Royalty points for a pre season friendly

weybridgewanderer · by **weybridgewanderer** » 28 Jun 2006 08:08

Sir,

It has come to my attention that one of our pre season friendlies this summer is being rewarded with 20 Royalty points.

I appreciate that this will have been done to try and attract people to this "meaningless" fixture however this is the equivalent of 10 away fixtures last season.

This really shows a lack of respect by Reading Football Club for the fans who put in time and effort following the team away from home over the last 2 years.

Has STAR or does STAR plan to raise any questions of concerns about this appartent high allocation of points.

For example. could STAR request that retrospective points are allocated to those who attended a number of away games. over the last 2 seasons?

Maybe an extra 10 points for every 5 away games attended?

Regards

weybridgewanderer

Finch Royal · by **Finch Royal** » 28 Jun 2006 08:16

It's been said before, Royalty points are for who puts most money into the club, however if that's the case, why don't they extend the points to merchanidse........ or even sell points ?

The exception being those Bring it on packs.

Finch has the answer to the points system but it would appear no one is listening, STAR won't listen because, their atittude is "that's the way it is and it's not going to change so why bother trying"

http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopi ... 29&start=0

Being a home and away ST holder i shouldn't give two shits about the points system as it's irrelevant to me, however, the whole system is completely unjustifiably unfair on the loyal supporters and rewards the lazy pLOLastics.

The 17 Bus · by **The 17 Bus** » 28 Jun 2006 08:43

Good post Finch, fair and honest

STAR Liaison · by **STAR Liaison** » 28 Jun 2006 10:13

STAR knows nothing about this and will be taking it up with the club as soon as one of has a chance.

However I suspect it has something to do with the fact that to have a home friendly you have to play a foreign team when you are a premiership club. To play a foreign team you have to pay them to come and play and so in order for this fixture not to make a loss maybe they think that the Royalty points are necessary.

Finch Royal · by **Finch Royal** » 28 Jun 2006 10:15

starliaison wrote:STAR knows nothing about this and will be taking it up with the club as soon as one of has a chance.

However I suspect it has something to do with the fact that to have a home friendly you have to play a foreign team when you are a premiership club. To play a foreign team you have to pay them to come and play and so in order for this fixture not to make a loss maybe they think that the Royalty points are necessary.

R£ading FC

bobby1413 · by **bobby1413** » 28 Jun 2006 10:24

Finch Royal wrote:
starliaison wrote:STAR knows nothing about this and will be taking it up with the club as soon as one of has a chance.

However I suspect it has something to do with the fact that to have a home friendly you have to play a foreign team when you are a premiership club. To play a foreign team you have to pay them to come and play and so in order for this fixture not to make a loss maybe they think that the Royalty points are necessary.
R£ading FC

Think it's more accurate and fair to say:

The Pr£mi$rship

Readingfanman · by **Readingfanman** » 28 Jun 2006 20:29

R£eading Fc In The Pr£mier$hip at last.

Forbury Lion · by **Forbury Lion** » 28 Jun 2006 20:41

20 points is a joke, and I say that as someone who is planning to go and will get the 20 points!

To think my neighbour was worried about having enough Royalty points to attend the match

Dangerous · by **Dangerous** » 28 Jun 2006 21:41

weybridgewanderer wrote:Sir,

It has come to my attention that one of our pre season friendlies this summer is being rewarded with 20 Royalty points.

I appreciate that this will have been done to try and attract people to this "meaningless" fixture however this is the equivalent of 10 away fixtures last season.

This really shows a lack of respect by Reading Football Club for the fans who put in time and effort following the team away from home over the last 2 years.

Has STAR or does STAR plan to raise any questions of concerns about this appartent high allocation of points.

For example. could STAR request that retrospective points are allocated to those who attended a number of away games. over the last 2 seasons?

Maybe an extra 10 points for every 5 away games attended?

