[Albion] 10-game ban and 50-loyalty point deduction

[timbha]

Thanks for that, Bozza. Makes more sense now, though I remain empathetic of the bloke in question who, assuming it’s true, says he has been taking his boys week in, week out since they were 5. I guess these problems are a side effect of success.

We kind of have the opposite problem at Grimsby his season, in that we have next to no system whatsoever. Following the incredible way we were promoted back into the league last season, we have over 5,500 season ticket holders (for the first time ever) but regularly receive away allocations well below 1,000 - for instance we’ve got 600 tickets for Harrogate away on Boxing Day. Essentially, it’s a free for all - first come, first serves for STH’s via an online booking system that doesn’t work very well under stress. Naturally, people aren’t happy with this system.

So yeah, I get both sides of the argument. Personally, I think a little bit of nuance and discretion would be helpful in this situation. If indeed the offenders in this case were children, then perhaps some kind of suspended sentence and a bit of dialogue from the club would be advantageous. “Now you know the rules, next time there will be no excuses”.

Ultimately, if the record shows that this family have been decent, loyal fans of the club for a significant period of time, I think perhaps the club should be giving him the benefit of the doubt. But I dunno, maybe that’s not a scalable model.

You highlight two problems:
1) where do you draw the line between loyal/long term fans and newbies? Is it fair to give newer fans less favourable treatment (not talking about loyalty points here)?
2) children are children when it suits them. If they are old enough to travel unaccompanied they cannot claim to be children who need parental support.

Ultimately there’s no point in having rules unless they are enforced and that there are fair and unambiguous consequences for those not complying.

The system seems as fair as it can be, easy to understand and communicated through the expected channels.

Only buy and use tickets to which you are entitled.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Doing it at Wolves away, a game that went to general sale?!

My understanding is that the issue club are addressing is tickets being passed onto people who are ineligible.
This won't be restricted to the loyalty points system, but will also include fans who are banned from attending the game.

Little point banning fans from away games, if they continue to pick up tickets from fans happy to sell on/giveaway their ticket

 

[chaileyjem]

The full list of sanctions, the process for appealing and club policies on this are layed out in the "Club Charter". IMO they are for ticketing issues - far too harsh, but for behaviour issues - perhaps ok. i also think the club could do more in outlining what its appeal process actually is - how do you represent yourself etc - and be more transparent about it. (they should formally publish numbers of sanctions issued , perhaps monthly, status - how many overturned ? - etc on a regular basis for example although tbf Barber does a bit of that ad hoc in the programme , in interviews etc. ) https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/club/club/club-charter

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I think a floggin' is in order.

It's supposed to be a punishment. I guess they won't do it in my S&M dungeon.

 

[TugWilson]

Feel for the guy , personally the people i would like to see get bans are those that obtain tickets in home stands for opposition fans .

 

[chaileyjem]

Feel for the guy , personally the people i would like to see get bans are those that obtain tickets in home stands for opposition fans .

Thats a 5 match ban according to the Club Charter (and a loyalty point deduction..). "supplying a ticket for an away fan in a home area"

 

[TugWilson]

Thats a 5 match ban according to the Club Charter (and a loyalty point deduction..). "supplying a ticket for an away fan in a home area"

Hard to see how what happened to this guy is considered a bigger offence than giving an opposition fan a ticket that should have gone to a Brighton supporter

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

The club are following through...



...feel for the chap involved here, given the circumstances.

Try being a teacher. There’s always an excuse. The Albion have better things to do than conduct a trial. Message is simple. Don’t do it.

 

[Whitechapel]

That’s a good point, the dickheadery at away games has swelled enormously of late, fuelled mostly by youngsters where you wonder how on earth so many of them managed to amass so many loyalty points at such a tender age. As I said on a thread a few months ago, when you arrive at a town and see hoards of your fellow fans exiting the train station, and the first thing they bellow in front of bemused kids, families, old folks and Saturday shoppers is “xxxxtown’s a SHIThole, I wanna go ‘ome” - well, it’s a bit …..embarrassing.

