Ticket Points Sales Tracking

[Maccblue]

It is broken. The club clearly broke it but it’s still broken and no longer fit for purpose.

With a significant contribution by about 10 city fans who are; for some reason referred to as “City Matters”

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

1 It's not about penalising people who have done the hard yards,yet you want to scrap the system .
2, No one can catch up and it has become a closed shop?
It's become a closed shop because the loyalty points were scrapped at the behest of the City matters group.
3, The pot of available tickets gets smaller?
And that in a nutshell is your problem.
Here's a radical suggestion that I have thought about, put the 3000 tickets that they normally get for an away match, through the loyalty points scheme .
I would guarantee you that if they did,it would be selling out at circa 10000 points rather than the 21000 at present.
Out of the above allocation, put 15% aside for juniors and 18/25.
Put another 10% into a ballot for people under 10000 points.
It's not the points system that's wrong, It's the way that the club is abusing the allocation of tickets that is wrong.
Go and ask the club what they are doing with the 50% of tickets that regularly disappear for away matches, unless it is a night match or a difficult place to get too when mysteriously up to 70% of tickets go onsale through the loyalty points scheme,because the hospitality clientele aren't interested.
Best atmosphere at away grounds this season, Luton,Newcastle,Everton and Tottenham, as you say think about it,what was the difference at those grounds, compared to the games at Anfield and Old Trafford.

City Matters did not ask for it. The club suggested it but we agreed, as the case for doing it was sound. The system encouraged people to buy away tickets and pass them on. I don't see how anyone can think that's a good idea. The people who regularly do away games do it because they want to go to the games, not because they want the points.

You simply cannot complain about the 'wrong' people getting tickets while also complaining about measures to mitigate that.

But I absolutely agree that the points system as it stands needs significant reform. It was originally meant to encourage sales of tickets when we weren't successful , but isnoe being used to ration them. It should be based on no more than the most recent 5 years attendance, which we talked about with the club pre-Covid, but they bottled, as they felt someone who had the 100th highest number of points might fall to 105th place under a sensible system. Shame they didn't apply the same sympathy to people who had their seats taken away by yet another hospitality offering.

Points should also be based on attendance rather than just buying a ticket, then not turning up.

Platinum needs fucking off, which we urged them to do but they refused, despite us suggesting alternative ways of replacing the relatively miniscule revenue (less than 0.1% now) it brings in.

They need to look at the whole system of allocation of away tickets. What worked years ago is not what works today.

But people also have to accept that, as things are, supply is not going to meet demand for most games. We're even struggling to meet demand for home games.

 

[Stockton Heath Blue]

The points system isn't ideal. I'm on 11k and on all cup schemes (ditched platinum years ago), and have no chance of catching those with 20k+. The potential issue in the longer term, is those with the higher points tally can't stay there forever (pass away, illness, etc.).

What do people think of having a cap on points (say 30k), meaning those below 30k will eventually catch up? Again, there would be some natural wastage. If too many hit the cap, then it becomes a ballot.

This is not an attack on those with higher points, they've earnt them.

I still think the issue lies with the club and a lack of transparency around how away tickets are distributed.

 

[Project1]

1) City Matters did not ask for it. The club suggested it but we agreed, as the case for doing it was sound. The system encouraged people to buy away tickets and pass them on. I don't see how anyone can think that's a good idea. The people who regularly do away games do it because they want to go to the games, not because they want the points.

2) Platinum needs fucking off, which we urged them to do but they refused, despite us suggesting alternative ways of replacing the relatively miniscule revenue (less than 0.1% now) it brings in.

Firstly you are telling me that nobody involved with City Matters at the time could not see what was going to happen and that the removal of points for the away games was going to make absolutely no difference what so ever. It amazes me that a group of people actually thought by not awarding 20 points for a game people were not going to attend. Hate to break it to you but those that have enough points still get there tickets and pass them on like they used too previously.

The clubs success has made platinum worthless. Reduction in away tickets due to increase in corporate and 18/25 allocation means all those that have been paying for this for years have and will never see the benefit for what they were promised. There used to be ticket allocations based on Platinum members then Gold. Can not remember when this removed probably teh same time as teh stupid points removal.

They should just fuck off the 18/25 allocation and increase that pot to 20% and allow everyone to apply that has a season ticket. Why should someone who is in their 30s who has had a season ticket for say 10 years not have a chance of an away ticket.

Liverpool away this year was a classic example of how the club has been able to use the naivety of the City Matters group to their own advantage. Looked to the right at anfield from the away end and it is like a United Nations summit.
Go down to the bar at half time and its like the United Nations Canteen in the away end.

 

[Big Joe Corrigan]

That's hope the spurs view is better than they gave us in the fa Cup

View attachment 117006

Or standing up when City scored !

View attachment 117009

You must have been sat next to me Gordon.

