Away tickets

[Roachy]

It was a complete fucking piss take today.
There were dozens of seats behind us left empty.
Supporters Club had additional tickets they sent out to people who didn’t want them.

Meanwhile people who wanted to go, who just missed out on their points were sat at home blissfully unaware of the fuck up.

And at the same time some people are trying to blame the ones who didn’t fuck it up.

Well that is absolutely shocking. This whole away ticket thing is a joke.

 

[Chris Smithson]

They aren’t getting priority though. The system of distributing tickets via branches long pre-dates the points system so they’re getting tickets from a pool that they’ve always had access to. We know there are 4 pots - club, supporters’ clubs, seasonal hospitality and ordinary season ticket holders/Cityzens members - and each has an allocated quantity of tickets.

If the club were offering SC’s first crack then giving out any left over to those with points, you’d have a case. But they aren’t.

So what's next then on your agenda?

Are you going to raise any of this in the next meeting? You still haven't said what you plan to bring up.

There's clearly a consensus amongst the season card holders that our 60% share needs revising. Will you, or will you not be fighting for this at the next meeting?

I also feel a little betrayed that you didn't declare your SC membership at the outset

If you aren't now willing to fight and get the 60% increased (we can check the minutes) then you should make a choice who's side you're on in this debate

 

[Chris Smithson]

They aren’t getting priority though. The system of distributing tickets via branches long pre-dates the points system so they’re getting tickets from a pool that they’ve always had access to. We know there are 4 pots - club, supporters’ clubs, seasonal hospitality and ordinary season ticket holders/Cityzens members - and each has an allocated quantity of tickets.

If the club were offering SC’s first crack then giving out any left over to those with points, you’d have a case. But they aren’t.

They publish the points criteria based on the initial requests from Supporters Clubs so you're either not as well informed as you think or being intentionally disingenuous

This is why I don't fully buy into the 20% thing either, not for the big games anyway

 

[KingCarlito]

It was a complete fucking piss take today.
There were dozens of seats behind us left empty.
Supporters Club had additional tickets they sent out to people who didn’t want them.

Meanwhile people who wanted to go, who just missed out on their points were sat at home blissfully unaware of the fuck up.

And at the same time some people are trying to blame the ones who didn’t fuck it up.

I could see on TV there were rows of empty seats, joke. Whether it's points whores or the SC, it needs sorting out for games like this so genuine fans who actually want to go can.

 

[fathellensbellend]

I am amazed that no one has mentioned that yesterday at 515 hundreds of City fans descended upon the away section, where complete control was lost, and the police/security let everybody in, no checks, nothing. The away end was a shambles, I was down the side, it was obvious people were not in their own seats, the end block behind the goal was not full, but their bigger temporary stand had fans in the aisles, all along the front and people doubling up. Good luck to Newport, but they literally had no idea on how to deal with away fans

 

[squirtyflower]

They aren’t getting priority though. The system of distributing tickets via branches long pre-dates the points system so they’re getting tickets from a pool that they’ve always had access to. We know there are 4 pots - club, supporters’ clubs, seasonal hospitality and ordinary season ticket holders/Cityzens members - and each has an allocated quantity of tickets.

If the club were offering SC’s first crack then giving out any left over to those with points, you’d have a case. But they aren’t.

Yes they have had an allocation for ages, I think I got my first off them back in 1973.
But you seem to not understand, or don’t care to mention, that the forerunner to tickets points, which was before the SC allocations started, were the tokens you cut out of the programme. There was a numbered token at the back of each programme which you had to cut out and stick on a sheet. Along with them you could add the front page of an away programme.
Points whores in those days bought additional programmes lol.
So the ‘loyalty points’ actually pre-dated Supporters Club allocation.
It just seems, perhaps not consciously, that you are trying to put the SC on a higher pedestal than independent seasoncard holders mate.


Furthermore, even as recently as six years ago, the allocation was set at 10%, with corporate also getting 10%.
Since then the SC has had theirs doubled and the corporates increased by 50%.

And who has lost them, the independent seasoncard holders, that’s who. The only group to have their allocation consistently eroded.
This is why games suddenly started to sell out at high points, it’s because there were less in that pot. But join a SC and you have a better chance of getting a ticket without any need for the points.

 

[squirtyflower]

As annoying as it was logistically, the year we went to the Semi of the Champions League actually highlighted the issue we have

When we were made to collect in person, the games went down to low points each and every time

It completely removed the ability of SC and individual points whores to over commit and then try and shift them later

Like I say, the fact a game as big as a semi final abroad went to the points it did should have been proof enough

But so much noise was made about the inconvenience (some warranted I must admit) that it was shelved

Yesterday was a prime example, over commitment to cheap tickets and guess what, empty seats

The solution to all this is staring us in the face, a bit of inconvenience yes, but it was the ultimate leveler in terms of fairness as 2015-16 proved

I’d like to think it was shelved because of the noise made about the inconvenience, but it wasn’t. City don’t give a stuff about inconveniencing it’s fans, unless you’re corporate.
It was shelved after the complete disaster that was the collection in Glasgow, where groups of lads stormed the front of the queue pushing past the security and giving problems to the ticket staff.

