Loyalty Points - Time For Change?

[GXCity]

Having just renewed my ST's and adding my lad to the waiting list for 2015, it got me thinking how the hell could he ever get in a position to catch up my loyalty point total. I have 12k points and he will obviously start the 2015 season on next to nothing. Whilst I appreciate City let you buy junior tickets once the adult qualifies, regardless of their points total, he is never going to be in a position when he is older to get tickets for the big games such as OT, Barca away etc. Is it now time to revisit the system we currently use? We need to make sure that the younger element of our fan base can attend such games in the future.

We would obviously have to ensure that those at the top are not unfairly affected by any changes but also we need to ensure that the top points group do not disappear over the horizon, never to be caught.

The fairest way I can see would be to have a 10 year rolling period. For example, in the current season any points accrued before 2004 would drop off your points total. This wouldn't have any affect on the top group as they will still be in the highest band and therefore still be able to buy on the first couple of days. A new ST holder would still be at the bottom and would therefore be unlikely to have access. However, if the new ST holder went to all away games that did become available (I would say that at least 10 go to any ST holder) over a couple of years they would have a chance of moving up the ladder. The more they go to the more games become available. Do that for 10 years and you would be able to get to the OT derby. With this system those currently at the top of the pile would continue to stay there as the majority will still go home and away each week, but it would stop it becoming a closed shop and enable younger/newer fans to be rewarded for loyalty.

Thoughts?

 

[tidyman]

There's no such thing as a perfectly fair system. And it's pointless making it more complicated.

Any season ticket holder can get tickets for the vast majority of away games if they want. If someone starting from scratch went to every away game they could for the next ten years, they'd be more or less guaranteed a ticket for every game anyway after that, without changing things.

It's as fair as it can be in my opinion.

 

[GXCity]

There's no such thing as a perfectly fair system. And it's pointless making it more complicated.

Any season ticket holder can get tickets for the vast majority of away games if they want. If someone starting from scratch went to every away game they could for the next ten years, they'd be more or less guaranteed a ticket for every game anyway after that, without changing things.

It's as fair as it can be in my opinion.

I wouldn't have even thought about change as it could affect my position. However, how could my lad ever get to my points total? I will probably be on 13.5k by the time he starts next year. I would have to stop going for 10 years before he could get to my level. He could go to every game available to him, as I will, and never get any nearer. A 10 year rolling period would still reward long term loyalty but would allow people to catch up if they put the time, effort and money into it.

 

[blue5ter]

There's no such thing as a perfectly fair system. And it's pointless making it more complicated.

Any season ticket holder can get tickets for the vast majority of away games if they want. If someone starting from scratch went to every away game they could for the next ten years, they'd be more or less guaranteed a ticket for every game anyway after that, without changing things.

It's as fair as it can be in my opinion.

I wouldn't have even thought about change as it could affect my position. However, how could my lad ever get to my points total? I will probably be on 13.5k by the time he starts next year. I would have to stop going for 10 years before he could get to my level. He could go to every game available to him, as I will, and never get any nearer. A 10 year rolling period would still reward long term loyalty but would allow people to catch up if they put the time, effort and money into it.

It's rather like the FFP arguments - we will all argue for a system that protects ourselves

I've been a season ticket holder for more than 20 yrs. I'm on about 10k points.

I go to all the home cup games (though I didn't do the cup scheme for the league cup the season before this one rather foolishly which lost me valuable points and IIRC, there was a bonus for doing all 3 schemes which doesn't seem to exist any more ?)

I go to around 5 league away games per season, some European away games and domestic cup semis/finals.

So who is more deserving of tickets to hard to get to games - the person who goes to more away games than me each year but hasn't followed us in the lower leagues or me, going to a relatively small number of away games but having put more time & money in over the years including the gloryless ones ? I'd suggest there is no black & white answer with arguments for both

But what would really upset me is if they changed the system. We've all bought tickets influenced to one degree or another by the way the points system works. The main reason I go platinum & league cup DD scheme is to ensure I keep within spitting distance of the points requirements for the majority of games. I'd be bloody furious if the system changed as without the points for umpteen years of ST renewals, I'd be lower down the pecking order and given the choice, I'd rather not feel blackmailed into paying an extra £50 for platinum and wouldn't have done it if it weren't for my particular points scenario.

Put simply, a 10 yr rolling system would disadvantage me and I'd not have spent as much as I have historically if I knew such a system were to come in. However if that had been the system from the start, I could have made informed choices along the way

I'd also look at how many tickets are sold bypassing those who use the loyalty system before looking at how points are allocated

 

[Nixon_The_Bike_Thief]

My simple suggestion would be to set a points cap (lets say theoretically 10K pts) once that is reached then future criteria are based on previous seasons attendance record. i.e. first selling criteria is to have the 10k then dependencies on previous seasons attendances such as season ticket, away games cup matches and europe. It clearly needs some work but once a threshold is reached then the incentive to attend cup matches and aways is increased as you cant just sit on your high points total and cherry pick the games.

 

[mcfcirlam]

The fairest way is all those that leave the ground early must go out through a gate which automatically takes points off their card.
All those that join the cup schemes and just dont bother going to the early rounds should be branded with a hot poker so we can they can be sent to Coventry at the next game. A bit like the lepers in the Roman times.

Just browsing and couldnt resist.

 

[kenzie115]

I think the rolling 10 year thing is a good idea.

The top points holders who still do the majority of games will remain at the top, but those that don't fancy the "lesser" games and just cherry pick the "big" games will start to slowly fall down the list whilst the younger ones who do every game they can will gradually work their way up.

Some will suggest that a supporter who did every game 10-15 years ago deserves the right to pick and choose games nowadays but as the OP said, there has to be some incentive for the younger generation to know they can reach the top of the ladder.

 

[The Blue]

i had an idea whereby an away allocation of 3000 would be allocated by 2500 going to seasoncard holders with the normal loyalty points allocation and then 500 set aside for a ballot. It gives hope to those who otherwise would no way be able to get a ticket to away games

 

[trotsky]

i had an idea whereby an away allocation of 3000 would be allocated by 2500 going to seasoncard holders with the normal loyalty points allocation and then 500 set aside for a ballot. It gives hope to those who otherwise would no way be able to get a ticket to away games

We have a winner.
As long as the ballot allocates in pairs - it's a long drive to Southampton on your own..

 

[mayo31]

There's no such thing as a perfectly fair system. And it's pointless making it more complicated.

Any season ticket holder can get tickets for the vast majority of away games if they want. If someone starting from scratch went to every away game they could for the next ten years, they'd be more or less guaranteed a ticket for every game anyway after that, without changing things.

It's as fair as it can be in my opinion.

I wouldn't have even thought about change as it could affect my position. However, how could my lad ever get to my points total? I will probably be on 13.5k by the time he starts next year. I would have to stop going for 10 years before he could get to my level. He could go to every game available to him, as I will, and never get any nearer. A 10 year rolling period would still reward long term loyalty but would allow people to catch up if they put the time, effort and money into it.

When you either die or become too old or it becomes too expensive simply let your lad buy your ticket still and use the points for himself

My son is 15 years old and has now got 5500 points, he has been going since he was 6. In the last four years he has done approximately 30 away league games and all of the home/away cup games including every wembley trip. I should have paid platinum but thought sod it. For three tickets that works out at £150 or nearly £600 for the 4 years that scam has been doing the rounds.

As someone said there is no ideal system, someone will always be upset