ST Sales Re-Open to Gold Card Holders

[Pog]

I keep reading that “the club can’t please everyone” but who does having a ballot system that allows the maximum number of season ticket holders to see the team live this season, whilst ensuring those who can’t attend individual games are recompensed and can stream from home displease?

A selfish minority I would suggest.

 

[Marvanelli]

Probably the fairest way (without going into major detail) is announcing a deadline for season ticket renewals and any new sign ups.

When renewing or buying for the first time - notify MFC if you would like to attend future games under this pandemic or not.

Then once MFC have the full numbers who wish to attend - if the total numbers are below the allowed capacity - perfect....if not, then run a ballot.

Anyone with a season ticket who are unable to go (either they're shielding and chose not to go, or didn't get lucky enough in the ballot...etc) then they should be given a free live stream.

Then the next game, anyone who wanted to go but didn't get lucky enough during the ballot have first refusal to go.

Anyone who misses a game then gets a credit on their account.

 

[ForssAwakens]

I keep reading that “the club can’t please everyone” but who does having a ballot system that allows the maximum number of season ticket holders to see the team live this season, whilst ensuring those who can’t attend individual games are recompensed and can stream from home displease?

A selfish minority I would suggest.

Because logistically it could be a nightmare to sort

It could require systems upgrades

If no system upgrades available it might be a manual job

You have to maintain social distancing at work, therefore to put additional strain on staff with a ballot may not be viable

Be interested to know if other clubs have installed a ballot system?

 

[atypical_boro]

As far as i'm aware you could never have had a season ticket up until now, have bought one last week and get in to the stadium in October in place of someone that's had a season ticket for 24 years.

Well, in place of someone whose had a season ticket for 24 years but not sure if they'll renew yet.

 

[atypical_boro]

There hasn't been a general deadline yet because sales are only suspended temporarily?

Once the gold cards are dealt with I imagine it'll reopen until its full. There'll be a deadline then.

 

[WindyNook]

I’m one of the 1500 gold cards who haven’t renewed yet, I’m also 39 so not worried about shielding, issue is I sit in the east with my young son, bit surprised to see what happens when I go to renew tomorrow as I can’t sit in the GRFZ without an u11 but can’t renew his ticket to sit in there with me as he is obviously not a good card holder, bit chicken and egg really!

Gravy I'm a gold card holder but a bit older than 39 I have always say in the East stand even before it was GRFZ I have never been asked to move and there are several other people in the same boat. So they may allow you stay there but it doesn't solve your real issue which is your son.

 

[coluka]

Because logistically it could be a nightmare to sort

It could require systems upgrades

If no system upgrades available it might be a manual job

You have to maintain social distancing at work, therefore to put additional strain on staff with a ballot may not be viable

Exactly Gaz, throw in the issue of people in bubbles and a ballot becomes far too much trouble. The club have decided on a strategy anyway, so nothing on here will change that now.

 

[Cambsred]

I keep reading that “the club can’t please everyone” but who does having a ballot system that allows the maximum number of season ticket holders to see the team live this season, whilst ensuring those who can’t attend individual games are recompensed and can stream from home displease?

A selfish minority I would suggest.

If I had already bought my season ticket I think I would be less than pleased. It would be penalising me for getting in early. I understand the sentiment though, although I think it could be a real challenge. Just working out seating is going to be a nightmare I imagine. Could be a good consulting post advising on these issues.

 

[Marvanelli]

The major problem with a ballot is with families. If the child gets to go, but the adult didn't get chosen, how do they manage that, likewise the other way around?

I know a family of 5 who have season cards....imagine only 3 of them getting chosen to go?

If MFC do adopt a ballot, then hopefully they'll use common sense with situations like this.

 

[Pog]

Because logistically it could be a nightmare to sort

It could require systems upgrades

If no system upgrades available it might be a manual job

You have to maintain social distancing at work, therefore to put additional strain on staff with a ballot may not be viable

Be interested to know if other clubs have installed a ballot system?

System upgrades? You are aware ticket ballots are a very old concept, bigger clubs have been doing them for away and cup fixtures for many, many years.

 

[Pog]

The major problem with a ballot is with families. If the child gets to go, but the adult didn't get chosen, how do they manage that, likewise the other way around?

I know a family of 5 who have season cards....imagine only 3 of them getting chosen to go?

If MFC do adopt a ballot, then hopefully they'll use common sense with situations like this.

You’d put each bubble into the ballot.

