Season ticket sell-out: Good or bad?

The fixture was the Monterrey Rayados against Dorados: fifth in the first league against 12th in the second league.

A third round match-up in the Mexican League Cup on a Wednesday night in Monterrey, a relatively unimportant fixture in the grand scheme of things. Tickets would surely be a routine acquisition?

This in mind, I tested out my rather questionable Spanish on a call to the Rayados ticket office. A couple of minutes later, the friendly Mexican ladies chuckling on the other end of the line indicated that I was not in the right place.

There were no tickets available for the game against Dorados. Nor was there a single one available for any fixture in the rest of the season, as a matter of fact.

I asked around with some locals, and they too gave me a response of pitied amusement. Every seat in the stadium is occupied by season ticket holders, they advised me. Every single one?

Every single one.

That’s correct, 52,237 strong Estadio BBVA Bancomer, unveiled just two years ago in August 2015, does not have any regular match tickets for sale throughout the year.

So, some (Spanish) online negotiations later, we managed to line up three tickets – season tickets, that is – for the match against Dorados. We went ahead and met Vicente, a Rayados diehard, outside the stadium before the match.

He too confirmed – with fearsome pride emblazoned across his face – that Rayados are the only team in the country to have a stadium fully occupied by season ticket holders.

Great! The team would have unwavering support, perpetually packed-out 53,000 crowds, incredible atmospheres, Tifos reminiscent of the mighty Yellow Wall in Dortmund.

The reality was different.

Upon entrance, I immediately noticed more blue and white coloured seats (the striped colours of Rayados, which literally means ‘The Stripes’) than fanatical fans. While the Rayados active section were tirelessly waving their flags, the stadium was otherwise conspicuously quiet.

The thought then entered my mind: was this entire season ticket sell-out really a good thing?

On the one hand, the stadium would presumably be brimming at games more significant than a third round cup game on a Wednesday night.

What’s more, the fans at those games would unquestionably be ‘real’ fans. One can draw a comparison with Premier League stadiums, where monolithic constructions like Old Trafford often appear eerie in their silence.

I can first hand testify that even the atmosphere at my beloved Anfield in 2015 was not as buoyant as even in 2011 when I first went. I was, of course, part of the problem, however logic suggests that a stadium full of season ticket holders would have more animation to it than one lined with tourists.

More positives to a season ticket sell-out include stable revenue for the club. In a league not as commercially bolstered as those in Europe, membership fees make up a large portion of yearly earnings in Mexico. Effectively having a sell-out for every single home match is, quite literally, the dream for a club CEO.

Conversely, one downside was apparent to me even on my first match visit: disappointing attendances in lesser clashes. If even a few thousand tickets were put on sale at the stadium box office prior to kick-off, the crowd would surely have been larger and more active.

Even getting tickets from our Mexican amigo Vicente was not a simple experience. If my Spanish had not been at least mildly sufficient, the chances of a trip to the stadium would have been about as possible as getting a beer under $9 at the MCG.

Exactly.

This must have a negative effect for publicity and marketing. It is difficult to become a more renowned name when visitors to Monterrey – home city of the Rayados – are basically denied the chance to see a home game. What’s more, the club are likely missing out on heightened ticket prices for one-off matches.

Above all, the most detrimental impact of a season ticket sell-out is the complete lack of away fans. The Estadio BBVA Bancomer did not offer a single bay for visiting supporters, and it was noticeable.

Football is built on the camaraderie between home-and-away fans, the organised marches to the stadium, the obnoxious celebrations to those at the other end of the stadium when your time scores a 90th minute winner. It’s what makes football stands out from other codes.

Now imagine an A-League of the future, where club members are bustling to snap up every last seat in your home stadium.

Would you accept guaranteed revenue, at the cost of being able to bring your friend, in town for the weekend, to a home game with you? Huge crowds for big matches, minuscule attendances for smaller ones? Giving up away days for bigger home attendances?

I’m still completely undecided. Please, your thoughts!