Arrowhead Club Level - FAIL
 

I'm not sure what idiot at arrowhead keeps setting the club level prices where they are, but apparently they aren't getting the picture. I realize this has been discussed here before, but it's outrageous that we started to see the CL almost completely empty 3 years ago and that it's not been fixed. It's been hard to find data on ticket prices, but I found some.

In 2008, just four years ago, these were the prices listed on the Chiefs website.

In continuation of the Chiefs long-standing policy, the taxpayers of Jackson County, Missouri will receive a pre-sale opportunity to purchase single-game tickets for Chiefs home games during the upcoming 2008 season on Tuesday, July 22nd and Wednesday July 23rd, beginning at 10:00 AM. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Arrowhead box office or at participating Kansas City Ticketmaster Ticket Centers. Ticket prices for Chiefs home games begin at $105-115 (club level) and range downward to $81-94 (field level) and $41-83 (upper level).

As you can see, the most expensive ticket in the stadium was $115. Compare that to the current price of $270 and take into consideration that we've had a deep economic shitstorm since then and it's easy to see that these prices are just way off. Granted, the stadium has undergone a renovation but the view from these seats didn't change and, if I'm not mistaken, neither did the inclusiveness of the club level seating. A lot of those seats may be reserved for corporate sales...if this is the case, then that strategy isn't working, should be ditched and the prices lowered to suit the general public. Another common misconception is that the seats are empty because the fans that hold those tickets can go up into the suites, which isn't true. I've sat in the CL several times and have never had access to a suite.

Mark Donovan addressed the 'yellow seats' a couple of years ago but, as we saw last year and yesterday, whatever their solution was, didn't work.

Here's what Donovan said:

"We've seen the yellow seats," Donovan acknowledged on 810 WHB Tuesday morning.
For all those who have sent in an email asking the question, here's your answer: "We think we mis-priced those," he said. "What we're doing this year is we're going to roll out a new pricing plan for the end zones and corner of the club level and those prices will go down."

I'm not sure if the prices actually did go down or not, but the fact is that the seats remain empty. It's an eyesore on TV and it's a damn shame when you're at the games and Arrowhead looks like a shell of it's former self.

The ticket prices don't match the product on the field or the struggling economy...parking is damn near $30, which is insane as well...and it needs to be fixed.

Almost $300 for a Ticket?

**** that noise.

Clark only wants rich white guys.

THIRD IN LEAGUE IN SPENDING!!!1

Clar Khunt says "**** you"

Especially to watch the anal pounding taken every Sunday.

Here are the current ticket prices. Looks like those club seats aren't even offered for single games, which means that if STH don't buy them, they remain empty. This is just idiotic.

http://prod.static.chiefs.clubs.nfl....es-Pricing.jpg

they are seriously $270 just to sit in the mid section? JFC

Do they not realize that this is Kansas City! The midwest! Sort of blue collar ya know?

It's not Manhattan, NY.

They are always empty when they show it on TV. Dumbasses.

There are several things in life that you can count on:

1. Death
2. Taxes
3. The Club Section being empty every game.

Wow. Well until they change that, Arrowhead will never look full again. Club level wasn't even full for the 2010 playoff game....

And they need to paint the damn seats red so it doesn't look as empty...

God this franchise is stupid.

Yeah, I noticed that as well while watching the game yesterday. The Club Level was a graveyard.

Considering there were open seats all over the place, I'm not really concerned that the Club level is/looks empty.

The upper deck wasn't full either, and those seats are cheap.

Arrowhead hasn't had a legitimate sellout since the 2006 Thanksgiving Night game.

Clark Hunt should be embarrassed and ashamed, but too bad he doesn't really care.

I don't doubt that prices have had an impact. However I think there is another factor as well. The new suites behind the seating are open to the club level ticket holders. I think the wine and cheesers are hiding out inside making the place look less full than it actually is.

I mentioned this above. I sat there last year...twice...and did not have access to the suites. My friends, ten of them, sat there Sunday and had no access either. I think this is a misconception. It was 75 ****ing degrees Sunday. I don't know anyone, rich or not, that doesn't want to sit out in open air and watch the game when the weather is that perfect.

And, as a side note to suite access, My friends were given their tickets by McDonalds corporate. McDonalds owns a suite on the club level, but they weren't allowed in. I've also been in a suite (Toyota) in 2009 and we didn't have access to the outdoor seating.

