Birmingham City Report

There are many ways to skin a cat as the old phrase goes. According to a quick search on the internet at least the saying is older than Sheffield Wednesday – dating back to 1854. Plenty of time therefore for its simple message to get through – that there are many ways to achieve a goal.

Talking of goals, let us return to football. The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust have today published the second in a series of research papers. The latest paper is a study of how Birmingham City have operated their ticketing policy over the last few years. It finds that over the last five years attendances at Birmingham’s home games have grown by an average of over 6,000 per fixture. Revenue from season tickets and pay on the gate customers has grown by over £1 million per year in the same period.

There are as many reasons for attending football matches as there are fans. The report finds that some commonly suggested reasons for rising attendances did not apply at Birmingham. The team struggled in the lower reaches of the Championship throughout this period, facing transfer embargoes and a points deduction on the way. So, the extra supporters were not flocking to see a successful team. Attendances in the Championship rose in the period, but Birmingham’s crowds rose at a rate more than three times quicker than the overall increase. So, it was not the rising tide lifting all ships to use another piece of phraseology.

Neither was it a simple matter of cutting ticket prices. Birmingham’s ticket prices are considerably lower than the Owls. The cheapest matchday price averaged at £19 at St Andrews in 2019-20. At Hillsborough it was £33. Birmingham’s ticket prices remained stable throughout the period. The report shows that the average price paid per entry fell by seventeen pence during the period. It is possible to argue therefore that the reason for the increased attendances was simply due to a sustained period of low prices.

The report argues that this cannot be simply the case. It shows how Birmingham have placed a relentless focus on attendance over the last few years. The club’s accounts show attendances as one only four key performance indicators for club in that time. The report also shows how the club have a simplified match day pricing structure – games are classified into three categories (A,B and C). Behind that, St Andrews stadium has been split into ten pricing zones. This system effectively turns the Sheffield Wednesday system of a wide range of match day categories (A-G) but a small number of zones (four) within the stadium on its head. The Birmingham City system allows the club to meet its aim of:  ‘striving to offer supporters a broad range of ticket prices for matches.’ Some of those prices are higher than what is charged at Hillsborough. Many are not. The report goes on to show how Birmingham City use membership and other marketing strategies to further drive-up attendance. 

The report ends by suggesting that the need to rebuild after the Covid19 epidemic will provide an opportunity for Sheffield Wednesday to rethink their ticketing policy. Although Birmingham City’s prices are cheaper overall than those at Hillsborough, the lessons of what they have achieved could be adapted to the situation at Sheffield Wednesday. Reducing prices has not been the key factor in Birmingham’s success. The main factors in driving that success have been the provision of a range of prices and the long-term and relentless focus placed by the club on increasing attendances.

The Trust’s reports do not aim to provide perfect templates for Sheffield Wednesday to follow. Rather, they offer data and recommendations to contribute to debate and provoke discussion. Twisting the earlier metaphor of the skinned cat, Birmingham City’s moggy is over a million pounds per year better off and in the company of over 6,000 more supporters due to the methods the club have used. Surely that provides food for thought.

The SWFC Trust Board, January 2021