City calling round ex-season ticket holders - drumming up business?

[The perfect fumble]

 

[trevorriley]

does anybody know where you can buy an A4 size bag ? Cant find one anywhere...Most sports stadiums now setting this as standard as well as other events. Could be a good business plan to take up on "Dragons".

Bought a new jacket last week in mind thinking could wear it at footy, made sure it had lots of deep pockets with zips. Also those winter type padded coats are good because a ham sandwich in the top pocket looks like quilted fabric. A good protein snack is a hard boiled egg down the front of your kecks, just double check it is hard boiled and not a raw one by accident. Half the fun these days of going to games is seeing what you can get in the stadium.

Do sympathise with you, times have changed rules come in but just bend round it rather than give up the game and miss seeing all these trophies. Although sometimes it gets to the point where you think right "ive taken all I can stands and can stands it no longer".

 

[OccupiedPalestineBlues]

It seems harsh that they are applying that rule on you - I have cycled to every home game for a few years and always have a bag with a change of clothes and genuinely never had a problem ot her than being told to remove the previous games security tag.

I think the security guys try to act reasonably in their interpretation of the rules - they’d never stopped me so I honestly didn’t know that bag size rules existed until I got the email from City. Being naive, I took the problem to supporter services and I found, to my surprise, that flasks and butties were also banned.
I was then informed, in no uncertain terms, that supporter services would make sure that security would enforce both the bag size and food & drink rules on me personally. They didn’t care that I used a bike, they didn’t give a hoot about medical needs or traditions, but they cared plenty about their sales points maximising income from people in need - by forcing us supporters into a position of need.

You could rock up one week and get refused at the gate or kicked out for having taken food into the ground. You won’t be keenly aware of it, because it’s sneaking low-key rule changes eating away at your way of life. Know it or not, you have the sword of Damocles hanging above you. You can choose to tolerate living under that threat or not go to games - in my case I had the pointy end prodding in my neck so I backed off sharpish.

I recon that there must be a good few thousand loyal supporters that they can kick out or turn away if ever they feel like fully applying rules that they’ve sneaked into place. Say the demand for corporate increases dramatically and they see profit in freeing up a few thousand seats to engineer capacity - do you think they won’t apply their rules to meet their aims?
They’ll stop you eventually, so there’s a game you’ll go to where you won’t get in or where you’ll be ejected part way through. Think about that when you’re setting off for a game and see how that thought makes you feel about what you’re about to experience. But, whatever you do, don’t mention it to supporter services or they’ll target you personally like they did me.

 

[manclad]

That twat Damocles getting involved again. Always causing aggro with somebody on here. Ric should give him a lifetime ban. LOL.

 

[Pablo ZZZ Peroni]

Indeed.

There are 3214 £299 tickets. 8000 applied for one that first year [or is it that 8000 missed out? can’t remember now?!].

Shows you that the demand is there for the cheap tickets. I bet more than that would apply now n’all.

My Dad gave up his seasoncard earlier this decade. He now goes to individual games (mainly cup games because they’re cheaper). When he looked at the prices for this Saturday he slammed his phone on the chair and said he wouldn’t pay £63.50 for a match ticket.

And is it any wonder why, first home game for the Fourmidables against the second most consistently highest place finishers in the league behind us in the last four years, the two most consistent league teams in the country since 2015, hasn’t sold out?!

Just looked online and the match is effectively sold out for Saturday as there about 6 blocks only with singles only. They will be exchange tickets.
Matchday prices are disgusting. Cheapest for the weekend is £61.50 for a seat at the back of 317. ST price for that seat is £325.

Most of the £299 seats are now £325. Nearly a similar number for the £380s which are now £415 without platinum.
One of the biggest surprises to me was that they didn't sell out in the long relocation window before 15/16 season. So most ST holders prioritised seat location in ground (many reasons for that) over price. The cheapest seats did of course sell out when they went to the waiting list.

I'll stick to my guns though about ST prices generally. Despite the increases and United's longstanding prize freeze we are still well behind them for cheaper STs. I've got the figures somewhere but last year we had something like 22000 seats £620 or under compared to 2000 for them.

 

[trevorriley]

I think the security guys try to act reasonably in their interpretation of the rules - they’d never stopped me so I honestly didn’t know that bag size rules existed until I got the email from City. Being naive, I took the problem to supporter services and I found, to my surprise, that flasks and butties were also banned.
I was then informed, in no uncertain terms, that supporter services would make sure that security would enforce both the bag size and food & drink rules on me personally. They didn’t care that I used a bike, they didn’t give a hoot about medical needs or traditions, but they cared plenty about their sales points maximising income from people in need - by forcing us supporters into a position of need.

You could rock up one week and get refused at the gate or kicked out for having taken food into the ground. You won’t be keenly aware of it, because it’s sneaking low-key rule changes eating away at your way of life. Know it or not, you have the sword of Damocles hanging above you. You can choose to tolerate living under that threat or not go to games - in my case I had the pointy end prodding in my neck so I backed off sharpish.

I recon that there must be a good few thousand loyal supporters that they can kick out or turn away if ever they feel like fully applying rules that they’ve sneaked into place. Say the demand for corporate increases dramatically and they see profit in freeing up a few thousand seats to engineer capacity - do you think they won’t apply their rules to meet their aims?
They’ll stop you eventually, so there’s a game you’ll go to where you won’t get in or where you’ll be ejected part way through. Think about that when you’re setting off for a game and see how that thought makes you feel about what you’re about to experience. But, whatever you do, don’t mention it to supporter services or they’ll target you personally like they did me.

