Port Vale: Bratt urges fans to stay loyal
by Michael Baggaley
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THERE'S no soft soap from Port Vale chairman Bill Bratt as he appeals to fans to back today's season-ticket launch.
No easy promises, no hiding the club's financial problems ... and no question of just how badly Port Vale needs its supporters. Just the facts.
Bratt can't guarantee promotion next season, but he is determined to turn around a club which finds itself in the bottom half of League Two.
That's been poor reward for the 6,500 fans who responded to the club's hugely successful season-ticket appeal last summer.
Bratt can't rewind the season. He can't give them their money back. But he was always adamant the club should keep prices low for next season.
The new adult season ticket of £229 means supporters can watch the Vale for less than £10 a game ... if they renew before June.
If 5,000 paying fans do renew, the club will revert to this season's £183 price, making it less than £8 a game.
Click and print off your Port Vale season-ticket application form
Bratt said: "It was a difficult decision. Certain people say why don't you take advantage of the hard core supporters that you have got?
"That's not my way. We need to try to encourage people to come for the lowest prices we can.
"The amount of season ticket holders we had last year was fabulous and just proves the support is out there.
"Port Vale have some great supporters and I would like to thank them for backing the club.
"It has to be matched by what happens on the pitch. I understand that and we know we have to try to get that side right."
The club is again encouraging younger supporters. Prices for 14-18 year olds are £99 (£4.30 a game).
Juniors aged nine to 13 pay £60 (£2.60 a game) and season tickets for under-nines are again free.
Bratt added: "We don't just want old codgers like myself. We need young blood in the club and supporters for the future.
"I know from when I first came to the Vale as a lad how it can capture your heart.
"The first club you go to is usually the one you support.
"It is amazing how many Manchester United and Chelsea supporters there are in the Potteries who never go to the matches.
"Why don't they come to see some real football?"
So, what is Bratt doing to ensure fans see better performances next season?
Attracting investment remains a priority which is why Bratt was in Essex this week to meet shirt sponsors Harlequin Property and discuss a £500,000 deal.
That would involve a £340,000 investment in shares – to buy a 24.9 per cent stake – plus a further loan of around £160,000.
Bratt added: "The situation on the football side has been horrendous in the last two seasons and that has to alter.
"We need investment in and that is what we are trying to do. If that comes in, it will alter the situation in every aspect.
"We have to keep fighting for that investment. Everyone asks why we don't put the club up for sale, but all football clubs are effectively up for sale.
The playing budget for next season will depend on such investment, but also on how many season-tickets the Valiants can sell this summer. Bratt hopes for a strong response. After all, the £229 price is still £94 cheaper than adults were paying to watch Vale two years ago.
The Valiants are also offering season-ticket holders the chance to win holidays in Spain, the use of executive boxes at Vale Park, and discounts with travel agents.
Vale have made the low-price season-ticket offer despite a difficult financial year.
The tough economic climate has seen some sponsors go out of business while plummeting interest rates have cost Vale more than £300,000 from their supporters' savers scheme with the Britannia Building Society.
Bratt has emphatically denied 'malicious' rumours over the last few months that the club was poised to go into administration.
However, there is no complacency in the seventh year since he and the Valiant 2001 consortium bought the club from the administrators.
The board never pretended to be multi-millionaires about to bankroll the club to promotion.
But some did put their homes and savings on the line to keep the club afloat, and have brought in investment from Robbie Williams and loans from the city council to stabilise the club.
Bratt added: "We have lost £320,000 from the Britannia accounts. Had we been in a really precarious position then that would have taken us.
"I have never hidden the fact that it is going to be difficult, but we believe that we can get through to next season.
"One of the biggest factors in that is season-ticket sales."
Other Port Vale stories today
Valiants launch season-ticket offer
Fans' views on the season-ticket prices
Thompson turns from villain to hero
3 Comments
by Boomer, The Vets
Thursday, April 02 2009, 6:45PM
“"Bratt can't rewind the season. He can't give them their money back".......but he can sack Glover.”
by marianne, burslem
Thursday, April 02 2009, 3:10PM
“never heard any thing funnier than Bratty telling manu and chelsea fan in the area,to go the vale and watch some real football,hahahahahahahah,you cant make it up”
by Lee, Talke
Thursday, April 02 2009, 8:38AM
“Unfortuantly there are many people like me who brought the season ticket last year knowing full well they couldn't make all the games due to work commitments etc.
I work nearly every Saturday but still brought 1, and brought my dad 1 as well. He unfortunatly lives 100 miles away and finds it tough to get up here every week. The only reason we got them was to help the club out in reaching their target season ticket sales. We knew it would be a one off season and couldn't justify renewing them this year. Between us we have made around 25 games this year, but if we were to renew next season we wouldn't even get close to that many.
There are many other situations like ours, but you also have the credit crunch, and the boo boys who won't return (Probably a good thing)
Realistically Vale will only sell around 3000 season tickets if they are lucky. I think the key to next season will be generating offers game to game. Buy one, get the second week half price.
I love the Vale and just hope next season is better. Some of Glovers loan signing have been terrible, now hopefully thats a learning curve to him. But I still don't understand why the shining lights of the season in Taylor, Dodds and Stevo don't get as many starts as they should do..........Can anyone answer that for me.
Anyway give glover the 1st ten games of next year after his 'OWN' smmer signing and then lets see where we are.
I just hope the fans can enjoy the last four games of the season. I went Accrington just last week. Their fans, all 800 of them were brilliant. Vale fans we should take note. They sang from start to finish, including half time and stayed in the ground ten minutes after the whistle. What have they got to sing about, alot less than us.
come on Vale fans.........”