East Stand Lower empty seats

[Super Steve Earle]

It's all very well cost cutting, but what about income maximising. I went online Thursday night to book a couple of seats together in the East Stand for Villareal and there was only a few singles. So, how come all the empty spaces in the East Stand showing on the Seagulls Player? I was quite happy to pay £24 and £10 for a car park plus sundries at the ground, but we couldn't go because apparently no seats

 

[Djmiles]

I found that odd too. Was limited availability for the whole of East and West stand, but in reality it was barely half full.

 

[Wilka]

They must have printed loads to sell at the cricket.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

I had the same issue in the North when booking on Friday Morning. I could only find one block that had two seats together. That was in Block C, three rows from the front. Not my ideal choice as you are peering through the goal net trying to watch the game, but seeing as that was all that was available, beggars can't be choosers.

As anyone who was there will know, there were vast swathes of empty seats all over the place! Seeing as it was pissing down, we moved back, and were spoilt for choice. Why were these seats showing as sold on the seating plan? The seating plan showed the North Stand as being virtually sold out when it was maybe half full.

How many people didn't bother because they couldn't book seats together?

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

Strange you should say this, as when I heard it would probably be chucking it down during the game I checked online to see how many seats were available in the hope that myself and the boy could just sit somewhere else as our seats are front row. Like you say, a few singles dotted around the north stand and that was it. So I resigned myself to a very wet evening.

Fast forward to the start of the game,and half the north stand is empty. Did these people just not bother because it was raining? For the second half we sat about 6 rows up and stayed nice and dry.

 

[Spun Cuppa]

Hmmm...

12 039

I don't think so somehow

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Noticed this at the game- how bizarre. Why would so many tickets that it appears weren't sold being shown as sold on the website?

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

That's one of the reasons I traipsed out to the Amex on sat morning, because I couldn't find 3 seats together (and they've made the seating plan less clear online too, white dots on blue were easy so why change?)

I think the north was way less that a third full so what's the explanation?

 

[MissGull]

Is it so hard to believe that some pairs of people simply didn't turn up, despite having purchased pairs of tickets?

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

That would be some pairs, considering the online 'map' showed barely a single seat to be had in most blocks.

 

[yxee]

They did this all last season, they misrepresent their availability to sell the lower rows first. Very frustrating indeed.

 

[Smeagull]

Yes this pi**ed me off too. I booked mine online on Friday morning in north corner back row as it was the only area with four seats in a row left or so I thought. We wanted either the east or west stand.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Yes this pi**ed me off too. I booked mine online on Friday morning in north corner back row as it was the only area with four seats in a row left or so I thought. We wanted either the east or west stand.

So, obviously, you moved when it was clear there was plenty of space and you could essentially sit anywhere you wanted to.

If we ever drop into League 2, we'll be having that more often! No upper tiers, plenty of space to roam around in. Who wants that?

 

[Brovion]

I had the same issue in the North when booking on Friday Morning. I could only find one block that had two seats together. That was in Block C, three rows from the front. Not my ideal choice as you are peering through the goal net trying to watch the game, but seeing as that was all that was available, beggars can't be choosers.

As anyone who was there will know, there were vast swathes of empty seats all over the place! Seeing as it was pissing down, we moved back, and were spoilt for choice. Why were these seats showing as sold on the seating plan? The seating plan showed the North Stand as being virtually sold out when it was maybe half full.

How many people didn't bother because they couldn't book seats together?

I can answer that, based on my experiences of last year. It's because on the ticketing website the seats shown as 'unavailable' aren't necessarily sold already (as you've assumed), they're simply unavailable for purchase. Usually this is because the club try and sell the expensive seats first and thus the cheaper ones are unavailable until the pricey ones have gone. I fell into that trap last year - only once mind as I was wise to it after that. If all the seats are the same price then I guess (and it's only a guess) that they effectively sell them a row, a block or a section at a time as it's easier to steward; you don't want fans dotted about all over the place in ones and twos.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

The official attendance was given as 12,000ish at the game- any guesses as to the actual attendance, based on three lower tiers being half full (not sure how full WSU was)- 5000 total?

Any reason why it would be in the Club's interest to give out a much higher attendance than actually occurred?

 

[SeagullSongs]

The official attendance was given as 12,000ish at the game- any guesses as to the actual attendance, based on three lower tiers being half full (not sure how full WSU was)- 5000 total?

Any reason why it would be in the Club's interest to give out a much higher attendance than actually occurred?

Looked around 7500-8000 to me from WSL.

 

[Conkers]

I was sat in the ESL and guessed 9-10k. WSL was pretty busy

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I can answer that, based on my experiences of last year. It's because on the ticketing website the seats shown as 'unavailable' aren't necessarily sold already (as you've assumed), they're simply unavailable for purchase. Usually this is because the club try and sell the expensive seats first and thus the cheaper ones are unavailable until the pricey ones have gone. I fell into that trap last year - only once mind as I was wise to it after that. If all the seats are the same price then I guess (and it's only a guess) that they effectively sell them a row, a block or a section at a time as it's easier to steward; you don't want fans dotted about all over the place in ones and twos.

All the north stand tickets are the same price. I wonder if the website treated it like a cup game where season ticket seats are 'reserved' but then weren't cleared for general sale?

 

[Mellotron]

Hmmm...

12 039

I don't think so somehow

Couldn't believe that, I was thinking 6-8,000 tops?