This Drift Towards Resentment Of The 1901 Club

[Brian Fantana]

I have gone for thr 1901 club for the following reasons:

1) For circumstances beyond my control I have not been a resident of Brighton for the last 10 years and, therefore, a season ticket has not been a viable alternative - until now, when I am in easy commuting distance of Brighton.

2) I want to guarantee myself a season ticket due to the fact that otherwise I would have been at the back of the queue - I have saved up fairly rigorously to be able to afford it.

3) I see it as a good investment.

I am not a johnny come lately, nor a corporate 'fan'. My first Albion match was in 1994. This decision, although an expensive one, was the best way I could guarantee to be part of the Falmer experience.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Where are you seating at Falmer? I need my free pint.

North Stand. Obviously.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

A load of old bollocks.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Look the main point is that so far I have not seen anywhere that 1901 members have priority over other STHS - lets see what the club say when they come out with the prices.

I'm sure that if enough loyal supporters voiced an opinion on away tickets the club would hear the arguement.

Personally I 'd be worried about getting any form of ticket in a new 22k stadium if things are going well. The first season is going to be a lottery. From what I have heard there have been lots of "businesses" trying to jump on the bandwagon when they have never been around in the last 5-10 years of grimness. Thats why the 1901 club has been sucessfull.

Whats it going to be like with all our new and old supporters that couldn't get to the last 10 years games?

Yesterday I had to listen to 4 "old goldstone" supporters who just went on about "when they go to chelsea and West Ham" for most of the game!

 

[cyanide-sid]

With tickets working out at 54 pound a game if there are 26 home matches (guessing here) not counting the 500 or 1000 pound down payment in the platinum section I`ll be interested to see just how much this income will subsidise the other season ticket holders or regular fans. Gold will be a little cheaper of course but I wouldn`t hold my breath in the hope that tickets for the rest will go below 26 quid per match. I doubt the word subsidy will be used by the club come the ticket pricing details when they come out soon.
As for 1901 getting any sort of priority for cup games away then thats just plain wrong. All season ticket holders should be treated as equals when it comes to cup tickets getting priority together for big away games over non season ticket holders.
So far it seems the club have prioritised by allowing the 1901 to pick their seats and to get the info on pricing.
It must not be left to long for all the other STH to get their chance otherwise there will be a little resentment creeping in.
By all accounts its in the next 2 weeks isn`t it ?

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

cyanide-sid - it's not going to subsidise the tickets for the rest of us. They might use it to pay some of the costs of the stdium?

ChickenRunner - they have already offered priority for A list away games to th 1901 club. That's a contract. No amount of STH pressure can change that. Accept it and suck it up I'm afraid.

 

[trueblue]

I'm in the 1901 club. Don't see any need to justify other than I've supported Albion all my life and I'm lucky enough to be able to afford it.

This 'corporate' complaint is utterly overblown. Everyone I know who's been prepared to stump up for a ticket at a premium price has bought it for their own use because they're an Albion fan just the same as everyone else. In some cases they may not have been to Withdean for every game but so what? If they didn't want to watch football in the pouring rain at an athletics track that's their choice - the return to a proper ground has just been the tipping point to get them back to the games.

Really, we're not talking about Executive boxes being bought up by giant multi-national companies so that they can entertain a few executives from Hong Kong. It's not Old Trafford and we're not in the Champions League. If it was really about trying to impress clients then, reality check everyone, you'd take them to London for a Premier League game.

This is more about local people who can afford it wanting to make the most of the new stadium and sometimes taking a mate or a good business contact along. Anyone who's not that bothered is not going to spunk a grand a year on it - they'll just buy a ticket match by match.

Anyways, there are 20000 seats left for everyone else - all with a far better view than anyone now has at Withdean. As for priority on away games, well, if all these 1901 club-ers are such crap fans, they won't be going anyway will they because it'll be too much effort?

