People say they would go to watch Stanley if the prices were reduced, but would they? Last season against Torquay -Free admission -Official attendance 4005. I know there were the usual Stanley cock-ups which meant some people (including some season ticket holders) couldn't get in. I know some people were highly sceptical about the reported gate, but similar things happen most weeks.
That's a 100% reduction in ticket prices generating a 77% increase on last years average gate of 2260 (
ANDYS STATS.CO.UK - Attendance stats). I suspect that, of those 77%, the vast majority wouldn't have gone had it been a tenner (a 30% reduction). Without wishing to flaunt my economics 'A' level, that points to an inelastic demand. Put simply, the extra punters generated don't make up for the loss in revenue from the existing ones. It's the mirror image of the reason governments can screw smokers and drinkers every budget, not enough give up, or reduce their intake, to cancel out the tax hike.
Eric has a little bit of scope around the margins, to let in groups who wouldn't normally be seen dead at Stanley games, in the hope they'll catch the bug or, at least, spend a few bob in the bar, but he has no chance of increasing total gate receipts by offering "across the board" reductions. Apart from everything else it would cause a riot among those of us who have forked out for season tickets if he to cut match day prices in mid season.
In the short term Coley has to produce in a winning team, playing good football and Eric will see a modest increase in attendances.
In the long term the club has to concentrate on getting the kids into the habit of going. Swamp the schools with free tickets, get the players involved coaching in local schools, stop having meetings about meetings about involving the community in the club and actually do something for a change!
That way, in ten or twenty years time we might, just might, have a generation of adults paying to watch Accrington Stanley rather than going to watch Rovers, Burnley, Man Utd, etc., etc.