[Albion] new away fan ID/ticketing system

[Arthur]

Secondly, 1901 members may well not jump queues and they may well rack up points the same etc but their guests certainly don't. Corporate customers should get advantages at the Amex but that shouldn't extend to away grounds.

They don't. Not one. They get season ticket loyalty points, points for home cup games and points when they buy tickets to away games. The exact same as everyone else.

And of course it's simple, it's just a database of names. Most companies insist that visitors sign in and out when they visit their commercial premises so why shouldn't they expect to do the same when they visit a football ground?

Dave, do you want to go to football on Saturday? Sure why not. Right I need your name, address, phone number and email address and I'll have to wait until the club creates a fan number for you. Can you imagine having to do that every week for every person you give your ticket out to?

Bit more to it than just signing a visitors book isn't it.

Companies would just assign a name to each ticket regardless of whether that person was using the ticket or not. Then you'd be in the exact same situation.

 

[theboybilly]

Not sure about how I would feel travelling half way across the country in the hope that my ticket will be there !

It will be there

 

[spanish flair]

Indeed. Now there's a known and specific punishment to act as a deterrent.

Yes that will work as long as the offenders are sitting in the correct seats, which doesn’t happen all the time in away games

 

[theboybilly]

They can get to ****. This just feels like then tarring us all with the same brush, YET AGAIN. I’m sure it might be ok, but this is utter boll*cks. As someone else said, I’d be concerned by the Amex empty seats rather than this. Would love to know if they’ve genuinely tracked accounts or if someone snitched. Just feel like we are constantly being read the riot act and each time it alienates me more. I will be running tight for time at Brentford away due to work. If they select my account randomly, that means I’ll likely miss kick off. Brilliant. Hopefully they know who they are targeting. Don’t see the harm myself. Innocent passing on the ticket to a friend. Rare does that go wrong. But club love to water down our support so I’m not surprised.

It's nothing like what you are suggesting. The club have realised ( or have been informed) that people entitled to tickets are missing out on attending away games because of abuses of the system. It doesn't affect me as I'm well inside Tier 1 but I'd be more than a bit miffed if I was in the lower bands and people without even a purchase history were going to a match, say a Cup quarter-final, and I missed out. This isn't on the club - this is totally on people taking the p*ss.

 

[jackalbion]

They don't. Not one. They get season ticket loyalty points, points for home cup games and points when they buy tickets to away games. The exact same as everyone else.



Dave, do you want to go to football on Saturday? Sure why not. Right I need your name, address, phone number and email address and I'll have to wait until the club creates a fan number for you. Can you imagine having to do that every week for every person you give your ticket out to?

Bit more to it than just signing a visitors book isn't it.

Companies would just assign a name to each ticket regardless of whether that person was using the ticket or not. Then you'd be in the exact same situation.

But doesn't that completely contradict the statement the club have made, 'its illegal to pass on tickets as they aren't registered in the name of a particular person', except when its a 1901 ticket you don't have to have a name and its no longer illegal. Why are you not allowed to register your season ticket in a random company name and then let anyone use it. I get what you are trying to say, but some of this 'legislation' doesn't make sense and maybe needs to be clarified the reason it doesn't apply to 1901 tickets. We have to give our phone number, name, email address etc for a season ticket and we can't pass it on, the point you make about this is why people continually aren't happy about the Albion + sharing scheme. It used to be 'hey dave, do you fancy using my mates ticket he's on holiday' and now its 'Hi Dave, you need to firstly register with my albion + for £20 a season, then go through a process or paying per game'. It does seem to be double standards. Rockwater in Hove boast that being part of their £750 a year membership gives you access to a season ticket, so they are obviously sharing it around while other people are having to pay.

 

[Justice]

Maybe fair in some ways but for example for the ballots for the games played during COVID I ended up in 4 group each time. Lucky for me I did not want to go. A fairer system would be to have taken out the people who won in first ballot so people in second ballot got a better chance to attend then continue through cycle.

The points system is flawed IMO. I don’t want a season ticket for work reasons yet normally attend every game bar a couple over a season. I’m paying more than a NS ST holder per season yet get very little points. My sons are ST holders and have got me away tickets when they can’t go or don’t want to go I don’t really think that’s abusing the system.

 

[Giraffe]

But the announcement doesn't address that at all, does it? If you have a ticket in hand, you can pass it on to someone else, and there are no subsequent checks on the person who presents the ticket at the turnstile.

What the announcement and process change seeks to address is the situation where someone intentionally buys a ticket for someone else at the outset, as they may be randomly selected for collect-at-ground-with-ID.

Do you not think they could use this bit to do random checks at turnstile as well? Not sure you can conclude that the first sentence is tied to the second sentence?

