Okay, just got home. I'll break this down into a few sections; pre-table discussion, table discussion, feedback, conclusion to make it easier for myself. Got what I could jotted down on a notepad. Pre-table discussion is the shpeel we were all told ahead of the event, the discussion the craic on my specific table, the feedback being the club official on each table relaying what was said on their relevant table. Some ideas good, some shite.
Pre-table discussion
- Went into main reception as if I was about to go into executive boxes, ticked my name, went up on the lift into the Moncur Suite.
- It took a similar format to the other club workshops this year. Multiple tables full of fans, one club representative on each table, the tables discuss ideas, representative writes them down, feeds them back at the end, feedback goes up the food chain to Sarah Dodds who was there, and up.
- Feedback evolving into changes will take time.
- 4,000 applied to be at this workshop tonight, only 120 were there total.
- Club claimed to have a 'mix of fans' there, so members, STH, members of that Supporters Advisory Board, the Supporter Liaison Officer and Pete Silverstone were all there.
- However, on my table of 8, I was only one of 2 members there. The others were STH.
- There will be another workshop similar to tonight on match atmosphere in March.
- The club claimed at least "13-14 PL clubs use the same ticketing system" as we do.
- The club "anticipated problems" with the ticketing changes this season from the outset.
- The club claimed the website under the previous ticketing system of queueing "crashed a lot", which I personally think is not true as the only time I remember the site crashing is ahead of the sale for Liverpool (h) in the 2021-22 season.
- The club claim to be buying tickets from touting websites such as livefootbaltickets and then banning those purchasing accounts, but they have been 'unable to do so' for all.
- The club claim to be blocking IP addresses that monitor the club ticket site for hours on end.
- The club claim that the ballot system was introduced based upon feedback from fans last season.
- The club claim that returns from ballot winners then go to unsuccessful ballot entrees.
- The club claim it would have to take an introduction of a set window taking an hour or multiple hours to allow ballot winners to then purchase specific seats.
Table discussion
- As mentioned before, there were 8 on my table. Myself and one other were members. The other 6 were season ticket holders.
- Basically just ideas are floated to the club official sat on the table who writes them down, these are then fed back to everyone present on the night and then those higher up at the club.
- Points system for members for home games to reward loyalty.
- Allow the selection of seats if successful in ballot.
- Lack of seat selection impacts atmosphere; vocal fans can't be with mates or in vocal areas and vice versa. Criticism from owners about atmosphere post Chelsea should've been a watershed in this regard.
- A mirroring of other clubs' home ticket systems mentioned (Liverpool's package and seat selection system, Chelsea's point system were two mentioned on my table)
- Allowing to give ticket holders be that individual match tickets or ST the option of digital tickets and paper tickets/season ticket cards.
- Allow the linking of members to a STH, so that member can sit next to or at least near that STH if successful in a ballot.
Feedback
- Allowing members to enter multiple categories in a ballot.
- Get rid of the ballot altogether, go back to the queueing system.
- It not being right or fair that an away fan who purchased a membership 5 minutes ago has as much chance as someone who has had a membership for 10+ years.
- Clarity in the number of seats available in the ballot and the number of applicants.
- Floatation of an idea from the Supporter Liason Officer of a split between ballot tickets and tickets sold in the old queueing system; either 50-50 or 70-30 in favour of the ballot system to allow those who just want to get in by any means the chance of a ticket but also allowing those who only want to sit in specific areas of the ground the chance of buying a ticket in those areas.
- Clarity of the number of memberships, international and domestic.
- Scrapping the resale and reballoting those tickets.
- Allowing a junior membership which allows kids to sit next to their STH parents if successful in a ballot, whereas right now they could be anywhere.
- Loyalty system for members, based on either or all of how many years they have been a member, how many years they have held a ST if they have held one previously, purchase history.
- Collating all resale tickets to only go on sale at 10am the morning of the match to limit touting and giving those who are making the effort to go on the site the morning of the match to get tickets a good chance of getting one.
After the event finished, questions were invited to be asked to individual staff present from any supporters. I tried to speak to Silverstone 1 to 1 but someone else was chatting to him for ages. The Supporter Liaison Officer then called me over whilst I was stood in the middle of the Moncur Suite like a moron whilst waiting for Silverstone and I gave him the lowdown of my own personal experiences with the changes this season to him. He was absolutely sound, fully understood my own shpeel but all of the event was just feedback and a brainstorm of ideas.
Hope this was insightful or useful.
