City Fans Leaving Early/Empty seats

[GaudinoMotors]

I am not missing the point. You made the assumption that season ticket holders are just sacking off games hence the empty seats, myself and others here have proved in a lot of instances this isn't the case, the seats are there people just either don't want them or can't be bothered to source them out. Some season ticket holders might for whatever reason not put their seat up for sale but I am sure they have a valid reason. Only someone very financially stable or mad would throw money away. I am afraid empty seats and people leaving early, annoying as it can be to some will always happen. You can't penalise anyone for either.

There are quite a few around me who are Season Ticket holders who don't attend very often and who don't put their tickets up for sale. We do have a differnet crowd now and like it or loathe it, some are financially well off with the disposable income not to be be arsed selling the seats back for matches.
Purely cosmetically our seats are a bit of a dayglo blue. I noticed the empty seats at the Emirates but they are harder to see because they are more muted. Would help with the seats spread here and there but not with the Exodus from the Family Stand.

 

[paulchapo]

No - I made the assumption that some season ticket holders are sacking off games. I never once implied that every empty season ticket seat is down to people who can't be arsed attending and can't be arsed passing their ticket on to a mate/putting it up for re-sale. All I said is that some people do it. If you actually believe that there isn't a single season ticket holder that doesn't do such a thing then you're kidding yourself.

Personally, I'd make all early leavers scan their seasoncard on exiting the stadium and have a sliding scale of punishments based on how early they left the stadium. For instance, leaving a few minutes early would result in a relatively modest punishment of, say, a deduction of 20 loyalty points. The severest penalties would be reserved for those "scanning out" before the 70 minute mark and would consist of public executions in City Square beamed live into the stadium after the match has ended.

I think I did say it is possible SOME season ticket holders may, for whatever reason, just miss games and not bother trying to resell them, this cannot be proved though except by the club making that information public. That though, as irritating as it is, is their choice. They have paid for the seat up front and can choose to attend or not.

You are never going to stop either activity that irks you, nor are the club. The day they impose any draconian measures on fans is the day they end up with even more empty seats trust me.

 

[M18CTID]

I think I did say it is possible SOME season ticket holders may, for whatever reason, just miss games and not bother trying to resell them, this cannot be proved though except by the club making that information public. That though, as irritating as it is, is their choice. They have paid for the seat up front and can choose to attend or not.

You are never going to stop either activity that irks you, nor are the club. The day they impose any draconian measures on fans is the day they end up with even more empty seats trust me.

I'm not sure I'd call live public executions draconian but hey-ho, each to their own I suppose

You're right that you can't stop either activity but the numbers doing either could be lessened. The idea put forward yesterday of rewarding those who stay until the end as opposed to punishing those that don't is more sensible.

 

[cyberblue]

I dont blame season ticket holders for not attending every match .3 home games on the bounce is a big ask .people have other comitments besides football.no reason they cant put on ticket exchange scheme though .Still cant get over how many leave early especialy lunch time /afternoon kick offs .where the fu*k thay all going that so important .The family stand is a joke .i would just scrap it .think charging £15-£20 for night games would increase the atmosphere and reduce the empty seats

 

[mcfcstu]

I dont blame season ticket holders for not attending every match .3 home games on the bounce is a big ask .people have other comitments besides football.no reason they cant put on ticket exchange scheme though .Still cant get over how many leave early especialy lunch time /afternoon kick offs .where the fu*k thay all going that so important .The family stand is a joke .i would just scrap it .think charging £15-£20 for night games would increase the atmosphere and reduce the empty seats

It's not just the Family Stand though, have you seen the mass walk out in SS Level 3 ?? It's no different to the family stand it's just that level 1 in the family stand would be highlighted more due to TV cameras. It's a problem we have all around the ground and this includes a lot of early leavers that stream out of level 1 east stand. I personally am in the family stand level 1 with my son and nephew and will never leave until the game has finished as I find it a total insult to the players who have given there all (maybe not all times) if you can't spare a couple of minutes to applaud there performance. I have suggested before though that the club if and when they do expand the North stand they need to move the Family stand into Level 3 if this is how it's built and then we won't see the empty seats as much due to circumstances that we all don't know about with each individual.

 

[pb1951]

I'm sorry, but to suggest having to notify the club if you're not going to make a game beggars belief. If I don't wish to attend a game for my own personal reason that's my business. Totally ridiculous suggestion.

And if someone wants to buy a season ticket then attend a couple of games a season, whilst an odd thing to do, it is entirely up to them.

I have 2 £300 season tickets and only go a couple of times a year
Too cheap to miss out

 

[cyberblue]

I have 2 £300 season tickets and only go a couple of times a year
Too cheap to miss out

So you are either a WUM or you paying £150 per game .yeah dirt cheap !!!

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

It's not just the Family Stand though, have you seen the mass walk out in SS Level 3 ?? It's no different to the family stand it's just that level 1 in the family stand would be highlighted more due to TV cameras. It's a problem we have all around the ground and this includes a lot of early leavers that stream out of level 1 east stand. I personally am in the family stand level 1 with my son and nephew and will never leave until the game has finished as I find it a total insult to the players who have given there all (maybe not all times) if you can't spare a couple of minutes to applaud there performance. I have suggested before though that the club if and when they do expand the North stand they need to move the Family stand into Level 3 if this is how it's built and then we won't see the empty seats as much due to circumstances that we all don't know about with each individual.

i agree people all around the ground leave early, but imo its by far the worst in the family stand. it never seems full and theres always loads of people leaving early from that stand. its brilliant we have a family section, but imo - like you've suggested they need to move the family stand to an expanded stand or make it smaller. i would put a singing section/home end in the north stand instead.

 

[The blue phantom]

It's not just the Family Stand though, have you seen the mass walk out in SS Level 3 ?? It's no different to the family stand it's just that level 1 in the family stand would be highlighted more due to TV cameras. It's a problem we have all around the ground and this includes a lot of early leavers that stream out of level 1 east stand. I personally am in the family stand level 1 with my son and nephew and will never leave until the game has finished as I find it a total insult to the players who have given there all (maybe not all times) if you can't spare a couple of minutes to applaud there performance. I have suggested before though that the club if and when they do expand the North stand they need to move the Family stand into Level 3 if this is how it's built and then we won't see the empty seats as much due to circumstances that we all don't know about with each individual.

I don't blame anyone for fuckin off early out of SSL3. It's absolutely shocking getting out of that stand at the full time whistle.

 

[Manchester33]

The club should do two things, double your loyalty points (for that particular game) if you scan through the turnstile 30 mins before kick off. Treble loyalty points (for that particular game) if you scan a card reader, located on the concourse, that's activated after full time.

Would be relatively easy to come up with some software to do that as well as buying a couple hundred scanners to log each ticket. Loyalty points is just one example of what you could earn. You could also get Citizen points (they do something like that in City Square). They could register it and if you do it for 90% of the home games you attend you get a discount on next years season ticket. cheaper rate at the food/beer kiosks if you've scanned your card after full time for a number of consecutive games.

Other than this, the club needs to fully identify WHY people leave early. Is it because of traffic and issues getting home, or is it because people can't be bothered watching a full 90 minute game? Could things like a smoking area in each stand help? Could they interact with the council to improve transport? Put something more entertaining on than City square?