How many loyalty points do you have?

[Crouch End Seagull]

The last 35 years do not count though. The only 'previous' is whether you had a season ticket at Withdean. Fresh start and all that. I think it's reasonably fair. And those that go week in week out will soon pull clear of those that do not.

If I went to every away game next season I'd have 220 points, that puts me in front of nobody. What's the point? It's just a scheme to make STH's feel as if they're getting some extra privilige for paying up front. Loyalty? All those people who have just bought their first season ticket and didn't even know the Albion existed are now "loyal". It's a joke. I don't expect any STH to see it that way, you're in the privilige bubble.

 

[Bozza]

Fair comment, but it ignores the misrepresentation from the club last season.

Completely with you there. As LB posted there seems to be have been direct public representations from the club that ticket purchase from the Albion would be recognised in the new loyalty scheme we all knew was coming.

And, from personal experience when buying tickets, I know I have been directly asked for my Fan Number etc from ticket office staff because it would 'help you next year'.

 

[Simster]

Fair comment, but it ignores the misrepresentation from the club last season.

How about those affected by this go directly to the club? If enough complain, maybe they will re-assess? It's a perfectly fair complaint given what Lord B lifted from the official site.

That said, I've always felt that season ticket holders have often been underestimated by those who pick and choose which away games they're going to attend. The fact is, season tickets are the life blood of the club and need to be recognised as such. This is going to be particularly important once the "new stadium" impact wears off for the season after next.

 

[Easy 10]

Yes I'm sure there will be tickets for away games. What annoys me is the huge difference between points awarded to season ticket holders (1000) and to the rest (0), what it means is that non season ticket holders will NEVER get near to being on an equal footing with season ticket holders and actually it makes the loyalty scheme utterly pointless for most non season ticket holders as the only route for us getting tickets to the big games is through season ticket holders who can't go.

And this is different from the previous Gold Membership Scheme all STH's have had in what way ?

 

[Bozza]

If I went to every away game next season I'd have 220 points, that puts me in front of nobody. What's the point? It's just a scheme to make STH's feel as if they're getting some extra privilige for paying up front. Loyalty? All those people who have just bought their first season ticket and didn't even know the Albion existed are now "loyal". It's a joke. I don't expect any STH to see it that way, you're in the privilige bubble.

"Loyalty" may be the wrong term, but I wouldn't get too hung up on that - it's clearly a "ticket purchasing priority" scheme, and one that recognises the worth of those give direct financial support into the club.

I wouldn't so readily dismiss the worth of non-season ticket holders when it comes to buying tickets because we do not know how priority purchasing bands will work. For all we know, midway through the season, it could be:

Phase 1: 1300 points+
Phase 2: 200 points+

...thereby grouping new regular attendees with current season ticket holders.

Even if it doesn't work like that, and it's more...

Phase 1: 1300 points+
Phase 2: 1150 points+
Phase 3 200 points+

...having those 200 points puts you well ahead of a lot of people, friends of friends etc etc.

And if loyalty points are used to determine priority for the purchase of home tickets, away travellers suddenly have a very decent chance of getting to the home games they want to.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

My beef isn't that STH should come first, but that the club has lied in relation to trying to sign up people for membership schemes in the past.

As someone who's sitting on 1,250pts I agree with you entirely and also with LB who pointed out last night that the club's initial release on this (last season) was written in the present, not the future tense. The latter makes it either a stitchup or a poorly written press release and I think the club board should now back off a bit and introduce some flexibility for people who bought away tickets via the club last season.

 

[Titanic]

As someone who's sitting on 1,250pts I agree with you entirely and also with LB who pointed out last night that the club's initial release on this (last season) was written in the present, not the future tense. The latter makes it either a stitchup or a poorly written press release and I think the club board should now back off a bit and introduce some flexibility for people who bought away tickets via the club last season.

They are still going to be behind 18000 STH in the queue though, aren't they?

 

[Easy 10]

I really do think people are blowing this out of proportion.

STH's have ALWAYS had priority for away tickets over non-STH's. Nothing whatsoever has changed in that respect. What will happen now is the regular away travellers who are not STH's will begin accumulating points that will separate them from the non-regular travellers, so when a big game does come round where demand is greater than supply (which will not be often), the regulars will already be ahead of the queue of the "JCL's". They'll never accumulate enough points to be ahead of STH's of course, but then they've NEVER been ahead of STH's anyway, so whats changed ?

Chill.

 

[Bozza]

They are still going to be behind 18000 STH in the queue though, aren't they?

Exactly the point - the club have decided to recognise season ticket holders above all others, and they won't change that view.

So someone in the club probably said "if someone goes to every home game and every away game they'll have 460 points. If they go to a few cup games they could pick up another 100 points. Oh, if there are replays, especially home replays, they could get more at 20 points a game. What number could a non-season ticket holder never reach in a season? 700? Shall we say 800 to be safe. Oh sod it, let's call it 1000 points. Season ticket holders will start on 1000 points."

