Isn't this the kind of thing that got Bradford into trouble in the first place, with the massively reduced prices?

Let's take a ridiculous amount of tickets. Say you sell 4,000 at £250 each, get to Super League and attract crowds of 7,000. You are trying to survive in the top flight with a million quid less than you should be and on gate receipts from just 3,000 fans.

I know the season ticket sales might be less in reality, but the principle is the same.

Good luck if it works, but it seems a very short-term solution, and perhaps more about staving off immediate problems; i.e., get the money in the bank now and worry about 2018 in 2018.

I'd hardly call 5% off last year's price a massively reduced rate. And although we've been getting decent crowds for the Championship (and putting more than one SL club to shame) we only seem to have around 2500 season ticket holders this year. Even with this offer, I don't see there being a huge increase on that number given this is our 3rd year in the Championship and the shine has gone off the optimism of that first year following relegation. I'm still not convinced that Bradford can make the step up to SL via the current league system. Leigh have shown that you need at least someone with deep pockets to bank roll a team of SL players as well as a coach who knows how to forge those players into an effective unit. I don't see that perfect storm being repeated any time soon, so really the free ticket bit is all just a bit pie in the sky. Where as the 20% off tickets for a fourth year in the Championship means £185 per ticket, which is hardly bank breaking and a likely spur to get renewals through the door.

I meant the promise of it being free in 2018 if you make the Super League, not the reduction. It seems like it's staving off an immediate problem but then storing one up for the top flight.

If you could make it into the top flight without that promise, you'd see an upsurge in support (bearing in mind how you'd have to achieve it) that put you above clubs like Salford, Wakey and maybe Leigh and Huddersfield in terms of gate receipts. Then the actual receipts would put you at the bottom again.

I suppose there's nothing to lose, and it's a clever idea.

Suppose one way to look at it is that if those who have bought a ST this year buy again (2000 approx) then the club with have guaranteed that amount of money through the doors, i cant see a huge number of extra people buying a ST now even with the offer, just helps the club generate some money before Christmas.

Then in 2018 if we go up those 2000 have a year free which is being countered by Provident putting more money into the club coupled with the increase in gate tickets for away teams and also better prize money for qualifying.
Id also bet ST prices are increased ever so slightly for 2018 if we are promoted and a few fans will buy a ST on the basis of promotion, if thats done at a slightly inflated price then thats even more money the Bulls can spend.

All in all a very good idea, isnt like the last time when we could buy a ST for £70 which was bonkers, we save now and save in future either way then, ive not had a ST this year due to playing american football/family/work but will get one next year and most likely if we arent promoted buy one again, so the club can have an idea how much money can be generated for 2018 onwards.

Prices and things are now up on the website.

[urlhttp://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/tickets/what-is-1863-membership[/url

Probably a Flexi membership for me (new job, not sure how often I'll be able to go) but I'm hoping to pay through the gate a few times too.

The important thing in getting to SL is that we would get an upgrade in central funding from £450k to £1.8m. So not counting any guarantees from Provident which may or may not be there, there's a funding uplift of £1.35m, which covers a lot of tickets

I hadn't looked at it in those terms before. Assuming the average price is about £200, then we would make a loss in 2018 on SL funding with 6,500 ST sales in 2017. I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams could see 6,500 ST sales for this season?!? But a decent increase on 2016 numbers would give RS more options for additions to the squad in 2017. The more I look at this, the more I like it

Basically I think Provident have offered to cover the costs of the season tickets should we go up. To be fair it needed something extreme to get people to commit in my eyes

Do we know for certain if Provident are covering the 20% if we don't go up or the full whack if we do? If so it's a hell of a bit of deal making by Marc Green.

I was waiting for someone to point this out about the massive income lift from getting into SL.
Along with Provident and extra gates it will easily cover the loss of 2k tickets.

