In a World Cup that has fleeced fans, one stadium stands apart
ATLANTA – You can’t even blame Fifa for this one. The prices of food and drink at World Cup stadiums, particularly when it comes to beer, are outrageous. There is no uniform pricing standard. Stadiums are allowed to charge as they please.
This is nothing new. Anyone who has paid £7 for a pint of tepid Carling in an English football ground knows that. There is no competition and supporters are a captive audience in a confined area without outside regulation. So prices go high and stay there.
To some extent, I don’t blame the owners of these stadiums. Concessions are their way to generate revenue. The ticket money isn’t theirs and hosting matches is expensive. But it squeezes supporters who have been the repeated butt of every joke at this World Cup.
But one stadium, in one city, is fighting back against the tide of greed and price-hiking. Not only that, it always has. When England supporters walk into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday late morning, they will see concession prices that may appear like a hallucination.
Why is Atlanta different?
In 2017, when the Mercedes-Benz Arena opened, its owners decided to keep prices of food and drink for supporters as low as possible. A year later, those prices were reduced further. In 2019, further still.
The strategy is one of “fan-first”, a determination to treat people with respect and pay supporters back for their loyalty and purchase of match and season tickets. It applies to any host team within the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
There is another policy that plays well with fans. When a restaurant chain wants to run a concession stand within the stadium, they are restricted by an agreement that they will only be allowed to charge the same prices as in their regular branches. No upselling or manu hiking is allowed.
“If someone takes good care of you at a restaurant or a hotel, then that human experience then extrapolates to your feeling of the rest of their customer experience, or the quality of the venue, or how their operations are run,” Tim Zulawski tells The i Paper.
Zulawski is the President of AMBSE – the parent organisation that manages The Blank Family of Businesses’ sports and venue portfolio. It includes the stadium as well as the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United
“There will be extrapolations that people will draw upon themselves because ultimately they were listened and responded to. They weren’t treated as a captive audience. They were treated fairly. They were ultimately valued, and that just gives them a really positive feeling.”
And here’s the thing. AMBSE realised that average spending per fan actually increased after price reductions. A two-way street of loyalty was created. You can see how it happens. If prices are low, you are more likely to buy than not. If you believe that your sports team is not treating you like a customer, you are more likely to be generous with your custom.
The World Cup window
The World Cup evidently afforded AMBSE an opportunity to be different. With 16 stadiums across three countries all responsible for their own pricing and with the captive audience principle even stronger, it would have been forgivable for Atlanta to step into line with the rest.
But there was a precedent. In 2019, Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted the Super Bowl. Before the game, there were viral stories about the $2 (£1.51) hotdog. The decision had been made not to charge even an extra dime from regular matches. Doing so would dilute the fan-first principle. Those in charge didn’t want that.
The same happened ahead of this summer’s World Cup. AMBSE knew that other stadiums in other cities would be doing their thing. In Atlanta, they thought differently again. Hosting the biggest tournament in the world makes it more important to demonstrate what you believe in, not less.
“It is a non-negotiable for any event that we would host at Mercedes Benz Stadium, including FIFA World Cups,” says Zulawski. “We aspire to host the 2031 Women’s FIFA World Cup and the rules will still apply. That’s as strong as we can be on anything: the food and beverage programme pricing, and how we deliver for the fans coming through our doors, epitomises the term non-negotiable for us.”
Some relief for England fans
This is all excellent news for England supporters on Wednesday. A lunchtime kick-off may make the beers flow a little less quickly than normal, but the price of stadium food is also far cheaper than they have experienced before in the US.
A beer will cost $5 (£3.77), A hotdog is available for $2 (£1.51). A soft drink is the same price and all of the soda machines are fan-facing, which means that your £1.51 also gets you free refills. We have become so used to being fleeced that it feels like there must be a catch.
After an expensive fortnight, that is being gratefully appreciated. I spoke to multiple supporters this week who were not aware of Atlanta’s uniqueness and were greatly cheered by the prospect. It is a small gesture, a modicum of decency in a World Cup defined by its gouging of football supporters. But small gestures matter.
“There have been plenty of pricing surprises at this World Cup,” says Dan, who is part of England’s most loyal band of supporters. “All of them have been adverse surprises: $98 (£68) train fare from Penn to Meadowlands is a good example.
“So it’ll be genuinely refreshing to experience a venue which appears to be putting the supporters first. I’m really looking forward to Atlanta, and a venue where the prices are entirely reasonable.”
In a sport, and at a tournament, where the headlines on prices have been universally negative, this deserves calling out in a positive way. The hope, those in power here say, is that other stadiums and sporting organisations will follow their lead. This shouldn’t be the exception.
“Our vision for Mercedes-Benz Stadium is to be a catalyst to make Atlanta and Georgia better tomorrow than it is today,” Zulawski says.
“We want bring the best events from around the world here, and we’re doing that right now. You listen and respond to those you serve, and we serve associates, we serve promoters, we serve teams, we serve leagues, and most importantly, we serve the fans.”
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/nf4POLI