Paul Barber - ID checks of fans at away games?

[Mackenzie]

Loyalty points pah. I don't have a Season Ticket, as a Pensioner I can't afford it. Therefore my loyalty points are in hundreds not thousands, not enough to buy away tickets if I wanted to go and tickets were available. I have picked and chosen my matches for years except when I was a kid and tickets were 9d two thirds of my pocket money, and later when I watched us rise to the heights of the first division, with a Season Ticket in the West Stand. I had no problem in getting a ticket for Manchester United away. This Club has had all the money I have ever spent on football, till I die means something when you have been supporting for sixty plus years.
So lets see what these new challenges bring, the way it's run may change but fundamentally you are following an idea, a meaning a Team you have had an interest in since you were a small kid. Brighton and Hove Albion, nobody's ever managed to take that away.

Different circumstances to you but similar problems. As an 'exile' in mid-Wales having a season ticket doesn't work for me (and my children who come with me to games) we get to a few home games and a few more away games every season, but obviously have nowhere near the loyalty points required for anything. You kind of learn to be organised and occasionally resourceful in our position, but you can usually get a ticket.

I think this new scheme has come across as being heavy handed by the club, but I guess it should ensure that the supporters who follow the team home and away every week get their tickets (which is only right) and could actually help folk like us at the back of the food chain get our hands on tickets that would have otherwise been divvied out to friends of fans with big loyalty points.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

You as a long standing season ticket holder should without doubt have preference over somebody who as just gone on waiting list to watch premiership football. Good chance your 6 year old will be there in 10 years time even if we are in Division 2.

This. Every time. What happens when a kiddie who's been in the Family Section with an adult since Day One becomes too old to go in there anymore? Are they REALLY expected to just be kicked to the back of the waiting list at the expense of every JCVL who fancies watching a bit of Premier League football? Now THAT's unfair in my view. Or am I missing something?

 

[Goldstone1976]

Different circumstances to you but similar problems. As an 'exile' in mid-Wales having a season ticket doesn't work for me (and my children who come with me to games) we get to a few home games and a few more away games every season, but obviously have nowhere near the loyalty points required for anything. You kind of learn to be organised and occasionally resourceful in our position, but you can usually get a ticket.

I think this new scheme has come across as being heavy handed by the club, but I guess it should ensure that the supporters who follow the team home and away every week get their tickets (which is only right) and could actually help folk like us at the back of the food chain get our hands on tickets that would have otherwise been divvied out to friends of fans with big loyalty points.

Interesting point.

Perhaps there's scope for introducing a new LP gate point? From memory it goes from ST holder (min 1000 LP) straight to general sale. Perhaps, especially if the club want to avoid (what I'll call) real touts getting tickets, they should introduce another level at around, say, 200 LP. That would allow proper fans who attend some games over a number of seasons but who don't have a ST to get tickets ahead of Joe Public...?

 

[rippleman]

Anybody know what you get for paying £22 to go on a waiting list? Other than for somebody to add your name and contact details to an Excel spreadsheet or similar? And that costs £22 does it? What a rip-off!!

 

[Moshe Gariani]

This. Every time. What happens when a kiddie who's been in the Family Section with an adult since Day One becomes too old to go in there anymore? Are they REALLY expected to just be kicked to the back of the waiting list at the expense of every JCVL who fancies watching a bit of Premier League football? Now THAT's unfair in my view. Or am I missing something?

If we are successful in the Premier League then they will look to phase out the Family Stand and concessionary tickets.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Anybody know what you get for paying £22 to go on a waiting list? Other than for somebody to add your name and contact details to an Excel spreadsheet or similar? And that costs £22 does it? What a rip-off!!

I think you pay for the Bronze membership, which, atm, is a pre-condition of getting on the waiting list. There is then no charge for Bronze members who want to join the waiting list.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

If we are successful in the Premier League then they will look to phase out the Family Stand and concessionary tickets.

If that happens, wouldn't be at all surprised if they looked at pricing the North out of their seats also.

 

[El Presidente]

Interesting point.

Perhaps there's scope for introducing a new LP gate point? From memory it goes from ST holder (min 1000 LP) straight to general sale. Perhaps, especially if the club want to avoid (what I'll call) real touts getting tickets, they should introduce another level at around, say, 200 LP. That would allow proper fans who attend some games over a number of seasons but who don't have a ST to get tickets ahead of Joe Public...?

I'm sure the club is looking at a variety of LP access points for next season, but clearly publicly they don't want to come across as the Albion being already promoted.

Once the initial brouhaha has calmed down I am sure things will return to normality. Remember we didn't manage to sell out our away end for Sheffield Wednesday for the playoffs last season. There will be binfestery for the first couple of away games, as well United, Liverpool and the London clubs, but a 12:30 kick off at Turf Moor or the Britannia is less likely to be an issue.

