Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

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ri916
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Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by ri916 »

I've just been on the website and seen that tickets for both Blackpool and Nottingham Forest are being sold on priority by the number of away games you have attended this season. Is this going to become a regular thing for all away games?

I'm quite angry to be honest as I have a Gold membership which when I bought it was supposed to give me second priority to buying away tickets. The number of games to get priority ranges from 4-6 I think, I've been to 2 so far this season. I live in the South so going to Home matches regularly is out of the question, so instead I choose to attend slightly more local away games. So far I've been to Reading and Charlton this season, and was planning to do QPR, Brighton, Bournemouth, Forest and Yeovil too, but it seems that if this is going to continue I'll be lucky to get tickets for another. This is pretty ridiculous after the membership was advertised how it was, why should someone who's been to 6 away games be more entitled to get tickets to another than me? I've paid the same for the membership and have also used it to buy tickets to games it was realistic to go to. I understand implementing this in exceptional circumstances like the Man City FA Cup game last year, but for league matches? What an utter joke. I've been to a quarter of our league away matches so far and I won't have a chance of getting tickets for Forest for certain, and who knows what will happen with the other matches.
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Mellor
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by Mellor »

When demand outstrips supply there is no solution which suits everyone. Giving first dibs to those who go the most is as good a way as any of allocating tickets IMO. See you at Donny ;)
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by Deleted User 2 »

ri916, firstly you should probably make sure you put this in writing to the club as well, as they took previous feedback into consideration when they put together this season's membership plans & ticketing policies.

Secondly, as Mellor says, there's never a perfect way. But loyalty allocation schemes are far from new, they've been running for high-demand away games (and home games) for years now. We've not really had big away games in the cups for a while though, away league attendance has soared again this season and usually I think the loyalty games were the ones towards the back end of the season. I don't think the memberships were mis-advertised from this point of view. All that happens if all away tickets are put on sale indiscriminately is that there's a mad rush on the ticketing website at a certain time, they sell out in 15 minutes, and then people who have been to 7 or 8 out of 10 aways feel hard done by. I think most people are largely satisfied with the current system, it's just small grounds (like Blackpool) or reduced ticket allocation (like Forest) that cause the inner issue leading to the need for loyalty allocation.
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Sheepy
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by Sheepy »

I don't mind the loyalty schemes for games towards the end of the season but when they do it so early on, it creates a catch 22 scenario, you need to have attended so many games, but they restrict the amount you can go to because of the loyalty schemes.

There will never be a perfect system, but I must admit that the figure of 7 away games seems quite high when we have only had 11 away games (up to Blackburn) and that includes two midweek away fixtures. I suppose they can only base it on the amount of tickets we have been sent though.

At least Blackpool is on the TV and an afternoon in the pub is not too bad!
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Sheepy
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by Sheepy »

Also, just want to add, the scheme works much better than it used to, I recall the play off semi against Carlisle where people got tickets who had never been to an away game and those who had been to several missed out, I was one of them, and its annoying.
ri916
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by ri916 »

Thanks for the replies, an email has been sent to the club regarding this. The main thing for me is the amount of games to be frank, it was only 3 for the match against Man City last year and that was a far bigger game, I think a fairer way of doing it would have been to just give everyone who has seen 2/3 games priority, if you want to go to all/most of the away games then you buy an away season ticket I imagine, so it's a bit ridiculous giving fans who have seen 7 matches priority over someone who has maybe only seen 2/3 like me.

Thanks for the replies, hopefully this won't be a regular thing and it's just due to 2 very low allocations.
1964white
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by 1964white »

ri916 wrote:Thanks for the replies, an email has been sent to the club regarding this. The main thing for me is the amount of games to be frank, it was only 3 for the match against Man City last year and that was a far bigger game, I think a fairer way of doing it would have been to just give everyone who has seen 2/3 games priority, if you want to go to all/most of the away games then you buy an away season ticket I imagine, so it's a bit ridiculous giving fans who have seen 7 matches priority over someone who has maybe only seen 2/3 like me.

Thanks for the replies, hopefully this won't be a regular thing and it's just due to 2 very low allocations.
As Bogdan has already posted LUFC had to implement a fair system due to the small allocation at Blackpool & the reduced one at Forest as their fans are supporting their club in numbers this season therefore we haven't been allocated the whole of the bottom tier this time

Not really the fault of LUFC to be fair !

I'd have missed out on a Blackpool ticket by one....fortunately a client of mine has offered me a free ticket in the Blackpool end :)
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Sheepy
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by Sheepy »

The club need to employ a historian who can then determine 'loyalty' based on how many matches people have attended throughout their life. That would be the most accurate way of doing it.

I am very angry that this has not occurred to a club official yet who could put the wheels in motion :shifty:
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dlw10
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by dlw10 »

On a serious note the one thing wrong with this system is the number of fans who are clearly buying tickets even though they are not going to the game. they are then giving the tickets (selling) to their mates who DO NOT have the right number of games! They are banking on membershio numbers not being reconciled with the numbers written on the tickets or they are lending their cards out. this makes a mockery of the whole system.
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Sheepy
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Re: Away Tickets being sold on 'Games seen' basis

Post by Sheepy »

dlw10 wrote:On a serious note the one thing wrong with this system is the number of fans who are clearly buying tickets even though they are not going to the game. they are then giving the tickets (selling) to their mates who DO NOT have the right number of games! They are banking on membershio numbers not being reconciled with the numbers written on the tickets or they are lending their cards out. this makes a mockery of the whole system.
That's very true actually.

Also, how does the loyalty scheme work for supporters clubs? I know they all get an allocation of tickets, do they submit names and membership numbers? Anyone know how it works?
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