That family stand empty section post half time

[br88]

The ticket office should just show some common sense when allocating a group of tickets. There must have been about 40 people involved in Sunday's mass exodus at half time. There is no way that they should be given such a prime location behind the goal as many posters have already said. It seems strange that seemingly no-one working in that office has identified this problem before as it has happened on many occasions.

 

[chaddblue]

I think the key is to not punish people for not turning up, but to reward people for turning up

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

Pretty much the only way they can police no shows in my eyes. People taking advantage of the low cost season tickets and not bothering when it doesn't suit them.

Cheap ST's should be a benefit for fans going to every game. There should be a small buffer of games per season where their seat can go unfilled. Outside of that, if you can't go, get someone to take your place and if you don't manage it, face some form of sanction. If you don't want the hassle of dealing with this, don't get a ST or make a conscious effort to actually attend.

If cost is the issue, offer up single tickets at a reduced rate for long term ST holders who want to pick and choose which games they want to go to. Leave the ST's for fans that want to attend every game.

Its only the kids tickets that are cheap the adult ones are still 500 quid or something. remember its the family stand so we are dealing with kids (someone was saying they should be shot for not turning up ffs).

Well mid week games kids have school the next day and so may be the kid stays at home, homework early start

Sometimes on a Saturday / Sunday he might be playing football or have a party and so occasionally he misses a game - big fucking deal.

If my son has something else on or its a mid week game (which I am not taking him to as the traffic to and from the game is too bad) I do try and sell my ticket or give it away - to upgrade to an adult is 40quid so when push comes to shove and I say you can have it but you need to pay - they say fuck it I will watch in the pub, on tv or on a stream. That's the reality of the situation

My son has been a season ticket holder since he was 4 and I have been going since the mid 70s ,I want to encourage him to go and love the club , but occasionally he cannot go cos he's a fucking kid. Big deal - I am sorry it ruins your enjoyment on the tele, but we pay our money for the tickets and do our best , that's the best we can do.

 

[melons]

Being able to e-mail your season ticket to others for a specific game would be a big help.
You can do this at other grounds and it stops you having to either sell through the club or give / send your season cards to someone else.
I live in London and make about 14 home games a season but always trade the others and they sell. That said, I'd far rather mates of mine in Manchester have them but I'm not sending my season cards in the post.
I suggested this idea in the last club research project so maybe they'll look into it.
The empty seats in the Family Stand are always in groups so quite clearly not just individuals not turning up.
Switching Season Card holders from L3 to the FS would help a lot

 

[Dubai Blue]

There is no way that they should be given such a prime location behind the goal as many posters have already said.

It's not a prime location though. Those seats that were empty are pretty much the shittest seats in the whole place, which is why they're given away. They just need to manage it better in terms of who they give them away to.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Whilst I appreciate the OP wasn’t having a pop at the family stand, I do get incredibly pissed off that the family stand gets so much shit in this forum. Me and my 2 lads (10 & 12) never leave until after we have clapped the players off, make plenty of noise, and always turn up, and I am sure the same can be said for thousands of others. We should be happy we have a good family stand, given the generations we lost to the scum in the 70s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Also it’s hardly as if the West and East stands are bouncing every game, but then again there are plenty who do. The issues we have are general, not family stand alone, although maybe there are some specific issues around ticket allocation. I thought the atmosphere in tier 2 of the family stand was pretty good on Sunday

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

Whilst I appreciate the OP wasn’t having a pop at the family stand, I do get incredibly pissed off that the family stand gets so much shit in this forum. Me and my 2 lads (10 & 12) never leave until after we have clapped the players off, make plenty of noise, and always turn up, and I am sure the same can be said for thousands of others. We should be happy we have a good family stand, given the generations we lost to the scum in the 70s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Also it’s hardly as if the West and East stands are bouncing every game, but then again there are plenty who do. The issues we have are general, not family stand alone, although maybe there are some specific issues around ticket allocation. I thought the atmosphere in tier 2 of the family stand was pretty good on Sunday

Well said and when I was stood with my family clapping the team off at the end - most of the rest of the ground had all dashed off to get home - which is absolutely their right.

 

[hello]

Totally agreed.

If STs is the reason behind the empty rows of seats then it needs addressing asap.

People who dont turn up and take their seat on a regular basis should be shot:
For embarrassing the club
For contributing the the quiet atmosphere
For not being proper fan
Most of all though for stopping a proper fans from going to the game, someone who would actually make some noise!


