[Albion] Season Ticket Holders – A Scheme to Donate Your Empty Seat to Inspire Young Footballers from Low-Income Families

[Beach Hut]

Thanks Wozza. Good points.

I ain't no Wozza

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Great idea in principle, just need to think through some of the practical issues eg 2 adjacent tickets needed for parent. / guardian?

I imagine the club can switch tickets i.e. me and you donate our separate tickets in different parts of the ground, the club sell these as usual, but without refunding us, and provide 2 adjacent tickets elsewhere to this scheme.

If the club work with a charity they can, in effect, outsource the low income decision making.

I like the principle of this scheme and would donate to it.

 

[hughfromalice]

I think the idea is coming from a good place, and to be honest, I don't know that it should rely on STH donating their seat - it could be done using any unsold seat.

But immediate concerns are:

As already mentioned, maybe the upper end of the age range would be ok to go to a game alone, but a lot seats could end up being single. My and my friend's attendances are not linked. They don't always make it, but I still go, and vice versa. How appropriate is that for a 10 year old? And we're in the west upper, would a lot of parents want their kids sitting alone amongst the more industrial language of the north stand?
How does watching the game from the stands show how the club is run?
Why is this limited to young players, and not just something on offer to people from low-income families?
Are there restriction on "bribes" that might come into play?
Are kids from low income families regularly turning down academy places to the point they need this incentive?

I don't really see how free tickets to a game links to the identifying of young talent or of convincing them to join us more than a tour of the training facilities, highlighting how the kids are supported.

But I do like the idea of us, as a community club, giving tickets away to underpriviledged/low income youngsters (and appropriate supervision as necessary).

Thanks A79. I get your concerns. The idea that I've suggested needs to be integrated into the context of what the club is already doing, including appropriate admin and safeguards. Integration example.... a tour of the training facilities followed by attending a match would be both instructive and exciting >> Theory/prepration contrasted to a practical test under real life pressures!!!!

 

[hughfromalice]

I ain't no Wozza

Ooops.... sorry mate

 

[Colonel Mustard]

If you could somehow reassign unused seats so that all the kids were sitting together with supervision, then fair enough. But the logistics and hassle involved would make that very difficult.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If you could somehow reassign unused seats so that all the kids were sitting together with supervision, then fair enough. But the logistics and hassle involved would make that very difficult.

this shouldn’t be difficult at all for the club to do; see my post earlier.

 

[Justice]

Thanks A79. I get your concerns. The idea that I've suggested needs to be integrated into the context of what the club is already doing, including appropriate admin and safeguards. Integration example.... a tour of the training facilities followed by attending a match would be both instructive and exciting >> Theory/prepration contrasted to a practical test under real life pressures!!!!

One thing with kids being kids why are you limiting it to the poor kids in the football team as once word got around it was a poor kid trip they would get some stick from the rest of the lads in the team. You could create a situation where the offer isn’t being taken up due to the stigma. No one likes being piss poor and you wouldn’t want it highlighted in a group where you feel normal treated as an equal and no one else would necessarily know your family’s situation.

 

[Oh_aye]

How can we - as season ticket holders - join together to inspire young footballers from low-income families and help our club build on its excellent recruitment of youth talent?

Outline
Our club sets up a data base of young people (say 10 to 15 years old) drawn from low-income families who live in Sussex and play regular football for a recognized junior team.

When we can’t attend a home game many of us don’t on-sell our empty seat. Regardless of whether we on-sell or not, the proposed scheme will give us the option of donating our empty seat to the club. The club uses the data base to allocate the seat to a young person for free.

The Benefits

• It will be highly motivating for the young footballers selected to enjoy coming to the Amex and soak up the excitement of our premier league home games when they would otherwise have little or no chance of doing so.
• The scheme can be dovetailed into existing recruitment schemes run by the club.
• This is a powerful way to show that our club is well run and stands at the forefront of social responsibility.

Low Cost but Long Term
A scheme like this is low cost to set up and maintain, yet it has high levels of ongoing benefits for the young players involved and for our club.


Your Thumbs Up & Suggestions
Give this a thumbs up if you think it’s a good idea.

A short post/comment would be nice too!

Also, I’d love to hear practical suggestions from as many of you as possible. In a couple of weeks, I’ll pull the key ideas together in a draft. I’ll post the draft here so that you can make final comments. These comments can be incorporated into the finished proposal. The proposal will be sent to the club with a request for concrete action.


Hugh

My background: Born in Hove, lived in Storrington. Watched matches at the Goldstone ground when I was young. Emigrated to Australia. Spent most of my life in Alice Springs, Central Australia. Unexpected, but recently came back to live in the UK, for romantic reasons. Love my season ticket in East Lower E1D.

