I have decided NOT to renew. Here's why:

[superstar1976]

1) I feel gouged not only with the season ticket prices, but also with the prices of the game day experience just to simply have a drink or eat (yes I know, the alternative is eat before you come)

2) On-field product. Poor, has been for 4 years, and given who the ownership is I'm not sure if they are capable of making it better than average.

3) Respect. As an SSH, I don't feel respected by ML$E and if you compare the SSH packages across the league, you will see that we are being screwed royally. I guess this ties in to point #1, because I'm talking in terms of cost.

4) Transportation. We are on the freakin go-line and get 20k at each game, is that not worth having a dedicated train right after the game????

5) Waiting list. I think the waiting list is a farce and I think it will be proven this coming season. I know 4 people who are not renewing their seasons either, and I see the sentiment is growing including recent articles in the paper feeding off this.

6) Accessibility of tickets. It will be easy, why committ to the entire season when scalpers were giving away tickets last year? Evidenced by the many games with the place half to 3/4 full, interest is fading likely because of the price for the quality product (cheaper to see Man United, how is this possible???)

I will still be a fan, just not a season ticket holder, unless my rep pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

[Oblio2]

I think you are going to get a lot of comments, mostly derisory...but I for one applaud you.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

yawn.
not sure what youre expecting your rept to do.
They dont set the prices etc.

[Roogsy]

These seem to be legitimate reasons not to renew. It's a personal choice for everyone. Nobody should give you grief about how you spend your own money.

[Fort York Redcoat]

I like this thread. The excuse/reason thread. All who want to justify why they're not renewing are home. I don't feel the need to deride you or come back this thread again. Enjoy.

[JonO]

I agree with 1-3 and 5-6. I have decided to give them a year or two more to get their act together. However, I am splitting with a friend, so they lost 2 season seats as a result.

With respect to #4, I don't know what MLSE can do to get a GO train scheduled. Not sure there's much possible

[Oldtimer]

It's your choice. Only you can make it.

[Nodoubtguy]

do we need an individual thread for everyone who doesn't renew to justify it?

[Oldtimer]

do we need an individual thread for everyone who doesn't renew to justify it?

I checked. This is actually the first thread just on the subject of renewing.

Anyone who wants to give their reasons for not renewing, place them in this thread!

[woolly]

I'm not renewing...

Pretty much agree with everything that was posted originally, plus business travel means that I'll now be away for a significant number of the mid-week games, so it's just not worth the hassle.

[Bluenose13]

do we need an individual thread for everyone who doesn't renew to justify it?

Agreed......Let's keep the moaning to one thread & merge it all in here.

[flatpicker]

You gotta do what you feel is right... so I understand your decision.

Yes, being a TFC fan is much more expensive than many other MLS markets.
Like it or not, Anselmi's comment about "supply and demand" is bang on.
Sport is a business and, more often than not, is run with financial gains as a prime motivator.

Other MLS clubs that have decent support and attendance may not have the same success if they charged close to what TFC does. So I am guessing that those teams also consider the "supply and demand" viewpoint. But because we here in Toronto continue to pay the asking price, this is what we get. The major difference though is that other clubs don't seem to test the fans patience (and wallets) the way TFC does, and that is why the recent events and protests occurred.

So, we can be jealous of a team like Seattle,
But I'm sure the club would charge Sounders fans more if they knew that 36,000 would still show up.

It's about balance... other teams have it, and Toronto tipped the scales and is now trying to steady itself once again.
But expecting fans across the league to all pay the same is unreasonable from a business point of view.

I wish it were otherwise.

[Parkdale]

and this one does present listed points, which is WAY better than just the simple "fuck those guys" posts.

[arbogast]

1) I feel gouged not only with the season ticket prices, but also with the prices of the game day experience just to simply have a drink or eat (yes I know, the alternative is eat before you come)

2) On-field product. Poor, has been for 4 years, and given who the ownership is I'm not sure if they are capable of making it better than average.

3) Respect. As an SSH, I don't feel respected by ML$E and if you compare the SSH packages across the league, you will see that we are being screwed royally. I guess this ties in to point #1, because I'm talking in terms of cost.

4) Transportation. We are on the freakin go-line and get 20k at each game, is that not worth having a dedicated train right after the game????

5) Waiting list. I think the waiting list is a farce and I think it will be proven this coming season. I know 4 people who are not renewing their seasons either, and I see the sentiment is growing including recent articles in the paper feeding off this.

6) Accessibility of tickets. It will be easy, why committ to the entire season when scalpers were giving away tickets last year? Evidenced by the many games with the place half to 3/4 full, interest is fading likely because of the price for the quality product (cheaper to see Man United, how is this possible???)

I will still be a fan, just not a season ticket holder, unless my rep pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

I respect your choice to not renew, as it is your personal decision about how you spend your cash. However, I hilited a complaint I've heard a lot lately and that's the problem with the Go Train schedule. I'm sorry but if someone chooses to live in the burbs or the sticks, then you live and die by the Go Train or Gardiner traffic. Don't complain. You made the choice of where you live.

[james]

i agree pretty much with everything he said. THe one that gets me quite mad is we do spend more money on tickets then i think any other team in MLS yet we havent even made the playoffs or have a stadium as nice as some of the other teams such as NY or LA.

The only thing that can be a bit mis leading is the part that says TFC cost more then Man U games. Well thats true and not true, in the way that there cheapest tickets i think are twice as high as are cheapest tickets however are exspensive tickets are more then Man U exspensive tickets. None the less all of our tickets should be less then Man U games thats for sure i mean look at the difference in quality on the field.

