Season Tickets - 2024/25

[MCFC Wirral]

I’d assume that transferring it to friends and family would count to your ticket being used too.

Pretty much all Blue friends had Seasoncards. I once had three people in a row “buy” but then change their mind so resale was just easier.

 

[Dunne's own goal]

It’s the next City Matters ticketing sub-group on Monday evening. Whilst this is a scheduled in meeting, it is clearly another chance to raise the wider frustration around season tickets. One of my own reflections recently is that it would be better to directly involve you all prior to the meeting, rather than just in the abstract generally.

Here are the full agenda items:

• Update on 2024/2025 Season Ticket renewals
• Planning for the FA Cup Final
• All Games on Sale policy / Premier League qualifying criteria
• Matchday criteria for junior fans for “high security games” such as Liverpool or United
• Communicating with Over 65s specifically
• 14 game minimum game rule as of next season and how that work in practice
• Update on the recruitment for the ticketing compliance role

Whilst I am not a member of the ticketing sub-group anymore, I will be attending the meeting as an observer and make sure any feedback is passed to the members.

Happy to have comments here or at my email: alex.howell@citymatters.co.uk

Can you please try to ask is the club planning to make New North Stand L2 a proper home end? Will it have safe standing?
Or is it just another another stand in their eyes

 

[Alex - City Matters]

The bizarre thing is that the SC rep isn't on this sub group but she is on the equality and diversity sub group.

As an over 65 what is the communicating with us topic?

With the launch of the new Premier League Fan Engagement Standard last summer, the club were very keen to tighten up the sub-groups. This was good from a governance perspective, but it also saw them be very strict on limiting membership to four representatives. I personally took that as an opportunity to move to the Fan Experience group, given that I wanted to focus on the new North Stand. Whilst I can't speak or account for individual representatives, the ticketing group was oversubscribed to begin with.

But I do think this touches upon a wider point. A lot of other clubs structure their Fan Advisory Boards (the technical term from the Premier League) around existing fan groups - rather than different stakeholders. I tend to think this is a better model, although appreciate we don't have a great number of fan groups as a club. This isn't a knock on any current or past representative, but we don't elect individuals based on how well they understand their group (i.e. no one checked that I was the best person to understand Under 25s) but then operate on a system where you are labelled as the lead for that group.

I am not as close to the Over 65 item, but I believe that Michael (the Over 65 rep) has suggested the possibility of a phone line for people of that age group. That said, in the round, I don't think it is bad thing to consider tailored communications types for different groups.

There has to be a agenda point on the clubs increasingly dangerous policy of happily letting away fans sit in the home end for big games I.e Real Madrid, how does that scenario come about any other way than the club attempting to increase revenues via 3rd party sales with no criteria for purchase

I've raised this before as Madrid wasn't the first example - although perhaps one of the most egregious. Obviously happy to do so again. I posted a bit more about this yesterday morning.

Re FA Cup planning, will the club try to organise trains as opposed to coaches to and from Euston. The last train back after the match is 20.18 and the one prior is 19.13. Based on yesterday’s ko that leaves one available train assuming no extra time and probably missing a trophy lift / celebrations if we win. Will the club either organise trains or push the FA for the traditional ko time of 3.00.

Very happy to ask. At the very least, I would imagine they'll ramp up the official club coaches although appreciate that's a very different experience.

As I've said on here before, I want transparency over ticket pricing. All other clubs publish their pricing tariffs at the start of the season, for League games, as well as Domestic and European Cups. Liverpool and united also have a set price per seat, regardless of the PL opponent, whereas the big London clubs have a category pricing structure. But with City you have no fucking clue at the start of the season.

As I think you know Colin, transparency around pricing and also away allocation numbers is one of my big bugbears and I have asked them on a number of occasions to do this. That's before we get to the pricing itself!

Better had be, otherwise it’s not on!!

To confirm, that's correct. You have to attend, list or transfer your ticket for a minimum of 14 games (they originally wanted 16). I think our question now is how this is going to work in practice. With the previous 10 game rule, they club undertook a large amount of due diligence for those who fell foul as there would be a number of very understandable reasons such as illness. Some of our questions have been around exemptions for particular groups, as well as the logistics of undertaking similar due diligence for a larger cohort who may be impacted.

On a separate but similar note, those on Flexi Gold will have to purchase tickets to at least 10 matches or fall foul of a similar rule.

Can you please try to ask is the club planning to make New North Stand L2 a proper home end? Will it have safe standing?
Or is it just another another stand in their eyes

I posted in the North Stand thread on Friday evening about this. We have a meeting a week on Monday with the club and the 1894 Group on the next steps on the North Stand. I am expecting answers to some of your questions at that meeting.

