BAHA cannot be a private members'club

[andybaha]

I'm pretty new to North Stand Chat and I am enjoying it immensely. However I find there seems to be incredible competition among some contributors to be the Albion's 'best' fan, and an attitude of contempt towards those fans (if they deserve to call themselves fans) who aren't season ticket holders. I feel some STH resent the pay by game fans. In March this year I will have been attending Albion matches for 35 years. In all this time I have never been a STH. My attendance has varied from every home game in the late 70s to a period of about five years when work committments meant I only got to see the occassional evening game. Currently I attend the majority of home games with my 10 year old son. I have never stopped being a fan though.

Martin Perry is taking some stick for the balls up that was the ticket allocation for West Ham, but deep down the powers that be are breathing a big sigh of relief that thousands of people are still interested. Yes of course those people that show the committment to purchase a season ticket should have been rewarded for their loyalty. But without the thousands of floating fans many of whom don't attend matches on a regular basis, Falmer is going to be a massive white elephant. If we are still playing in Div 3 (in old money) or worse how many do you think will turn up to see Cheltenham on a cold, wet Saturday in December? My guess is not many more than would turn up at Withdean. If we are playing Southampton in the Championship in August the ground hopefully will be heaving and if we draw Man U in the cup, the game could be sold out several times over. What do you know? Football fans are fickle.

But the club need every single one of them, or every single one of us, I guess, as I'm not a STH. For Falmer to be a success Brighton & Hove Albion must stir the interest of the whole community it cannot prosper as a private members' club. The current 4,000 STH are going to have face up to the fact that hopefully they are going to greatly outnumbered at Falmer.

 

[Beach Hut]

I hope Falmer swells the ranks of STH but the problem is the club are really alienating their biggest pay master at present.

 

[cjd]

I'm pretty new to North Stand Chat and I am enjoying it immensely. However I find there seems to be incredible competition among some contributors to be the Albion's 'best' fan, and an attitude of contempt towards those fans (if they deserve to call themselves fans) who aren't season ticket holders. I feel some STH resent the pay by game fans. In March this year I will have been attending Albion matches for 35 years. In all this time I have never been a STH. My attendance has varied from every home game in the late 70s to a period of about five years when work committments meant I only got to see the occassional evening game. Currently I attend the majority of home games with my 10 year old son. I have never stopped being a fan though.

Martin Perry is taking some stick for the balls up that was the ticket allocation for West Ham, but deep down the powers that be are breathing a big sigh of relief that thousands of people are still interested. Yes of course those people that show the committment to purchase a season ticket should have been rewarded for their loyalty. But without the thousands of floating fans many of whom don't attend matches on a regular basis, Falmer is going to be a massive white elephant. If we are still playing in Div 3 (in old money) or worse how many do you think will turn up to see Cheltenham on a cold, wet Saturday in December? My guess is not many more than would turn up at Withdean. If we are playing Southampton in the Championship in August the ground hopefully will be heaving and if we draw Man U in the cup, the game could be sold out several times over. What do you know? Football fans are fickle.

But the club need every single one of them, or every single one of us, I guess, as I'm not a STH. For Falmer to be a success Brighton & Hove Albion must stir the interest of the whole community it cannot prosper as a private members' club. The current 4,000 STH are going to have face up to the fact that hopefully they are going to greatly outnumbered at Falmer.

Good post, and interesting points. I really, really, don,t believe that the vast majority of STH,s think people who don,t have season tickets are any different to them. I,m a STH, and I think I,m the same as any other regular supporter. Oh.....and I also hope 4,000 STH,s are outnumbered on a regular basis at Falmer.....would be fantastic.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Good post.

I'm a non season ticket holder like you, have attended 90% of games though (the ones i've missed i couldn't make)

I'm not a worse fan, i'm not a better fan. We're all in it together

Seagulls!

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

i am not a season ticket holder, but was up until 2 years ago, when my wifes health meant that i couldn't commit to every game.
i now go when her health permits me..

i think that the people who put money into the club when they dont even know what league they'll be playin in the following season, and subsequently keep the club going during the summer months are to be applauded AND given priority for away game tickets.

i may be shot down in a shower of shit, but that is my opinion and im entitled to it



so bollox

 

[Bry Nylon]

Welcome andybaha

Firstly, there is NO room for well constructed posts or arguments on here. Must do worse.

But since you have insisted on making one, I would just say that when we DO finally get Falmer I hope I shall have a season ticket. I would hope that by then I won't have to work every Saturday as I do now, and that I will have saved the 1000 Euros required.