 

[Notters]

This. Every time. What happens when a kiddie who's been in the Family Section with an adult since Day One becomes too old to go in there anymore? Are they REALLY expected to just be kicked to the back of the waiting list at the expense of every JCVL who fancies watching a bit of Premier League football? Now THAT's unfair in my view. Or am I missing something?

To be fair, I think if you have a season ticket in the family section (or anywhere else) you can move to elsewhere before the new people get their chance to buy.

 

[El Presidente]

I think you pay for the Bronze membership.

I had a Russian girlfriend who gave me that.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

If we are successful in the Premier League then they will look to phase out the Family Stand and concessionary tickets.

I doubt that.

 

[amexer]

May I ask Bozza a question. You state you have 2 tickets. I dont know if your 2nd ticket is adult or child. However if they where no longer interested in going I assume you would then want to change ticket to your 6 year old. What would your reaction be if club said sorry not allowed. Ticket must be sold to someone on waiting list who wants to watch premiership football

 

[Exile]

Interesting point.

Perhaps there's scope for introducing a new LP gate point? From memory it goes from ST holder (min 1000 LP) straight to general sale. Perhaps, especially if the club want to avoid (what I'll call) real touts getting tickets, they should introduce another level at around, say, 200 LP. That would allow proper fans who attend some games over a number of seasons but who don't have a ST to get tickets ahead of Joe Public...?

'General sale' doesn't mean that though, does it? It means 'available (regardless of LP) to those with a previous purchase history'. No?

If we are successful in the Premier League then they will look to phase out the Family Stand and concessionary tickets.

Will they hell.

 

[Notters]

I doubt that.

Will they hell.

There's a section of the lower west that has no concessions. It doesn't seem that unlikely that they'd extend this does it?

 

[Exile]

There's a section of the lower west that has no concessions. It doesn't seem that unlikely that they'd extend this does it?

To the entire ground? Yes, it seems massively unlikely.

Unthinkable, in fact.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I doubt that.

Why do you doubt it? If Barber is still in charge then he will be doing everything possible to maximise income streams. It is his raison d'etre.

I would love to be wrong and see some sign that under Tony Bloom's ownership we might be different somehow but there is no such evidence available.

The Amex needed filling and so all sorts of incentives that created reasonable value for fans were created. These will gradually be phased out as demand for tickets starts to consistently outstrip supply.

The chance to signal a different intent was to say that if we got to the Premier League, given the £100m+ windfall to the club, there would be no increase in the prices of tickets per match (to STHs or match by match buyers). This chance was not taken and instead we get a load of bollocks about making things unnecessarily worse for long time and loyal fans in the interests of being "fair" to our lovely new fans.

 

[AWAYDAY]

i think you're probably right. In which case Barber didnt need to send anything out. He's caused a lot of unnecessary ill feeling and his timing is appalling.

Yeah I get that. It just seems to be a warning shot to trouble makers and touts. I'm happy to take a wait and see approach and as I say if they do try to work to the 'letter of the law' the backlash will be immense!

Stay calm people and carry on as before unless you're causing bother or passing ticket to those that are, in which case they're after you!!

Anyways bigger fish to fry - Derby tomorrow, I love a Friday night game!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

To the entire ground? Yes, it seems massively unlikely.

Unthinkable, in fact.

Exactly, and under Tony Bloom's ownership, extremely unlikely. [MENTION=3552]Moshe Gariani[/MENTION], you may dislike Paul Barber, but he does nothing without Tony's approval. I think you are being very unkind in your opinion of the club and board.
I have been in supporters meetings with Tony, and I have seen for myself his opinion of young and old fans.


Edit to add, the tv money is so great in the Premier League, that ticket revenue isn't even needed to run a club, unless the club starts paying stupid wages to players. This is why some clubs are capping the away fans tickets.

 

[Titanic]

Yeah I get that. It just seems to be a warning shot to trouble makers and touts. I'm happy to take a wait and see approach and as I say if they do try to work to the 'letter of the law' the backlash will be immense!

Stay calm people and carry on as before unless you're causing bother or passing ticket to those that are, in which case they're after you!!

Anyways bigger fish to fry - Derby tomorrow, I love a Friday night game!

If they have identified genuine 'trouble makers' and 'touts' abusing the system... why not pursue them directly rather than this ill-judged and unwelcome heavy handed edict to all long-suffering and dedicated supporters?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Why do you doubt it? If Barber is still in charge then he will be doing everything possible to maximise income streams. It is his raison d'etre.

I would love to be wrong and see some sign that under Tony Bloom's ownership we might be different somehow but there is no such evidence available.

The Amex needed filling and so all sorts of incentives that created reasonable value for fans were created. These will gradually be phased out as demand for tickets starts to consistently outstrip supply.

The chance to signal a different intent was to say that if we got to the Premier League, given the £100m+ windfall to the club, there would be no increase in the prices of tickets per match (to STHs or match by match buyers). This chance was not taken and instead we get a load of bollocks about making things unnecessarily worse for long time and loyal fans in the interests of being "fair" to our lovely new fans.