Bournemouth away tickets

[Bold Seagull]

I agree it shouldn't be a closed shop, but I also don't think it will be for several reasons.

Firstly, this is only really a big issue this season when everybody is desperate to do all the big/new grounds. If we are still in this division next season demand will fall for many matches, creating opportunities for those with lower points figures to buy more tickets.

Secondly, you say "High demand games like Bournemouth away we'll only have fans of 40+ years old in the away end who've been attending for years" like this is a bad thing. There are many people who have spent years watching the Albion at places like Rotherham, Hull, Preston, Carlisle etc. Why shouldn't they be at the front of the queue for the big games this season, our first in the big time for 34 years?

Thirdly, anyone who hasn't got a huge number of loyalty points needs to make the effort to get them when there is ample opportunity to do so before they can moan. Barnet at home next week - get yourself there, new fans. Swansea away in November, Huddersfield away in December and Newcastle away at Christmas - all games that will be rewarded with the maximum of 15 loyalty points. So there are 60 points up for grabs there and no trouble getting a ticket. The young fans you mention need to put in some miles going to places like this before they are bagging a seat at Old Trafford or Anfield.

They will be though - the first tier is 281 points, the majority of the fans who've spent years watching at all sorts of far flung places WILL get a ticket.

My comment was aimed at the second tier sales. If the first first tier pretty much guarantees your most loyal fans their ticket, so 1000 or so of a 1300 allocation, then why not drop the remaining tier to 217? That was my point really.

 

[Goldstone1976]

It looks like all the sections have been opened for sale immediately for this one (unsurprising given the low maximum allocation). Currently there are 441 non-disabled, and 20 disabled tickets left for sale. No doubt, as for both Watford and Leicester, small additional releases will be made, not least when the players/directors have decided how many of their allocations they want, much closer to the game. Maybe around 100 or so in total...?

 

[Jimmehh]

But the reality of this particular situation, harsh as it may sound, is that the sixth member of your group with 224 points doesn't deserve a ticket over those with 280 points who may miss out because of the way they are currently being sold. If the club adopted something like I suggested, you still retain control of whether you go to a match as you can buy a ticket for yourself the moment they go on sale. But the price of wanting to go with all your group is that you should wait until the final member of the group can buy.

I have 360ish points, my dad has 300ish and my wife has 250ish. I normally go to games with my dad and we are always in the top bracket. But if I want to go with my wife, I accept I need to wait for the points threshold to fall to her level.

I totally agree with you - even last season was the same for me...

I had enough for Villa away - but I wanted to go with my girlfriend who didn't have enough before they sold out - I missed out because I accept I have to wait for the points to reach her level...

Same again this season... except most probably won't even reach my level, let alone hers

 

[neilbard]

Just like to say, the Club have opened a hoarders nest going from 281 to 217 in one move. I have 280 and am slightly peeved that I'm in the same bracket as people with 63 less loyalty points than me. [emoji35][emoji35][emoji35]


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The club cannot please everybody, its the way of the world....

 

[bhanutz]

Just like to say, the Club have opened a hoarders nest going from 281 to 217 in one move. I have 280 and am slightly peeved that I'm in the same bracket as people with 63 less loyalty points than me. [emoji35][emoji35][emoji35]


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It is the clubs way of saying...You are not very LOYAL!

 

[bhanutz]

Fair enough!

Another couple of thoughts I have:

1) All of us are focusing on away attendance as a way of determining who deserves away tickets when it is actually season ticket records that are arguably more important. If this is your first season as a STH you get 0 points, but if you've had one for the last six years you get 180 points. That's weighting the away ticket availability far more towards long-term STHs than regular away travellers. In comparison, someone who went to 15 away games last season will now have just 75 extra points over someone who went to none at all.

2) Leicester and Watford both took a number of days to sell out and were available to people in lower points brackets. I wonder if the hardcore fans among us on NSC are getting a bit worked up about a problem that simply doesn't exist. Is there really huge demand for these games? The fact they are taking some time to sell out suggests maybe not. My feeling is that 3,000 tickets will be more than adequate for the majority of matches.

Dont forget you would have had some from previous seasons if you went to away games....But I agree.. I don't think there is an issue..People will always moan whatever...

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Fair enough!

Another couple of thoughts I have:

1) All of us are focusing on away attendance as a way of determining who deserves away tickets when it is actually season ticket records that are arguably more important. If this is your first season as a STH you get 0 points, but if you've had one for the last six years you get 180 points. That's weighting the away ticket availability far more towards long-term STHs than regular away travellers. In comparison, someone who went to 15 away games last season will now have just 75 extra points over someone who went to none at all.

