Away tickets

[STAR Liaison]

I have just been to a meeting at the ticket office and there are several good ideas around for improving the sale of away tickets - what do you all think.

Firstly the club are told which order to sell away tickets which can mean that the away STs and the early purchasers are often put in the corner (Fulham last season anyone?), and if later allocations are taken up those buying later get the better seats so..... How about the club does not issue the actual tickets until the beginning of the week before the game so that they allocate the tickets issued by the home club in a more 'fair' way. This means if you buy in person you will get a receipt but the ticket will not be sent until closer to the game. It would speed up the sale as at present you have to wait until all the seat details are entered into your record and could mean that those who make the effort to support the club away with an ST can really get the better seats. It won't mean that you can 'order' your seat by asking for particular conditions, but it has been trialled for a (speak it softly) LI game and worked well. It could also mean the tickets can go on sale earlier as they would not have to wait for the physical tickets as long as they have the necessary details. Thoughts?

Secondly the priority for away tickets could be improved but how? Loyalty points are important but should those who make the effort for the distant and unglamourous games get some priority and if so how? There are a few ideas but feedback from Nobbers would be welcome.

[Keeper]

I think that people that go to the club in person like to come away with their tickets, so perhaps if they put them on sale online (if poss) and by phone at first and personal callers can only purchase them after the seating details have been sorted and posted for the early bookers and AST holders.

I like the current arrangement for away tickets (easy for me as I have an AST). Having said that though it could be arranged that when tickets go on sale for a big away game then perhaps those people who have a record of going to a difficult game away on the Clubs database get a higher priority (I say difficult because a northern game on a Saturday might be considered easier than Norwich on a Tuesday)

[Huntley & Palmer]

I would probably follow a priority scheme like Liverpool and other clubs use. You have an away member scheme which people sign up to, you then have a ballot for all members for the first away game of the season. If there are enough tickets available versus people that apply then all receive one, if it is over subscribed then you do a lottery for the x amount. You then prioritise the games ongoing

Away game 1 = Ballot or a ticket for everyone depending on numbers
Away game 2 = Proof of purchase for Away game 1 first dibs to apply again, then open to all after date break
Away game 3 = Proof of purchase for Away game 1 & 2, then one away game, then open to all

This works very well in rewarding the most loyal away fans first for any game, including Cup games away from home. It might need a bit of a tweak of the Royalty points scheme to have a separate points scheme but ultimately it works.

[North Somerset Royal]

Bearing in mind that last season it took almost a week for some away tickets to reach me through the post I would be reluctant to see issue delayed and certainly a wek before the game is not sufficient. Also one fans good seat is anothers nightmare and in my experience the ticket offices idea of what is a good seat is not mine.

The only change i would like to see is that the loyalty points given for away games are varied to account for likely demand so that for example Bristol City would only carry 5 points whereas Hull would qualify for 15. That would ensure that those fans prepared to travel furthest would get some priority on future purchases.

[Row Z Royal]

Bearing in mind that last season it took almost a week for some away tickets to reach me through the post I would be reluctant to see issue delayed and certainly a wek before the game is not sufficient. Also one fans good seat is anothers nightmare and in my experience the ticket offices idea of what is a good seat is not mine.

The only change i would like to see is that the loyalty points given for away games are varied to account for likely demand so that for example Bristol City would only carry 5 points whereas Hull would qualify for 15. That would ensure that those fans prepared to travel furthest would get some priority on future purchases.

'greed.

However, on the flip-side, are we ever going to sell an away allocation that isn't QPR or Brizzle? Sit where you want on a first-come-first-served at the away ground.

[North Somerset Royal]

Yes I agree that unreserved seating at all away matches would be much better.

[Jerry St Clair]

Away game prioritisation? Simple, categorise away games at the start of the season as Gold, Silver or Bronze and award points accordingly.

As for choicest tickets. I always ask for tickets near the back because i like to stand (though I was 4 rows from the back at Derby and still got told to sit down by one of the many sour-faced bints who seem to infest our support). Therefore I would still ike to be able to turn up at the ticket office and ask for row Z seats.

[Jerry St Clair]

Yes I agree that unreserved seating at all away matches would be much better.

Bristol City effectively is.

[Row Z Royal]

Away game prioritisation? Simple, categorise away games at the start of the season as Gold, Silver or Bronze and award points accordingly.

As for choicest tickets. I always ask for tickets near the back because i like to stand (though I was 4 rows from the back at Derby and still got told to sit down by one of the many sour-faced bints who seem to infest our support). Therefore I would still ike to be able to turn up at the ticket office and ask for row Z seats.

Leave me out of this.

Agree with the principal, though. I remember asking the TO for "seats near the back please" and them satisfying that request - and I've only been going to away games for 3 seasons.

[Jerry St Clair]

Away game prioritisation? Simple, categorise away games at the start of the season as Gold, Silver or Bronze and award points accordingly.

As for choicest tickets. I always ask for tickets near the back because i like to stand (though I was 4 rows from the back at Derby and still got told to sit down by one of the many sour-faced bints who seem to infest our support). Therefore I would still ike to be able to turn up at the ticket office and ask for row Z seats.

Leave me out of this.

I was hoping to sit on your lap at Barnsley.

