When is ‘sold out’ not sold out?

In the run-up to Bromley’s first two league matches, you probably noticed announcements that the games were sold out in advance. However, anyone who attended those games will tell you that the attendances didn’t reflect the sold-out status.

Hayes Lane currently has a conservative capacity of 4,500, but the attendance against Wimbledon was 4,102 while the game with Crewe Alexandra attracted 3,322. Respectively, that's 402 and 1,178 fans missing.

While general admissions probably make up a small percentage of non-attendees, season ticket holders are likely to make up the bulk. This isn't a criticism of season ticket holders, I’m one myself. In fact, I would argue that season ticket holders, having paid upfront and committed to the whole season, should be free to attend when they see fit, without repercussions.

The club are clearly aware of the issue. On Friday 23rd August, in the aftermath of the Wimbledon fixtures, they put out a statement via email explaining that they were looking at options to help as many fans attend as possible. For those who missed it, I’ve included the statement below.

‘The Club would like to thank supporters for their turnout for our opening two EFL games. Supporters will note despite the 'sell-out' on Saturday it was clear that not all season ticket holders attended. EFL, Sports Ground Safety Authority and Local Authority regulations mean all season ticket holders must be accounted for as a sold spectator ticket for fixtures in which the season ticket applies. This then determines the remaining number of tickets we can put on general sale. We fully understand that not every season ticket holder can attend every game and so therefore the Club are actively looking into what can be done to ensure as many spectators as possible can enjoy EFL football at Hayes Lane.’

In the wake of this, to me, it seemed like the club had two options.

Option 1: Force season ticket holders to state if they would attend the next game. If not, their ticket would be sold. 

We saw something similar to this in the Wrexham fixture in March 2023. Having given it some thought, and having spoken to other fans and observed online debate, I think it's safe to say that most season ticket holders were against this option.

While it would certainly alleviate the issue, forcing season ticket holders to opt in or lose their ticket would be a misstep. There is still ill-feeling about this issue lingering from the Wrexham game.

It also raises the question of whether a non-attendee would get a credit or refund for the game. Also, what would happen if a season ticket holder forgot to opt in, or just couldn’t get the technology to work? Would they be turned away at the gate? 

While I’m not suggesting that Bromley FC would be deliberately callous, clubs do sometimes lose touch with reality. Recently, season ticket holders at some Premier League clubs have been asked to attend a certain number of matches or have their season ticket cancelled. If I received an email like that, I would be very disgruntled.

Where an ‘opt-in or lose out’ option is concerned, the risk of alienating loyal fans seems too great. 

Option 2: Create a resale market via Ticketmaster.

This seemed like the most sensible option to me.

It would mean that anyone who couldn't attend could sell their ticket, giving non-season ticket holders a better chance of securing a ticket and increasing attendances as a result.

However, there are technical and financial costs to consider.

The club would probably have to pay Ticketmaster a fee to host this feature, so it raises the question of whether they would make any money from it. If Bromley lost money on the ticket resale, they would have to rely on the extra attendees spending generously on food, drinks, and merchandise in the stadium. 

Is that viable? 

The club’s facilities already struggle to cope with attendances circa 3,000. Unless something drastically changes in the bar and concession setup, adding more fans would make it harder to maximise profit from these resources.

So which option would the club choose? 

The bulk of this article was written before Bromley emailed season ticket holders on Monday 9th September to ask them to let the club know if they are NOT attending the next game.

So it seems the club have chosen Option 1, but instead of being an opt-in scenario, season ticket holders can voluntarily opt-out and give the club a chance to re-sell their ticket.

It is unclear at the time of writing whether season ticket holders get any kind of credit or refund for their ticket, but at least they have the option of giving up a ticket they know they won’t use so that a fellow Raven can benefit.

This drama about attendances may subside as the weather turns or if the club goes on a bad run, but the business brains at Bromley FC seem keen to address it.

And with a little perspective, isn’t it fantastic that Bromley are in a situation where they’re oversubscribed? Less than a decade ago, we struggled to break 1,500 fans for league games. Now we’ve got people complaining that they can’t get in!

How do you feel about the path the club has taken here? Share your views in the comments section below.

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