Incidentally, the obsession with away attendance as the barometer of super-fandom is a nonsense. Yes, it's great that people are prepared to go those lengths (and I do too when I can get time off), but away attendance contributes precisely nothing financially to the club. I know plenty of people who have bought a season ticket every year for Withdean even though they can't go to every single game, simply because they want to sit with their friends when they do go. Sure, it's costing them way over the odds but the money's good for the club so they're happy to stump up anyway.

Those are the sort of people I know that are joining the 1901 club. They certainly don't merit abuse.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I can't be arsed to read the whole thread but I guess there's similar sentiment to the don c**ty whatever his name is post that THPP quoted.

People need to f***ing grow up. Boo hoo I can't sit on the halfway line because all the nasty rich boys bought the tickets

Why can't people ever be happy, we've got a new stadium and they're moaning because can't get the right seats. Just enjoy sitting in a normal part of the ground like everyone else

 

[cyanide-sid]

cyanide-sid - it's not going to subsidise the tickets for the rest of us. They might use it to pay some of the costs of the stdium?

.

That was the point I was making but its been mentioned plenty of times on here that the most expensive seats were going to help keep costs down for others. I have never been that naive TRHK.

The best seats with the best facilities have always cost the most money whether at fooball or at the theatre or wherever but thats as far as I would like to see it go. Not the ticket bit.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Billy - maybe yopu should have read the rest of the thread in which case. The debate here is not about rich boys grabbing the best seats, it's about members of 1901 getting first dibs on the best away games. Does seem like an unnecessary concession given the 1901 club is a Falmer issue - more than a BHA issue.

trublue seems to get it right for me:

either they are real fans buying these tickets and so good news for them if they get priority on the away tickets or they are corporates who won't go to away games anyway. So frankly, uber fans will lose out to other uber fans or they won't lose out at all.

Storm in a teacup.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

The best seats with the best facilities have always cost the most money whether at fooball or at the theatre or wherever but thats as far as I would like to see any elitism go.

That I agree with. Happy to see these people chip more into the pot if they can afford it - we'll all benefit from better players on the pitch wherever we sit!

 

[The Grockle]

Whilst I appreciate people's concern about 1901 members having first dibs on away tickets away capacitys will obviously be much larger in the championship (should we get there) Also as many have pointed out many of the 1901 members won't travel away.

If anyones interested, i have compiled a list of current championship club away allocations...


Barnsley 6000
Burnley 4125
Bristol City 2800
Cardiff City 1800
Coventry City 3000
Crystal Palace 2000- probably give us 5000
Derby County 3100
Doncaster Rovers 3344
Hull City4000
Ipswich Town 1900
Leeds United 1800 can increase to 5000
Leicester City 3000
Middlesbrough 4500
Millwall 4000
Norwich City 2500
Nottingham Forest 4750
Portsmouth 2000
Preston North End 6000
Queens Park Rangers 2500
Reading 2100
Scunthorpe United 1650
Sheffield United3000
Swansea City3500
Watford2200

 

[AMEXican Wave]

ChickenRunner - they have already offered priority for A list away games to th 1901 club. That's a contract. No amount of STH pressure can change that. Accept it and suck it up I'm afraid.

Surely there is nothing to stop them offering A List priority to other ticket holders as well, ie season ticket holders ( with or without an additional membership / fee )??

 

[Billy the Fish]

Billy - maybe yopu should have read the rest of the thread in which case. The debate here is not about rich boys grabbing the best seats, it's about members of 1901 getting first dibs on the best away games. Does seem like an unnecessary concession given the 1901 club is a Falmer issue - more than a BHA issue.

trublue seems to get it right for me:

either they are real fans buying these tickets and so good news for them if they get priority on the away tickets or they are corporates who won't go to away games anyway. So frankly, uber fans will lose out to other uber fans or they won't lose out at all.

Storm in a teacup.

Fair dos, that is one thing that doesn't seem right but we don't even really know how it's going to pan out yet so the panic from some people seems very unjustified.

