Analysis:
A potential omission was the failure to include specific Junior memberships across all the seating tiers however it is likely that concession pricing will apply to junior members.
In terms of benefits and discounts there is much similarity comparing Wanderers with Sydney FC:
* Sydney FC have their newly implemented Free Public Transport, while Wanderers have the shuttle bus from Parramatta Station to the Stadium.
* Each club have discounts with their respective kit sponsors. They both have the same discount on additional match day tickets.
* Each club offers free entry to W-League and Youth League matches.
* Each club will have sponsor specific discounts, the extent of their value will depend on what use each person can make of them.
The only major difference is the free public transport to Sydney FC matches. I'm still not convinced this is going to be a major part of the decision making process for most members. The cost to the club of providing this is part of each Sydney FC membership and is paid regardless of if a member actually uses public transport or not. Parramatta is also a much more viable location for driving to the stadium, with several large parking stations in the area as well as large residential areas that people can park in for free. The Shuttle Bus is a nice addition especially for those who are coming late to the station who want to get to the match asap.
Sydney FC have two sets of costs. The first is for "Loyalty" members who renew their membership before the end of August. The second is for new or lapsed memberships and is termed "Standard". I will compare the pricing for the Adult and Family tickets only.
Top Tier:
Sydney FC have two top-tier levels (Platinum Plus and Platinum). Wanderers has one (Red).
Sydney FC are more expensive despite the loyalty discount. Their costs are $350 (Adult) and $895 (Family) for a loyalty bonus, and $395 (Adult) and $995 (Family) for standard pricing. The Wanderers costs are $312 (Adult) and $799 (Family).
The Wanderers adult pricing at $312 is $83 cheaper than the standard pricing and $38 cheaper than the loyalty pricing.
A Wanderers Family membership at $799 is $196 cheaper than Sydney FC's standard pricing and $96 cheaper than Sydney FC's loyalty pricing.
Second Tier:
Sydney FC have a Silver Tier while Wanderers has the Black Tier. Again I will compare only Adult and Family pricing.
Sydney FC price their Silver membership at $280 (Adult) and $695 (Family) with the loyalty bonus and $320 (Adult) and $785 (Family) without the loyalty bonus. Wanderers costs $240 for an adult and $625 for a family.
Western Sydney Wanderers Adult pricing of $240 is $40 cheaper than Sydney FC's loyalty pricing and $80 cheaper than Sydney FC's standard pricing.
For families, the Wanderers pricing of $625 is $70 cheaper than the Sydney FC loyalty pricing and $160 cheaper than the Standard Sydney FC family pricing.
Basic and Home End Membership Tier:
Sydney FC have a Bronze Tier and a Home End tier, with slightly lower prices for the Bronze tier. Wanderers have differentiated the Home End with their White Tier in name but not costing. As most of the members on this site will be comparing the Home Ends, I will do so as well. There are no family membership so the only tickets available in them are for Adults.
Sydney FC's Home End costs $175 with the loyalty bonus and $200 without it.
Wanderers Red & Black Bloc end costs $195. This is $20 more expensive than the Sydney FC home end Loyalty bonus and $5 less than the Sydney FC non-loyalty bonus cost.
Opinion:
There is a clear attempt by Sydney FC to hold onto the supporter base by offering major discounts for existing supporters. Despite this the Wanderers have comprehensively out priced their inner city counterparts even accounting for the Sydney FC loyalty bonus.
In the 5 ticket types examined (The Adult and Family memberships for the Top Tier, Second Tier and Home End), only 1 set of tickets was more expensive to get from the Wanderers. This was the Adult Home End ticket price and that was only for the Loyalty pricing that previous members of Sydney FC receive. Without the loyalty pricing the Red & Black Bloc is $5 cheaper than the Sydney FC Home End.
For people in the Home End it is unlikely that the $20 or $5 difference in costs will make one scrap of difference in their decision of what team to support. Many will have already decided to stay with Sydney FC or join Wanderers if this club better represents themselves or their area.
These costings are in line with my predicted costs for memberships and is on the lower side of that prediction. It doesn't not excessively discount the club and reduce the perceived value of the membership, nor is it overly expensive in an attempt to create artificial scarcity. I congratulate the club on their first ever membership drive and I hope we can have at least 5,000 members by the time the season launches.
If these are the final membership seating blocks then there is potential in the future for the club to expand the ticket types to offer premium seating locations for a premium price. The central bays on the half-way line could easily be split into their own tiers in the same way that Sydney FC have their own Platinum seating allocation. For the first year however the club has gone for simplicity in the ticketing. Get in quick on the Red and Black tiers if you want the best seats in the house.
I'll be buying my Red & Black Bloc membership at 1pm tomorrow. What membership/s are you looking to buy?
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