Statement from Burnley FC Supporters Groups on the ticket allocation taken for the Arsenal game and the club's subsequent response

See link
http://www.uptheclarets.com/supporters- ... allocation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well said

Strong response, I think most people will agree on every point made.

Seconded

That about covers it all.

Although telling us the allocations from next season will be the apology, no need for one now.

Can't argue with any of that.

So, is our allocation 1500 or is that a rough guess?

fidelcastro wrote:Can't argue with any of that.

So, is our allocation 1500 or is that a rough guess?

According to someone who knows someone who works at Arsenal it's 2000. Not sure if BFC have confirmed this.

Would the delay of the kick-off time till 4-30 have affected their decision?

Pstotto wrote:Would the delay of the kick-off time till 4-30 have affected their decision?

Not according to their statement.

Big thanks to the supporters groups for refusing to take BFC's horsesh!t statement at face value.

The Everton game they mentioned was also live on TV.

A very well written and relevant article. Sadly, it's not the first time the club have taken a minimal allocation and left us in a position where demand is greater than supply. Leicester and Palace were the other two. Unfortunately, we appear to have won the Euro Millions rollover jackpot and still run the business like a corner shop.

I pay for 2 Foundation Memberships , from its inception ,that is supposed to "guarantee" tickets for matches. On Monday 16th from 9-00am I phoned to buy tickets.The phone was not answered all morning and eventually answered at just gone lunchtime to be told tickets all sold !!

I feel very let down

7decades wrote:I pay for 2 Foundation Memberships , from its inception ,that is supposed to "guarantee" tickets for matches. On Monday 16th from 9-00am I phoned to buy tickets.The phone was not answered all morning and eventually answered at just gone lunchtime to be told tickets all sold !!

I feel very let down

Similar. I have been a Foundation member for as long as I can remember, certainly around 20 years. It gives a small amount to the club, which back then given I was living in London and not going to home games I felt comfortable with. I have also won a few quid in the draws over the years, which I have usually spent back with the club on merchandise. And the real benefit to me was equal priority with ST holders for tickets. I also went down the route of phoning for tickets Monday morning and also had to call numerous times as the phone wasn't answered and when they did decide to pick up the phone, I also got the message that all tickets had gone.

Given that the club is now awash with cash, my £100 a year or whatever it is, is no longer needed. If I want to win a prize I can buy a lottery ticket and win a dam sight more than the odd tenner. And the real benefit for me of being a member appears to have now been removed, there is no reason I should continue paying into this. So there will be a call to the club shortly and my membership and Direct Debit will be cancelled.

What is the problem with the club potentially having to pay for unsold tickets? I don't know what the max allocation away at Arsenal would be but you would guess around 3,000-3,300 fans would have gone. It's not like the club haven't made enough money to pay for potentially 200-300 unsold tickets in potentially our biggest away game, surely you take that risk to appease your own fans. I probably shouldn't comment given I'm a new man on a positive mission but the club response is actually quite shocking and disappointing.

Good effort and very well worded response.

Would you expect a response from anybody in a senior role at the Club?

Herts Clarets wrote:Similar. I have been a Foundation member for as long as I can remember, certainly around 20 years. It gives a small amount to the club, which back then given I was living in London and not going to home games I felt comfortable with. I have also won a few quid in the draws over the years, which I have usually spent back with the club on merchandise. And the real benefit to me was equal priority with ST holders for tickets. I also went down the route of phoning for tickets Monday morning and also had to call numerous times as the phone wasn't answered and when they did decide to pick up the phone, I also got the message that all tickets had gone.

Given that the club is now awash with cash, my £100 a year or whatever it is, is no longer needed. If I want to win a prize I can buy a lottery ticket and win a dam sight more than the odd tenner. And the real benefit for me of being a member appears to have now been removed, there is no reason I should continue paying into this. So there will be a call to the club shortly and my membership and Direct Debit will be cancelled.

What are the supposed benefits of being a foundation member? just ''guaranteed'' tickets for away games?

Clearly despite the bulging bank account, the club is still able to demonstrate that their mean, penny pinching, parsimoniousness is alive and well at TM and still underpins decision making. Here was a chance to 'reward' fans and anticipate a high demand by taking the full allocation whether they sold out or not.

The foundation bar is a perk as well the problem there is you just can't get in most match days due to crowding. I have not even attempted to get in for years now

KRBFC wrote:What are the supposed benefits of being a foundation member? just ''guaranteed'' tickets for away games?

There's no way they would be able to guarantee tickets to Foundation Members. I would have thought that membership just gives you an opportunity to purchase tickets on a first come first served basis.

Rodleydave wrote: Here was a chance to 'reward' fans and anticipate a high demand by taking the full allocation whether they sold out or not.

That's the thing though, if the maximum allocation was 4,000 we'd have sold that. It doesn't even take a lot of thinking about.

