NFL

Jets hold focus group: Fans slam team over PSLs and Vick

Jets fans have some complaints, and they let the team’s management know at a focus group last month in Manhattan.

The Jets hired Luntz Global to conduct a focus group with 22 current and former season-ticket holders and heard from unhappy fans about everything from MetLife Stadium to the team not signing cornerback Darrelle Revis when he was available, according to one of the attendees.

“Most of the people don’t like the new stadium and certainly are not satisfied with the direction the team is going,” said the attendee, who is a former season-ticket holder.

Famed pollster Frank Luntz conducted the session on March 13, and the group of 21 men and one woman gathered to share their experiences as Jets fans with members of team management, including president Neil Glat, watching from behind one-way glass. After the two-hour formal session, Glat and other Jets executives met with the group.

Glat told The Post the focus group was just part of the team’s regular effort to gather information from fans and not precipitated by any worry about ticket sales. This was the first time the team used Luntz to conduct a focus group.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time,” Glat said. “It is an opportunity for us to ask what else should we be doing. I would assume the majority of NFL clubs are doing this kind of research. I don’t think there’s anything that generated it. It’s not out of concern. It’s about getting ahead of things.”

 

Jets owner Woody JohnsonChad Rachman

The Jets heard from some unhappy customers. Not surprisingly, personal seat licenses (PSLs) continue to be a sore point.

“One issue that came out loud and clear is that the PSL holders are very dissatisfied,” the attendee said. “They feel trapped. They are going for less than half of what they paid for them on the open market.”

Much of the session was spent on the team’s image. The group was asked whether they believe owner Woody Johnson truly wants to win or is more concerned about making money.

The gameday experience was also a big topic.

“Pretty much everyone said it’s going downhill,” the attendee said.

The fans were not asked specifically about personnel moves, but they brought them up. The attendee said the fans were overwhelmingly against signing quarterback Michael Vick, a move the team made eight days later.

“Somebody brought it up and said don’t touch that guy,” the attendee said. “We just spent 10 minutes talking about branding and the team’s image, and then they are going to sign that guy?”

One person even brought up the Giants owners as an example of why the Jets should not touch Vick.

“Do you think the Maras would bring people in like Vick?” the fan asked Jets management.

 

Fans weren’t happy with the team signing Michael Vick.AP/Jets on Twitter

The fan said it was disheartening to see the team sign Vick the week after hearing directly from fans that they were against it.

“I was annoyed that you brought us in the focus group and 90 percent of the people told you that it wasn’t a good move, and then you did it anyway,” he said.

Glat said the focus group was not meant to gather fan opinion on roster moves.

“It was not designed to talk about personnel,” Glat said. “It’s about the stadium experience and what we can do year round.”

Fans also were unhappy with general manager John Idzik. The session was conducted a day after Revis signed with the Patriots, so the wound was still fresh. Some of the fans criticized Idzik’s slow start to free agency.

Head coach Rex Ryan received favorable reviews, the attendee said, but fans emphasized they did not want him making Super Bowl predictions.

The Jets clearly are thinking of introducing variable pricing. This is when teams place different prices on different games — for example, preseason games may cost $50 but a game against the Patriots or Broncos might cost $150. This is something several teams have employed this year. The group was asked if they thought it would be fan friendly. It would not affect the overall cost of season tickets but could help fans sell tickets on the secondary market and would encourage single-game ticket sales.