 

[Pog]

If I had already bought my season ticket I think I would be less than pleased. It would be penalising me for getting in early. I understand the sentiment though, although I think it could be a real challenge. Just working out seating is going to be a nightmare I imagine. Could be a good consulting post advising on these issues.

How would you be penalised? You had no idea what you were buying

 

[atypical_boro]

How would you be penalised? You had no idea what you were buying

We didn't know exactly what we were buying, no, so we must be the idiots then mustn't we? All these folk who can't get in next year have got off lightly, haven't they?

 

[ForssAwakens]

System upgrades? You are aware ticket ballots are a very old concept, bigger clubs have been doing them for away and cup fixtures for many, many years.

The quickest we of doing something would be through a computer.

Doing ballots manually every game in a time when departments are stretched adds more work into for the ticket office

Ballot is a great idea, if it’s feasible

Take the bubble situation they Col and others have pointed out. If you have 2/3 household bubbles, but 20% of people can’t make it in a particular week, how do you replace them

And some bubbles will be 1 person some bubbles will be 10. How to arrange that in a stadium. It’s more logistics more time to be consumed planning it.

Especially if you draw a ballot and then have to apply the seating, you do this each game.

Logistically it doesn’t make sense.

 

[Since1973]

The main problem with having a ballot for each match would be the logistics of where exactly in the ground people would sit. You would have to alter the configuration of the seating plan for each game. You would also have to authorise and block season cards as applicable. It would be very difficult to manage with games happening every 3-4 days at times during the season.

I agree in an ideal world everybody who had a season ticket last season should be give the opportunity to renew but it’s not easy.

I also think something might be put in place to prevent other people using your ticket - Photo ID which won’t suit a lot of people

 

[theredrooster]

I'm guessing the club might have gone down this route effectively prioritising gold card holders due to the fall out from Eindhoven. Back then they did a fair open ballot and got criticised by longstanding season ticket holders who missed out on tickets while some newbies got them.

I know they lost some long term fans over the Eindhoven ballot, so perhaps this strategy is to avoid being back in that situation again.

As others have said, ultimatey, they can't win. Just close the bloody place until we can all go!

 

[Pog]

We didn't know exactly what we were buying, no, so we must be the idiots then mustn't we? All these folk who can't get in next year have got off lightly, haven't they?

You can’t claim you’ve been penalised when you’ve bought something without having idea what you’ve bought. You just can’t.

Even today you can’t buy one and know what you’re getting, we have no idea when fans will be allowed back in, what the capacity will be, will the concourses will be open, what will they serve, will we have our own seats, will we be allocated seats, will we have allocated arrival times, what’s happening with the GRZ, what about those who have tickets that rely on you having a child’s ticket to sit in that area, will those who can’t renew have their service honoured, will there be a way for those shielding renew and watch from home, etc, etc

 

[Since1973]

Yes I agree Pog but around 6000 supporters have stumped up the money and paid the club, a lot of whom won’t even have known what division we were going to be in or if they would be allowed to go to the games.

If people read between the lines something like this was always going to happen

 

[atypical_boro]

You can’t claim you’ve been penalised when you’ve bought something without having idea what you’ve bought. You just can’t.

Even today you can’t buy one and know what you’re getting, we have no idea when fans will be allowed back in, what the capacity will be, will the concourses will be open, what will they serve, will we have our own seats, will we be allocated seats, will we have allocated arrival times, what’s happening with the GRZ, what about those who have tickets that rely on you having a child’s ticket to sit in that area, will those who can’t renew have their service honoured, will there be a way for those shielding renew and watch from home, etc, etc

I'm not. But you keep making out like people are daft for not knowing what they've bought. If that's the case, why the outrage? Surely the fans who haven't renewed should be relaxing about their rational decision to just wait and see?

 

[coluka]

A ballot is a daft idea as some may get to far more games than others, how is that fair? There is no simple way to do it. The club has decided its strategy, we all just need to trust the club to be fair to all those that miss out in future seasons. I have no doubt they will be. Covid-19 caused this and Government policy, not the club. The club will want to maximise revenue and get as many in as they reasonably can.

Given revenue falls, I wonder how they will deal with ffp in all this?

It is a nightmare for the clubs every bit as much as it is for individual fans. Fans who get to attend are the lucky ones those fearing missing out are understandably looking for hope from some other strategy that isn’t going to happen. The club will hopefully sell digital ST’s as an alternative way to at least see the games. This is not a time for anyone to be selfish about club strategy, we have to trust them to do the right thing for those that miss out. Given they refunded fans and allowed free access to games in lockdown, I think it safe to assume they will do all they can moving forward.