Away Tickets

[Rich Suvner]

iii) The post is reliable !

which would be relevent if a new scheme was introduced also... they're not going to keep you a ticket indefinitely!

not really a criticism of current system imho

 

[Uncle Buck]

FACT - many games people have paid on the day, so any type of allocation is unfair cos the club do not have records

Have to disagree there. All games this season are in all seater grounds, so when you pay on the gate, you still get given a ticket, as you are meant to sit in a seat. All you have to do is produce this stub from the pay on the day games and then get your point.

 

[fatboy]

However I do not think all the tickets should be allocated on a loyalty basis as you will once again alienate floating support. Hence going down the road of 70% of the tickets being allocated to the most loyal supporters and the remaining 30% being allocated via a ballot to those that were unsuccesful as they did not have the relevant number of points (this system is entirely stolen from the FA and Englandfans).

The club are prepared to shit on the regular support because they know that they will still come to the next game, but they are not prepared to shit on the floating support as these people may not come again.

 

[Faldo]

I think the current system is fine. If you want a ticket bad enough, get in early. If you miss out there is no one to blame but yourself (although I missed out on West Ham - Tis my fault for being a lazy arse.... and west hams, natch!).

Loyalty should be rewarded, but not at the expense of new fans! If we had apissing competition at every away game allocation, no new fans would ever come along.

There is no such thing as an ideal way to distribute tickets. Look at Glastonbury - massive amounts invested and still farcical. You can't please everyone. I for one am happy the club arent wasting money on investigating possibilities to improve this, when the current system will suffice.

If you want a ticket, get in early - rule of thumb FOR EVERYTHING...

 

[Rich Suvner]

fatboy - ticket stubs are not always handed out when you pay on the gate. the less games that are all-ticket the better, and the system that you guys want (all tickets purchased on-system) will ultimately harm our away support and the ability of people to make a last minute decision to attend games

i simply do not agree with you

as for the application-race via post, at least those of you in sussex can drop yours off in the middle of the night at the shop, thus bypassing the post completely.

 

[Uncle Buck]

The club are prepared to shit on the regular support because they know that they will still come to the next game, but they are not prepared to shit on the floating support as these people may not come again.

Hence you need to find some middle ground. No system is going to be 100% fair, but something that guarantees the most loyal tickets, whilst giving the day trippers a chance of seeing a game must be the way forward.

 

[Uncle Buck]

fatboy - ticket stubs are not always handed out when you pay on the gate.

In this division they are.

 

[Indestructible Gull]

In this division they are.

Also, it wouldn't be difficult for the club to arrange some sort of voucher to give out at away turnstiles if stubs where not given out.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Also, it wouldn't be difficult for the club to arrange some sort of voucher to give out at away turnstiles if stubs where not given out.

Exactly they have done it in the past. Towards the end of the first season at Gillingham, they handed vouchers out and the more vouchers you had the higher up the list you went for the first dibs of the season tickets at Withdean. (At the time we were meant to be coming back to Brighton after one year away).

 

[fatboy]

fatboy - ticket stubs are not always handed out when you pay on the gate.

I know they are not but it would not be difficult for them to be. As Uncle Buck says we are supposed to sit in a seat so they should be giving out tickets.

the less games that are all-ticket the better, and the system that you guys want (all tickets purchased on-system) will ultimately harm our away support and the ability of people to make a last minute decision to attend games

That is the reality of football these days, and shows how far we have come.

We are not playing at Gillingham anymore, and it is not County League football where you can wake up on a Saturday and decide to go the game knowing that it will nowhere near sell out.

When demand may outstrip supply, tickets will have to be sold otherwise you run the risk of people turning up and not being able to get in.

I think the current system is fine. If you want a ticket bad enough, get in early. If you miss out there is no one to blame but yourself (although I missed out on West Ham - Tis my fault for being a lazy arse.... and west hams, natch!).

If you want a ticket, get in early - rule of thumb FOR EVERYTHING...

as for the application-race via post, at least those of you in sussex can drop yours off in the middle of the night at the shop, thus bypassing the post completely.

I do not think that these are valid points because when demand for tickets is greater than supply, getting your application in by the deadline does not guarantee that you have got it in before the other 1000 or whatever the away capacity is.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Yes, Uncle Buck. But that doesn't deliver a record of the sale to the Club Shop.