There are some great stewards / security around, blues themselves and great to deal with and chat to.

But there is always somebody somewhere that will take pleasure in reminding you that you WILL be searched, WILL be escorted off the premises and sent a letter in the post.

 

[HibbertStreetKid]

Totally agree re matchday prices. Having previously having a ST for 28 years up until about 2005 and then attending a lot more regularly over the last few seasons i tried to get a ST again this season but they sold out in less than 10 mins. I then purchased a few tickets for the coming season in CB3 at an initial cost per game of £61.50 for the rags liverpool and Norwich before getting pissed off navigating through the system to purchase more and gave up. I have now bit the bullet and purchased a ST in Joes that works out at an extra £27 per game than the above prices but with all the extra benefits to me in my eyes represents much better value.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Are City starting to listen to disenfranchised supporters, looking to rescue attendances because season ticket take-up is dwindling or are they drumming up more support ready for the long awaited North stand expansion?

I had a call from City supporter services, about an hour ago. I nice fella / good listener, called Sam, wanted to know if I planned to take up a season ticket this year after I had been forced by the club to cancel my last one, about 4 games into last season.

I explained the circumstances, of my cancelling, to Sam. City had sent me an email to introduce a new a rule that prevented supporters taking a bag bigger than an 'A4 sheet of paper', as they described it, into the ground.
That was a problem to me as I'd always attended on my bike, so I had cycling clothing (waterproofs, high viz, helmet, gloves etc.) and while they wouldn't go into an A4 sized bag, they did fit in a bag that would go under my seat, so as not to interfere with the walkways.
I also took my flask and my butties in that bag so I called City supporter services and explained why I needed a bag of about the size that I'd always taken.

Their first response was to say that I wasn't allowed to take my butties or flask into the ground. I made the point that security had always checked my bag and that they'd never had an issue with it's contents (other than to ask me what was on my sandwiches). They countered that by telling me that they'd deal with the security, specifically on the gate I used, to make sure that they didn't allow me to take butties or a flask ever again.
They told me verbally that it was because they had an agreement, with the food franchises, to make sure that supporters didn't have their own food and drink and so that they'd be forced to buy from the franchises - though they wouldn't put that in writing.
I pointed out that me not taking food or drink wouldn't increase franchise sales at all because I'm a bloke who's at an age that demands he goes for a piss a halftime - and halftime isn't long enough to queue for / use the toilets and then queue to buy food and drink before the 2nd half kicks off. But they wouldn't take account of what is effectively an age related medical condition that affects most men over 55 . . . as many of you will find out.
I'd approached supporter services as a long term supporter looking for help in dealing with a cruel rule change and the heartless sods had no mercy whatsoever.

It took a long and drawn out process of correspondence and I even went to the ground to meet the head of supporter services and the head of security for the South stand - he was a right idiot, he kept going on about his opinion that cyclists are no different than other supporters so didn't have any different bag size needs.

The ultimately told me that I could store a bag with them if I was willing to pay for a corporate ticket (they said that they can take suitcases as they might be on the way to the airport) and that their stance was that if I couldn't attend due to a rule change, that had only just been drawn to my attention, then that was tough luck and not their problem - they would not refund my season card if they made it so that I couldn't attend.
I threatened them with the ombudsman and they folded and refunded my seasoncard - after attending games (with flask and butties) from the age of 12 in 1972, I was finally stopped from attending games after 46 solid years and at the age of 58. . . by the club I'd happily poured my wages into all my life.

Ok, that was a long drawn out 'sounding sorry for myself' narrative, but it's true and I wondered if other supporters have had similar issues / if other supporters have received calls from Sam and his colleagues, trying to draw back in previously lost support because they've lost too many / if this heralds a new dawn where supporter services are going to actually start being a service for supporters rather than a service design to force supporters to buy from the franchises or if the initiative is about building up a head of steam prior to an expansion?

i take my two young kids, i prefer going with nothing into the ground if i can.

means i can enjoy it more as well

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

does anybody know where you can buy an A4 size bag ? Cant find one anywhere...Most sports stadiums now setting this as standard as well as other events. Could be a good business plan to take up on "Dragons".

Bought a new jacket last week in mind thinking could wear it at footy, made sure it had lots of deep pockets with zips. Also those winter type padded coats are good because a ham sandwich in the top pocket looks like quilted fabric. A good protein snack is a hard boiled egg down the front of your kecks, just double check it is hard boiled and not a raw one by accident. Half the fun these days of going to games is seeing what you can get in the stadium.

Do sympathise with you, times have changed rules come in but just bend round it rather than give up the game and miss seeing all these trophies. Although sometimes it gets to the point where you think right "ive taken all I can stands and can stands it no longer".

City should start selling "Stadium ready" bags by the sound of it.

 

[mancityvstoke]

Totally agree re matchday prices. Having previously having a ST for 28 years up until about 2005 and then attending a lot more regularly over the last few seasons i tried to get a ST again this season but they sold out in less than 10 mins. I then purchased a few tickets for the coming season in CB3 at an initial cost per game of £61.50 for the rags liverpool and Norwich before getting pissed off navigating through the system to purchase more and gave up. I have now bit the bullet and purchased a ST in Joes that works out at an extra £27 per game than the above prices but with all the extra benefits to me in my eyes represents much better value.

Out of interest what extra benefits do you get?