Individual Match Tickets - 2024/25

[Midd-Blue]

I've never quite understood why they changed the Match day ticket system,maybe about 7/8 years ago. Back in the day they didn't put all the tickets on sale in the summer. Tickets for games went on sale a few weeks before,usually when the TV rearrangements were announced.There were points windows used,not huge ones maybe 500 and 1000. So no huge scramble of people getting in filling their boots while others wait based on nothing but luck.
Seems to me a far better fairer and less stressfull system,and cost spreading too.

There are two reasons for this - by far the biggest is that the club want to make more revenue and this does that in various ways by extending the fan base, however the second is that there is a perception amongst some influential fans that its 'not fair' to block new fans from being able to buy tickets. I don't buy this at all. The loudest voice, which comes from season ticket holders are protected at the moment, but members aren't anymore. Points were absolutely the fairest route to sell matchday tickets and the club have been allowed to change this, around Covid years.

 

[Beaker]

Think the extension is an opportunity to reset.If 3 or 4000 seats are kept for Match day it will ease a lot of the pressure. Hopefully there is enough thought going into Match day sales and keeping seats Matchday only in various blocks around the stadium in any future relocation windows. There would still be plenty of games for those new members without points to get tickets, just not the big games but they could build points towards that.
Don't think it's entirely manufactured by the club the success was always going to attract new fans wanting to go to games and they have responded by extending again, it's how they allocate those extra seats now that they will be judged on.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this, irrespective of how many “new” fans have been attracted, tickets could be sold at separate junctures throughout the season, when they are changed for TV would be my suggestion, and the biggest games, United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. could be sold on a sliding points scale. The fact they do none of these things or something similar, suggests to me that it’s manufactured.

 

[blueparrot]

There are two reasons for this - by far the biggest is that the club want to make more revenue and this does that in various ways by extending the fan base, however the second is that there is a perception amongst some influential fans that its 'not fair' to block new fans from being able to buy tickets. I don't buy this at all. The loudest voice, which comes from season ticket holders are protected at the moment, but members aren't anymore. Points were absolutely the fairest route to sell matchday tickets and the club have been allowed to change this, around Covid years.

Yes, I can see why they want new members to have a chance. Just looked there are a few tickets left for a few games,slim pickings I get, but there would be tickets for those with few or no points to build up some points,not to mention early round cup games. The fact there are still a few tickets left shows though introducing about 3/4000 new Matchday seats when extended would ease all the pressure for most games.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I really don’t like this system of selling tickets. It would be much easier to sell tickets a few weeks before a game, like they always used to do

Most people, including myself haven’t been paid yet this month, so I wouldn’t be able to justify buying loads of match day tickets.

I think this system actually forces out a lot of people.

 

[edinburgh123]

How hard is it to say - there are 10000 tickets available. 5000 go on open sale so these new fans we want can come and spend the game with their back to the pitch taking selfies and posting on Instagram and the other 5000 go on a sliding points scale and is sold in a different window to those nasty legacy fans. Not ideal in that loyalty is rewarded less than it could be but at least to a degree both sides of the argument are catered for

 

[Jazzyblue]

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this, irrespective of how many “new” fans have been attracted, tickets could be sold at separate junctures throughout the season, when they are changed for TV would be my suggestion, and the biggest games, United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. could be sold on a sliding points scale. The fact they do none of these things or something similar, suggests to me that it’s manufactured.

I suspect this week's sales windows were designed to nudge more regular fans into making early purchases of singles for games that don't sell as well. From City's perspective everyone is happy then - the loyal/local fan isn't as bothered about the opposition, and knows he's got at least some tickets. The tourist gets a big day out at a glamour fixture. And the club knows seats are filled when we're playing Forest on a Wed night, that the tills will be ringing at the gift shop on derby day, and that they can say everyone's had a chance, because we'll release another chunk three weeks before the game. For us it can be a cruel, expensive and time-consuming process, and I've many times questioned the sustainability of chasing one-offs who bring no more atmosphere, at the expense of people who would come time and again for life, but we can't ignore some of the pressures City will feel they're under as a business - a relatively small ground with a high proportion of season ticket holders, a need to prove to the authorities that we can keep raising income at the gate, and a fanbase whose size, reach and age was impacted by the Swales' years. All that said, we've all had moments, if we've been around long enough, when the City gods have smiled on us, and I commend City Matters and the supporters groups for all the work they've done to make things just that bit better for us as we wait to see what the new stand will bring.

 

[jamielowndes]

I really don’t like this system of selling tickets. It would be much easier to sell tickets a few weeks before a game, like they always used to do

Most people, including myself haven’t been paid yet this month, so I wouldn’t be able to justify buying loads of match day tickets.

I think this system actually forces out a lot of people.

There were well over 100,000 places in the queue throughout the day.

Releasing everything this early allows international fans to plan games ahead to sort flights and accommodation.

Unfortunately for a club that publicly brags about being Americas most watched team, this is their main consideration.

 

[blueparrot]

There were well over 100,000 places in the queue throughout the day.

Releasing everything this early allows international fans to plan games ahead to sort flights and accommodation.

Unfortunately for a club that publicly brags about being Americas most watched team, this is their main consideration.

Not really, releasing them early goes back a fair few years now,I'd guess at least 8 maybe more. When they were easy to get tickets with no queuing even the derby,first and last games were easy.It's only really last season and this it's become an issue.

 

[bluenova]

Not really, releasing them early goes back a fair few years now,I'd guess at least 8 maybe more. When they were easy to get tickets with no queuing even the derby,first and last games were easy.It's only really last season and this it's become an issue.

Didn't the "all games" release come in after Covid in 2021?

But agree that it's last season that it went crazy. I said earlier in the thread, it's almost certainly the Haaland factor.

 

[jimharri]

There were well over 100,000 places in the queue throughout the day.

Releasing everything this early allows international fans to plan games ahead to sort flights and accommodation.

Unfortunately for a club that publicly brags about being Americas most watched team, this is their main consideration.

Spot on. I can only realistically attend Saturday games. And you get the best prices for flights if you book a few weeks in advance. So, once I knew the game was definitely on the Saturday, I had to wait for tickets to go on sale to Cityzen members I secured my Ipswich ticket at midday after being number 42,990 in the queue at 10 a.m..I then got flights from Dublin to Manchester for €48; if you left it until the week of the game, you could treble that, at least. We don't all live half an hour from the ground, unfortunately.