If, say, a ticket bought at Derby is to count for anything, it would be necessary for the ticket holder to get the evidence to Queens Road. How? By post and more unproductive administrative time in the ticket office? Or by making tickets available for the Rotherham game only to people who turn up and queue at Queens Road with a wallet full of scraps of paper collected across the season?

And how would you resolve the argument that says that season ticket holders should get priority over people who "only" spend hundreds of pounds travelling to loads of away games?

Postal applications, on a first come first served basis, at least give everyone the same chance of getting a Rotherham ticket. Any other system won't.

 

[Indestructible Gull]

Exactly they have done it in the past. Towards the end of the first season at Gillingham, they handed vouchers out and the more vouchers you had the higher up the list you went for the first dibs of the season tickets at Withdean. (At the time we were meant to be coming back to Brighton after one year away).

The thing is the club simply will not budge on this matter and listen to the FANS and look again at the different options. Shame really given the 200k that has been raised by these very fans through the 'Alive & Kicking' campaign.

 

[fatboy]

Postal applications, on a first come first served basis, at least give everyone the same chance of getting a Rotherham ticket. Any other system won't.

The point we are arguing is some people should have a better chance of getting a ticket.

 

[Faldo]

*this is a reply to fatboys earlier post - im just a shit typist!*

Perhaps not - but then a first come first served basis is the only way. I agree its not ideal, but without the funding (or to be honest, the need - ticketing issues in the last few seasons. Maybe 4 or 5 times has there been a problem (Cardiff (which ticket allocation wise was a storm in a teacup) and grimsby spring to mind)) lets just grin and bear it.

There is simply no need for a radical overhaul of our ticketing procedures.

 

[fatboy]

The thing is the club simply will not budge on this matter and listen to the FANS and look again at the different options. Shame really given the 200k that has been raised by these very fans through the 'Alive & Kicking' campaign.

It is because they don't want to alienate new fans; people who haven't already put their hand in their pocket and may do so in the future.

They are quite happy to do it to regular fans, many of whom have already donated to the club, as they know that these people are going to carry on going regardless.

It is like putting a tax on cigarettes, the government know that most smokers will carry on regardless.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yes, Uncle Buck. But that doesn't deliver a record of the sale to the Club Shop.

If, say, a ticket bought at Derby is to count for anything, it would be necessary for the ticket holder to get the evidence to Queens Road. How? By post and more unproductive administrative time in the ticket office? Or by making tickets available for the Rotherham game only to people who turn up and queue at Queens Road with a wallet full of scraps of paper collected across the season?

And how would you resolve the argument that says that season ticket holders should get priority over people who "only" spend hundreds of pounds travelling to loads of away games?

Postal applications, on a first come first served basis, at least give everyone the same chance of getting a Rotherham ticket. Any other system won't.

Stop spouting the party line for once.

For games that are not all ticket, the club either say that loyalty points will only be allocated to those who purchase them in advance. Or they allocate points if the ticket stub is sent in as proof of attendance by a certain date after the match.

Solutions to this recurring issue are there, it is just the club do not seem bothered, some fans do not want to rock the boat and the day trippers do not want to be pushed down the pecking order.

 

[fatboy]

Loyalty points could only be given to all ticket games if it is really too much of a hassle to give out a ticket to those who pay on the gate.

 

[bellsize seagull]

i think an away season ticket would be a good option as this would let the regulars that think they can go to all away games get them early. i am sure any unwanted tickets for games could be sold on here !!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Loyalty points could only be given to all ticket games if it is really too much of a hassle to give out a ticket to those who pay on the gate.

Forget it, the club are not interested, the South East away travellers are not interested as it might hinder their chances and a party line is being towed by those with influence to the board.

 

[fatboy]

There is simply no need for a radical overhaul of our ticketing procedures.

I think there is.

People will moan when they miss out on Rotherham.

People that go regularly have missed out on West Ham.

You can say that had they got their applications in on time then they would have got a ticket but the fact of the matter is the club received more applications then they did tickets.

And this will happen again, for Rotherham and any other important game we have.

This issue is regular fans deserve more than an equal chance to get a ticket than the day trippers and big game charlies.