4,000 Villa tickets sold so far

[Lord Bracknell]

The membership scheme was NEVER about loyalty. It was about ensuring that season ticket holders would never again get pissed off about missing out on tickets.

No more, no less than that.

I've always argued that it was unfair to reward season ticket holders that way, but a fair few Albion fans disagree.

Once fully electronic ticketing comes in, a real loyalty scheme (based on all matches attended) will be possible - although even that will exclude pay on the gate purchasers at away games.

 

[Bozza]

And, as you say, we have 1-2 games EVERY year where this scheme would be 'necessary' for ticket allocation. Why does the club not have that in place?

Because it is currently possible to attend 90%+ of away games paying on the day, meaning that you can be a very, very loyal away fan but with the club having absolutely no record of that loyalty whatsoever.

The fact is that Albion fans travel in reasonable numbers. And only reasonable. We do not travel, contrary to what many think, in amazing numbers. If Albion fans travelled in the same quantity as, say, Leeds, then all away games would be all ticket with all sales being processed through the Albion ticket office. This would permit the club to have a complete record of 'loyalty' and base ticket sales on future games based upon that as you seem to want.

Often the response to my argument above is "make people keep ticket stubs" but this is simply not a workable solution for a number of reasons...

- many clubs, when paying on the turnstile, do not issue a ticket stub.
- ticket stubs get lost.
- paper/card stubs degrade quickly and easily. Especially if they get wet.
- relying on the presentation of ticket stubs for ticket purchase will create a massive administrative exercise for the sale of each and every game, whereby fans have to send in stubs, they need to be examined by ticket office staff and then returned.
- what happens if someone's stubs get lost in the post?
- a self-serve online model is all but worthless.

 

[cardboard]

The membership scheme was NEVER about loyalty. It was about ensuring that season ticket holders would never again get pissed off about missing out on tickets.

No more, no less than that.

I've always argued that it was unfair to reward season ticket holders that way, but a fair few Albion fans disagree.

Completely agree with LB We must be the only club in the country who does it this way

 

[strings]

I can't really see what the club has done wrong on this occasion. Tottenham and West Ham were f*** ups, the club acknowledged this and put in a new system.

The Gold/Blue/White system is well publicised. White members know that they may well not get tickets for big away games.

The club has done everything it can to ensure that Gold and Blue members get their tickets - the club's press officer has even been posting on NSC over the weekend and late into the night to try and help people get their tickets.

I'm a white member and I might not get a ticket. I knew at the start of the season, when I decided not to purchase blue membership, that this situation may arise.

Equally season ticket holders know that if their friends are not gold or blue members, they will probably not be able to sit together, unless they want to risk waiting for the gold/bue priority period to elapse. Again, this has been clear since the system has been implemented.

I'm sure the club will re-examine the current priority system after the Aston Villa game, but I cannot see how the system has failed. I probably won't get a ticket, and I'll be mightly miffed off at this, however the priority system has done exactly what it says on the tin.

As Lord Bracknell says, with electronic ticketing, a points/loyalty system may happen in future. But that system still doesn't benefit those fans that pay on the gate and often don't get a stub.

 

[East Staffs Gull]

Despite being a season ticket holder for the previous 9 seasons and having made donations to the club in the past and even going on the sponsored walk to buy Bert Murray, I now find myself being a white member with perhaps only a chance of getting a ticket tomorrow. However, I've got no issues at all with this and am quite happy with the allocation system. In 40 odd years I've never once failed to get a ticket for a game that I've wanted to attend and I'll get into Villa Park one way or another, be it in the home end, or through the NSC ticket exchange or by standing at the gate on the day asking for spare tickets (I've never had to buy off a tout). And I'm not going to cry because I can't sit next to my 15 mates who haven't been to an Albion game since West Ham.

 

[Easy 10]

Its hardly 1-2 games a YEAR now is it.
The only time these binfests have come about in recent memory is the Spurs game and the West Ham game. Thats what, 2 games in the last 5 years ?

 

[Springal]

Its hardly 1-2 games a YEAR now is it.
The only time these binfests have come about in recent memory is the Spurs game and the West Ham game. Thats what, 2 games in the last 5 years ?

Luton JPT last year, Man City [although home and it took a while to sell out, it still should rightly have had priority periods to prevent 'loyal' fans got tickets.]

 

[Yoda]

The membership scheme was NEVER about loyalty. It was about ensuring that season ticket holders would never again get pissed off about missing out on tickets.

No more, no less than that.

I've always argued that it was unfair to reward season ticket holders that way, but a fair few Albion fans disagree.

Once fully electronic ticketing comes in, a real loyalty scheme (based on all matches attended) will be possible - although even that will exclude pay on the gate purchasers at away games.

But if we end up going back up the football league ladder, pay on the gate fans will still be given something on the turnstyles. All they have to do is keep them and give them to the ticket office as proof.

 

[Easy 10]

Luton JPT last year, Man City [although home and it took a while to sell out, it still should rightly have had priority periods to prevent 'loyal' fans got tickets.]

