Gold Season Card Holders
- Thread starter rob_fmttm
- Start date
Loyalty is a good thing to reward IMO, but that applies beyond just gold card holders.
I think having some tickets available per game is good but I can see the administative overhead of it may cause the club to reject that. Alternative then is to reopen sales briefly for ST holders until the 9000 is reached
I think having some tickets available per game is good but I can see the administative overhead of it may cause the club to reject that. Alternative then is to reopen sales briefly for ST holders until the 9000 is reached
DCI_Gene_Hunt
Well-known member
I agree they way it was done wasn't great but at the end of the day if someone who has put money into the club every year for 25+ years has been given priority of someone who may have had a season ticket for only a couple of years I don't have an issue with that.
With a capacity of ~9000 someone is going to miss out, just as they did at Eindhoven just as some did for various away games over the years, its impossible to satisfy everyone.
What's happened has happened, now it's how the remaining tickets, the 1100 or so tickets that my be available are sold is the pressing issue. That's assuming there are any to be sold. Presumably a chunk of what ever is left will be allocated to sponsors etc as Millwall have done and we are guessing at 9000 being allowed in, it maybe less
It goes back to the old red book/white book debate and priority (red books which have morphed into gold cards). They needed something to use to determine priority for cup final tickets, semi finals, european away ties etc. in those days. However now, 25 years on, it seems very unfair that tickets got suspended and gold card holders got a second chance yet those who have maybe had a ticket 15-24 years (which I think is a show of extreme loyalty) didn't get a second chance. This is particularly important as due to the '25 year' status of gold card holders it alienates many under-25s who are as passionate about following the Boro but have possibly been denied.
People say well, yes everyone had a first chance to renew so if you didn't renew then it's your fault. However, we are in the middle of a pandemic and little information was coming out of the club regarding sales, regarding fans return, regarding safety so I am not surprised people were cautious.
Information from the club was, in summary:
25th March - early bird extended indefinitely
31st July - sales suspended
3rd August - gold card exclusive second chance window
10th August - sales suspended. We are working out configurations and bubbles.
Yet still the club have 7900 tickets sold with people showing blind faith over what the experience is actually going to be like. Some people on here have already said that they renewed but don't intend on going! I hope they cancel their tickets to help out those who do feel safe to go.
People say well, yes everyone had a first chance to renew so if you didn't renew then it's your fault. However, we are in the middle of a pandemic and little information was coming out of the club regarding sales, regarding fans return, regarding safety so I am not surprised people were cautious.
Information from the club was, in summary:
25th March - early bird extended indefinitely
31st July - sales suspended
3rd August - gold card exclusive second chance window
10th August - sales suspended. We are working out configurations and bubbles.
Yet still the club have 7900 tickets sold with people showing blind faith over what the experience is actually going to be like. Some people on here have already said that they renewed but don't intend on going! I hope they cancel their tickets to help out those who do feel safe to go.
DCI_Gene_Hunt
Well-known member
"gold card holders got a second chance yet those who have maybe had a ticket 15-24 years"
25 years or 24 or why not 23 but hang on what about 22 years?????
You have to have a cut off point. You can argue that we all had a chance to renew and therefore the second 4 day window should have been open to anyone and maybes that's what should have happened but even then people would have missed out as the club would have pulled sales at when what ever the predetermined figure is was reached.
Exactly, that's why I said 15-24 years to cover those who have had tickets 24, 23 or 22 years.
Maybe they should have had exclusive windows for each group if they were going down the loyalty strategy route. Then the cut off would have been pre-determined by when they got to 9k tickets sold by selling to the longest serving ticket holders to the shortest over a period of time. However, their whole approach is a mish mash of strategy routes - first anyone can renew, then loyalty is important to those who have held a ticket for 25 years or more.
I’m was lucky enough to renew my ticket but should have no priority over others. Surely the club should allow all season ticket holders to renew (no pressure to renew). If that means you go to one then miss one what’s the problem or should the club just alienate fans who miss out.
boro_in_york
New member
I renewed my Gold card last Tuesday - I'm in the GRFZ and naturally said, "what about the kids' tickets?"
She told me to ring on Monday (after the Gold Card period had expired). I did and was allowed to renew my 2 kids tickets.
She told me to ring on Monday (after the Gold Card period had expired). I did and was allowed to renew my 2 kids tickets.
Primus84
Well-known member
So another example of the club not publicising the info!
This is a complete and utter farce of their own making.
the_holgate_roof
Well-known member
So what about a season ticket holder who has had a season ticket for 35 years but missed a season say 5 years ago through illness or had to move away for a short period, does that previous loyalty all just get wiped???
Same here, was on hold for 2 hours but got there in the end
DCI_Gene_Hunt
Well-known member
It does now but how would you expect the club to manage that kind of scenario?
the_holgate_roof
Well-known member
Just saying there may be more loyal fans than GC holders.
DCI_Gene_Hunt
Well-known member
Don’t disagree but the club don’t have the records going back that far. I’ve had my season ticket 30 years but as far as the club are concerned I’ve “only” had it 25 years.
bear66
Well-known member
Only 30! Part timer.
The question is what to do with the remaining seats.
There might end up being more than 9000 after bubbles etc.
Should they just be opened up to all season ticket holders first come first served. Or should a small batch be available match by match?
If the latter surely you need a mechanism. You cannot risk the chance of unsold tickets when season card holders would have snapped them up.
Also maybe an amnesty period where if guaranteed your seat for 2021-22 ,you could get a refund if you only renewed because you didnt want to lose your seat. I have a feeling when it comes down to it that very few would do this but it could be offered, perhaps.
There might end up being more than 9000 after bubbles etc.
Should they just be opened up to all season ticket holders first come first served. Or should a small batch be available match by match?
If the latter surely you need a mechanism. You cannot risk the chance of unsold tickets when season card holders would have snapped them up.
Also maybe an amnesty period where if guaranteed your seat for 2021-22 ,you could get a refund if you only renewed because you didnt want to lose your seat. I have a feeling when it comes down to it that very few would do this but it could be offered, perhaps.
They need to be offered to 2019-20 season card holders for the season not match by match.
Primus84
Well-known member
Ideally there needs to be a way where all existing season card holders are able to attend at least some matches - some kind of ballot. Fine give preference to people who've had SCs a long time and maybe they get more games but it shouldn't be a small group of people always able to go whilst everyone else can't.
I say this as someone who had already renewed so I have only something to lose if the club took this approach rather than anything to gain.
Ideally we would also allow non-SC holders to participate in the ballot and try to use loyalty points etc to place them in a sensible place in the ballot.
All of this is complicated but would be fairer than people who were lucky enough to have already renewed being rewarded and no one else being able to go at all.
