Leisure wrote: ↑Wed Jul 21, 2021 10:26 am
Right, let's try to clear up a few things around this issue. I'll try to explain the background of historically the supporters groups being allocated tickets and just how the new arrangement of clubs only being allowed to purchase a maximum of 6 tickets, for people with the required points, wiil adversely affect the clubs.
Prior to the points system even being in place the club facilitated an allocation of tickets for supporters clubs. This allowed the clubs to be fairly certain that they would have enough people booked on their coaches to cover the cost. This arrangement then continued even when the points system was introduced, so we got tickets but no points were allocated to them individually. This arrangement was fine with the supporters clubs and suited the Club, as it involved less admin/inputting of membership numbers etc.
When the Club got promoted into the PL they started arranging coach transport for fans but there was such a small take up that it was discontinued fairly quickly (as the Club was losing money every game). The Club then stated that they valued the supporters clubs organising coaches and to help facilitate this they were happy for the ticket allocation arrangement to continue.
Then a couple of years ago we were made to fill in a seasonal form showing name and membership number of everyone we had purchased a ticket for and this had to be done for every game. It was only at this point that the Club started allocating points.
Then in the 2019/20? season the Club changed the arrangement again. We had to order the number of tickets we required (maximum of 50) and pay upfront for them. Go to the Ticket Office and collect them (with the stubs still attached). Take them home and allocate a ticket/seat to a person. Tear off the appropriate stub and mark on the ticket which category it was (adult, child etc). Then we had to complete a form showing name, membership number and seat number. Then take the stubs and form back to the Ticket Office. So we were relieving the Club of a fair bit of admin.
HOW THE NEW ARRANGEMENT IMPACTS ON THE SUPPORTERS CLUBS AND PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL WITH THEM -
1) Many supporters who have traveled the length and breadth of the county with clubs for many years and who have not been allocated points, will/may not have enough points to purchase a ticket, at least in the first sale.
2) People who regularly travel with supporters clubs and sit together at games will now not be able to do that, as they will be buying their own tickets and therefore will be spread out.
3) Where previously some people would be able to book a coach seat knowing that their club would purchase their ticket for them, now they will be either booking a coach seat without knowing that they have a ticket or buying a ticket without knowing that they can then book a coach seat.
4) Whilst I haven't spoken to London Clarets, I can imagine that they now face the same issue with regards to making a group booking on the train for attending home and away games ie can't book train without having match tickets but don't want to risk buying match tickets without knowing they can book the train.
5) From an Accy Clarets point of view we will probably now not run coaches to all the away games, as we won't take the risk (especially for the long distance games) of booking a coach at costs around £1500 without knowing that there will be enough people getting their own tickets to make the trip viable.
I hope that I'm wrong but I can only see the new arrangement resulting in some supporters clubs running less coaches, so less fans following the team, and some clubs may even fold (as their main purpose is to get fans to away games). Also, people buying their own tickets and then finding that there are no coaches to book on. The Club being left with unsold tickets (with that resulting in them justifying taking small allocations for most, if not all games), resulting in sell-outs for the big, local games and some fans not being able to get tickets.
From my personal viewpoint and this may not be agreed on by all clubs and fans, I have no issue (for fairness and openness) with the Club insisting that for tickets purchased by supporters clubs people must have the required points but to limit it to 6 tickets shows no understanding of just how it works running coaches for fans to away games.