 

[PDBLUEMOON]

With the launch of the new Premier League Fan Engagement Standard last summer, the club were very keen to tighten up the sub-groups. This was good from a governance perspective, but it also saw them be very strict on limiting membership to four representatives. I personally took that as an opportunity to move to the Fan Experience group, given that I wanted to focus on the new North Stand. Whilst I can't speak or account for individual representatives, the ticketing group was oversubscribed to begin with.

But I do think this touches upon a wider point. A lot of other clubs structure their Fan Advisory Boards (the technical term from the Premier League) around existing fan groups - rather than different stakeholders. I tend to think this is a better model, although appreciate we don't have a great number of fan groups as a club. This isn't a knock on any current or past representative, but we don't elect individuals based on how well they understand their group (i.e. no one checked that I was the best person to understand Under 25s) but then operate on a system where you are labelled as the lead for that group.

I am not as close to the Over 65 item, but I believe that Michael (the Over 65 rep) has suggested the possibility of a phone line for people of that age group. That said, in the round, I don't think it is bad thing to consider tailored communications types for different groups.


I've raised this before as Madrid wasn't the first example - although perhaps one of the most egregious. Obviously happy to do so again. I posted a bit more about this yesterday morning.


Very happy to ask. At the very least, I would imagine they'll ramp up the official club coaches although appreciate that's a very different experience.


As I think you know Colin, transparency around pricing and also away allocation numbers is one of my big bugbears and I have asked them on a number of occasions to do this. That's before we get to the pricing itself!


To confirm, that's correct. You have to attend, list or transfer your ticket for a minimum of 14 games (they originally wanted 16). I think our question now is how this is going to work in practice. With the previous 10 game rule, they club undertook a large amount of due diligence for those who fell foul as there would be a number of very understandable reasons such as illness. Some of our questions have been around exemptions for particular groups, as well as the logistics of undertaking similar due diligence for a larger cohort who may be impacted.

On a separate but similar note, those on Flexi Gold will have to purchase tickets to at least 10 matches or fall foul of a similar rule.


I posted in the North Stand thread on Friday evening about this. We have a meeting a week on Monday with the club and the 1894 Group on the next steps on the North Stand. I am expecting answers to some of your questions at that meeting.

Good feedback and appreciated Alex. Cheers blue.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

I can understand why the Season Card rep doesn’t come on here, even though it was poor not to object to the season card price increases

Most peole’s idea of a season card on here seems to be turning up for 5 games per season against our biggest rivals and selling on the rest of the tickets. If people can’t be arsed transferring the tickets for games they can’t make, tue aren’t the Club should sort this out. Rather than the “budgie’s got diarrhoea” type excuses I read on here.

 

[Corky]

I can understand why the Season Card rep doesn’t come on here, even though it was poor not to object to the season card price increases

Most peole’s idea of a season card on here seems to be turning up for 5 games per season against our biggest rivals and selling on the rest of the tickets. If people can’t be arsed transferring the tickets for games they can’t make, tue aren’t the Club should sort this out. Rather than the “budgie’s got diarrhoea” type excuses I read on here.

Too much port Timothy?

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

I can understand why the Season Card rep doesn’t come on here, even though it was poor not to object to the season card price increases

Most peole’s idea of a season card on here seems to be turning up for 5 games per season against our biggest rivals and selling on the rest of the tickets. If people can’t be arsed transferring the tickets for games they can’t make, tue aren’t the Club should sort this out. Rather than the “budgie’s got diarrhoea” type excuses I read on here.

What a ridiculous and incorrect sweeping generalisation. It's all SC holders around me in SS3 and it's the same people at almost every game. One flies in from Belfast and starts work at 5 am so he misses a number of mid week games but always puts his seat on the exchange. A couple of others who travel long distances the same but other than holiday / illness no-one picks and chooses from what I see.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Too much port Timothy?

Sober / hungover from Saturday lol.

I do think a season card, by definition, indicates somebody intends to go to most or all of the games. City and City Matters seem preoccupied with peole who want to go to a minority of home games. I’ve no issue with the Blues making the economic desision to get a season cards (given the cost of match day tickets) but what’s the big deal in expecting fans to transfer on / list on the The Exchange, tickets for games they cannot make.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

What a ridiculous and incorrect sweeping generalisation. It's all SC holders around me in SS3 and it's the same people at almost every game. One flies in from Belfast and starts work at 5 am so he misses a number of mid week games but always puts his seat on the exchange. A couple of others who travel long distances the same but other than holiday / illness no-one picks and chooses from what I see.

That’s loads of our fans but it doesn’t reflect the balance of posts on this thread, in recent pages. It’s simple if Blues can’t get to the game, either transfer on your ticket or list it on the ticket exchange.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

For all the Club’s failing, the notion that City are trying to take season cards off sick fans is a nonsense. All that needs to happen is for the season card holder or a relative to phone up the Club and explain the predicament.