I think he mis-spoke.

They don't have access to the suites, but they do have access to the bar areas in the club level.

The one time I've sat there, the public areas were packed.

When you have a suite you get your own little collection of outdoor seats, but they aren't yellow. They're red leather. All the yellow seats, though, still have access to the main club level area where all the restaurants and everything are. Many of them do hang out there during the game even though you can't see the field.

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is that not only are the club level tickets not available for single games, and not only are they expensive, but if you buy them you have to sign a 3 year contract.

So, for a single ticket at roughly $250/each, for 3 years, you have to dedicate $7500.00 to watching Matt Casshole run around like a scared little girl. If you want to take a friend, double that, of course. Oh, and that doesn't include parking.

I went up there with $10k cash in 2010 (me and a bunch of friends) trying to get some sort of a suite for a single game. I figured now that they have like 5 levels of suites we could get the lowest one for 1 game...maybe..??

No chance. The only thing they would give us for $10k is a lower level field box, which is basically a collection of seats with a rope around it and a heater.

The cheapest actual suite they had...$30k for a single game...and again, you have to sign a contract to lease it for at least 3 years...they really want 5 years.

Our average premium (club) level ticket is $270. That's the 9th highest in the league. The teams ahead of us are the teams that you'd expect to be ahead of us...NYG, NYJ, Dallas, etc...

Our average ticket price, however, is $64.92, which is about the 7th lowest in the league. Why on earth would we have such a huge spread between the average price to get in and the average price to get into premium seating? Again, idiotic.

I took a tour of the stadium last weekend, and either the tour guide misspoke or I misunderstood but, I swear she said that your club ticket granted you access to the club level suit directly behind you.

I guarantee that if they did some deep cost analysis they'd find that they're costing themselves more money to pay premium ticket salespersons, who obviously aren't able to sell the seats at the current price/contract requirements, than if they would just open the seats to the public for single-game sales. They could at least put the seats up for sale if they haven't sold to STH's the week of the game for a more reasonable price. I find it hilarious that the seats continue to remain empty but that they don't adjust their strategy at all to fill them.

It's like if your team had a shit history at quarterback and never tried to actually do anything about it...oh, wait.

Nope. The red, leather seats in front of the suites are the outdoor seating for the suite. The yellow seats are standard club level seats and only give you access to the club level itself, the restaurants, etc.

An actual suite is entirely different thing.

That's what I was trying to tell them while I was there with all that cash. They were telling me they'd rather let it sit empty than give it to me for $10k because if it got out that they were selling them for $10k nobody would pay $30k.

They're intended for corporations with big money needing huge write offs, and that's what they're holding out for.

Well then what in the hell has changed in 4 years? Did they used to offer them for single games?

Obviously they did.

Yeah, before they updated the stadium the club level itself wasn't all that special (not that it is now) and those seats weren't tied up in expensive contracts like they are now.

My uncle got us seats in the Chevy box once. I'd say about half the people there never even bothered to step outside, let alone pay any attention to the game at all, and most of the ones that did seemed to be annoyed with me because I dared to make noise. ****ing twats. If all you care about is being seen by the right people, go to the goddamn country club.

Oh, and I should mention that this was several years ago when the team was actually good.

LMAO

I ****ing love that I made this during Bowe's contract snafu and it's still relevant.

It'll always be relevant - that cheap ass trust fund baby douche doesn't give two shits about the team or winning.

He needs to sell the team to whoever runs Sporting KC...same with the Royals.

The Jets have slashed ticket prices this season and now the place is packed with excitement. I don't understand the "businessmen" in Kansas City.

He needs to sell the team to Mark Cuban. He actually gives a shit.

Cuban would be AWESOME as an owner of any NFL team.

They'll never do that. These teams all make tons of money as long as they stay cheap on payroll. What I don't get is why they can't see how much more they can make if they actually weren't working against their own fans.

Just look around the NFL and MLB. It's happening everywhere.

With our luck, he'll end up buying the Broncos. :banghead:

Or just take the common sense approach and put a ****ing winner on the field. Look at Sporting KC...that stadium is a perfect reminder of how great this town can be when the team actually gives a shit about winning. It's crazy in Livestrong.