Like someone said on the other thread, the fans are more tuned in to what we should take tickets wise for matches.

Just when you think our club is being managed properly, they go and do summat like this - and sneakily too.

We used to be one step forward, three steps back, but that has changed over the last few years. We now take three steps forward, but we can't seem to shake the backwards step.

Failing to acknowledge their mistake is what worries me. Are we now becoming as arrogant as the other PL clubs? I sincerely hope not. Communicate Burnley!

Bordeauxclaret wrote:The Everton game they mentioned was also live on TV.

using the Everton game as an example is daft anyway, besides the TV angle, as Leisure said it seemed people were waiting for the upper tier and this caused confusion, not the clubs fault I will add.
You could argue though that they got that wrong by taking the bigger allocation but this wrong by taking the lower allocation, because it's a much bigger game, it's the last away game in London on a bank holiday and could be a potential play off final for the Europa League.

I actually think, but can't prove, that we'd have Sold 5000 for this just as the last away game at a big club in London on a Bank holiday Weekend.

If it turned our to be a shoot out for the Europa we'd take thousands.

I've said it before at a club whose Football manager has the Mantra "Maximum Effort is The Minimum Requirement.
The Ticketing Supremo has displayed Minimum Effort.
Don't start me on Dare to Dream.
As For One Club One Town ............ Grrrr

For a club that is so in touch with its fans, this isn't good at all.
I don't know the answer, but do we use an outside agency for dealing with tickets. I know they can be purchased through the shop, but online, they could have one central hub in London, that deals with lots of clubs tickets?

Look forward to the ticketing fiasco for AC Milan, Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers next season!

Thank goodness for all our sakes that the club has finally cocked enough things up that the previous supine posture of the supporters has changed. BFC is run like a business nowadays. We are customers, not fans, and the club has hidden behind the "family club" facade for too long. No-one's having a go at individuals in the ticket office; it's unfortunate that, like many businesses, the senior people at BFC hide behind those employees. It's time we customers realised that the club is not on our side; it is only answerable to itself. The club should be cut no more slack than your utility provider, car insurer or supermarket - they're not your friend.

thatdberight wrote:Thank goodness for all our sakes that the club has finally cocked enough things up that the previous supine posture of the supporters has changed. BFC is run like a business nowadays. We are customers, not fans, and the club has hidden behind the "family club" facade for too long. No-one's having a go at individuals in the ticket office; it's unfortunate that, like many businesses, the senior people at BFC hide behind those employees. It's time we customers realised that the club is not on our side; it is only answerable to itself. The club should be cut no more slack than your utility provider, car insurer or supermarket - they're not your friend.

Drivel

Leisure wrote:There's no way they would be able to guarantee tickets to Foundation Members. I would have thought that membership just gives you an opportunity to purchase tickets on a first come first served basis.

Peter. The Foundation Club is run like a stall on Accy market. The limited number of tickets they get go to the mates of the stall holders who don't answer the phones when the tickets come on sale because it's easier not to.

Allegedly.

Believe me it would be easier camping outside the ticket office for a fortnight than trying for a Foundation ticket.

The continued reference to last year's following of 1422 is disingenuous, as then they only took the smallest allocation of around 1400/1500 and as it was posted as a sellout then we couldn't have had a higher following. So using the 1422 figure as a justification for not taking the full available allocation this year is pretty poor.

bobinho wrote:Just when you think our club is being managed properly, they go and do summat like this - and sneakily too.

We used to be one step forward, three steps back, but that has changed over the last few years. We now take three steps forward, but we can't seem to shake the backwards step.

Failing to acknowledge their mistake is what worries me. Are we now becoming as arrogant as the other PL clubs? I sincerely hope not. Communicate Burnley!

I was a Burnley Fan since the first moment I knew what it was and I will be til I die, but my feelings for the club has always been unrequited. Just the way it is.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Look forward to the ticketing fiasco for AC Milan, Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers next season!

they'll now take the full 12000 for Lokomotiv away on a Tuesday Night in December just as War Breaks out

The problem is the club and ultimately the board of directors seem to be thinking that every away ticket unsold is £30 lost and as a result we should be careful with the clubs money. Yet, we will have made and extra £15-£20 million compared to last season.

Talk about being tight-fisted.

The Leicester away match was the obvious warning for this. A small allocation was taken, it sold out before it even hit season ticket holders and then there was a big swathe of empty seats next us at the ground. It appears nothing was learnt from this.

In a response to Leisure on the other thread the club say something like "if we had known 2 weeks ago what we know now the decision would have been different". That is pretty lame and reveals a complete lack of understanding of our supporters. Whilst the club has made massive strides in many areas its handling of ticketing remains in the dark ages. Excellent response by the Supporters groups. I just hope the club keep their word on reviewing this whole shambolic episode.