My first thought was - who doesn't sell their seat on, and why?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Ooops.... sorry mate

I think it’s @Wozza you really need to be apologizing to

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Yeah I’d love my unused tickets (x2) to go to someone that would really enjoy to go especially if they’re on a tight budget, but I doubt the club could be arsed to orchestrate such a scheme.

I’m not blowing my own as I’m sure many of us did the same, but back in the days of plastic cards, a few times a season I’d pass my tickets on to a friend of a friend who’d “love to take his son but couldn’t afford it” That’s why the non sharing rule sort of grates on me a bit

 

[Oh_aye]

Yeah I’d love my unused tickets (x2) to go to someone that would really enjoy to go especially if they’re on a tight budget, but I doubt the club could be arsed to orchestrate such a scheme.

I’m not blowing my own as I’m sure many of us did the same, but back in the days of plastic cards, a few times a season I’d pass my tickets on to a friend of a friend who’d “love to take his son but couldn’t afford it” That’s why the non sharing rule sort of grates on me a bit

100%.

I've also been the glad recipient in my skinter student days.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

My first thought was - who doesn't sell their seat on, and why?

It’s one of those mysteries. I usually miss 3 or 4 matches a season and the Luton match is the first time I’ve ever used the exchange

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

100%.

I've also been the glad recipient in my skinter student days.

Of course, I’ve been ok at The Amex but at Withdean the lads bailed me out a few times when I was short

 

[Javeaseagull]

One thing with kids being kids why are you limiting it to the poor kids in the football team as once word got around it was a poor kid trip they would get some stick from the rest of the lads in the team. You could create a situation where the offer isn’t being taken up due to the stigma. No one likes being piss poor and you wouldn’t want it highlighted in a group where you feel normal treated as an equal and no one else would necessarily know your family’s situation.

A bit like free school meals you mean?

 

[Colonel Mustard]

this shouldn’t be difficult at all for the club to do; see my post earlier.

Maybe we’re talking about different things. To create a block of seats would involve asking people with tickets in that section to move seats at short notice. Many wouldn’t want to.

What would be better maybe would be to nominate certain future home games for the scheme, before Albion+ members can buy, and reserve one or more small blocks, and ring fence them. I think it would be too labour intensive and complicated to try to offer this every game ie to organise a lot of shuffling seats around when the stadium is officially sold out. Do it for 4 or 5 games and organise several weeks in advance.

 

[Oh_aye]

It’s one of those mysteries. I usually miss 3 or 4 matches a season and the Luton match is the first time I’ve ever used the exchange

I missed leicester last year (aaarrghh!) Because of Covid and Forest as I was away.

Neither single ticket sold on the exchange so my dad sat next to no nobody. I had a few skint mates I'd have happily given it to but would have cost them 30 quid and me 20 quid.

I've heard all the arguments for and against I just find it annoying.

Pretty much all of my row are S/T holders and there are regularly empty seats. By the looks of them they're middle aged mostly and seem relatively well off and just pick and choose games and can't be arsed with the exchange.

I'll be missing the Luton game too but ticket sold quickly this time. So my Dad will be sitting next to someone from Luton or a Japanese person I suspect!

 

[Justice]

I missed leicester last year (aaarrghh!) Because of Covid and Forest as I was away.

Neither single ticket sold on the exchange so my dad sat next to no nobody. I had a few skint mates I'd have happily given it to but would have cost them 30 quid and me 20 quid.

I've heard all the arguments for and against I just find it annoying.

Pretty much all of my row are S/T holders and there are regularly empty seats. By the looks of them they're middle aged mostly and seem relatively well off and just pick and choose games and can't be arsed with the exchange.

I'll be missing the Luton game too but ticket sold quickly this time. So my Dad will be sitting next to someone from Luton or a Japanese person I suspect!

Wow

 

[Oh_aye]

Wow

What wrong with that?

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

……or a Japanese person I suspect!

[Peacehaven Wild Kids tugs at his collar and walks away whistling to himself]

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Maybe we’re talking about different things. To create a block of seats would involve asking people with tickets in that section to move seats at short notice. Many wouldn’t want to.

What would be better maybe would be to nominate certain future home games for the scheme, before Albion+ members can buy, and reserve one or more small blocks, and ring fence them. I think it would be too labour intensive and complicated to try to offer this every game ie to organise a lot of shuffling seats around when the stadium is officially sold out. Do it for 4 or 5 games and organise several weeks in advance.

Why do you need a block of tickets? Just give them two adjacent seats which are vacant.

As an aside, creating a block of donated seats ghetto-ises the scheme.