All I will need to do then is decide which current STH to inflict myself on each fortnight, by selecting a seat next to theirs

 

[Bry Nylon]

i think that the people who put money into the club when they dont even know what league they'll be playin in the following season, and subsequently keep the club going during the summer months are to be applauded

Bry Nylon, NON STH

 

[Gully]

I have only had a season ticket for one season, think it was 94/95, in over 25 years of watching the Albion as it was the only time that I have lived close enough to make it worth having...that said I missed the last couple of months of the season due to being several thousand miles away. The only other times I have had a season ticket were for Hearts, whilst living in Edinburgh, I was given priority for tickets to important away games including the cup final and have to say that it was right and proper as I had paid up front for the season.

 

[andybaha]

I agree with you those people should be rewarded for their loyalty, including big away games.

Do you think 30,000 Albion fans at The Millenium Stadium for the Johnstone's Paint final would be a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[itszamora]

I hope Falmer swells the ranks of STH but the problem is the club are really alienating their biggest pay master at present.

Oh do shut your whining, it's really getting tedious. going on the last time I saw you, you need a haircut too. How exactly are the club alienating all season ticket holders? By saying other fans (heaven forbid) are also allowed to go to big away games? What senseless bastards!

And no, for the record, I did not go to West Ham. I did however go to Bournemouth the previous week, and Carlisle in the special Withdean atmosphere a few days prior to that.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

I agree with you those people should be rewarded for their loyalty, including big away games.

Do you think 30,000 Albion fans at The Millenium Stadium for the Johnstone's Paint final would be a good thing or a bad thing?

OF COURSE IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING

many people dont buy a season ticket for many different reasons, and that doesn't make them worse fans.

however......STH should get priority for tickets for away games IMHO


anyhoo.............this ones been done to death

 

[Beach Hut]

Oh do shut your whining, it's really getting tedious. going on the last time I saw you, you need a haircut too. How exactly are the club alienating all season ticket holders? By saying other fans (heaven forbid) are also allowed to go to big away games? What senseless bastards!

And no, for the record, I did not go to West Ham. I did however go to Bournemouth the previous week, and Carlisle in the special Withdean atmosphere a few days prior to that.

It is a basic business that you reward your most loyal customers.

If you ignore that then you may well go out of business.

Samparish - don't lecture me, understand what business is about.

 

[cjd]

I agree with you those people should be rewarded for their loyalty, including big away games.

Do you think 30,000 Albion fans at The Millenium Stadium for the Johnstone's Paint final would be a good thing or a bad thing?

STOP......STOP THIS NOW...!!

One sensible post is just about ok.......but TWO is bordering on INSANITY...!

yes.......30,000 fans would be great.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

It is a basic business that you reward your most loyal customers.

If you ignore that then you may well go out of business.

GD....NON season ticket holder

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Oh do shut your whining, it's really getting tedious. going on the last time I saw you, you need a haircut too.

 

[Beach Hut]

Clearly another person who has no concept of business.

 

[Stevegull]

Clearly another person who has no concept of business.

I understand your point of customer loyalty. However, for what reason should the club be more loyal to a season ticket holders than a fan that attend a large percentage (90%+) of home games and lets say 30% of away games? Forgetting that no money for away games goes to the club for a minute and thinking more of the moral support offered to the players.

 

[andybaha]

Contributors to this seem to be falling into two categories with their opinions

1)STH are heroes, non STH don't deserve anything
or
2)STH are self righteous

Kind of backing up the point I was making in the first place.

The business aspect of this is surely striking a balance. STH need to be kept happy, otherwise who pays the wages this summer. But alienate all the other potential fans and Falmer cannot work on crowds of 4,000.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

If you have a winning team all the fairweather fans will come back in droves. You need a backbone of season tickets, but there is not enough of them alone to sustain the cash flow income required. Therefore you need both STH and pay per view.

The whole superfan debate is completely pointless except to massage a few superegos...

As for West Ham 3rd round of FAC.... they are hardly big team stuff and it wasn't that big a game. They will probably be playing in the Championship next season (or if not they will only just avoid it). Chelsea, Man Utd , or Arsenal 6th round onwards would be. If you want a day out at a "big" club you have to think big. Even if we had won (look... flying pig) we would have had an exciting day v Watford We have no chance of winning the FAC in the foreseeable future and at least a reasonably dignified exit avoids all the patronising media little club's own cup final claptrap.

Priority 1 - don't get relegated
Priority 2 - ensure safety in League 1
Priority 3 - challenge for promotion back to Championship
(with luck all three in same season)

FAC - nice day out for those concerned but not important in long run. 1983 was the start of a long downhill road from top flight to bottom of league and only halfway back.

 

[Stevegull]

I do not subscribe to the myth that season ticket holders soley keep the club afloat during summer.

If the majority of season ticket holders decided to renew just before the season started would the club fold during June/July?

Of course it wouldn't, i am sure that some bright spark within the organisation would have taken into consideration that druring the months of August and May some cash should be set aside for payments that need to be made during the close season.

Its called budgeting init