Statement from fan groups ahead of new season

[jrb]

Thats interesting and captures the issues well. Its by Fan Groups though. I don't see City Matters signature at the bottom. I wonder what their take on this is?

City Matters isn't independent of the club even though they will say they represent the fans. Some of the City Matters Reps are too close to the club. Some of the City Matters Reps refused to support the protests.

 

[CatMan]

Not sure if already posted, but it's an important message that deserves it's own thread, as these changes affect many of us:

I became persona non grata due to this 10 game restriction and have not renewed. In fact I will never attend another City game again. They chose to serve the divorce papers, so they can now feck off.

I do feel for those who honestly believed they could work around these restrictions, when it was blatantly obvious this was not going to be the case. So many tickets will go unused, so many fans will be denied the chance to attend, and so many seasoncards will again be lost to genuine fans next year.

In short, this is not your club anymore. It is nothing more than a money making franchise who are using the once great name of Manchester City Football Club to operate.

 

[Manc Born & Bred]

City Matters isn't independent of the club, even though they will say they represent the fans. Some of the City Matters Reps are too close to the club. Some of the City Matters Reps refused to support the protests.

Throughout all the furore of last season and then leading into this one, the City Matter's rep has remained conspicuously silent!

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

They don’t make it easy to attend games or even to purchase more than one ticket. Is it any wonder we struggle to sell out at times (not even mentioning previous prices as well)

 

[mexico1970]

I became persona non grata due to this 10 game restriction and have not renewed. In fact I will never attend another City game again. They chose to serve the divorce papers, so they can now feck off.

I do feel for those who honestly believed they could work around these restrictions, when it was blatantly obvious this was not going to be the case. So many tickets will go unused, so many fans will be denied the chance to attend, and so many seasoncards will again be lost to genuine fans next year.

In short, this is not your club anymore. It is nothing more than a money making franchise who are using the once great name of Manchester City Football Club to operate.

They whack another 7000-8000 new seats in the stadium them put obstacles in the way to people buying those seats, it's a shit strategy and doomed to fail.

 

[jrb]

As we've read on here, fans have been cleared by the courts of misbehaving at matches, yet the club are still banning them for 3 years.

There are City fans who have done what the club have told them to do to get their season tickets back, and they are still serving 3 year bans.

In the meantime the club are selling their seats for twice and three times the price of their season ticket seat, with no intention of giving those City fans back their season tickets.

From what I've read on the CM minutes, not once have any of the CMR's brought this issue up at the meetings with the club.

 

[leithblue]

They don’t make it easy to attend games or even to purchase more than one ticket. Is it any wonder we struggle to sell out at times (not even mentioning previous prices as well)

But hey, now with Sky showing even more matches we’ll get a load more Friday night, Monday night, Sunday night games.

Lucky this country has such an efficient transport system otherwise it’d be really difficult for many season ticket holders to get to these games.

 

[Eccles Blue]

This says fan groups so where are the OSC?
Official Supporters Club?

 

[Sef]

They initially said it’s for staff use, not that I believe that for one minute.

We'll know when it's about to start when they ask us for our "Photograph!!"

 

[Moss Side's Finest]

I became persona non grata due to this 10 game restriction and have not renewed. In fact I will never attend another City game again. They chose to serve the divorce papers, so they can now feck off.

I do feel for those who honestly believed they could work around these restrictions, when it was blatantly obvious this was not going to be the case. So many tickets will go unused, so many fans will be denied the chance to attend, and so many seasoncards will again be lost to genuine fans next year.

In short, this is not your club anymore. It is nothing more than a money making franchise who are using the once great name of Manchester City Football Club to operate.

Bit dramatic mate. I get your issues and am not belittling them, but you're the only one losing out by never attending a game again. I only see any owner of a club as custodians, some are good, some are bad. On the whole ours have been good, in terms of the massive successful they have brought the club, however they have also made mistakes. Ultimately though, my relationship isn't with the owners, or the players, it's with the badge, it's with the history, the heritage, the family ties, the what it means to be a blue. Humans are inherently stupid and make mistakes, sure, hate the owners, but not the club, hopefully it'll will be around forever, but we wont. Don't cut your nose off to spite your face.

 

[Maccblue]

As I’ve said before
This 10 game rule and other stupid ideas will be the idea of some wet graduate straight out some rebadged polytechnic as a university with a 2-2 in events management.

Trying to make a name for themselves sucking up to the leadership team whilst having no thought or recognition of what the overall impact will be on thousands of individuals however they’ve had a pat on the back
Give your a heads a wobble city !

