Basically repeating he said at the state of play. But certainly emphasising he is targeting the supporters less able to pay higher prices in favour for richer ones. Actually I don't think that's the intent, but he is certainly saying jester (like me) will have to pay more.
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To all our Supporters,
Today (12pm) marks the launch of our 2022/23 Season Ticket Membership programme and while we enter a crucial stage of the current season, trying to retain our Double English Champions crowns, this is a moment when we look to the future. These are exciting times to be a Harlequins supporter and you will shortly receive details via email and in the post over the coming days of what you can look forward to as a renewing Season Ticket Member.
Firstly let me reflect on the last two years that have perhaps been the toughest of the Club’s 156-year history. Most of our key sources of income have been severely impacted. With games behind closed doors, no conferencing and events bookings, reduced RFU and PRL financial support, we were forced to make strategic decisions for the survival of the Club. We were required to make redundancies and notably the majority of staff and players at the Club took 25% pay cuts for over a year. An incredible 3,000+ Members also supported the Club with donations and deferred payments, for which we will be forever grateful. We have recently announced details of our exclusive “Thank You” event for donators on 31 August and will create our lasting recognition at The Stoop as well as.
On the pitch we have achieved remarkable results. Both the Men’s and Women’s teams rediscovered our traditional playing DNA – being true to ourselves and playing the Quins Way. Last summer delivered two of the greatest stories this sport has ever seen -the crowning of our teams as the Double English Champions. Our only regret is that more of you could not celebrate with us in person. We are delighted to have secured most of our key players and coaches on long-term contracts despite the challenge of a salary cap reduction and huge external interest in many of our stars. The future looks incredibly exciting!
Today we find ourselves in a moment of vital transition. On one hand, our Club could hardly be stronger; record results across ticket sales (all Premiership matches sold out), Season Ticket Membership, commercial partnership revenue and a strong conferencing and events and hospitality business. We are now investing in The Stoop facilities to improve our supporters’ experiences with new bars, toilets, kitchens, speakers and screens to name just a few elements.
Our attendee surveys show record results. Our Community and Foundation teams are also delivering record results and truly inspiring our community. We have a brilliant Academy that is regularly producing high quality talent to our 1st XV while our Under 18s team lost just twice in seven matches this season. The future looks reassuringly bright. We are playing exciting rugby and have the brightest stars who are the future of our national teams, delivering weekly on the highest stage. We have, in short, all the ingredients for sustained long-term success. We are stretching ourselves to the limit to grow the Club and its supporter base in order to deliver a sustainable financial model.
On the other hand, we find ourselves in a hugely challenging financial situation that is not sustainable. Over the last five years, we have made losses of more than £15 million. In the current season alone, despite most areas of the Club delivering record results, we anticipate that we will lose over £3 million and must look to our owners to fund these losses again. We’ve had to accept millions of pounds of government funding to ensure the Club’s long-term security, which has a payback plan over the next 10 years. This will take us years to recover from.
Making such losses cannot continue. Although we turn over every stone across the Club to find ways to break even, we must address the fact that for the last few years, we have had an imbalanced ticketing model within the Club – a critical income stream of our business.
Since 2015 season ticket prices have risen by an average of inflation across most seats. We froze prices for three seasons through COVID-19, delaying the required increases that we felt were necessary. We currently have some of the least expensive tickets in the Premiership and across London’s sport and entertainment venues. Additionally, our membership discounts on match tickets are currently the steepest of any of our rivals – as an example in the current season, a renewing Jester Member pays on average £17 per match, meaning at the moment they are paying for the equivalent of only seven match tickets in the same seat. For Touchline members it is just nine matches and Club just ten.
This pricing model does not represent fair value for all parties, and it is not sustainable. Our new pricing structure is not designed to maximise profit but rather to bring us back in line with our competitors and other London sports and entertainment venues, and to create pricing equality for the supporters and Club alike. We plan to adjust to the right price model over two years, with the majority of the uplift of the increase in 2022/23.
We know that price increases are not what supporters want, especially when the cost of many everyday goods is increasing. But I ask you to consider two things:
These changes are fully reflective of our on-field and off-field product. They will only act as one contribution to making us financially sustainable. The Club’s owners will still need to contribute significantly to sustain our Club. We will still need to be unconventional in our innovation, delivering new events and opportunities like Big Summer Kick-Off. I believe our journey to break even will take us more than three years to achieve even if we continue to operate with extreme efficiency and our performances on and off the pitch remain consistent.
The Season Ticket package for 2022/23 includes substantially enhanced facilities at The Stoop, Champions Cup rugby matches, two Premiership matches at Twickenham Stadium and all Women’s and Men’s home Premiership matches played at The Stoop. These are guaranteed seats to watch arguably two of the most exciting teams in world rugby and great value for teams consistently delivering gripping sporting entertainment. The statistics around our attacking play within our Membership booklet are compelling.
It is important through this Membership pack that we explain clearly the commercial position faced by the Club and how we are working together to operate sustainably. We thank you for your past loyalty and hope you will stay with us as we make these essential changes. I can assure you that we have thought long and hard about the value of a Harlequins membership and, while we fully understand that the price increases are higher compared to previous seasons, we are convinced this is the right approach and just one key piece of a wider challenge to secure the long-term success of our Club.
Finally, thank you all for your amazing and unstinting support through these hard times, whether you’ve held a Membership a year or for 30 years. Although tough, these have been exciting times. We have clear plans in place, we have the right support teams, and we have a very special group of players and coaches determined to succeed. We also have you, the most amazing and loyal supporters, cheering us every step of the way – a fact that we do not take for granted, ever! This is an incredible time to be a Harlequins Season Ticket Member. We hope you will stay with us on our journey to consistently win silverware and achieve our vision of being ‘the most admired club in Europe’.
Your support is the bedrock of our great Club.
#COYQ
Laurie Dalrymple, Chief Executive Officer, Harlequins
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