2) Leicester and Watford both took a number of days to sell out and were available to people in lower points brackets. I wonder if the hardcore fans among us on NSC are getting a bit worked up about a problem that simply doesn't exist. Is there really huge demand for these games? The fact they are taking some time to sell out suggests maybe not. My feeling is that 3,000 tickets will be more than adequate for the majority of matches.

I wonder whether the 'closed shop to new fans' argument is really people's way of saying they would like to take their kids to the big away games but they don't have the points. As you have mentioned, people need to build up their points by going to the lower profile games. My kids grew up whilst we were in leagues 1 and 2 so all their away days were at the likes of Halifax, Hartlepool and Swindon. It never stopped them becoming massive Albion fans.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Fair enough!

Another couple of thoughts I have:

1) All of us are focusing on away attendance as a way of determining who deserves away tickets when it is actually season ticket records that are arguably more important. If this is your first season as a STH you get 0 points, but if you've had one for the last six years you get 180 points. That's weighting the away ticket availability far more towards long-term STHs than regular away travellers. In comparison, someone who went to 15 away games last season will now have just 75 extra points over someone who went to none at all.

2) Leicester and Watford both took a number of days to sell out and were available to people in lower points brackets. I wonder if the hardcore fans among us on NSC are getting a bit worked up about a problem that simply doesn't exist. Is there really huge demand for these games? The fact they are taking some time to sell out suggests maybe not. My feeling is that 3,000 tickets will be more than adequate for the majority of matches.

That is true, I checked and there were still 12 Leicester tickets available on Sunday.

It is clearly a big balance to strike, and I wonder if this is why Bournemouth as an example is 281, then a big drop, so if they're only expecting a handful remaining, it is more of a lottery than down to loyalty, but who knows if someone on 220 is more deserving of a ticket than someone on 270? Could be so many factors for that 50 point gap.

 

[chimneys]

Very well said.

It was a long winded version of what you said!!

 

[chimneys]

The flip side is it becomes a bit of a closed shop to any new / younger fans building up their points. High demand games like Bournemouth away we'll only have fans of 40+ years old in the away end who've been attending for years – yes that rewards their loyalty and their continued away support, but do teenagers and younger fans now reaching an age they're allowed to go off to matches on their own have to wait years before they can build up points to match those of us with built up historic points?

Loyalty points are a good way of gauging loyalty, but it also prioritises age and length of time attending games, which does risk excluding younger fans from high priority away games.

So all or no loyalty? Cant have both.

 

[jackalbion]

I wonder whether the 'closed shop to new fans' argument is really people's way of saying they would like to take their kids to the big away games but they don't have the points. As you have mentioned, people need to build up their points by going to the lower profile games. My kids grew up whilst we were in leagues 1 and 2 so all their away days were at the likes of Halifax, Hartlepool and Swindon. It never stopped them becoming massive Albion fans.

Exactly I'm 20 and I've got most of my points from going to grim northern towns and I have more than enough for the first bracket, where as some of my friends who really want to go to Man Utd, Liverpool etc couldn't be bothered to travel north of London in the championship, it's hardly difficult to build up your points if you put the graft in and go to Huddersfield, Rotherham and Blackburn away.

 

[chimneys]

That is true, I checked and there were still 12 Leicester tickets available on Sunday.

It is clearly a big balance to strike, and I wonder if this is why Bournemouth as an example is 281, then a big drop, so if they're only expecting a handful remaining, it is more of a lottery than down to loyalty, but who knows if someone on 220 is more deserving of a ticket than someone on 270? Could be so many factors for that 50 point gap.

Or 281 than 270, only an 11 point gap. There needs to be phases, but 64 points for the second phase is far too big.

 

[Randsta]

The last time I went the game was called off! I'm going all that way for the game to be called off again granted it was because we ....not me stormed the pitch!

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[The Optimist]

The last time I went the game was called off! I'm going all that way for the game to be called off again granted it was because we ....not me stormed the pitch!

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I remember the TV game where the pitch was stormed but the game wasn't called off.

 

[C1 BHA]

It is the clubs way of saying...You are not very LOYAL!

I'm not, you're right, only been going 42 years, I'll go and get some time in!


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[Giraffe]

509 seats left at the moment.

 

[bhanutz]

I'm not, you're right, only been going 42 years, I'll go and get some time in! ��


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42 years and not enough points......Only one person to blame there!