You guys are looking at it wrong.
You/we will always be season ticket holders in any given situation but a lot who don't have emotional investment in the Nix see it purely from a bang for buck financial decision.
If the entertainment isn't worth the cost of entry (in their perception) they won't buy/renew season passes.
And since they look at it very much from a financial point of view, the discounted tickets in Auckland, half price ticket deals, discounted local club share tickets, and abundance of freebies all degrade the perceived value for money for these members.
I'm just pointing out how many will rationalise the decision.
Yeah I agree with this although I wouldn't say they are looking at it from a "financial point of view" but more an issue of fairness. People don't like getting "ripped off". So when they are paying about $20 per ticket for every game, and for a single game others can get tickets for $15 they feel aggrieved. Realistically though it was only a $5 difference. Not the end of the world. It's basic psychology though and the owners should try to avoid this.
I don't think the pricing is quite as elastic as many are making out. If anything special cheap tickets probably gets more attention. But if you are looking at how much people spend on crap food and overpriced drinks, I don't think a few dollars in the ticket price is really going to change that much.
As a season pass holder, it really doesn't bother me at all. The first game I went to (as a long time rugby fan was a 4-1 win over Perth back in year dot) was on a discounted ticket. To me, the issue is building the base of season ticket holders - as these people tend to drag others along. Last year, I was just a single season pass-holder, this year I had a family pass, and will renew again next year and one of the people who I took to the Sydney game - has been to every game since - and will be buying a season pass next year. I've family in Christchurch and Dunedin who I encouraged to go the nix games when they played there and who are truly jealous of all the games we get in Wellington and will now occasionally plan trips to Welly to coincide with home games - and they will definitely go to any games taken back to the South Island.
Another point, the average punter has to get used to the longer season, 13 home games is twice the number for rugby Super 15, or NPC. It wouldn't bother me if 2-3 games were played in other centres each year, that would leave 10-11, and that is still more games in Wgtn than in the first 2 seasons of the Nix existence. I'm in agreement with the strategy mentioned by Gareth Morgan of increasing the national profile. To those who want all the games at home or at most one away, just look at how the Hurricanes have managed to alienate their regional fan-base outside of Wellington, and it wasn't all because of Mark Hammett, it was their less than generous approach to allocating games to New Plymouth, Napier, and Palmy.
"Phoenix till they lose"