13/14 years ago that is exactly what me and my mates were doing. It’s called being a kid. I suppose the difference is we were slumming it in L1 and the club couldn’t afford to look down their nose a fan because we’d found a corner shop that would serve us underage and sung a stupid song.

It seems more frequent now because A) we have more fans & B) the 16-30 year old generation are no longer the missing Withdean generation. We’re just returning to the norm, rather than becoming the next Millwall.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

In the Twitter thread, the Dad says that the club offered to transfer the punishment to his son but the Dad declined the offer.

Then the son should take a look at himself. He broke the rules and allowed his Dad to take the fall. Nice.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Yes. I appreciate that. But now they have penalised someone for taking their girlfriend on a family-owned ticket. What is the problem ? No-one died. Or was even inconvenienced. They presumably had a good day out. I hope so. It all seems rather pointless.

It’s not pointless, You are just deliberately ignoring the many people that are inconvenienced.

 

[Mellotron]

Thats a 5 match ban according to the Club Charter (and a loyalty point deduction..). "supplying a ticket for an away fan in a home area"

Everyone is different but for me that is a far worse offence, particularly if said away fan "gives it the biggun".

I sat next to 2 Newcastle fans in WSL for that ridiculous 2-1 loss when we were battling at the top of the Champ - with the flukiest goal ever by Diame. One of them was quiet and respectful but the other was a massive twat, constantly muttering to us how shit Brighton were and just being a dick generally. Made what was already a pretty miserable experience much worse.

I kept thinking "FFS mate, pipe down, I could have you chucked out at any second." Wish I'd screamed for a policeman now.

 

[Titanic]

It’s not pointless, You are just deliberately ignoring the many people that are inconvenienced.

Who was 'inconvenienced' when this match went on general sale, and the friend was not misbehaving?

 

[Justice]

This guy had no chance of a sympathetic look at the case, they strapped up the club’s president with a ten game ban pretty sharpish. Then the man who got the club back playing in Brighton had to make that ridiculously embarrassing for him public statement.

 

[AK74]

Yes because Doris had no right to be there.

Doris is a little bit partial

 

[Stat Brother]

Who was 'inconvenienced' when this match went on general sale, and the friend was not misbehaving?

Maybe the ban and docking wasn't for ticket sharing but actually for being fudging idiots.

 

[Notters]

I know a number of people who have become hooked on the Albion after picking up a spare ticket last thing. I remember the random French bloke who ended up next to me at THAT Swindon playoff game - he couldn't believe his luck. This is what it's all about surely?

 

[Stat Brother]

I know a number of people who have become hooked on the Albion after picking up a spare ticket last thing. I remember the random French bloke who ended up next to me at THAT Swindon playoff game - he couldn't believe his luck. This is what it's all about surely?

That was then ...

 

[Mellotron]

I know a number of people who have become hooked on the Albion after picking up a spare ticket last thing. I remember the random French bloke who ended up next to me at THAT Swindon playoff game - he couldn't believe his luck. This is what it's all about surely?

Yup. I can think of someone who has brought some value to the club in marketing etc who wouldn't have gotten into following the club if it wasn't for such things.

Sadly it's now much harder to get floating voters interested in the club.

 

[jackalbion]

That’s a good point, the dickheadery at away games has swelled enormously of late, fuelled mostly by youngsters where you wonder how on earth so many of them managed to amass so many loyalty points at such a tender age. As I said on a thread a few months ago, when you arrive at a town and see hoards of your fellow fans exiting the train station, and the first thing they bellow in front of bemused kids, families, old folks and Saturday shoppers is “xxxxtown’s a SHIThole, I wanna go ‘ome” - well, it’s a bit …..embarrassing.

They've amassed loyalty points because they go to games, I know it might seem impossible for anyone under 40, to be a loyal Brighton fan.