hear that the SA Basketball Academy team will be playing warm-up games against ABA teams. That will add some value to our tickets if you have the time to turn up early.

What's your theory as to why management does not listen and charge $15 if that's the best thing to do. In spite of all this argument about dropping ticket prices, they have still been around the $20 mark for the last 3 years. News footage of Farley scoring 40+ would attract the crowds to the next game and maybe the one after, but if that sort of performance is not consistent, then numbers are going to drop again.

My theory is that they charge the amount they do because they are a business and they want to make the most money possible.

As I posted previously they would have done the maths and calculated that they believe that they will still draw approximately an average crowd of around 6,000 at the expensive price being charged at present.

If what you say about Farley is correct, and not even the show time he brings (or some extra wins) are enough to bring back the fans for more than one game then the estimations of expected ticket sales will be incorrect.

They know full well that if they charged $10 to $15 that they would get a sell out but choose not to because they believe they will make more money with the current prices.

Nothing criminal in that but it all back fires if there is a back lash and only an average of 4,000 or so turn up.

I realise they have been around $20 the last three seasons but in my comparision I clearly did not compare the current value of tickets to the value in the last couple of seasons.

My comparison was clearly with current prices (and value per game) with the value I attached to tickets back in the mid 90s.

If someone is in the know please correct me, but as far as I can recall it was well publicised that although the teams we were fielding came into question re being above the cap (a higher cap than now), more was being spent on game night entertainment (fireworks/light show for some games + Lightning pre-game), and cheaper tickets than present, the 36ers were doing very well on and off the court.

Having said that, this comparison is not necessarily fair or a swipe at the various admins since this era. FTA, naming right sponsors and probably individual sponsors 36ers have been lost.

It is fairly obvious that various NBL teams are asking their long term fans to compensate for these losses but they do so at their own peril.

I have no doubt that many die hard 36er fans will look elsewhere as a result of ticket prices. It has already occurred over the last 3 years. I know many people who have stopped going who I never would have believed would give up their tickets. I'm sure other posters will have similar stories.

Specialist marketing consultants have been brought in this year so I guess we can ascertain their effect after a few games simply by checking the atmosphere, crowd level, half-time entertainment and so on.

The noise regarding ticket prices is not only coming from Adelaide fans and people following other clubs have expressed concern at dwindling crowds. I think that many could look at the pricing table above and feel that the cheapest Adelaide tickets are overpriced (I think $25 is a good figure for the main seating areas, but $20 is too high for budget seats).

I think there may have been cheap tickets for the back three rows of the Dome, but I don't know if they're to be continued (or whether I'm imagining that they existed).

Hold on, I might be cycnical here - but aren't BASA in major-debt?

Again Libertine, I don't know all the details but I believe BASA have a serious debt, but as a result of money owing on the Powerhouse/Distinctives Home Dome.

The money is owed to the SA Government and I believe it has been interest free.

It has been reported in the media that past SA Governments have not been willing to waive the debt but at the same time noting the practical realities of politics, I can't see any SA Government wanting to bankrupt one of SA's major sporting organisations. Wouldn't win many votes.

Again I don't have any inside info re the figures and I am not an accountant and can only go what I have read in the past, but from my perspective BASA's huge debt may be a bit misleading.

One, as I have mentioned, I can't see any SA Government forcing BASA to sell.

Secondly, if they did, with the increase in property value from the time the stadium was constructed to present, you would think that in worst case scenario and a sale was forced that BASA would not be in a bad financial situation at all.

They may have a debt but they have an asset that as far as I am aware no other NBL franchise is even close to having. While the Victorian teams have been changing stadiums every few years to cut spiralling costs, the 36ers have been training and playing in their own stadium that is the envy of every other team.

When that debt was revealed, it was reported that the Government had brought in administrators to look after the books etc.

Whether that is the status quo - who knows?

That reminds me, my uncle was one of the people who looked into that account...have to ask him about it next time I see him.

Adelaide, bloody small place.