KRBFC wrote:What are the supposed benefits of being a foundation member? just ''guaranteed'' tickets for away games?

There is not a guarantee of tickets, but supposedly equal priority with ST holders. As has been suggested elsewhere, the chances of getting a ticket through this method if there is any suggestion of supply and demand being similar, are nil. There always has been and still are people who have access to buy as many tickets as they want through contacts at the club. Whilst this continues, the foundation membership isn't worth having.

Initially I joined to benefit the club. We were in the old third tier back then and it wasn't a problem getting hold of tickets, but as I said it was a way of contributing to the club from a distance. There are now no benefits for me of being a member, so I have just emailed the club and told them to cancel my membership and direct debit.

Shouldn't be a problem Arsenal fans have stopped going and empty seats abound. Should be Clarets all over the stadium with easily obtained "home" tickets, all of whom would have been in the away end if the club had been less shortsighted. Taking a max allocation, with reduced prices or coaches provided by the club, given transportation issues that weekend, as a thanks for the support all season would have been a much better move by the club. Instead they have created a situation which might lead to crowd trouble.

Yanquiclaret wrote:Shouldn't be a problem Arsenal fans have stopped going and empty seats abound. Should be Clarets all over the stadium with easily obtained "home" tickets, all of whom would have been in the away end if the club had been less shortsighted. Taking a max allocation, with reduced prices or coaches provided by the club, given transportation issues that weekend, as a thanks for the support all season would have been a much better move by the club. Instead they have created a situation which might lead to crowd trouble.

There are unlikely to be tickets available in the home stands as they are sold to tourists and (currently non attending) season ticket holders. As for transportation issues, is anyone aware of any other than short delays for trains going into Euston?

I totally agree with the statement from the Supporters Groups and pleased to be able to post it on UTC.

Herts Clarets wrote:There is not a guarantee of tickets, but supposedly equal priority with ST holders. As has been suggested elsewhere, the chances of getting a ticket through this method if there is any suggestion of supply and demand being similar, are nil. There always has been and still are people who have access to buy as many tickets as they want through contacts at the club. Whilst this continues, the foundation membership isn't worth having.

There have been people kicking up an almight fuss about this on Twitter over the last few months with some strong accusations of favouritism and/or other under hand ways of getting batches of tickets.
It was interesting reading it at the time, some very strong words were used.

This is nothing to do with this particular issue, but if we get a European tour and play at some small venues, then expect the same arguments to pop up about the ticket allocations.

Also don’t get the comparison to the Everton game a Sunday in October at the start of the season to a bank holiday weekend with the potential chance of finishing 6th. Who would have thought it would attract more interest!?

And Herts, its not a good idea to cancel your subscription for the foundation now surely?

I've no idea if you are planning to go to any European games (if they happen of course!) but surely you want to keep your options open till then?

Lancasterclaret wrote:This is nothing to do with this particular issue, but if we get a European tour and play at some small venues, then expect the same arguments to pop up about the ticket allocations.

If they continue to make nonsensical decisions.

Lancasterclaret wrote:This is nothing to do with this particular issue, but if we get a European tour and play at some small venues, then expect the same arguments to pop up about the ticket allocations.

Shouldn't be an issue as long as we take the full or an appropriate allocation.

Pardon me guys, I don't think I was clear enough.

By small venues, i meant venues where the away allocation would be small. Then the arguments about how people get tickets will come back with a vengeance.

I actually think its disgusting they are trying to justify this decision. Sometimes in life you have to listen to what is being said and you then hold your hand up.

Always found Bentley an arrogant arse and his list of excuses on this should see him dragged over the coals by his bosses. No doubt he will be to busy calling SD gaffer, you aren't one of players you bell end you are supposedly the main communicator via the media between the club and its supporters. Any media manager doing his job properly would have known or at very least anticipated an higher demand and should have passed that onto the relevant people.

Lancasterclaret wrote:And Herts, its not a good idea to cancel your subscription for the foundation now surely?

I've no idea if you are planning to go to any European games (if they happen of course!) but surely you want to keep your options open till then?

If it only gives him the same chance as a ST holder then it's down to points and he'll have almost no chance anyway.

He's got more chance as he's not an ST holder and is about to give up his foundation membership.

Plus I'm not even sure if getting a ticket through the foundation gets you points to be honest? Does it?

Why don’t they just stick their hands up and say “we got it wrong, sorry”. That, a review of how these decisions are made and maybe try consulting fans.

Lancasterclaret wrote:Pardon me guys, I don't think I was clear enough.

By small venues, i meant venues where the away allocation would be small. Then the arguments about how people get tickets will come back with a vengeance.

I’m sure there will. There won’t be a club in the football leagues who have a policy that’s perfect for everyone.

BleedingClaret wrote:they'll now take the full 12000 for Lokomotiv away on a Tuesday Night in December just as War Breaks out