Following the success of the promotion’s creation in October where under-16’s tickets were £1, which lead to 1,656 kids in attendance for four matches, Cheltenham Town reignited ‘Kids for a Quid’ and brought it back into effect for three more home matches across February and March.
Families looking to entertain their children on Saturdays found no better solution to cure weekend boredom than a bargain option to have an afternoon out at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium. Virgin eyes witnessed battles on the turf which saw Cheltenham beat Fleetwood Town 2-0 and Doncaster Rovers 4-0, but the Robins did lose 2-1 to Crewe Alexandra.
There is nothing superior when introducing your child into football, than bringing them to your local club, to feast on the flavours of emotion that engulf them at a match-it’s exactly what Cheltenham Town Associate Director Murry Toms wants to get from such offers.
“The club wanted to invite hundreds of kids and allow them to get a taste of League One football,” said Toms.
“That’s the main ambition of the schemes. We want to give kids and families the opportunity to be a part of an historic season.”
Hundreds certainly did. Around 1,900 ‘Kids for a Quid’ tickets were sold across the three matches in 2022, and I can assure you the experience will make them want to revisit, even if they have to pay the normal £9 fee for home matches.
Such promotional offers are so valuable to get young blood interested and attached to the club. Furthermore, it’s helped shape the way Cheltenham will approach their overall ticketing plans for the future.
“The insight from the ‘Kids for a Quid’ scheme has helped to shape the conversation around the pricing strategy for next season,” said Toms.
The club will have understood the importance of increasing the younger demographic of fans into the stadium-after all they’re the future of the club. The continuation of ‘Kids for a Quid’ is the key to attracting the next generation of fans. But there will be financial concerns on how to build on from the success.
“There’s a cost-of-living crisis, and the club have to react to that. It’s not as simple as just dropping the prices, so there needs to be a balance struck. It’s not an easy exercise,” said Toms.
As much as Cheltenham Town is a football club, it’s a business too. The upcoming period will be tricky for the overachieving team who currently have the second smallest budget in League One, but they should aim for 10 matches next season to fall under the ‘Kids for a Quid’ banner.
It will be a tough time ahead for families. For 22 million households, their energy bills will rise by a staggering 54% and the UK’s inflation rate hit an all-time 30-year high reaching 6.2% in February, as per The Week.
The list of economic issues is currently endless at the moment, but that’s why it’s important for Cheltenham Town to continue ‘Kids for a Quid.’ There’s no better way to help support the fans and community than dropping the prices for the next generation.
The people of Cheltenham will remember the clubs generosity for lowering prices again for young fans, and those fans will love the club.