 

[DanielT]

This scheme is a big pile of cocks. It doesn't reward loyalty it rewards season ticket holders - not the same thing.

It would make no difference if a non season ticket holder went to every game home and away for two seasons, they'd still have less points than a season ticket holder who has been to no away games at all. Wrong wrong wrong and yet another indicator that the club no longer cares about anyone who cannot afford a season ticket.

How about the club arranging the direct debit deal then? No reason now for your non-sth to buy individual tickets to every home game, it would end up costing more

Also, your first line could be understood to mean that being a STH is not showing loyalty

 

[Easy 10]

They are still going to be behind 18000 STH in the queue though, aren't they?

And what proportion of those are suddenly this season going to be regularly travelling to away games ? Nothings stopped them going to away games before they got their Amex season ticket, so we're not overnight going to have demand for an extra 10,000 away tickets every other week off the back of them buying a season ticket for this year.

More WILL travel of course, but then we're visiting bigger stadiums with bigger capacities. I bet we can count on one hand the number of times demand outstrips supply over the next 2 seasons.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

put it all into perspective , its only a game of football .

 

[Crouch End Seagull]

Personally I think an away members scheme that's free for STHs and cost a fee for non STHs would have been a lot fairer (and also is that direct money to the club thing). The only reason this is being done is to massage STHs into thinking they are getting some extra privilige. In the process it'll distance non STH but yes I guess it's all part of the process of BHAFC becoming a bigger club who couldn't give a crap about fans who can't afford season tickets. Bill Archer would no doubt approve.

If I buy a ticket through a STH friend they'll get ten loyalty points, that's the only bonus I can see from my pov.

 

[Commander]

And what proportion of those are suddenly this season going to be regularly travelling to away games ? Nothings stopped them going to away games before they got their Amex season ticket, so we're not overnight going to have demand for an extra 10,000 away tickets every other week off the back of them buying a season ticket for this year.

More WILL travel of course, but then we're visiting bigger stadiums with bigger capacities. I bet we can count on one hand the number of times demand outstrips supply over the next 2 seasons.

Exactly. Pompey, Palace, a big team away in the cup and a game right at the end of the season if it is important.

 

[Bozza]

Personally I think an away members scheme that's free for STHs and cost a fee for non STHs would have been a lot fairer (and also is that direct money to the club thing). The only reason this is being done is to massage STHs into thinking they are getting some extra privilige. In the process it'll distance non STH but yes I guess it's all part of the process of BHAFC becoming a bigger club who couldn't give a crap about fans who can't afford season tickets. Bill Archer would no doubt approve.

If I buy a ticket through a STH friend they'll get ten loyalty points, that's the only bonus I can see from my pov.

I'd be interested in hearing the specifics of how you'd structure an alternative to the proposed scheme when you get a chance.

 

[Easy 10]

I guess it's all part of the process of BHAFC becoming a bigger club who couldn't give a crap about fans who can't afford season tickets. Bill Archer would no doubt approve.

Sorry, but thats just immotive rubbish. The club have bent over backwards to try to enable as many people as possible to become STH's. The pricing structure has never been better in my opinion, spreading the cost over 12 months interest-free was a stroke of genius, and thats why the place will be RAMMED next season.

For those who still couldn't afford or couldn't commit to a season ticket (for whatever reason), nothing has changed. You were behind STH's in the queue for away tickets last season, and you'll be behind them again this season, its not something they've only just introduced, just the format has been tweeked. At least from here on, your loyalty IS being tracked, so if you go regularly to away games, you'll already pull ahead of other non-STH's who cherrypick the big ones.

And I say again...WE'RE NOT GOING TO SELL OUT EVERY BLOODY CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS AWAY END. Everyone who really wants a ticket will almost certainly get one.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

They are still going to be behind 18000 STH in the queue though, aren't they?

Yes but there's a principle here to do with whether the club is going to be run as a customer-facing organisation.

 

[BHAMAN]

I think if the club were to revisit this and allocate points for 2010/11 ticket purchases on the same basis as 2011/12 then everyone would be happy.

….and not only would everybody be happy but also I don’t think it will adversely affect any band of supporters that really matter to the club. It merely puts some space between last year’s more regular attendees and the complete newbies.

 

[Marc1901]

Which brings us back to the fact that this scheme won't dis-allow many people from many games: we never sell out Millwall, do we?

No we don't, and I haven't got my head round why we don't?

 

[Crouch End Seagull]

Sorry, but thats just immotive rubbish.

Yes you are probably right, as a non STH I do feel utterly cut of the picture at the moment though and this scheme just adds to that feeling, it really does feel as if the club's entire focus is on STHs.