Away Tickets

[magoo]

If you develop a priority system of any kind you will lose supporters. Simple as!

 

[Marc]

Two clear leaders inthe Poll so far, First Come First Serve & Priority to Those That Go To More Away Games - the way I see it:

First Come First Served:
Pros:
Easy for the club to deal with
Cons:
Fans away on holiday/business trips
Hoping your Postal App does'nt get lost in the Post
Living far away, hoping your Post does'nt arrive too late
Not trusting the Postal Service but not living near enough to drop into the Ticket Office by hand

Priority for Those That Go To More Away Games:
Pros:
Simple system would'nt be too hard to write up.
Any Priority tickets get handed to a Ballot system.
Cons:
New fans will feel left out if they miss the chance because they missed the Ballot draw and are not Priority...and need to get a Ticket to stand a chance of becoming Priority.
More administration for the Club to deal with.


Without knowing exactly how the Priority system would work its hard to draw up proper Pros/Cons. Maybe a Points style system where all AMS start on the same and its gradually built up until theres a time when it can come into effect, maybe points earned by applying through the club & ticket stubs for Pay On The Gate matches (but then What If the away club does'nt issue a stub, receipt?).

 

[JJ McClure]

Nowt wrong with frist come first served if you ask me.
Couldn't help but laugh at somebloke on SCR the other week complaining. "I posted my application in a bit late and didn't get a ticket blah blah blah" Well post it in earlier you idiot.

 

[Hannibal smith]

If you develop a priority system of any kind you will lose supporters. Simple as!

Why? Loyalty schemes would only operate when demand outstrips supply. It wont stop people going to the Millennium stadium or Derby Away, just the odd away game that everyone wants to go to anyway.

Most clubs operate a system of this kind and I doubt they would if the fans didn't want it.

 

[Lammy]

The differnce between us and other clubs that most other clubs can fit their fans in for their home games.

 

[magoo]

Why? Loyalty schemes would only operate when demand outstrips supply. It wont stop people going to the Millennium stadium or Derby Away, just the odd away game that everyone wants to go to anyway.

Most clubs operate a system of this kind and I doubt they would if the fans didn't want it.

If i thought i wouldn't get a ticket because i haven't been 'loyal' enough then i simply wouldn't bother applying.

Going to away matches comes down to whether you can afford it at the time, and personal circumstances (family, work etc).

Loyalty systems alienate.

 

[fatboy]

I used to think like that until I found the love of a good woman, got a mortgage and then got her pregnant.

Things change mate. I feel I'm still entitled to get a ticket like everyone else even though I cannot get to many away games anymore.

I both understand and appreciate your point Lammy, and I am sure in the future if I stop going as much for whatever reason then you will be the first person to call me a hypocrite if I moan that I can't get a ticket for a big game. (And I do notice that a lot of the people that go to pretty much every away games are single and high earners.)

But where our opinions differ is that I wouldn't expect to get one.

If England suddenly got into a big world cup qualifier (play off v Scotland or away games in Wales and NI for example) and the whole country wanted to go, would you expect it to be first come, first served? No of course it shouldn't be. What about all the people that have been to every home match and gone to Azerbaijan away in midweek? They should get priority and then the remaining tickets go on general sale.

 

[magoo]

Well yes i would expect it to be first come first served. Same principals.

 

[Marc]

Just a 2pence thought:

Dunno about you lot but I'm GLAD we are able to have this argument, I'd much rather be discussing this and not one of "Why cant we take more than 1000 to West Ham?....Where *IS* our away support?"

 

[Hannibal smith]

Well yes i would expect it to be first come first served. Same principals.

Right. So your argument is that loyalty schemes alienate but 1st come first served dosen't. So in your example Mr X who has been to Austria and Poland away wouldn't have any priority over somebody who has never seen an England game before if it were a big match. I can't see the FA rush to implement this schem.

I know which scenario would aleinate people more.

 

[Lammy]

I both understand and appreciate your point Lammy, and I am sure in the future if I stop going as much for whatever reason then you will be the first person to call me a hypocrite if I moan that I can't get a ticket for a big game. (And I do notice that a lot of the people that go to pretty much every away games are single and high earners.)

But where our opinions differ is that I wouldn't expect to get one.

If England suddenly got into a big world cup qualifier (play off v Scotland or away games in Wales and NI for example) and the whole country wanted to go, would you expect it to be first come, first served? No of course it shouldn't be. What about all the people that have been to every home match and gone to Azerbaijan away in midweek? They should get priority and then the remaining tickets go on general sale.

If you use that logic then season ticket holders should have more rights to tickets than anyone (unless someone has watch EVERY away game they wouldn't have seen as many games as a season ticket holder).

To use the England example I don't think there should be a loyalty scheme there either. The national team belongs to the nation and EVERONE should have an equal opportunity to see them. Should season ticket holders of clubs that are providing players for the squad get priority? Afterall it is their money that has enabled the player to play at that standard.

Season ticket holders put more money into the club than any other 'type' of fan so technically they have more right than anyone to the away game tickets.

The only change I would like to see is season ticket holders being given a day head start on other fans for cup and playoff tickets.