Pretty much agree with vereything you and trueblue are saying

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Whilst I appreciate people's concern about 1901 members having first dibs on away tickets away capacitys will obviously be much larger in the championship (should we get there) Also as many have pointed out many of the 1901 members won't travel away.

If anyones interested, i have compiled a list of current championship club away allocations...


Barnsley 6000
Burnley 4125
Bristol City 2800
Cardiff City 1800
Coventry City 3000
Crystal Palace 2000- probably give us 5000
Derby County 3100
Doncaster Rovers 3344
Hull City4000
Ipswich Town 1900
Leeds United 1800 can increase to 5000
Leicester City 3000
Middlesbrough 4500
Millwall 4000
Norwich City 2500
Nottingham Forest 4750
Portsmouth 2000
Preston North End 6000
Queens Park Rangers 2500
Reading 2100
Scunthorpe United 1650
Sheffield United3000
Swansea City3500
Watford2200

You're missing the point spectacularly though. I do not have any concerns about 1901 members taking up the tickets for the above places, and I am sure I will be able to get tickets for Scunthorpe & Preston, much as I have been for exotic locations such as Oldham, Hartlepool, Carlisle etc etc etc every week over the years. However, are you honestly telling me that these people won't fancy Stamford Bridge or the Emirates in the FA cup?

 

[El Presidente]

If ever we needed proof about being a small time club with small time attitudes this bollocks, and the bedwetting question on ATC, 9 months before we have an away match whilst at Falmer, is conclusive proof.

You pay for privileges in life, and that's what you get for being in the 1901. Those who have a superiority complex because they have a ticket stub from Halifax away in 2001 can do one. Get over yourselves and grow up.

 

[The Grockle]

You're missing the point spectacularly though. I do not have any concerns about 1901 members taking up the tickets for the above places, and I am sure I will be able to get tickets for Scunthorpe & Preston, much as I have been for exotic locations such as Oldham, Hartlepool, Carlisle etc etc etc every week over the years. However, are you honestly telling me that these people won't fancy Stamford Bridge or the Emirates in the FA cup?

Arsenal would give us 9000 tickets in the cup Chelsea probably 5000 would you honesty have any complaints if these 2500 1901 members had priority of over the rest of us? They are after all paying a premium for this privileage.

I'd imagine it would be a similar set up at other clubs who have a decent away following, it's just part of modern football i'm afraid.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

If ever we needed proof about being a small time club with small time attitudes this bollocks, and the bedwetting question on ATC, 9 months before we have an away match whilst at Falmer, is conclusive proof.

You pay for privileges in life, and that's what you get for being in the 1901. Those who have a superiority complex because they have a ticket stub from Halifax away in 2001 can do one. Get over yourselves and grow up.

You're right to say that we should all wait and see what happens.

However, you're wrong with your second point. Yes money does buy privileges, but even the top clubs (United, Chelsea etc) allocate away tickets on a loyalty basis - they don't have a group of supporters who pay for the chance to jump the queue.

 

[Don Quixote]

I could afford it if I wanted to, but I don't think it is good to Lord it over other fans. I will be on the terraces with the real fans.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Arsenal would give us 9000 tickets in the cup Chelsea probably 5000 would you honesty have any complaints if these 2500 1901 members had priority of over the rest of us? They are after all paying a premium for this privileage.

I'd imagine it would be a similar set up at other clubs who have a decent away following, it's just part of modern football i'm afraid.

If we got 9k tickets, not really an issue, I appreciate that. However, anything under 5k I think does become an issue, because as we have seen (West Ham, Spurs, Villa - as well as places like Orient, QPR etc), those tickets do sell out and each time I know genuine Albion fans (not necessarily superfans) who miss out. When you reduce that down to only 1000-2000, then the scramble is gonna be nuts - and not all (I accept some) of those 1901 fans who will have tickets would "deserve" them under a loyalty system.