 

[MCFC Wirral]

I watch Wales away and it’s 100% collection with recent matches in your booking history. I know that’s not plausible for City but they had to make changes because one in four were denied entry in Croatia for having tickets in another name.

As much as I’d love to catch the bus to Anfield or Goodson Park for a convenient away, I know I’m not at the front of the queue because I haven’t got the loyalty points required. However, too high a percentage farmed out to whoever the club wishes is not fair.

 

[OB1]

City Matters did not ask for it. The club suggested it but we agreed, as the case for doing it was sound. The system encouraged people to buy away tickets and pass them on. I don't see how anyone can think that's a good idea. The people who regularly do away games do it because they want to go to the games, not because they want the points.

You simply cannot complain about the 'wrong' people getting tickets while also complaining about measures to mitigate that.

But I absolutely agree that the points system as it stands needs significant reform. It was originally meant to encourage sales of tickets when we weren't successful , but isnoe being used to ration them. It should be based on no more than the most recent 5 years attendance, which we talked about with the club pre-Covid, but they bottled, as they felt someone who had the 100th highest number of points might fall to 105th place under a sensible system. Shame they didn't apply the same sympathy to people who had their seats taken away by yet another hospitality offering.

Points should also be based on attendance rather than just buying a ticket, then not turning up.

Platinum needs fucking off, which we urged them to do but they refused, despite us suggesting alternative ways of replacing the relatively miniscule revenue (less than 0.1% now) it brings in.

They need to look at the whole system of allocation of away tickets. What worked years ago is not what works today.

But people also have to accept that, as things are, supply is not going to meet demand for most games. We're even struggling to meet demand for home games.

I don’t know what the answer is for overhauling the points system but I am in favour of change.

I know it is contentious but, from a personal point of view, I’ve had a season ticket every season since 72/73 but I now struggle to get tickets for games that I never used to.

Fulham is about the closest league game to where we live now but no chance of getting a ticket from City. The game was at a similar stage of the season last year and I paid a fortune for tickets from Fulham in their shiny new stand. This year, the tickets are way more expensive but I still can’t buy from Fulham because you have to have attended a game their in the last five years but it can’t be a one where City were the opponents, so doubly screwed.

I’m not a member of the OSC and I’m sure people with less points are getting tickets for games that I cannot, which is very irksome.

I am one of the people that travelled to away games in lower leagues but personal circumstances worked against me when I need to be collecting additional points.

Any solution or change will piss one section of the support off. Loyalty needs some sort of recognition but every genuine supporter deserves an opportunity to attend an away game.

 

[John Wayne]

Firstly you are telling me that nobody involved with City Matters at the time could not see what was going to happen and that the removal of points for the away games was going to make absolutely no difference what so ever. It amazes me that a group of people actually thought by not awarding 20 points for a game people were not going to attend. Hate to break it to you but those that have enough points still get there tickets and pass them on like they used too previously.

The clubs success has made platinum worthless. Reduction in away tickets due to increase in corporate and 18/25 allocation means all those that have been paying for this for years have and will never see the benefit for what they were promised. There used to be ticket allocations based on Platinum members then Gold. Can not remember when this removed probably teh same time as teh stupid points removal.

They should just fuck off the 18/25 allocation and increase that pot to 20% and allow everyone to apply that has a season ticket. Why should someone who is in their 30s who has had a season ticket for say 10 years not have a chance of an away ticket.

Liverpool away this year was a classic example of how the club has been able to use the naivety of the City Matters group to their own advantage. Looked to the right at anfield from the away end and it is like a United Nations summit.
Go down to the bar at half time and its like the United Nations Canteen in the away end.

Platinum may one day not be worthless for finals. With the number of tickets that go to points seemingly on the decline, the day will come when simply being on the cup scheme won't be enough to guarantee you a cup final ticket. If we get to the CL final in Munich next year, I can envisage such a scenario happening - people on the cup scheme with low points would very likely miss out in a club allocation of 19,000.

 

[Corky]

The loyalty points system was never there to encourage sales to away games. It was brought in as demand to away games was massively oversubscribed in 98/99 and ticket stubs were needed to be brought physically to the ticket office and stamped for each away purchase. Tracking was brought in to stop that which was transferred to points in 2003 using games from August 2001.

Demand dropped in early 2004 and anyone could get to most aways until the 2007 takeover, then demand slowly increased tempered by poor away form though.

The loyalty points system was abused by the club to increase demand for home games though, and now it just encourages platinum and cup scheme membership.

 

[SORTED]

Pre our first ‘prem’ title I used to qualify for pretty much every away game but knocked it on the head after getting weary of the experience.

I fucked platinum off around the same time and now on just under 14,000,000 points think I’d struggle to qualify for any league away game.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they introduced a ballot system of some sort within the next few years.