The only winning team that I can think of that doesn't continually sell out and make money hand over fist is the Tampa Bay Rays. Then again they've never won it all so I suppose there is some thought that they can move up from where they are if they are ever able to do that.

Yankees, Patriots, Packers, Lakers, Celtics, Heat, Steelers..... It's not because they are old legendary franchises that they have so much more than everyone else...it's because they win.

The Chiefs will never be those teams but there's no excuse they aren't miles beyond where they are.

Being a "fan" is getting tougher and tougher, I admit.

Yep. I went twice last year with my brother who got lucky and got tickets to his company suite and seats in the gold seats. We didn't bother sitting in the gold seats we stayed in the suite. The public bar areas were packed all game long since there is a ton of TV's around.

So that is why, always wondered why that section is empty.

There were literally THREE people in one of the end-zone sections yesterday.

Are these seats belonging to people who just hang out inside the suite? Or are they separate tickets?

Are they blocks sold to companies that may just go unused sometimes?

I doubt the chiefs would let a whole tier go unsold. I am guessing those tickets are paid for but not being used or being used by people who just soak up the AC inside.

You shut your whore mouth!

I don't know for sure. The times I've sat there, I didn't have access to the suites. I was in a suite once and didn't have access to the seats, but I've heard some say that they did, so I don't know.

If people just aren't going outside because they're afraid that their money might blow away or that the noise might damage the starch on their suits, then the Chiefs just need to sell separate tickets. It's idiotic to display your stadium as half-empty as ours is all because your wine and cheese crowd wants to stay indoors.

It wouldn't make sense to me, though, if the Chiefs are allowing fans to go into suites. We'd have to be the only team in the league doing that since other teams premium and club levels are packed every game. If fans in NYC and Dallas are paying for a club level ticket and staying out in the seats then I don't see what would make KC fans do it in MASS NUMBERS.

LMAO

****, I already have to listen to the town talk about another SB win because of the win last night. I hope someone removes his head from his broken neck because they are even worse at backup qb than we are.

I counted 16-18 people in one of the club sections yesterday around the 3rd quarter. I'm assuming there is probably 50 seats in one of those sections.

I guess it must be bad enough being surrounded by those turds 24/7 normally - must be unbearable now. Hopefully somebody will break him sooner rather than later.

If I had that job, I'd suggest that we switch out the fellow seats with red ones.

I think they missed the boat when they redid the stadium there. All teams have this problem, but some are better at hiding it. Metlife Stadium has club level seating in the corners at the field level. It's perfect because you have seats if you want them, but you can also hang out in the bar and watch the game if that's your speed, or they have an outdoor patio where you can stand and watch.

I'd let "real" fans fill those seats but access to those seats is going to be the issue.

Club level seats are the easiest thing to get as long as you can afford it. Last year I had a booth in the "Green Room" and outdoor seats for the Jets/Chiefs game last year. This year we an entire suite for Broncos/Raiders on Thursday night. I was shocked how easy it is to buy club level seats at any stadium for any game.

The Chiefs problem is that their club section is a huge ass ring of yellow seats smack dab in the middle of the TV cameras.

At Metlife the bar was all inclusive which means people want to get their money's worth. Might be a factor in KC too.

The yellow does make a difference, no doubt. However, the upper level was half empty as well. You could see it plain as day.

When I went we had 2 tickets\passes, one for the seats and one for the suite.

We only stayed inside the suite because it was a better view, right on the 50. The suites have counter-tops by the windows where you can sit and watch the game.

I paid $800 for 3 tickets my first year as a season ticket holder. My last year we paid $3,300 for those 3 tickets. The final tickets were $10 above the price per game where we orginally sat. They os way above the rate of inflation. The average family looks at $3k and says we can go on a good vacation for that. We can remodel the kitchen, put money towards a vacation home whatever.

Club level seating is not tied to the suites. You may have suites that include club level seats, but its not like everyone with a club level seat has access to a suite.

What club level seats do have is 100% indoor concourse, carpeted, with leather furniture, fireplaces, bars, etc. And that concourse is where all the douchebags that buy club level seating hang out. It's like a busy nightclub. Football is secondary to the scene.

Funny considering Ive seen signs around town that say "every decibel counts", considering the front office greed has literally made it impossible for the stadium to maintain the previous sound level.

I don't think eleventy billion decibels would've been enough to help the Chiefs D get a stop yesterday. I also don't think crowd noise has that much effect in today's NFL anyway.