Regards

weybridgewanderer

Good luck in getting a response from RFC, I finally got a second reply to my DVD e-mail yesterday, and they didn't answer any of the points that I raised, just blamed it on Meridian, told me pretty much that it's tough luck, but my points have been noted, (yeah, whatever) and then told me to seek permission before posting it on here!

oxf*rd.

Control Freak · by **Control Freak** » 28 Jun 2006 22:21

Why would you need to seek permission before publicising YOUR letter?

LOL @ RFC, clueLOLess

Stranded · by **Stranded** » 28 Jun 2006 22:48

Control Freak wrote:Why would you need to seek permission before publicising YOUR letter?

LOL @ RFC, clueLOLess

I assume they meant the response from the club, which was a personal response to Dang and as such they have the right to ask permission before it is posted elsewhere.

Stranded · by **Stranded** » 28 Jun 2006 22:54

As for attacking STAR for not seeming to take this forward. They as an organisation have to decide what is worth taking forward, what they will be able to affect.

The club have spent a lot of time and money putting the Royalty points system in place and as a result will be very reluctant to change it. In fact I would very much doubt they would even consider it.

As I've said elsewhere, this system has been in place for a good while now and the time to raise doubts about it has long passed.

People who can afford to go to the away games next year will most likely already have an Away ST. Those, like me, that know they will only make a few will have to pick and choose, and will know that we are more likely to get tickets for Charlton and Wigan than we are Man Utd and Liverpool.

Would be the same situation regardless of system.

weybridgewanderer · by **weybridgewanderer** » 29 Jun 2006 13:40

starliaison wrote:STAR knows nothing about this and will be taking it up with the club as soon as one of has a chance.

However I suspect it has something to do with the fact that to have a home friendly you have to play a foreign team when you are a premiership club. To play a foreign team you have to pay them to come and play and so in order for this fixture not to make a loss maybe they think that the Royalty points are necessary.

If the club had brought either Rangers or Celtic rather than a Dutch team the madstad could have sold out just from the "away" support !!

Last season Rangers played Ipswich the previous season Fulham, so I am sure they would consider Reading!

STAR Liaison · by **STAR Liaison** » 29 Jun 2006 14:45

weybridgewanderer wrote:
starliaison wrote:STAR knows nothing about this and will be taking it up with the club as soon as one of has a chance.

However I suspect it has something to do with the fact that to have a home friendly you have to play a foreign team when you are a premiership club. To play a foreign team you have to pay them to come and play and so in order for this fixture not to make a loss maybe they think that the Royalty points are necessary.
If the club had brought either Rangers or Celtic rather than a Dutch team the madstad could have sold out just from the "away" support !!

Last season Rangers played Ipswich the previous season Fulham, so I am sure they would consider Reading!

Sorry I do not know sll the problems of sorting out a friendly although I believe there was only the one date possible so it may be that they are already booked. It is easy in principle but sometimes reality gets in the way.

weybridgewanderer · by **weybridgewanderer** » 29 Jun 2006 15:48

starliaison wrote:
weybridgewanderer wrote:
starliaison wrote:STAR knows nothing about this and will be taking it up with the club as soon as one of has a chance.

However I suspect it has something to do with the fact that to have a home friendly you have to play a foreign team when you are a premiership club. To play a foreign team you have to pay them to come and play and so in order for this fixture not to make a loss maybe they think that the Royalty points are necessary.
If the club had brought either Rangers or Celtic rather than a Dutch team the madstad could have sold out just from the "away" support !!

Last season Rangers played Ipswich the previous season Fulham, so I am sure they would consider Reading!
Sorry I do not know sll the problems of sorting out a friendly although I believe there was only the one date possible so it may be that they are already booked. It is easy in principle but sometimes reality gets in the way.

I am glad you will take it up with the club when you have a chance. I didn;t say rangers or celtic would come, just that they would consider Reading. The date of this fixture is after the SPL starts (not that seems important to celtic who are playing in Japan that week).

I disagree you "have" to have foreign opposition for a pre season friendly, if you do the club needs to look at the cost of bringing them v the attractiveness before agreeing the price. They can't agree to pay a huge amount and then think "oh shit we need to fund this how we going to do that, lets bribe people to come with Royalty points".