 

[ninjamonkey]

They aren’t getting priority though. The system of distributing tickets via branches long pre-dates the points system so they’re getting tickets from a pool that they’ve always had access to. We know there are 4 pots - club, supporters’ clubs, seasonal hospitality and ordinary season ticket holders/Cityzens members - and each has an allocated quantity of tickets.

If the club were offering SC’s first crack then giving out any left over to those with points, you’d have a case. But they aren’t.

We know for a fact people without the required points obtain tickets via SC's, how is that not them gaining priority over people not belonging to branches? The SC system may pre-date the points system but the people within the system don't. Granted, there might be a small handful that do, and those people have the points to get the tickets themselves with a few clicks of a button or a phone call and wouldn't be inconvenienced in any way if SC's stopped getting an allocation, but the overwhelming majority don't fit into that category and thas the problem. SC's essentially do get first crack, If they didnt get their own pot of tickets, more would be available to "ordinary" points holders.

Your post boils down to SC's have always had an allocation of tickets so that should remain and be protected. Times change, a vastly superior and fairer system was brought in with the introduction of the loyalty system, the club should have stopped SC's access to tickets then in an ideal world but because they didn't back then, it doesn't mean they shouldn't now.

 

[Chris Smithson]

We know for a fact people without the required points obtain tickets via SC's, how is that not them gaining priority over people not belonging to branches? The SC system may pre-date the points system but the people within the system don't. Granted, there might be a small handful that do, and those people have the points to get the tickets themselves with a few clicks of a button or a phone call and wouldn't be inconvenienced in any way if SC's stopped getting an allocation, but the overwhelming majority don't fit into that category and thas the problem. SC's essentially do get first crack, If they didnt get their own pot of tickets, more would be available to "ordinary" points holders.

Your post boils down to SC's have always had an allocation of tickets so that should remain and be protected. Times change, a vastly superior and fairer system was brought in with the introduction of the loyalty system, the club should have stopped SC's access to tickets then in an ideal world but because they didn't back then, it doesn't mean they shouldn't now.

Supporters Clubs will also play the game and advise certain people to get their own and then use their allocation on those with less points

Two bites at the cherry

 

[squirtyflower]

There’s more chance of Supoorters Club memebrs becoming the majority of the match going fan base like what happens in some German Clubs.

The majority of Supporters Club memebrs are season card holders and don’t go away games.

The majority of the match going fan base is, by far, independent seasoncard holders

 

[edinburgh123]

just out of interest (as I wasn’t aware) if “Joes”counts as corporate, how does that work in terms of does that guarantee tickets for all aways, just some, or does loyalty points count as well. I ask because there must be 500-1000 in that area? So if they all get ticket if they want one that could leave none for Newport/Bournemouth etc so there has to be some sort of prioritisation?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

We know for a fact people without the required points obtain tickets via SC's, how is that not them gaining priority over people not belonging to branches? The SC system may pre-date the points system but the people within the system don't. Granted, there might be a small handful that do, and those people have the points to get the tickets themselves with a few clicks of a button or a phone call and wouldn't be inconvenienced in any way if SC's stopped getting an allocation, but the overwhelming majority don't fit into that category and thas the problem. SC's essentially do get first crack, If they didnt get their own pot of tickets, more would be available to "ordinary" points holders.

Your post boils down to SC's have always had an allocation of tickets so that should remain and be protected. Times change, a vastly superior and fairer system was brought in with the introduction of the loyalty system, the club should have stopped SC's access to tickets then in an ideal world but because they didn't back then, it doesn't mean they shouldn't now.

But whether anyone likes it or not, the SC do have their own pot. Think of it like UEFA Cup qualification. You qualify for the UEFA Cup if you come 5th in the PL, win the FA Cup or win the League Cup. Some might argue that coming 6th or 7th in the PL after 38 games is far more deserving of a UEFA Cup place than a team that wins half-a-dozen cup games, that may not even be against PL opposition, to win the FA or League Cup. But that's the system.

You say the points system is "fairer" but is it? If you have Platinum, that's not fair as you could go to half the games while getting the same points as someone who goes to all the games. You can buy a ticket you have no intention of using and be seen as more "loyal" than the person who uses the ticket and has the expense of travelling to a game. And I know quite a few people, who defend the points system vigorously, who do just that. That means there's a group within the points system getting priority over others but who, strictly speaking, don't deserve it.

 

[squirtyflower]

just out of interest (as I wasn’t aware) if “Joes”counts as corporate, how does that work in terms of does that guarantee tickets for all aways, just some, or does loyalty points count as well. I ask because there must be 500-1000 in that area? So if they all get ticket if they want one that could leave none for Newport/Bournemouth etc so there has to be some sort of prioritisation?

