A certain amount going to ballot would be beneficial potentially but a ballot full stop will cause havoc and much resentment. (Rightfully so)Ballot seems the best way forward now, even though amazingly you will still see the same faces at away games
Like Platinum season tickets, selling tickets to agents is a way of making money. The stupid thing is the government brought out a law to stop individuals selling tickets so that opposition fans could not buy them and yet, as your post shows.Over the years, I’ve experienced or heard of:
A group of Belgians in our away section at Arsenal
Arsenal fans in our away section at Arsenal
United fans in our away section (that lower bit by the side of the main section) at Old Trafford
Liverpool fans in our away end at Anfield
Hadjuk Split fans in our away section at Anfield getting behind Liverpool
Germans (Koln fans? Can’t remember now) in our away section at Huddersfield not supporting City
An American woman who sat next to my mate at Wembley when it was Spurs’ home ground who paid £300 for her and her son’s tickets and she nearly fainted when she asked my mate how much he paid and her told her £30.
And countless random foreigners who are negligibly wanting City to win if not wanting the home team to win at many away grounds over the last decade.
Digital tickets are no use if the home club don't have readers. Most still don't.A certain amount going to ballot would be beneficial potentially but a ballot full stop will cause havoc and much resentment. (Rightfully so)
A digital system where the ticket is on the phone of the supporters number that's purchased it would be the ideal system in my opinion.
I don't think @Chappie would be doing the draw for the tickets. ;-)Ballot seems the best way forward now, even though amazingly you will still see the same faces at away games
True. However, surely they're not that difficult to install.Digital tickets are no use if the home club don't have readers. Most still don't.
Why do you keep perpetrating this myth about the lack of use by the qualifying supporters?True. However, surely they're not that difficult to install.
There are other benefits to having them too. For example security.
It's only my opinion anyways. For me the biggest reason that tickets don't go further down a points system ladder is because many tickets that are being purchased aren't used by the qualifying supporter.
So any means that assist the integrity of any points related system is welcomed by me. (And others I suspect)
Excellent post.Anybody who suggests a ballot are examples of people who want everything for no leg work.
Address the 50% that don't go to regular supporters before you start punishing those who have gone up and down the country week in, week out.
And I'll repeat this again as I always do when these things come up and people complain about the points system.....
I didn't get my 1st season ticket until 2007 when I was 19. Prior to that I had a Citycard. On this card, I went to the odd game at Maine Rd, probably 4 in that last season there because of how sparse tickets were. Since we moved to the Etihad, I've missed 8 games in total in 19 years. I didn't pay for some of these games because for a year and a half I sold half time draw tickets. I did as many away games as I could from about 2005 when I learnt how to drive and got a car.
When I got my season ticket in 2007, I had 1500 loyalty points. I now have 23000. I see loads of people complain they can't catch up which is certainly the case now, but until 2019, it wasn't.
Another point to make on this is that at least 10 away games in a season go relatively low on points. Usually below 10k if not further and close to all season ticket holders. But because those games aren't Liverpool or United away, people don't notice them because they can't be arsed going to Southampton. Those who have high points can be arsed.
The only thing that City should do and should have done a long time ago is scrap platinum but if they scrap loyalty as well, a lot of people will be done with it.
I didn't know that - that's pretty rubbish to be honest. Would work a lot better if it was on a game-by-game basis. Would also be interesting for the club to know how many people actually want to go to each game.Their ballot is a shit system compared to our loyalty points. They have to be in every ballot to keep qualifying. If they are successful they have to take the ticket or get kicked out of the ballot.
The day the club go to a ballot system is the day we become the very thing we despise, Manchester United .I don't think @Chappie would be doing the draw for the tickets. ;-)
Good question and I'm not saying you're right or wrong but one of the interesting things about being on City Matters is that you get to see both sides of the argument. One that fans never really see is that the club have commercial arrangements with a series of partners. That includes the likes of Puma and Etihad, but also travel companies. Whether we like it or not, they pay us money (a lot in the case of Puma & Etihad) and expect something back for that. That will generally include guaranteed tickets.Which is exactly the point the original poster was making.
Why are they going to these people and not season ticket holders ?
I don't know the answer but it will be a lot more than 100-500. If guess at 10,000+ which would be 500k+ a year.Excellent post.
Your bottom para is spot on. Does anyone know how many platinum ST'S we have. For the disharmony it causes, is it worth £5,000 -£25,000?
I feel it contributes. There's a possibility that it's not as big and issue as I might think it is but it's certainly no myth that it contributes.Why do you keep perpetrating this myth about the lack of use by the qualifying supporters?
The biggest problem without a doubt is what is happening to the 1400 tickets out of a normal 3000 away allocation which are allocated to various groups outside the loyalty scheme .