There again, maybe I am wrong about the situation - I would have expected all our fans to be up in arms at these people, so maybe I am wrong and there is some innocent reason for it happening each week. Just dont know but if it is no-shows then it makes me so fucked off, this is my club ffs

Someone did a great post just a few years ago on here showing 1 row of seats, emtpy each week, until the Utd game, then there they are. Those people should be shot, or maybe have their tickets taken off them

I am very thankful you weren't in charge when I eventually gave up my season tickets so I am still alive, I take it your relatively local and the cost of attending a league game for you is simply season ticket \19 a few beer tokens or pies of what ever makes you a tubster :-). Those of us that have to arrange travel\ flights\ferries\trains\8 hour drives\hotels etc have to factored in these costs. A city game for me was about £120 if booked in advance on a Saturday afternoon. The ultimate price of being decent now is the number of 3pm Saturday kickoffs are so infrequent. Sundays game as an example because I wouldn't have been able to get back home and get to where I need to be to work on Monday would have cost £500 in travel hotel and lost earnings. Not being able to book stuff till Sky and BT have finished fucking about with fixtures probably adds another £60-100 per game more than doubling the original season ticket cost.

The games I couldn't go too I regularly used to offer them for free on here but got sick of doing is because scum users on here either wouldn't post the cards back or try to get their mate through as an child, meaning i had to waste time apologising to the club etc to get my cards back. Yes the clubs seat exchange needs to better from both ST holders not going and occasional match goers, something we can probably agree on. But I would argue the sum that takes a free ticket and then can't be arsed to return the card deserves your retribution more than a season ticket holder that can't make a game due to travel constraints work etc based on the stupid kickoff times most games are at these days. I'ld still argue shooting seems an excessive punishment though.

 

[The Lightbowne Cowboy]

Nah my seats are great and the crowd around are pretty lively. Seriously though it is better on L2 than L1 because as someone has pointed out L1 is where the Club gives tickets out to schools, clubs etc. I think the demand is higher in L2 so they don't give those tickets away.

Awwww Please swap.. until the end of season !! Ha Ha

 

[br88]

It's not a prime location though. Those seats that were empty are pretty much the shittest seats in the whole place, which is why they're given away. They just need to manage it better in terms of who they give them away to.

The point is about giving so many seats in locations having such a prominent position behind the goal...I agree with you that prime was the wrong word to use. Anyway, I know people who love to be close to the action and would disagree with your egregious description of their seats...haha!!.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Being able to e-mail your season ticket to others for a specific game would be a big help.
I live in London and make about 14 home games a season but always trade the others and they sell. That said, I'd far rather mates of mine in Manchester have them but I'm not sending my season cards in the post.
I suggested this idea in the last club research project so maybe they'll look into it.

Emailing your SC on a e-ticket to someone else is so easy. Just ring the club and ask them to email you the e-ticket on your SC that you cannot attend. You can forward the ticket on to anyone you like. I've done it several times over last 3 seasons when work or family commitments have prevented me from attending.

Some supporters who live in far away places may not know others to go on their SC. No problem, they can sell it back to the club. It is the ones who cannot be arsed going who let their seat go unused that piss me off.

 

[CWMCFC]

Its only the kids tickets that are cheap the adult ones are still 500 quid or something. remember its the family stand so we are dealing with kids (someone was saying they should be shot for not turning up ffs).

Well mid week games kids have school the next day and so may be the kid stays at home, homework early start

Sometimes on a Saturday / Sunday he might be playing football or have a party and so occasionally he misses a game - big fucking deal.

If my son has something else on or its a mid week game (which I am not taking him to as the traffic to and from the game is too bad) I do try and sell my ticket or give it away - to upgrade to an adult is 40quid so when push comes to shove and I say you can have it but you need to pay - they say fuck it I will watch in the pub, on tv or on a stream. That's the reality of the situation

My son has been a season ticket holder since he was 4 and I have been going since the mid 70s ,I want to encourage him to go and love the club , but occasionally he cannot go cos he's a fucking kid. Big deal - I am sorry it ruins your enjoyment on the tele, but we pay our money for the tickets and do our best , that's the best we can do.

My thoughts are as a match going fan mate. As I said in my comment, there should be a buffer in place that allows a certain number of games to be missed per season. I'm not expecting for people to be able to make it to every game, obviously there is life outside of football. What I take issue with is a growing portion of the fan base that can only be arsed to turn up for the big games and considering what we saw against Chelsea, it looks like even the big games isn't enough of a pull nowadays.