Joe’s does count as corporate.
Like everyone else in corporate they have to put in a request for an away ticket. That’s as much as I know.
For a 3000 allocation they would get circa 450 tickets, which probably satisfies demand most weeks

 

[Andyleg]

It's all become a bit of a pointless debate really. The seasoncard rep has stated categorically on this forum that he sees no issue with the SC allocation so it is not going to change. There is an innate desire by CM to tighten up (and in some cases reduce further) the criteria for the 60%, some desire (that the club does not share) to tighten up the corporate share and absolutely no desire to touch the SC allocation. It's all well and good tightening up the 60% but whilst it continues to be squeezed people will continue to say 'fuck it' and play the system. The part of the system that is easiest to play will remain the 40% that remains open to abuse.

If you want a ticket point system in place then apply it across the allocation rather than picking and choosing which bits you wish to apply it to. Otherwise what is the fucking point?

 

[squirtyflower]

But whether anyone likes it or not, the SC do have their own pot. Think of it like UEFA Cup qualification. You qualify for the UEFA Cup if you come 5th in the PL, win the FA Cup or win the League Cup. Some might argue that coming 6th or 7th in the PL after 38 games is far more deserving of a UEFA Cup place than a team that wins half-a-dozen cup games, that may not even be against PL opposition, to win the FA or League Cup. But that's the system.

You say the points system is "fairer" but is it? If you have Platinum, that's not fair as you could go to half the games while getting the same points as someone who goes to all the games. You can buy a ticket you have no intention of using and be seen as more "loyal" than the person who uses the ticket and has the expense of travelling to a game. And I know quite a few people, who defend the points system vigorously, who do just that. That means there's a group within the points system getting priority over others but who, strictly speaking, don't deserve it.

But you said their allocation pre-dates the loyalty system, which isn’t factually correct if you include the loyalty systems used for the last 50 years.
You’ve also previously said we should be looking at everything.
It seems the only thing that’s fair game is the seasoncard allocation.

I think we’d all like the platinum scrapped, but the vast majority here have voiced their opinions regarding scrapping Supporters Club allocations and yet that is met with the disdain of someone farting in the room.

 

[Eccles Blue]

@Andyleg but it is not up to the season card rep surely? It is up to the Supporters' Club rep isn't it? Does that person have the guts to come on here and either join in this 'debate' or is he just content to hide? :-)

I ask in 'friendship' as I think that the season card rep is getting a lot of stick really. (JMHO)

 

[Manc Born & Bred]

Here is an idea that the club could instigate for the derby. 75% of tickets are to be sold via the points system and not 60%, the rest they can allocate how they see fit. Wonder at what points level they would sell out at? As has been pointed out someone in a SC who is in the 93:20 seats has three bites of the cherr6 and even if not in 93:20 it’s still two bites. Us mere mortals have only one bite so how is that fair? Maybe if every SC member can only apply for an away ticket via their branch that might shake things up

 

[squirtyflower]

@Andyleg but it is not up to the season card rep surely? It is up to the Supporters' Club rep isn't it? Does that person have the guts to come on here and either join in this 'debate' or is he just content to hide? :-)

I ask in 'friendship' as I think that the season card rep is getting a lot of stick really. (JMHO)

I think he’s sent Tim

However this topic was started in the City Matters thread and it got very heated with two of the reps getting a lot of grief.
So a new thread was started to discuss Away tickets and yet it was the reps who came in here to put their view, as well as a Supporters Club secretary who has defended their allocation throughout.
It’s disheartening to see that one group’s allocation is up for discussion and clearly for a change, but not another group’s which is seemingly untouchable

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

But you said their allocation pre-dates the loyalty system, which isn’t factually correct if you include the loyalty systems used for the last 50 years.
You’ve also previously said we should be looking at everything.
It seems the only thing that’s fair game is the seasoncard holder allocation.

I think we’d all like the platinum scrapped, but the vast majority here have voiced their opinions regarding scrapping Supporters Club allocations and yet that is met with the disdain of someone farting in the room.

Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't die in a ditch to protect the SC allocation if the club said they were ending it. As I've said before, I'd still like something that gave people who didn't have the points a chance of tickets though.

But I remember going to away games in the 1970's, when I did quite a few, and being asked to get programmes for people who couldn't be arsed making the 14-hour round-trip on the football special to Ipswich. And there was no way of knowing if the sheet you presented to the ticket office with those tokens on was yours or someone else's.

 

[squirtyflower]

Here is an idea that the club could instigate for the derby. 75% of tickets are to be sold via the points system and not 60%, the rest they can allocate how they see fit. Wonder at what points level they would sell out at? As has been pointed out someone in a SC who is in the 93:20 seats has three bites of the cherr6 and even if not in 93:20 it’s still two bites. Us mere mortals have only one bite so how is that fair? Maybe if every SC member can only apply for an away ticket via their branch that might shake things up

I’m in 93:20 and I can assure you we don’t get an allocation for away tickets. I get them on my points.
I have enquired about going to Joe’s so that I can just pick and choose the away games I go to, a bit like some people are wanting by ditching the Ticket Points allocation