Either

1/ find cheaper opposition or

2/ find "more attractive" opposition

Personnally I think most Reading fans would find Feynoord attractive provided the cost of a ticket is acceptable so I am surprised at the need for the 20 point "bribe".

This is also

Royal Lady · by **Royal Lady** » 29 Jun 2006 17:34

do we know how much the tickets are going to be for this one?

Just 2-0 · by **Just 2-0** » 29 Jun 2006 19:07

well now we are so much a better attraction than last season I would say, feckin loads.

RoyalBlue · by **RoyalBlue** » 29 Jun 2006 19:30

Stranded wrote:
Control Freak wrote:Why would you need to seek permission before publicising YOUR letter?

LOL @ RFC, clueLOLess
I assume they meant the response from the club, which was a personal response to Dang and as such they have the right to ask permission before it is posted elsewhere.

Yeh, wouldn't want to be publically embarrassed by a daft response would they!

Perhaps a couple of hundred of us should have signed the letter/email that was sent in, then their response would have been pretty much public anyway.

Still the standard response from the club nowadays seems to be along the lines of that given to concerns expressed regarding the massive increase in children/concession season ticket prices. 'We've made a decision and we are not going to apologise for it'.

Hence seeking to blame everything to do with the DVD on Meridian, a supplier that they chose and paid!

Dangerous · by **Dangerous** » 29 Jun 2006 21:20

RoyalBlue wrote:
Stranded wrote:
Control Freak wrote:Why would you need to seek permission before publicising YOUR letter?

LOL @ RFC, clueLOLess
I assume they meant the response from the club, which was a personal response to Dang and as such they have the right to ask permission before it is posted elsewhere.
Yeh, wouldn't want to be publically embarrassed by a daft response would they!

Perhaps a couple of hundred of us should have signed the letter/email that was sent in, then their response would have been pretty much public anyway.

That would have been nice, I reckon I must have been the only person to complain about it, as even though most others were disappointed with the DVD, and commented on here, they did bugger all about it.

(Not a personal dig by the way)!

Therefore the club walk all over us again, with shite merchandise, and we, the fans, just sit here and let them get away with it.

STAR Liaison · by **STAR Liaison** » 30 Jun 2006 14:32

weybridgewanderer wrote: I am glad you will take it up with the club when you have a chance. I didn;t say rangers or celtic would come, just that they would consider Reading. The date of this fixture is after the SPL starts (not that seems important to celtic who are playing in Japan that week).

I disagree you "have" to have foreign opposition for a pre season friendly, if you do the club needs to look at the cost of bringing them v the attractiveness before agreeing the price. They can't agree to pay a huge amount and then think "oh shit we need to fund this how we going to do that, lets bribe people to come with Royalty points".

Either

1/ find cheaper opposition or

2/ find "more attractive" opposition

Personnally I think most Reading fans would find Feynoord attractive provided the cost of a ticket is acceptable so I am surprised at the need for the 20 point "bribe".

This is also

I may be wrong but the opposition for a home friendly cannot be from a lower league so it seems to me it has to be a foreign team (and as the SPL is from a different country don't Rangers and Celtic qualify as foreign?).

Not knowing what the relative figures that Feynoord or others considered wanted I have no idea whether there is a cheaper opposition, and surely 'more attractive' opposition is in the eye of the beholder.

Anyway I have been in touch with the club and the reason for 20 points is twofold. The first, as I surmised, is to fill the stadium to make sure the costs are covered, and the second it to give those who do not have so many Royalty points a chance to boost their total.

They are aware that RFC needs to attract new supporters even when they have sell-out crowds and it will give those who to quote Forbes have fallen off the Royalty points ladder a chance to go up a rung. They are also aware that it is not possible to please all the people all the time but do what they think best for the club. Also do not fall into the trap of thinking that just because the details have just been released that they have only just decided they need to give more points, after all the tickets are not on sale yet so they are not reacting to a lack of sales but trying to be proactive.