"We are therefore advising all supporters that in line with our terms and conditions that there will be ad-hoc ID checks.

Starting with our away game against Brentford in October, away tickets will have names and fan numbers written on them and some tickets will at random be retained and held for collection at away grounds with matching photo ID required for entry.

Any supporter found to be passing on away tickets will be subject to a ten-home match ban, during that time the excluded supporter will not be able to purchase away tickets and a 50-point loyalty point deduction will be made. "

 

[Goldstone1976]

I didn't think 1901ers do get first dibs at all and it's pretty equitable with regular STHs now. There was a change to how it worked a few seasons back.

[MENTION=27447]Goldstone1976[/MENTION] will be able to provide more detail.

1901ers no longer get first dibs on away tix and haven’t for 4-5 years at least. It’s exactly the same LP scheme as standard STH.

One thing the club’s note did tell me that is new news is that 1901ers can transfer away tickets to “guests”. I didn’t know this, and must say I slightly surprised. It’s one thing the Albion allowing a section of their fan base to transfer tix for home games; I’d have thought it was something else entirely to purport to do so for another club’s ground.

Since I’m now replying to the thread, two further things.

I’m not sure the club are being entirely truthful about Brentford being the first game that this will be applied to. I booked three tix for Muff away and didn’t receive the tix. I phone up a few days before the game to be told “ah yes, we&re trialling a new system that will b rolled out shortly; we’re keeping some back for pick up at the away ground”. Questions concerning this decision were met with vague replies…

I often buy tix for 4 or 5 people, as I’m sure many others do, is there any clarity about whether it’s just the ticket orderer who has to rock up and provide ID, or will it be the entire group? If the latter, that’s going to be a real pita.

 

[drew]

They don't. Not one. They get season ticket loyalty points, points for home cup games and points when they buy tickets to away games. The exact same as everyone else.

You seem to be completely missing the point. The ticket accrues the points, not the guest. Somebody with a 1901 ticket may have 19 customers, all of whom support a different premier league club. Each is given a ticket to the relevant away game. The ticket has accrued points for each match but each guest hasn't. Each of those 19 guests has got ahead of people that accrue loyalty points for themselves.

Obviously STH also accrue points to the ticket but because our tickets aren't transferable, that is effectively the season ticket holder themselves that are accruing the points. Surely you can spot the difference?


Dave, do you want to go to football on Saturday? Sure why not. Right I need your name, address, phone number and email address and I'll have to wait until the club creates a fan number for you. Can you imagine having to do that every week for every person you give your ticket out to?

Bit more to it than just signing a visitors book isn't it.

Companies would just assign a name to each ticket regardless of whether that person was using the ticket or not. Then you'd be in the exact same situation.

Why do they need a fan number? The club just need name and contact number if it's just for corporate guests.

Out of interest, do you hold corporate tickets and allocate them to anyone or are you on the other side of the coin and are in receipt of tickets from 1901 members?

 

[drew]

The points system is flawed IMO. I don’t want a season ticket for work reasons yet normally attend every game bar a couple over a season. I’m paying more than a NS ST holder per season yet get very little points. My sons are ST holders and have got me away tickets when they can’t go or don’t want to go I don’t really think that’s abusing the system.

Not sure why you don't have a season ticket then if you are actually paying more over the course of the season. Surely better to have a season ticket and the benefits that come with that and make a saving as well as being able to occasionally put it on the exchange and make even more of a saving!

 

[drew]

Maybe fair in some ways but for example for the ballots for the games played during COVID I ended up in 4 group each time. Lucky for me I did not want to go. A fairer system would be to have taken out the people who won in first ballot so people in second ballot got a better chance to attend then continue through cycle.

Exactly, was going to post the same thing.

 

[Wozza]

The points system is flawed IMO. I don’t want a season ticket for work reasons yet normally attend every game bar a couple over a season. I’m paying more than a NS ST holder per season...

Why would the club leglislate for this utterly bizarre individual circumstance?!

Fundamentally, loyalty points are a bonus for fans making a commitment to go to home games upfront. You're choosing not to take up this offer.

My sons are ST holders and have got me away tickets when they can’t go or don’t want to go I don’t really think that’s abusing the system.

A STHer who just missed out on a ticket might disagree with that...

 

[Banana9989]

Why would staff at the away grounds want the extra work load on a busy match day? Imagine the grief you would get from some fans who have had a few and forgotten ID or whatever.

Indeed. Have Brighton told Brentford that they are sending hoards of ticketless fans to our Ticket Office. Have Brighton told Brentford that they expect them to execute rigorous ID checks? Have Brighton told Brentford that there are likely to be non-conforming IDs and therefore risk of disorder?