One other factor is that families with kids interested in basketball are also usually paying for district club fees and player and spectator admission to Thu/Fri or Sat games. I would like to see BASA/36ers reward these people for their dedication to basketball by maybe offering discounted seating through the district clubs.

That's a good idea.

What about the concept of being able to buy tickets through your club and they get 5-10%. Passes some of the marketing down a level with the potential of rewarding clubs, and could reward people who are involved in the sport.

adelaide basketball needs media exposure. a game aired once a week or so. our basketball standard is rising but the fans don't care anymore. it is almost like there is no team down here

Lets face facts here. The basketball is too expensive. I think in the past the Sixers have been charging what they are charging because they can. They were going to pack it no matter what. With a below par performance last year, and Adelaide United to compete with in the summer, numbers could drop off.

I went to most games last year buying general admission tickets, and I know I had plenty of mates who would have come with me more often but for the cost. Those same mates were willing to come to every Adelaide United game. That 10 bucks or so for a student makes all the difference, especially when basketball doesn't go for as long as the soccer or the footy.

I also think a major factor in Sixers crowds has always been the atmosphere. I remember when I first started going the atmosphere was always electric. Certain games last year were like that, but we need to fill the stadium. My girlfriend and I are getting season tickets this year. We've got heaps of friends who love going to the basketball but aren't willing to spend that much money on it. They'll buy Adelaide United season tickets and that will be their sporting fix. It's time to do something about this before the crowds drop right away.

i recok if they sold tickets at 10 for child and 12 for adult we will get stacks of fans back and the dome will be a power gouse at the games. the games are so much more fun to watch if theres more of a crowd

I and my wife are (and have been for several years) season ticket holders for the 36ers. I am also a parent who until recently had two kids playing district basketball. The cost over an entire year to be involved in basketball is exorbitant. Club fees, weekly entrance fees, uniforms, basketball shoes, trips to Melbourne etc and then 36ers tickets, plus car park all add up and I'm sure prevent many kids and parents being involved. BASA are not proactive in offering incentives to committed parents, spectators etc. It is all about money. They are faceless generally with little or no opportunity for feedback. We need to be careful or slowly but surely we will lose people involved and before we know it, our game will be severely damaged. I tried to contact BASA once via email with a few suggestions (6 months ago) and still waiting on a reply.

baggy: You'll see from this thread that there are a lot of people who agree with what you've said.

I don't think that it's a positive reaction from the Sixers that the thread on their own forum regarding ticket prices has gone unanswered. Not even a "Thanks for your opinions; we've taken this on board as part of our wider strategy" or something.

I think cheaper Sixers tickets for parents of children playing the sport in SA would be a good idea. If a few bucks from each ticket went back to clubs in the form of a referral cut, there would be an incentive for clubs to promote Sixers games and spread the marketing network further.

There will be nothing worse for the Sixers than a half-empty Dome this season as the atmosphere is such a huge part of the games -- I honestly hope they've been getting good sales figures.

Hunter Pirates have announced a deal with a Newcastle university student union:

$165 gives you a ticket to 16 home games, a student supporter t-shirt, VIP entry to a nightclub after each game and a Pirates bandanna. That's about $10/game plus a few freebies.

Great work from the Pirates!

as a family with 3 teenagers who all love and play district basketball, going to a 36'ers game is a really expensive exercise. i agree with the comment about rewarding district basketball families, why not introduce a reasonable discount. the sooner management realises that its the prices that are keeping families away the better. i would rather be there on a $10-15 ticket and see and hear a full house of true supporters than watch it on tv and see so many empty seats.

as an afterthought though, if they did drop the prices of the tickets for the 36'ers games, you can bet who will end up paying for it. Juniors and their spectators will once again be hit. so we parents will never win. it will just force people out of junior basketball. is there really any answer?

Heard via the grape vine that the sixers have taken on new protions management that believes they are under selling the sixers. They believe that a ticket of $25 is too low. I have heard from good source that they want the tickets to be around $45. They say that this is to make going to the games more previlaged.

That was promotion management. Sorry for the lact of spelling knowledge.