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

When Roel de Vries arrived he promised CM he'd be looking to implement a long-term programme called 'Integrated Fan Experience' to ensure all departments were working collaboratively to ensure a smooth fan experience. I suspect that somewhere along the way there was a pivot, and it's now the 'Integrated Fan Inconvenience'

 

[dannybcity]

As I’ve said before
This 10 game rule and other stupid ideas will be the idea of some wet graduate straight out some rebadged polytechnic as a university with a 2-2 in events management.

Trying to make a name for themselves sucking up to the leadership team whilst having no thought or recognition of what the overall impact will be on thousands of individuals however they’ve had a pat on the back
Give your a heads a wobble city !

Im sorry, but I completely disagree. Every change to ticket terms and conditions are inkeeping with the trend set from the top. The club will have checked and rechecked every part of these changes. I you think the changes are unfair, then the fault lies higher up.

 

[paulchapo]

Okay, how do we, the fans, the lifeblood of the club, stop this shit? We made some progress on prices but the club just snidely got their own back by imposing even tighter restrictions in the hope of getting rid of us and replacing us with more compliant tourists. We need more effective protests.
For the ten game rule, how about ten minutes on the concourse either at the start of the game or just after halftime?

 

[Centurions]

I'd implore you not to cancel your season ticket. The club have performed plenty of U-turns recently following pushback from fans and it's quite possible they could do the same with the 10 game minimum in-person attendance.

If they don't back down, consider getting a cheap burner phone that supports NFC and downloading your season ticket on to it. Then when you can't attend and family/friends go in your place just hand them the phone to scan themselves in so no need to transfer the ticket to F&F. Of course, if you're moving out of the area then the logistics of getting the phone to them and back to you might be an issue.

Can you not have two cheap burner phones, download to both and leave one with F&F? Or do they deactivate one after downloading to the 2nd phone?

"Season ticket download limit: twice per season."

 

[philiph20]

I became persona non grata due to this 10 game restriction and have not renewed. In fact I will never attend another City game again. They chose to serve the divorce papers, so they can now feck off.

I do feel for those who honestly believed they could work around these restrictions, when it was blatantly obvious this was not going to be the case. So many tickets will go unused, so many fans will be denied the chance to attend, and so many seasoncards will again be lost to genuine fans next year.

In short, this is not your club anymore. It is nothing more than a money making franchise who are using the once great name of Manchester City Football Club to operate.

We've got the best owners in the world remember lol, hope we see more of the protests this season against these twats, to the supporters groups keep up the pressure.

 

[cmcm0808]

New season ticket changes:

• 10-game minimum personal attendance policy (first of its kind in English football)
• Minimum ticket usage policy up to 16 of 19 games (up from 14 last year, 10 the year before, and none at all in past seasons).
• A limit of three nominated unpaid members to receive transferred tickets, and no notice given for a 1 week window to complete this.
• Nominations for the above restricted to 3 short windows (at first it was just one, with additional windows were only brought in after criticism)
• A ban on transferring tickets to other season ticket holders.
• Ticket exchange now only available 24+ hours before a game (was 3 hours for some games).
• Season ticket download limit: twice per season.

I wasn't aware of this rule, does that include Season Ticket holders on your Friends List? In the past we've just sent them to one of my friends I sit with and they just scan the other person in, like a kid for example.

 

[kippaxkid74]

How many times is it in the new rules your ticket can go unused (not put in exchange, not passed on) before they block a renewal?
I know it's not likely, but as an anxiety driven person I need to know which mornings I drag myself off my sick bed I'd I'm suddenly I'll (or my son is) and stagger to a game (if too late to transfer). Like when I got took to a+e in may with meningitis, just after season ended. If that was the night before a game now and maybe happened twice is th at it, no renewal?I

(Mines never gone unused. But stress makes me want to know answers to scenarios before they haooen!)

 

[artfuldodger]

I wasn't aware of this rule, does that include Season Ticket holders on your Friends List? In the past we've just sent them to one of my friends I sit with and they just scan the other person in, like a kid for example.

Yes season ticket holders on your F&F list. City’s argument is that season ticket holders already have a ticket so theyre obviously giving it someone else to use. The only thing that’s not been made clear is whether that includes cup games.

 

[M18CTID]

Can you not have two cheap burner phones, download to both and leave one with F&F? Or do they deactivate one after downloading to the 2nd phone?

"Season ticket download limit: twice per season."

I'm not sure as with my circumstances I don't need to do this. It does look like you can download to 2 phones though but I wouldn't like to say that for certain. Perhaps someone else can clarify?