Thought not.

 

[Giraffe]

Indeed. Have Brighton told Brentford that they are sending hoards of ticketless fans to our Ticket Office. Have Brighton told Brentford that they expect them to execute rigorous ID checks? Have Brighton told Brentford that there are likely to be non-conforming IDs and therefore risk of disorder?

Thought not.

Very good first post. You should post more Banana.

 

[Arthur]

Rockwater in Hove boast that being part of their £750 a year membership gives you access to a season ticket, so they are obviously sharing it around while other people are having to pay.

That's always been a "perk" of 1901. And given the cost of 1901 tickets it's not like we aren't paying for that privilege. And for someone in 1901 to get ahead of anyone in the queue for away tickets they would have to have the required loyalty points as anyone else so simply being a season ticket holder isn't enough as I can personally testify.

Why do they need a fan number? The club just need name and contact number if it's just for corporate guests.

Well you wanted individuals to be awarded loyalty points against them using a company registered 1901 seats. How can they do that without a fan number?

Out of interest, do you hold corporate tickets and allocate them to anyone or are you on the other side of the coin and are in receipt of tickets from 1901 members?

I have a 1901 seat which is registered to me personally. I do however go with pals who have seats registered to their companies. A mate has 4 seats and he goes to pretty much every game home and away. I would say 2/3rds of those home games the same people use his other seats. The other third of games are used by his customers, friends, employees and he has been known to give them away as charity prizes. So for him personally your idea wouldn't be as much as of a ballache I suspect it would be for many companies. Where I sit my row is quite unique in that we have mainly constant regulars. However in front and behind the people change every single week and the less attractive games are quite often empty. I know are a few are owned by the club and sold as part of the full hospitality package (grub etc). Frustrating as every season I ask about purchasing another ticket and every season I'm told it's sold out.

 

[Bean]

10 game ban - seems very harsh. Does any other club operate this policy?

Maybe the points system should be made fairer then this wouldn't happen as much? Not everyone can commit to a season ticket yet it's become impossible for said people to get an away ticket. What about a separate ballot for non STH's?

 

[jackalbion]

That's always been a "perk" of 1901. And given the cost of 1901 tickets it's not like we aren't paying for that privilege. And for someone in 1901 to get ahead of anyone in the queue for away tickets they would have to have the required loyalty points as anyone else so simply being a season ticket holder isn't enough as I can personally testify.

I understand thats a perk, no problem, but why are we quoted its illegal and legislature that you can't exchange tickets. It clearly is just club policy and I wish they would say as such. It does also irritate me about your second point on empty seats, in WSU that seats are empty but allegedly 'sold out'. In my email correspondence with the club, they don't seem bothered on the issue, I have two seats next to me that are empty every game, but are season ticket seats. It is strange that the club are happy they go empty every week.

 

[Arthur]

I understand thats a perk, no problem, but why are we quoted its illegal and legislature that you can't exchange tickets. It clearly is just club policy and I wish they would say as such.

I'm sure the club would have some sort of get out along the lines the tickets aren't being exchanged they are registered to the same account.

It does also irritate me about your second point on empty seats, in WSU that seats are empty but allegedly 'sold out'. In my email correspondence with the club, they don't seem bothered on the issue, I have two seats next to me that are empty every game, but are season ticket seats. It is strange that the club are happy they go empty every week.

I guess the club would argue that they've done their bit by selling the ticket and it's up the purchaser what they do with it.

Although I'm sure I recall a thread on here a while back from some chap who got a snotty correspondence from the club for non attendance.

 

[Bozza]

I understand thats a perk, no problem, but why are we quoted its illegal and legislature that you can't exchange tickets. It clearly is just club policy and I wish they would say as such. It does also irritate me about your second point on empty seats, in WSU that seats are empty but allegedly 'sold out'. In my email correspondence with the club, they don't seem bothered on the issue, I have two seats next to me that are empty every game, but are season ticket seats. It is strange that the club are happy they go empty every week.

It is illegal for an unauthorised person to sell or dispose of a football ticket to another person.

My guess would be that, perhaps, the club is able to bestow authorised person-ship to 1901ers which enables them to be able to legally pass on the ticket without having to go via the club.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

So if someone is on 474 points after the Liverpool game, just deducting 100 points, still leaves them in Tier 1 and able to purchase tickets, and therefore they have effectively not received any punishment.

Okay, I'm not aware that the loyalty points went that high. The club could just reduce the loyalty points of anyone caught to 150 points, that would then prevent them from being in T1 or T2. They don't need to ban the person for ten matches, which is something you would expect for abusing a steward or invading the pitch!