 

[Uncle Buck]

To use the England example I don't think there should be a loyalty scheme there either. The national team belongs to the nation and EVERONE should have an equal opportunity to see them. Should season ticket holders of clubs that are providing players for the squad get priority? Afterall it is their money that has enabled the player to play at that standard.

Sorry but on the England thing you are wrong. I think the first thing is the FA had to set a club up to distribute away tickets, as they need to vet members, they did not want hoolies in the club. Now the screaming is not ideal, but an element has been cut out, in Euro 2004 it was interesting to see the number of families out there and people from minorities, not really seen away with England before.

The away tickets have to be distributed in some form of priority, we all pay to join a club and those that go to the far flung corners of the world deserve to be rewarded for this. But more importantly, the priority is needed for tournaments, as the people that have gone to Azerbijan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Austria etc have a lot more right to the tickets than the person that goes to Wales away.

But more than anything the FA scheme is in place to control and manage who the tickets are going to, as another serious outbreak of trouble and in 2006 we could be the team could be staying at home rather than beating the Germans 4-2 in the final. The FA needs to be seen to be doing everything possible to prevent trouble.

 

[magoo]

Right. So your argument is that loyalty schemes alienate but 1st come first served dosen't. So in your example Mr X who has been to Austria and Poland away wouldn't have any priority over somebody who has never seen an England game before if it were a big match. I can't see the FA rush to implement this schem.

I know which scenario would aleinate people more.

Of course first come first served doesn't alienate!! It's democratic!

Just because Mr X has been to Austria and Poland doesn't mean he is a bigger England supporter, it means he is wealthier and is in the personal position to do so.

Same principal no?

What about this, let's say we both liked the same musical artist. Should I have priority over getting concert tickets because i had bought more albums? Or should it be we que up and wait our turn?

 

[Marc]

Of course first come first served doesn't alienate!! It's democratic!

Just because Mr X has been to Austria and Poland doesn't mean he is a bigger England supporter, it means he is wealthier and is in the personal position to do so.

Same principal no?

you make a very good piont with that, just because Mr X can go to all the away games "should that make him priority" over someone who can only go to a few? What if all the away tickets are sold to Mr X and his friends...will they snap up all away tickets for every game? what if theres 5,000 priority members called Mr X? Its that fair to the ones who cant make Burnley but can make West Ham?

Its all swings & roundabouts and I'm swinging (steady) towards First Come First Serve the more I read this thread and think about it!

 

[Hannibal smith]

Just because Mr X has been to Austria and Poland doesn't mean he is a bigger England supporter

No, but it means he is ahead in the queue when it comes to dishing out tickets and quite rightly so in my book.

I can understand why this scheme doesn’t operate for the Albion. It would cost money to implement which we haven’t got and the need for it is limited to 1 or 2 away games a year which will be oversubscribed by 500 – 1000 people max. The national team, would be potentially oversubscribed in the 10's of thousands

I applied for tickets for the France game in Euro 2004 and didn’t get them because I didn’t have enough points. I didn’t mind because it meant someone had more right than I.

 

[magoo]

And another thing...

if you start a loyalty scheme, how are you supposed to build up points if there is always someone else more 'loyal' and getting the tickets?

 

[Hannibal smith]

And another thing...

if you start a loyalty scheme, how are you supposed to build up points if there is always someone else more 'loyal' and getting the tickets?

In terms of the Albion it would only need to operate no more than 3 times a season. This year only West Ham and rotherham will (probably) be oversubscribed. You would build up your points at all the other games.

For the record, I don’t buy the money argument either. ‘I haven’t got the money’ often means ‘I would rather spend it on other things’. Noting wrong with that but I don’t think those who do spend their hard earned following their local or national team should be penalised when it comes to ticket allocation.

That’s my lot on the subject, I’m off to a meeting and then to Derby where it is thankfully pay on the day.

 

[Marc]

For the record, I don’t buy the money argument either. ‘I haven’t got the money’ often means ‘I would rather spend it on other things’. Noting wrong with that but I don’t think those who do spend their hard earned following their local or national team should be penalised when it comes to ticket allocation.

100% disagree with that, not all of us have the money capacity to see every away game or even the ones we'd LOVE to go and see. Just because someone is Rich and can afford to see all the games should'nt give them priority AT ALL.

 

[fatboy]

Of course first come first served doesn't alienate!! It's democratic!

Just because Mr X has been to Austria and Poland doesn't mean he is a bigger England supporter, it means he is wealthier and is in the personal position to do so.

Same principal no?

I am not buying this money argument because you are essentially saying everyone that wants a ticket to West Ham/Rotherham/popular game would go to every away game if their budget would let them.

This is not often the case. People choose to go to games because of other reasons, not being bothered to trek across the country is probably one of them.

100% disagree with that, not all of us have the money capacity to see every away game or even the ones we'd LOVE to go and see. Just because someone is Rich and can afford to see all the games should'nt give them priority AT ALL.

So you'd go Wigan away, Crewe away, all these horrible places if your finances would let you?!

 

[fatboy]

Got this from Rotherham.

confirm Millmoor holds 9500 but the away allocation depends on the numbers currently travelling when the fixtures are discussed. The minimum away allocation would be 1000 tickets.

Could be fighting over 1000 tickets if they sell out their end.