[AF1]

I have just been to a meeting at the ticket office and there are several good ideas around for improving the sale of away tickets - what do you all think.

Firstly the club are told which order to sell away tickets which can mean that the away STs and the early purchasers are often put in the corner (Fulham last season anyone?), and if later allocations are taken up those buying later get the better seats so..... How about the club does not issue the actual tickets until the beginning of the week before the game so that they allocate the tickets issued by the home club in a more 'fair' way. This means if you buy in person you will get a receipt but the ticket will not be sent until closer to the game. It would speed up the sale as at present you have to wait until all the seat details are entered into your record and could mean that those who make the effort to support the club away with an ST can really get the better seats. It won't mean that you can 'order' your seat by asking for particular conditions, but it has been trialled for a (speak it softly) LI game and worked well. It could also mean the tickets can go on sale earlier as they would not have to wait for the physical tickets as long as they have the necessary details. Thoughts?

Secondly the priority for away tickets could be improved but how? Loyalty points are important but should those who make the effort for the distant and unglamourous games get some priority and if so how? There are a few ideas but feedback from Nobbers would be welcome.

I had an AST and can't complain about the seat I was given at any ground, including Fulham.

This whole receipt/ticket in the post later business sounds like a great oppurtunity for the ticket office to feck up even more.

[Readingfanman]

[quote="Jerry St Clair"]Away game prioritisation? Simple, categorise away games at the start of the season as Gold, Silver or Bronze and award points accordingly.

As for choicest tickets. I always ask for tickets near the back because i like to stand (though I was 4 rows from the back at Derby and still got told to sit down by one of the many sour-faced bints who seem to infest our support). Therefore I would still ike to be able to turn up at the ticket office and ask for row Z seats.[/quote]

Bronze - 2 points

QPR
Bristol
Charlton
Watford
Southampton
Cardiff
Swansea
Palace

Silver - 3 points
Derby
Birmingham
Wolves
Ipswich
Norwich
Notts Forest
Leeds
Plymouth
Coventry

Gold - 5 points
Hull
Doncaster
Barnsley
Blackpool
Burnley
Preston
Sheffield Weds
Sheffield United


Then modify it a bit to take into account the evening games and the attractiveness of a fixture (First and last away games - bronze), (Cold Tuesday night in November - Gold/Silver). I think the loyalty points need to be modified a bit too as surely going to watch Blackpool or Doncaster is more "loyal" than going to watch Reading play Arsenal as your being loyal even though we have gone down? Just my two pennies, I would say it should be worth more points because the fixtures are less attractive.

[Silver Fox]

I want at least 15 points if I go to Selhurst next year

[M U R T Y]

When they offer 20 points for a league cup first round game - it doesn't really matter how many loyalty points you get for an away game

[TFF]

Unallocated seating is the sensible answer. There'd be a natural division between those that want to stand and sing at the back, the burbs that want to spend the entire match gesturing at the home fans and those that want to sit quietly watching the game.

Everybody wins.

[londinium]

I want at least 15 points if I go to Selhurst next year

I live close to Selhurst and will be there again this year but even I would like at least 50 points for going to that sh1t hole.

Seeing Colin squirm will suffice though.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I like the idea of having an separate away loyalty point system but I can see why the club might be anti this as it doesn't encurage money spent on tickets at the Mad Stad (although I notice that the online ticketing system is now calling them loyalty points and not royalty points ).

If this is not possible then a different number points - 5, 10 or 15 - should be introduced depending on the away game. If the club need an indication of potential take-up before setting the number of points then they can always look at how many tickets we sold for various away games in 2005/6. I know some people will moan that it's not fair giving 15 points for attending an away game at Preston to someone who actually lives in the North West but they don't get any extra points for travelling to home games so I think they should get some benefits of attending awya games that are further from the Mad Stad.

[The 17 Bus]

why not add a booking fee to tickets, this might mean that some folk cannot afford it, but going to away games is not a right. Closer games have a higher booking fee.

[AF1]

I honestly don't see a problem with the current system, it aint broke and all that...


Yes the turnout/support is shit sometimes but we are Reading afterall

[handbags_harris]

Totally anti the suggestion. There is bugger all wrong with the current system, so if it ain't broke why fix it? To reiterate AF1's points, firstly this just seems like another way for the ticket office to bugger up, and also there were NO problems with the seat allocations last year. Given our recent experience of Championship grounds I would hazard a guess that there should be no problems next year either, and it's not as though we'll sell out our allocations every week is it. We only did that last year in the Premiership three times, and once was because the club totally underestimated the demand for tickets at Birmingham! The ticket office staff are used to the system, it works pretty much like clockwork now, so why the hell should we change it?

Added to the suggestion, if we're going to send tickets out closer to the game than when bought you have two factors to take into consideration:

1) The potential extra cost. Personal callers cost nothing to sell tickets to, telephone and internet callers do. Given that the club need to make cutbacks, why change the system to something that is potentially more expensive?

2) The Royal Mail: if we're potentially sending, say, 1500+ tickets a week before a game in one go First Class do we actually trust the Royal Mail to get the tickets there on time? Given their constant cutbacks I certainly wouldn't. The only way you're guaranteed to get them there on time is if you send them Special Delivery at £4.60 a pop (guaranteed next working day delivery), and I can't see the club doing that.