[Albion] 1901 Club - what's it like and is it good value for money?

[FloatLeft]

In the 12 years that I have been coming to the Amex, never have I been lucky enough to patronise the 1901 club during a proper game (I've sat in one of the lounges for the Villa beam-back).

Its my son's 21st at the beginning of Feb so I might try and buy a hospitality package for the Palace game as a birthday treat. Although TBF, he might prefer to stay in the North Stand for that one.

 

[timbha]

To continue the airline analogy the Tunnel Club looks very much Virgin Upper.

Oi, Tory Boy…..never miss an opportunity to let us know how well travelled you are, your luxurious travel lifestyle, your fine wining and dining, 1901 membership, and of course how poor the 1901 fayre is compared to what you usually get.

Just wait til the lefties on here read of your affluent lifestyle in these days of austerity and the cost of living crisis

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Oi, Tory Boy…..never miss an opportunity to let us know how well travelled you are, your luxurious travel lifestyle, your fine wining and dining, 1901 membership, and of course how poor the 1901 fayre is compared to what you usually get.

Just wait til the lefties on here read of your affluent lifestyle in these days of austerity and the cost of living crisis

Charming.

 

[timbha]

Charming.

Sorry, that probably didn’t come across in the teasing way it was meant.

 

[HHGull]

Can’t believe no-ones mentioned the arm rests yet

 

[Justice]

If I was rolling in money I would still take my seat first row of the north I like to smell the grass and be close to the action. A random cup game I went to the West upper and it reminded me of watching a game on the telly. Not atmospheric at all it didn’t help I suppose with a freezing wind blowing in my face all game Christ it was cold.

 

[PHCgull]

Where i sit in 1901 in WS is a mixture of people who've been there right from the start, and corporate tickets held by plumbers merchants etc and distributed on a match by match basis to whoever...

Before last season, Every game against a big 6 club (or the likes of WHU) would be occupied by gobby plastic pricks vocally supporting the oppo and often doing down the albion...Liverpool being easily the worst on the twatometer.

Happy to report that in the last couple of seasons the worm has turned. FAR more albion supporters in those seats now. They may be plastics, but they're OUR plastics

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Sorry, that probably didn’t come across in the teasing way it was meant.

No problem at all. No need to apologise.

 

[sparkie]

I can't really fault 1901 - it's decent, beer in glass not plastic and I think you get to use the lift ( but that may be my faulty memory ).

But I prefer WSU.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If I was rolling in money I would still take my seat first row of the north I like to smell the grass and be close to the action. A random cup game I went to the West upper and it reminded me of watching a game on the telly. Not atmospheric at all it didn’t help I suppose with a freezing wind blowing in my face all game Christ it was cold.

What you needed was a nice warm lounge and a half-time tea token

 

[Nitram]

Went once. Got to say very underwhelming experience made worse by the fact we could see our family in our usual seats in W1A having a great time.
Sterile atmosphere in lounge, and when watching the game no engagement by fans with the game from those around us. Might as well been watching it on TV.
We both said it was worth trying but would not go back.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I wouldn't be seen dead in Lenny Rider's box

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

We’re in the Mansell McTaggart lounge.

We purchased our tickets the moment we were able to (3 days in from memory), because having followed the club as ST holders at the Goldstone and Withdean, plus matches as a non-ST holder at Priestfield, we said we’d treat ourselves. Anything was better than a poncho in the South stand at Withdean.

The initial sell as @Icy Gull highlighted is nothing like what is now provided.

Unfortunately my Father passed away 18 months ago, but I keep the ticket going and invite friends (I wont use it for away games). He developed Alzheimer’s (awful, vile disease), but being in 1901 enabled me to continue taking him, thus giving my Mother vital respite. Although he no longer understood football, our 1901 friends were incredible to him, as were the MM stewards, and I’m forever grateful.

Positives - actually not that many!
- nice lounge
- made some great friends and others in our lounge
- love my seat (apologies to anyone who sits near me for my behaviour, I’m just heavily invested and animated at every game!)
- free programme
- less queues other than half-time and it’s a sh!t show

Negatives
- gradual fragmentation of promises originally made (quite a list)
- less food choices than on the concourse

It sometimes feels that 1901ers are an inconvenience to the club, but I do appreciate we are at a different place than when we originally signed up.

 

[Icy Gull]

We’re in the Mansell McTaggart lounge.

We purchased our tickets the moment we were able to (3 days in from memory), because having followed the club as ST holders at the Goldstone and Withdean, plus matches as a non-ST holder at Priestfield, we said we’d treat ourselves. Anything was better than a poncho in the South stand at Withdean.