There is never going to be a perfect system, but something needs to change because what we have right now isn't working, regardless of whether a portion of our fanbase thinks it is.

 

[M18CTID]

Emailing your SC on a e-ticket to someone else is so easy. Just ring the club and ask them to email you the e-ticket on your SC that you cannot attend. You can forward the ticket on to anyone you like. I've done it several times over last 3 seasons when work or family commitments have prevented me from attending.

Some supporters who live in far away places may not know others to go on their SC. No problem, they can sell it back to the club. It is the ones who cannot be arsed going who let their seat go unused that piss me off.

Not only that, and this is the maddest thing of the lot, but they're doing themselves out of a good few quid into the bargain by not sticking it up for re-sale. Sure, if it's a midweek night match it might not always sell but anyone putting their ticket up for re-sale for Sunday's game against Chelsea (providing it was at any kind of reasonable notice and not 5 minutes before kick-off) would've seen their seat sold, and everyone's a winner.

 

[Shirley]

Whilst I appreciate the OP wasn’t having a pop at the family stand, I do get incredibly pissed off that the family stand gets so much shit in this forum. Me and my 2 lads (10 & 12) never leave until after we have clapped the players off, make plenty of noise, and always turn up, and I am sure the same can be said for thousands of others. We should be happy we have a good family stand, given the generations we lost to the scum in the 70s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Also it’s hardly as if the West and East stands are bouncing every game, but then again there are plenty who do. The issues we have are general, not family stand alone, although maybe there are some specific issues around ticket allocation. I thought the atmosphere in tier 2 of the family stand was pretty good on Sunday

Totally agree with this but I don't believe we lost a generation of fans to the scum in the 70's and 80's.

 

[Shirley]

Many of these school kids who City are providing free tickets already support another club and will probably not change their allegiance.
We all have mates and family members who are loyal Blues but simply can't afford to go these days due to unemployment etc so why don't the club allocate some of these free tickets through a dedicated fans scheme who can be trusted to ensure the tickets will enable true Blues to return to see their beloved team.

 

[Marvin]

My thoughts are as a match going fan mate. As I said in my comment, there should be a buffer in place that allows a certain number of games to be missed per season. I'm not expecting for people to be able to make it to every game, obviously there is life outside of football. What I take issue with is a growing portion of the fan base that can only be arsed to turn up for the big games and considering what we saw against Chelsea, it looks like even the big games isn't enough of a pull nowadays.

There is never going to be a perfect system, but something needs to change because what we have right now isn't working, regardless of whether a portion of our fanbase thinks it is.

You've lost it mate. The game was sold out for weeks if not months. We're talking about an admin issue here not the commitment of supporters.

 

[Dubai Blue]

The point is about giving so many seats in locations having such a prominent position behind the goal...I agree with you that prime was the wrong word to use. Anyway, I know people who love to be close to the action and would disagree with your egregious description of their seats...haha!!.

Fair enough. I've had the misfortune of having seats like that at a few away grounds and they've always been terrible!

 

[Marvin]

Many of these school kids who City are providing free tickets already support another club and will probably not change their allegiance.
We all have mates and family members who are loyal Blues but simply can't afford to go these days due to unemployment etc so why don't the club allocate some of these free tickets through a dedicated fans scheme who can be trusted to ensure the tickets will enable true Blues to return to see their beloved team.

Excellent suggestion.

 

[Marvin]

Not only that, and this is the maddest thing of the lot, but they're doing themselves out of a good few quid into the bargain by not sticking it up for re-sale. Sure, if it's a midweek night match it might not always sell but anyone putting their ticket up for re-sale for Sunday's game against Chelsea (providing it was at any kind of reasonable notice and not 5 minutes before kick-off) would've seen their seat sold, and everyone's a winner.

I wonder how efficient the process is. If you put it onsale on Match-Day would it filter through to the Ticket Office for sale. Almost without exception I walk past the Ticket Office and it says Today's Match Sold Out but often wonder is it really with Ticket Exchange. There must be a quite a few people out of 55,000 who get up on match-day and for whatever reason realise they can't make it.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I’m up there, I wait until full time as the crowd has gone by then!

Good idea that! It is badly designed though. Quite a bottle neck too down the stairs at the end.