5% cut is also nothing to worry about when the starting figure is so high for a championship club.
Don't compare this deal to the idiotic £60 ST sales. We will still be paying over £200 which is still a decent price for the club - and we all feel like we have been given something.

Well done Mr Green for giving these incentives and generating interest - but knowing the clubs back is covered if he has to pay out on them. It feels like something a "proper" businessman would think of - a win - win situation.

Does anyone no a free phone number for the club so I can ring up and get my ticket???

Yep, it's 999

Last night I couldn't see any deadline dates, but gone up on a separate posting on website today as End November. I'll be in for 2 as per this year.

Whilst I understand their reasons, the Season Ticket drive is making the official website pretty much unreadable. Seems like almost every day a "new" news item is posted, with exactly the same stuff about what you get with a season ticket. Going into the news section, it's just full of them.

I'm all for them making it the focal point of the site, but this seems a bit OTT to me. Will posting a "new" news item every day really make that much of a difference, other than making me and potentially others not bother going to the official website?

Agree with HamsterChops to an extent - I believe that the club have to tell the same story in umpteen different ways to maximise the buy in from our supporter potential, but simply flooding the website with it all at once probably isn't the right way to go about it.

I agree with the overload. I was wondering about the deadline and didn't know it was on one of the many membership stories until I read it on here. Just say everything that's required in one story.

When is the deadline?

30 November...?

When are they on sale and how much are they?
I can't find any information on the website.

I think this could be it

Where? I don't see it

Noticed in this weeks LE mailbag a letter from a disgruntled fan who purchased a 10 year season ticket in 2011 has been told that they will no longer be honoured. Apparently we sold about 45 at the time, less than I expected to be honest and I'm surprised the club have opted to not continue to honour them for such a small number. The chap has basically said he is walking away from the club after 40 years of support, seems a bit of a poor do all round.

I bought a 5 year one as I felt the 10/25 year ones were too much of a gamble for the price. Turns out I made the right choice!!

But the letter goes on to mention the latest offer of a free season ticket in 2018 if we are promoted to SL, is this offer just one we have to take the good word of the club for or is binding in any way? I haven't purchased one yet and just wondered if anything is given in reference to the deal?

The offer is being underwritten by Provident I believe. So unlike the last time we are actually covered

That's not been categorically stated as far as I've seen. It was just the usual " in partnership with provident" statement I thought. Which as the main sponsor is reasonable for any major statement.
The free 2018 ticket will be covered by the £1.4m increase in central funding if we are promoted.
Provident I would think are covering the 20% off if we don't get promoted, which would be a much smaller amount.
I haven't got my tickets yet, but there should be something written in the membership packages to back up the verbal promises given out.

On the other matter, I was amazed that despite 3 owners and 2 administrations, that any of the long term deals were kept.

The 5 year one was £500 for 5 years, which was the best one in hindsight and has now finished.
The 10 year one was £1k for 10 yrs, which still works out at £200 per ticket over the last 5years.
I personally would have let it pass, as I would still have had a discount on a 10year ticket, and it's a different owner from 5years ago. But I can see why he's not happy

Gotta be honest, I'd do exactly the same thing. I've supported the club for about 30 years now but if I had purchased and paid for a ticket that guaranteed my seat for 10 years, I'd expect it honouring regardless of the owner. When a new owner takes over, he takes over staff contracts and plenty of other responsibilities, IMO he should also take those on.
If they refused, I'd never spend another penny with the club until I received either a refund or the good I paid for. Sentiment wouldn't get in the way as I'd feel my own loyalty wasn't being reciprocated.

Similarly, when I buy my season ticket this year, it is with no expectation whatsoever that we will get promoted. And I would have bought it without that "promise". However if the miracle does occur and then the club don't honour it (and I have no reason to believe they wouldn't), I wouldn't be at Odsal again until I got a free season ticket.

Loyalty works both ways. If it's true that Marc Green and Co are not honouring the 10/25 year season tickets, it is quite frankly disgraceful IMO.