steeltalk.co.uk

ok so its getting to that time of year when we start making our minds up on next years season tickets...
Now I am only speaking for myself here... but in years gone by this hasn't even been a decision I had to put any serious thought into.. but increasingly I am being forced into second guessing how I continue to watch the Sheffield Steelers.. and whether I can commit to another year as a season ticket holder!

I find myself making a pros and cons list and this year many more things seem to be creeping onto the cons side of my list: this worries me that the pros are now being outweighed by the cons, and I am fighting the inevitable conclusions... after 35years!

Pros:

• Love live Hockey

• Love the Sheffield Steelers

• Love the social side to the game nights with friends and family

• Hate weekend TV nights at home

Cons:

Being priced out of hockey

• Price of season tickets

• Car parking price rise (season Ticket)

• My kids now are adult price tickets x2

• Extortionate prices for poor quality food

• • Poor quality of food on sale
  • Security strictness regarding taking in food items
  • Ridiculously loud and painful PA system
  • Barking style of announcer
  General insistence on the match night being regarded as a kids show
  • Stale match night entertainment
  • Repetitive same old music
  • Pantomime atmosphere
  • Not my preferred style of hockey anymore
  • Poor quality hockey in general
  Honestly I would love your input on this and for someone to make me see i am over thinking this....

I can imagine it's a tough decision.

Perhaps a half way house would be not to get a season ticket, but pick and choose your live games and for those evenings with the rubbish weekend tv, tune into a stream or two?

Personally I've gone to 100% watching streams and pick and choosing those. Food and drink is better, I still watch it with my folks and aren't getting shouted at, at 100 db! If there was a 50/50 ticket online, I'd be having a go on that as well lol. In fact, if there was a season ticket for the streams, I might be tempted.

Yes, you will miss the social side 100%, but you'll surprised how easily you adjust to the pick and choosing of live games mixed with streams to avoid the tripe on evening TV lol.

For me, the hockey and match night experience is poor and not value for money anymore.

For me, I will most likely renew, I looked back before posting and it looks like I've held a ST for the past 18 years, prior to that it was on a game by game basis back to the early days with some years missing completely because of having young kids.

Back then the crowds were half what they are today so getting a decent seat was easy.
Now unfortunately, it is not, this is probably my main reason for renewing, to ensure I have the seat I want when I want.
Occasionally having to turf people out of my ST seat as some seem to think its a free for all.

So for me its a habit and the convenience of having a guaranteed seat.
I agree with all of Jayboys points, and I don't enjoy it as much as I used to.
I would say on any night 25/30% of the people in the arena couldn't care less what's happening on the ice.

Might not be a popular comment but I really miss the Ice Sheffield games, all hockey, no circus.
I've been to a few Steeldogs games but its nowhere near the level of the EIHL.

So it looks like another year stuck with the circus, maybe they will throw in a pair of ear defenders as a season ticket holders perk, I wont hold my breath.

I'm not a season ticket holder but that's more due to other circumstances rather than cost/value for money. Currently though I very rarely miss a webcast home or away, and if other circumstances change I'll probably be seriously considering one.

I don't have kids though to worry about though

What I would say, is that when I do get to go to games, the food is much better generally than in the past - I'm veggie so can't comment on meaty version but that veg chilli and chips for £6 is not bad at all - cheaper and far nicer than McDonald's etc.

The show/game night experience etc hasn't bothered me since I was about 12, so doesn't really come in to it for me - I'm there to watch hockey.
If you gave me the choice of being there or watching from my laptop, I'd take being there every time though

Jayboy wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 09, 2026 10:30 pm

ok so its getting to that time of year when we start making our minds up on next years season tickets...
Now I am only speaking for myself here... but in years gone by this hasn't even been a decision I had to put any serious thought into.. but increasingly I am being forced into second guessing how I continue to watch the Sheffield Steelers.. and whether I can commit to another year as a season ticket holder!

I find myself making a pros and cons list and this year many more things seem to be creeping onto the cons side of my list: this worries me that the pros are now being outweighed by the cons, and I am fighting the inevitable conclusions... after 35years!

Pros:

• Love live Hockey

• Love the Sheffield Steelers

• Love the social side to the game nights with friends and family

• Hate weekend TV nights at home

Cons:

Being priced out of hockey

• Price of season tickets

• Car parking price rise (season Ticket)

• My kids now are adult price tickets x2

• Extortionate prices for poor quality food

• • Poor quality of food on sale
  • Security strictness regarding taking in food items
  • Ridiculously loud and painful PA system
  • Barking style of announcer
  General insistence on the match night being regarded as a kids show
  • Stale match night entertainment
  • Repetitive same old music
  • Pantomime atmosphere
  • Not my preferred style of hockey anymore
  • Poor quality hockey in general
  Honestly I would love your input on this and for someone to make me see i am over thinking this....

Im with you on all the pros ,,,,, main negative for me is the overall standard of the league and the style it is now played in,,,, it all seems a bit flat and characterless now But ive always been an old school hockey fan,,,,, there only seems to be a couple of teams i look forward to us playing now. But every year i debate whether to renew or not and i always do renew but that decision is definitely getting tougher each season,,,

I don't think you have been over thinking it , I do the same in my head every year.
The cons list has grown longer especially over the last two years to the point I am having a serious think this year about renewing.
Like yourself I love watching live games and have supported the Steelers since year one but I now find it more difficult to get much enjoyment from the games.
The hockey on the whole has become more sterile with teams blanking each other out and with fewer characters to spike the interest.
No amount of volume or being shouted at will create a better atmosphere all it does is prevent any conversation with those around you, and as it appears no one is likely to do anything about it I think this alone will make my mind up as to what to do.
As a family we have liked a season ticket so we can sit with our friends and enjoy their company but as soon as an extra game comes along the system will not allow us to book our seats because it leaves an empty seat on the end of the row, again this is a known problem but nothing has been done about it.
There is also the slight problem of committing to the ST before we know how much the car parking is going to be. I was lucky last year to get one of the cheaper yearly passes but I doubt that will happen again. Unfortunately we cannot park any distance from the Arena as we need a disabled parking space.
I will still support the Steelers but I think it will be from my sofa watching the stream.