Address this and you solve the problem.
Anybody who suggests a ballot are examples of people who want everything for no leg work.
Address the 50% that don't go to regular supporters before you start punishing those who have gone up and down the country week in, week out.
And I'll repeat this again as I always do when these things come up and people complain about the points system.....
I didn't get my 1st season ticket until 2007 when I was 19. Prior to that I had a Citycard. On this card, I went to the odd game at Maine Rd, probably 4 in that last season there because of how sparse tickets were. Since we moved to the Etihad, I've missed 8 games in total in 19 years. I didn't pay for some of these games because for a year and a half I sold half time draw tickets. I did as many away games as I could from about 2005 when I learnt how to drive and got a car.
When I got my season ticket in 2007, I had 1500 loyalty points. I now have 23000. I see loads of people complain they can't catch up which is certainly the case now, but until 2019, it wasn't.
Another point to make on this is that at least 10 away games in a season go relatively low on points. Usually below 10k if not further and close to all season ticket holders. But because those games aren't Liverpool or United away, people don't notice them because they can't be arsed going to Southampton. Those who have high points can be arsed.
The only thing that City should do and should have done a long time ago is scrap platinum but if they scrap loyalty as well, a lot of people will be done with it.
Where did I support a ballot system, I was just having a laugh.The day the club go to a ballot system is the day we become the very thing we despise, Manchester United .
The friendships that have been built up over the years through going to matches on coaches and trains will disappear, all for what ?
To appease the club who want more money of day trippers ?
For supporters, who only want to go to the big matches and can't be bothered to get of their arses for the lesser ones ?
If that's what you want,bring it on
Spot on every wordAnybody who suggests a ballot are examples of people who want everything for no leg work.
Address the 50% that don't go to regular supporters before you start punishing those who have gone up and down the country week in, week out.
And I'll repeat this again as I always do when these things come up and people complain about the points system.....
I didn't get my 1st season ticket until 2007 when I was 19. Prior to that I had a Citycard. On this card, I went to the odd game at Maine Rd, probably 4 in that last season there because of how sparse tickets were. Since we moved to the Etihad, I've missed 8 games in total in 19 years. I didn't pay for some of these games because for a year and a half I sold half time draw tickets. I did as many away games as I could from about 2005 when I learnt how to drive and got a car.
When I got my season ticket in 2007, I had 1500 loyalty points. I now have 23000. I see loads of people complain they can't catch up which is certainly the case now, but until 2019, it wasn't.
Another point to make on this is that at least 10 away games in a season go relatively low on points. Usually below 10k if not further and close to all season ticket holders. But because those games aren't Liverpool or United away, people don't notice them because they can't be arsed going to Southampton. Those who have high points can be arsed.
The only thing that City should do and should have done a long time ago is scrap platinum but if they scrap loyalty as well, a lot of people will be done with it.
I would but there is no chance of it happening. Clubs would lose money doing it.Would fans back a reciprocal agreement among the big 6 clubs to double away allocations? It would mean more City fans get to go to the big away games where tickets are in high demand.
It would also mean though, that we have to be fair and offer an extra 3k tickets to their fans at the Etihad.
It would improve the atmosphere tremendously and make those games an even bigger spectacle for TV audiences around the world.
I loved watching the Old Firm derbies when they did this. They aren't quite as special anymore with fewer away fans.
I'm not sure what the script was when points were brought in but I think every current season ticket holder started with 1k points?I'm in a not too dissimilar position to you. (20k points, ST holder for 18 years)
I agree with a lot of what you say, but I think, ultimately, the ticket point system is flawed generally as it mainly serves people who were at a match-going age at the right time in history. You started going in 2007 when fans had a 7(?) year head start. Imagine now when they have a 22-year head start - we don't even sell half-time raffles anymore so that method is out the window!
I don't think they'll scrap loyalty points, but I think they might do a ballot system in the future (people with X loyalty points get Y % of the tickets. Everyone who applies gets ticket points so it's easier for fans to get further up the ladder if they're serious about going.
A lot of this would be sorted if more tickets were made available to regular fans instead of sponsors and corporates!
Anyone who has sat or sits in 93:20 will confirm that. Every match loads of people who’ve purchased tickets through secondary ticketing sites. Away fans in their kits / scarves plus foreign fans wearing their scarves for City domestic games. I asked the club how and why this was happening and was told simply to inform a steward. The club is completely opaque about who is getting away tickets, there should and could be a full breakdown for every game.I think you know that in the majority of cases that is not true ,and the people the poster refers to,get their tickets through the tickets that the club allocate to travel companies who deal in football supporters travel from overseas.