We have more people in the Club Level than the Raiders have at their game tonight at least.

My uncle had 4 seats front row, club level in the end zone from the early 80s until the renovation. I saw so many great games there. When they told him they were going to jack up his rates 4x, he said see ya. And he's pretty well off. ****ing greedy assholes.

Here's an idea: Sell the seats to people that actually want to be at the game. Sell the 'hallway nightclub bar' passes to the douches in the suites. I swear, the next time I'm in club level I'm going to walk out into the concourse and call all of those guys douchey rich one who sucks the peniss.

Look, I make a pretty good living for myself...but I don't go to Chiefs games to rub shoulders with the high society...I go to watch the game and cheer for the team I love. If you're not going to watch the game, then why not just go to the country club and take advantage of the TV's you bastards...it's the same thing.

Put me down for some Coka cola seats. Sounds like my kinda people.

Don't take your kids, I'll say that.

The most fun I ever had at Arrowhead was clear up in the nosebleeds in the corner endzone. Tons of drunks and fans of the other team up there, which made for a hilariously entertaining experience.

If I owned the team I'm pretty sure I'd sit up there in all but the coldest/rainiest games...

Drinking is baaad, mmmmmkay

What was yesterdays attendance?

I wasn't drinking, it was way more fun to watch everyone else that had been. :D

:D

You are welcome.

I would consider those seats if I had another person to sit and bitch about the game with. I don't like just hitting it up with strangers. Has to be one constant for me.

Yea equating the tickets sold to the people in the seats when it comes to club level is misleading. There are a lot of people who buy those tickets and "go" to the game but don't sit in there seats for a portion (for some people a large portion) of the game.

I have sat in club level a few times but never been in a suite in renovated Arrowhead. In defense of some of the club level I have found the people that are there and in their seats are not really the types that are not loud. The folks watching the game are not really the win and cheese types. Last time I was in that section was the Buffalo game a few years back and these guys sitting by us were banging loud on the tops of the scoreboards the whole time.

Many teams have done this. The Patriots' club level is embarrassingly empty most of the time. After halftime most of them stay inside to drink. When it gets cold, the section is constantly empty. It's the best viewing area in the stadium and no one sits there, while the diehard fans are in crap seats. Because the club seats are midfield and midheight the absence of screaming fans there means little homefield noise advantage. And I've seen it on TV when they air games from other teams. But the bottom line is, the owners don't give a shit. Kraft, Hunt, and the other owners doing this, all pocket shitloads of guaranteed corporate money. Whether those seats are empty, full of wine-and-cheesers, or full of rabid diehard fans, makes little difference to the owners' pockets. Just another nail in the coffin of live sports viewing. Between HDTV, multiple replay coverage, and climate-control, I have no need to leave my living room more than once a year for the "gameday assrape-my-income experience".

I prefer the wine and cheese crowd. Not as loud, less profantity used, more civilized. True Fans.

The "suites" crowd is generally every stereo type one would think.

The "club level seat" crowd generally gets a bad wrap that is sometimes earned but not always.

This.

The gold section is for the wine and cheesers. Most of them are just here for the party, and to pass out business cards and sniff each other's bottoms as a "networking opportunity." They could give a rat's ass about the game. That's just the way it is.

They should swap the yellow seats with red ones in the lower bowl, at least.

Maybe install some sort of mechanical pop-up seat back that resembles a torso and head.

Remember this - the lower level and upper level, the Chiefs have to split that ticket money with the visiting team. Its a 60/40 split. All the seats in the club level and suites, the Chiefs get to keep for themselves.

Yeah, I used to sit in club level. I think this is part of it. It seems like alot of businesses will buy a block of club lev seats and some gamedays they can't even get them filled, and if they do they are out in the heated lobby chumming it up watching the game on TV. It still is more sparse than other areas though.

The chiefs messed up my season ticket package two years ago and gave all 5 of us club passes for the entire season as compensation. It is the perfect setting for a fan, best view in the house. Also you can watch the Chiefs punt, run to the bathroom, get a drink and be back before the first defensive snap. I will say it is a pretty snobby class for the most part. 5 drunk college got some serious dirty looks from the crowd inside the club level by the bar/couches etc.

Gotta pay for cAssHole somehow ya know?