The clamour for the Luton / Man City tickets was nothing like the ones for Spurs / West Ham and now Villa though. I don't recall people falling over themselves to sign up to or upgrade their membership for a chance of a ticket for Luton or Man City (probably because the Villa tickets are so cheap, people don't mind stumping up the extra just to upgrade).

There are sometimes going to be these occasions every few years where a massive game comes along, and demand will outstrip supply. I don't think the club should invest in installing an advanced electronic loyalty-linked ticketing system to cater for these rare occasions, they just don't come along often enough to justify it.

Falmer is another matter, thats a clean slate and they should be getting updated systems in place to cater for it. Till then, we've just got to get on with it.

 

[bristolseagull]

I think I may be in the Villa end.....

 

[Bozza]

I don't think the club should invest in installing an advanced electronic loyalty-linked ticketing system to cater for these rare occasions, they just don't come along often enough to justify it.

But they have, haven't they?

The problem is that because our away following is such that supply > demand for most of our away games, the club do not have anything approaching an accurate record of away attendance (which we seem to be deeming 'loyalty' for the sake of this debate).

 

[Springal]

The clamour for the Luton / Man City tickets was nothing like the ones for Spurs / West Ham and now Villa though. I don't recall people falling over themselves to sign up to or upgrade their membership for a chance of a ticket for Luton or Man City (probably because the Villa tickets are so cheap, people don't mind stumping up the extra just to upgrade).

There are sometimes going to be these occasions every few years where a massive game comes along, and demand will outstrip supply. I don't think the club should invest in installing an advanced electronic loyalty-linked ticketing system to cater for these rare occasions, they just don't come along often enough to justify it.

Falmer is another matter, thats a clean slate and they should be getting updated systems in place to cater for it. Till then, we've just got to get on with it.

Thats exactly my point, the system fits while we are at Withdean, I am SURE, Falmer is a different kettle of fish and although the club aren't saying at the moment we should not believe that nothing will change once Falmer is open. I am SURE of it, Tony Bloom is not a stupid man and he has run a host of successful businesses and with his money on the line, he will ensure that the ticketing systems are up to boot once Falmer is open.

 

[Arthur]

Luton JPT last year, Man City [although home and it took a while to sell out, it still should rightly have had priority periods to prevent 'loyal' fans got tickets.]

Luton JPT didn't sell out home or away.

Man City I bought 3 tickets less than a week before hand.

 

[Springal]

Luton JPT didn't sell out home or away.

Man City I bought 3 tickets less than a week before hand.

JPT away defo sold out as my mate couldn't get a ticket? And there was the whole fuss of the TV cameras being in the stand taking up seats?

 

[teaboy]

The membership scheme was NEVER about loyalty. It was about ensuring that season ticket holders would never again get pissed off about missing out on tickets.

No more, no less than that.

In which case, why are non-season ticket holders able to join? And do the club really need a separate list of season ticket holders for cup games? Surely they know EXACTLY who they are, where they live and even what games they actually attend. No need for the "Give us £30/£10 and we might let you buy a ticket" bollocks.

 

[Springal]

In which case, why are non-season ticket holders able to join? And do the club really need a separate list of season ticket holders for cup games? Surely they know EXACTLY who they are, where they live and even what games they actually attend. No need for the "Give us £30/£10 and we might let you buy a ticket" bollocks.

You cannot join Yellow, you only get Yellow by being a season ticket holder.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Im not sure, but dont all away games have a time period where they sell tickets at the club shop first? Its simple if you buy a ticket then you get points or if you take your ticket stub in you can get points then from away games.

 

[ROSM]

Whatever way you slice and dice it there will be winners and losers. And in amongst the winners there will be those who may have fluked it and in amongst the losers there will be those who could argue they're unlucky. That is life.

I (and my son) who are both season ticket holders have done our bit for world peace by not getting a ticket. It's a bit like putting out a weakened side so that perhaps one of the non league teams can fluke a result*


*(please note the last sentence is meant as ironic and not intended to cause lasting insult to any persons alive or dead)

 

[Deleted User X18H]

All this started with Grimsby in 2003. Then everyone went into a ballot if I remember. The Play Off Final debacle.Then the big Spurs scandal of 2005 when again it was ballot. Obviously West Ham 2007 might have been the catalyst and some STH's who missed out might have carried out their threats and didn't renew. Since then Man City etc its been prioritised.

 

[patchamalbion]

I pretty new to this board, but can assure you I will not write crap.

I was good enough to share my buying experience with you and in doing so passed on the comments from the staff I spoke to.

At 4pm yesterday there were 'well over' 4000 sold and many like me were upgrading from white to Blue to ensure they get their tickets before the 9am Wednesday scrum

In answering another post. You cannot upgrade and buy over the phone. Upgrade over the phone then buy online - reason was they dont have the actual tix where I was calling.

All smooth and I have my ticket.

Whether you agree or not, paying £30 (£15 for kids) today will ensure you are successful.

If not you will be going into the hat with all the old whites, and god knows how many new whites as well as all the golds and blue who choose to wait to sit with family/friends.

Any almost ceertainly fighting for less than 1000 tix.

so you reckon we would have sold over 5400 tickets by tonight at 5pm,thats considering insiders approx figures were 4500 season+gold and 500 blue.....plus the few that have upgraded?