The initial sell as @Icy Gull highlighted is nothing like what is now provided.

Unfortunately my Father passed away 18 months ago, but I keep the ticket going and invite friends (I wont use it for away games). He developed Alzheimer’s (awful, vile disease), but being in 1901 enabled me to continue taking him, thus giving my Mother vital respite. Although he no longer understood football, our 1901 friends were incredible to him, as were the MM stewards, and I’m forever grateful.

Positives - actually not that many!
- nice lounge
- made some great friends and others in our lounge
- love my seat (apologies to anyone who sits near me for my behaviour, I’m just heavily invested and animated at every game!)
- free programme
- less queues other than half-time and it’s a sh!t show

Negatives
- gradual fragmentation of promises originally made (quite a list)
- less food choices than on the concourse

It sometimes feels that 1901ers are an inconvenience to the club, but I do appreciate we are at a different place than when we originally signed up.

Sad to hear about your Dad.

1901 is what it is and I have no intention of giving it up, even though the initial promises are so diluted. I have been in other areas of the ground and none come close to the view from my seat. At the end of the day it’s the football I go for.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Went once. Got to say very underwhelming experience made worse by the fact we could see our family in our usual seats in W1A having a great time.
Sterile atmosphere in lounge, and when watching the game no engagement by fans with the game from those around us. Might as well been watching it on TV.
We both said it was worth trying but would not go back.

This. It's a bit like going to a gig in a shirt and tie. Just feels wrong

 

[MattBackHome]

I've been a few times - middle of W2. Cracking view; genuinely not a huge amount of differeence from W3 or W1 concourses apart from that. Queues are smaller, I guess.

 

[amexer]

Sad to hear about your Dad.

1901 is what it is and I have no intention of giving it up, even though the initial promises are so diluted. I have been in other areas of the ground and none come close to the view from my seat. At the end of the day it’s the football I go for.

As I said I can understand the attraction of lounges compared to the concourses. Regarding seating I am central EU which gives an identical view.

 

[abc]

To go against the tide of this thread, I am looking to take on a 1901 seat in the i talk lounge if anyone knows of someone looking to give theirs up. For a friend of course

 

[Diablo]

Been many times to 1901.... MWB is my favourite. However believe that is platinum plus which is king expensive.
My self OAP and two sons have tickets next to most expensive in west stand lower (great view) approx mid way back, theirs are £800 and mine £550 which would equate to one platinum plus seat. No OAP reductions in 1901 and IMO the 1901 seats either end of the ground are a lot worse than ours.
Bar service slightly better than West lower but as I rarely buy anything at club due to huge queues at half time unless you go after 40 mins hardly affects us.

 

[Arthur]

One thing I've seen in this thread that I do disagree with is the statement that the management don't care. The middle and senior management I've seen in 1901 (and they are always there) absolutely do care. I do think they're trying to achieve the impossible: maximise the profit (which will come through corporate customers), while at the same time not pissing off a whole swathe of long-term individual fans who wanted a bit of a 'nicer' experience and are members. So, on the one hand they're trying to give an experience that is 'worth' £500 (+VAT) per game (where's my personal hostess?) and allow the normal fan to have a 'concourse pie' out of a bag - yes, there are different lounges, which helps the differentiation, but there's far more variety in members' expectations than there are lounges/restaurants/seating areas available.

That was me who made that comment so I will clarify what I meant as it was mainly specific to the Harvey's lounge. For a good few season we had a tall skinny woman running the bar who was brilliant. She was always present and on hand to offer assistance to the lads and lasses working behind the jump. She moved lounges and it instantly went down hill. Thankfully she returned and again she was again completely hands on and things returned to how they were.

I believe she has now actually left and we have a new chap who if I've seen him behind the bar for more than 30 seconds I'll be surprised. He is the polar opposite of the previous woman. Saturday was a perfect example. Only two lads working and it clearly their first day or certainly their first time dealing with customers in volume. I got in the lounge at 14:40 2 people in the queue in front of me. I thought I've got time for a quick pint and to order one at half time. 10 minutes later I was still waiting to be served so didn't bother with the quick one and just ordered one for half time. Half time I got my beer ok but obviously a busy time where people want to get served quickly and said senior mush is mooching around the lounge.

Also don't get me started on those new Guinness contraptions they have in MWB. No one seems to know how they work properly. Last season I watched 5 bar staff at the same time trying all sorts to get it to work and this was directly after the end of the game. Someone should have been on hand to assist or they should have been trained properly in the first place.