Last night, I did something that many on here might consider a foolish move.
I renewed my season ticket.
At a price of £615 for where I sit (on the half way line in the upper section of the Witton Lane stand), it isn’t chump change. Couple that with the fact that we have struggled to win games at home, and it makes Aston Villa an expensive hobby if you’re going for entertainment purposes.
As I’ve mentioned before, going to games – as crazy as this sounds – is only partly about going to watch football. For me, it is a great chance to spend three or so hours together with my Dad and brother given the time at the game and travelling to and from the ground.
Sure, it would be logical to say “Why don’t you just go down the pub with your family and save the money?” and that would make a lot of sense. Purely on the season ticket price alone, it works out at just over £32 a game per person, and that isn’t factoring in the parking (we pay £5 to park at the Barn Social Club on Brookvale Road) or any food or drinks we get at the ground. In that sense, we’d be far better off spending £100 down the pub each Saturday, and arguably end up happier as a result.
However, when it comes to football, logic isn’t involved. Many could argue that by paying to go to games regardless, I’m responsible for keeping the owner in place. After all, if we all stopped renewing, it would have an effect. No, it wouldn’t be so crippling as to destroy the club in itself, but it would make a significant dent in the accounts, especially if we were no longer in the Premier League.
Getting back to paying regardless, I have to admit that it does make me feel foolish sometimes. With Villa being a club I love, it drives me to do crazy things – I can’t think of any analogous situation where I’d pay money out to engage in an activity that isn’t always enjoyable. That said, perhaps being a Villa fan qualifies you and I as masochists – there’s certainly enough evidence to prove we might well be.
Anyway, the crux of the article was to get the view of the fans on whether they think renewing is a good or a bad thing. Much has been said by a lot of fans regarding their choice to renew, with some saying they want to wait till they see what money is available, and whether Paul Lambert is still in charge.
For those fans – the ones making the choice from a rational and logical standpoint – I can’t really argue that waiting makes sense. Why? If you’re going to Villa Park looking at it as a value proposition it is, as stated prior, a poor one. In that sense, I have to say I wholly understand why people don’t want to renew – if Villa started to make me question why I was going, I’d be reconsidering.
As it stands, I’m not. Which isn’t to suggest that my choice is right or wrong, or even what anyone else should or shouldn’t do. For me, going to games means time with my family (well most of them at least) and that will always have a value though, as stated before, it may not be one that is a good financial choice.
So, after hearing my choice, what are you going to do? Are you going to renew? Have you already stopped renewing? What, if anything, might change your mind, either to renew or not renew?
Let me know below, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
PS I’d like to apologise for my absence over the past few days. It was Amy’s birthday on Saturday so that has kept me occupied, and I’ve had a lot of things to do.
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