[james]

I respect your choice to not renew, as it is your personal decision about how you spend your cash. However, I hilited a complaint I've heard a lot lately and that's the problem with the Go Train schedule. I'm sorry but if someone chooses to live in the burbs or the sticks, then you live and die by the Go Train or Gardiner traffic. Don't complain. You made the choice of where you live.

in terms of GO train i wouldnt go complaining to TFC about that. I take the GO train and its just brutal the fact that the train comes once an hour at any part of the day let alone when big events go on. Its laughable that the train from Mississauga a city of 700,000 people goes to Toronto a city of 2.5 million once an hour??? its a freaking joke. Or the fact that arent even reguler trains from downtown Hamilton to downtown Toronto?? just kills me when i think about it. Being in England at the moment i realized what a joke that is on how bad are transit is. But thats life living in the GTA....however i wouldnt get rid of my tickets for the transit. Its more the costs and how shit are team has been and how MLSE has treated us.

[Roogsy]

^ Yeah, except that is not a TFC issue, that is a municipal infrastructure issue. My decision to renew or not renew will never be based on whether we have a good transit system.

[Parkdale]

GO train issue

take the early train, come to joe's for a beer. After the game come to Joe's for another beer, then catch the later train. Problem solved!

[Carts]

GO train issue

take the early train, come to joe's for a beer. After the game come to Joe's for another beer, then catch the later train. Problem solved!

Beer really does fix everything...!!!

I lived in Pickering for seasons 1 & 2... Yes, the GO Train definitely makes you schedule your day around it, and can add time to your day if you want to avoid huge crowds, or missing action...

What you should do is complain to GO Transit, and tell them all the money they're missing out on not adding an extra train, each way on match days - CC the Ontario Government on that, and tell them flat out that you and 100's of others drive b/c there isn't an extra train around match times...

Carts...

[Section 117]

To everyone that has been here from day one and is non renewing...

You will be missed

[Gixmo]

^^^ Thanks

What I don't understand, is why those who feel the need to renew (As a personal choice) feel the need to bash those who don't renew... If you think it's a stupid decision, then keep it to yourself.

It's not the moaning/complain/excuse thread.... Grow up, Bluenose has his own thread. If you don't feel the need to deride us, or come back to the thread - What are you doing here in the first place..?

I didn't renew, as another $600 in my tickets is not justified with a wedding in a few months and a 6 hour commute every fawkin gameday.. Am I bad supporter? Or am I economically conscious..

[H Bomb]

^^ You'er crazy for getting married, even if she's awesome !!!

good luck to everyone not coming back...if i know you, i hope to see you down there whenever you can. In the end it's about football and people, and lets hope those things arent lost. Later days.

[Chevy]

do we need an individual thread for everyone who doesn't renew to justify it?

+1.

It seems that every "non-renewer" spends more time on these boards than the folks coming back for next season.

OK, so you didn't renew. Good for you. I respect your decision. Now get on with your life.

[Jeffro]

^^^ Thanks

What I don't understand, is why those who feel the need to renew (As a personal choice) feel the need to bash those who don't renew... If you think it's a stupid decision, then keep it to yourself.

It's not the moaning/complain/excuse thread.... Grow up, Bluenose has his own thread. If you don't feel the need to deride us, or come back to the thread - What are you doing here in the first place..?

I didn't renew, as another $600 in my tickets is not justified with a wedding in a few months and a 6 hour commute every fawkin gameday.. Am I bad supporter? Or am I economically conscious..

Please quote one comment that derides anyone for not renewing.

For the bolded part, why are you justifying to a message board your personal financial decisions? Nobody is saying you're a bad supporter.

[BFin]

Please quote one comment that derides anyone for not renewing.

For the bolded part, why are you justifying to a message board your personal financial decisions? Nobody is saying you're a bad supporter.

No, that was saved for me a week ago. lol

[ochos]

Love this post. It's disheartening as a hardcore fan to know that we'll be losing many of our brethren, but ultimately I hope it forces MLSE to consider several things:

- tickets outside of the south end are overpriced

- they've delivered a crap product for years. The SG's made this team/atmosphere what it is

- MLSE and the FO will have to work extremely hard to win back fans, and frankly they should. They owe us their jobs

[mclaren]

1) I feel gouged not only with the season ticket prices, but also with the prices of the game day experience just to simply have a drink or eat (yes I know, the alternative is eat before you come)

2) On-field product. Poor, has been for 4 years, and given who the ownership is I'm not sure if they are capable of making it better than average.

3) Respect. As an SSH, I don't feel respected by ML$E and if you compare the SSH packages across the league, you will see that we are being screwed royally. I guess this ties in to point #1, because I'm talking in terms of cost.

4) Transportation. We are on the freakin go-line and get 20k at each game, is that not worth having a dedicated train right after the game????

5) Waiting list. I think the waiting list is a farce and I think it will be proven this coming season. I know 4 people who are not renewing their seasons either, and I see the sentiment is growing including recent articles in the paper feeding off this.

6) Accessibility of tickets. It will be easy, why committ to the entire season when scalpers were giving away tickets last year? Evidenced by the many games with the place half to 3/4 full, interest is fading likely because of the price for the quality product (cheaper to see Man United, how is this possible???)

I will still be a fan, just not a season ticket holder, unless my rep pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

I am not renewing for many of the same reasons.

[mclaren]

To everyone that has been here from day one and is non renewing...

You will be missed

thank you sir - I will be back for games here and there and maybe for another season in the future if MLSE starts to respect its fanbase.

[T0R0NT0 FC]

I'm not renewing. When people are giving away tickets for games, why would I give MLSE all my money up front? I'll just pick up a match here and there as I want, there are always plenty of tickets available.

[Jeffro]

No, that was saved for me a week ago. lol

Meh, looked that up.... you're going to be upset because someone else defines "support" differently than you? It clearly hurt your feelings if you're still talking about it now. What if we just say there are different ways to support, feel better?