Memberships (2024/25)

[Tross]

[SteV]

If they’re going to sort of out some kind of loyalty/hierarchical structure for members, they need to do have it sorted for home tickets, before worrying about away tickets.

 

Waste of time trying to sort something sensible when you’ve got ~3k tickets available, if you can’t get even get it done when there’s ~20k available.

 

Once you got it working for home tickets, by all means look into what can be done regarding away tickets.

[Scoot]

53 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Not often that I disagree with you but I do here. If you've been a regular at away games for the past 10/15/20 years you'll know that a lot of people on your bus were there on someone else's ticket. I'd reckon a good 50% if not more. They were putting the miles in, someone else is clicking for the loyalty points. Is that a fair system?

 

I'll use my own dad as a prime example. He's sat on 169 loyalty points. He's been to 3 away games in the last 25 years. His other 166 points are made up of mates of mine using his ticket.

 

I think a 3 year rolling period is fair. My dad still has loyalty points from games he didn't go to in the 1990s! How's can that be right?

 

Members get massively short changed in many ways and away tickets is another example. I'm pretty sure that members of all the other best supported teams in the Country get some kind of access of away tickets.

 

 

 

100% not, that's not the way at all. You should only get the point if YOU attend the away fixture.

 

Those that travelled to away games on other peoples season tickets, it does beg the question as to why they didn't have their own season ticket. They were pretty cheap during the Ashley years and the away loyalty points dropped right down for almost every away game. There was always plenty available too over the years.

 

The away ticket system is never going to please everyone unfortunately. But in my opinion, the current way is the fairest way and rewards those that actually attend away games these days, not those that used to just buy the tickets and sell them on with no intention of attending the game.

 

The fact this has only become an issue the last few seasons since we've been pretty successful, speaks volumes in my opinion.

[Wallsendmag]

1 minute ago, Scoot said:

 

100% not, that's not the way at all. You should only get the point if YOU attend the away fixture.

 

Those that travelled to away games on other peoples season tickets, it does beg the question as to why they didn't have their own season ticket. They were pretty cheap during the Ashley years and the away loyalty points dropped right down for almost every away game. There was always plenty available too over the years.

 

The away ticket system is never going to please everyone unfortunately. But in my opinion, the current way is the fairest way and rewards those that actually attend away games these days, not those that used to just buy the tickets and sell them on with no intention of attending the game.

 

The fact this has only become an issue the last few seasons since we've been pretty successful, speaks volumes in my opinion.

 

Think it became an issue because current ST holders who hadn't been bothered to attend away games previously suddenly decided they wanted to go but found out it was a closed shop so demanded change, which is what's happened, well to suit them anyway.

 

The current system is outdated and fundamentally flawed. I very much doubt there's another club in world football that in 2025 gives you a credit for an away game you lent your season ticket to someone for in 1994.

 

On one hand they can't say they want to grow the fanbase, push International memberships etc, if they're making 50% of all games 100% inaccessible to the majority of the fanbase they are determined to grow!

 

Back in the day, I'm talking late 80s here, your ST got you reduced admission for all home league games, plus first refusal on any home cup games. Away games were a separate entity altogether.

 

Early 90s seen clubs really push ST sales and a design ticket boom ensued. They added the extra perks of loyalty points, away game priority etc but nowadays most the big clubs are making serious money on memberships (cost of memberships plus what members spend on tickets) and the 1990s ST culture is being reversed now clubs know memberships are more lucrative so in time I do expect members to get access to away tickets and that's as it should be.

 

Doesn't really affect me now anyway as away days don't interest me much these days.

[Scoot]

2 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Think it became an issue because current ST holders who hadn't been bothered to attend away games previously suddenly decided they wanted to go but found out it was a closed shop so demanded change, which is what's happened, well to suit them anyway.

 

The current system is outdated and fundamentally flawed. I very much doubt there's another club in world football that in 2025 gives you a credit for an away game you lent your season ticket to someone for in 1994.

 

On one hand they can't say they want to grow the fanbase, push International memberships etc, if they're making 50% of all games 100% inaccessible to the majority of the fanbase they are determined to grow!

 

Back in the day, I'm talking late 80s here, your ST got you reduced admission for all home league games, plus first refusal on any home cup games. Away games were a separate entity altogether.

 

Early 90s seen clubs really push ST sales and a design ticket boom ensued. They added the extra perks of loyalty points, away game priority etc but nowadays most the big clubs are making serious money on memberships (cost of memberships plus what members spend on tickets) and the 1990s ST culture is being reversed now clubs know memberships are more lucrative so in time I do expect members to get access to away tickets and that's as it should be.

 

Doesn't really affect me now anyway as away days don't interest me much these days.

 

Fair point, I suppose everyone will have an opinion on what suits them best. That's only natural.

[Wallsendmag]

5 minutes ago, Scoot said:

 

Fair point, I suppose everyone will have an opinion on what suits them best. That's only natural.

 

They need to find some middle ground. In 2025 with so much emphasis on memberships and most top clubs not selling new season tickets, members should definitely be given an allocation of away tickets, whether that's the 40% Chelsea hand out, 30%, 25% or whatever. A lot of members are people who have put the hard miles in over the years and a lot of ST holders aren't interested in attending away games and never have been, so there's an argument there about who is most deserving.

 

First and foremost members need to be included in some sort of loyalty system. Don't think there's any debate there. The debate starts with deciding what happens after that!

[Vedder]

I can still see my away points that were ’manually removed’ when I packed in my ST. They should reinstate those and let members buy away tickets on the same points as ST holders.

[Optimistic Nut]

5 hours ago, Scoot said:

 

Rightly so. People built up loyalty points for years only to now not be able to go because someone who picks and chooses which games they want to go to decides they fancy away games once again.

 

The system works the way it is, it rewards loyalty. So let's just leave it.

 

Like quite a number of those who've passed their tickets on for years to build up their totals?

[Scoot]

Just now, Optimistic Nut said:

 

Like quite a number of those who've passed their tickets on for years to build up their totals?

 

Exactly the same yes. That's why they brought checks in at away turnstiles to stop people doing it. Rightly so too.

[mattypnufc]

24 minutes ago, Vedder said:

I can still see my away points that were ’manually removed’ when I packed in my ST. They should reinstate those and let members buy away tickets on the same points as ST holders.

My precious 45  

[jack j]

Is it correct that any season ticket holder or member wearing a Newcastle top to a music event is getting banned next season?

[Scoreboard82]

Membership used to come with having a ST but before the takeover, had membership been a separate thing with a fee, we would have had very few members IMO. As Scoot alluded to, todays members all had the option of a ST and the ability to build up away points pre takeover but didn't take it. Understandably of course and FWIW I jacked my ST temporarily losing a lot of points into the bargain. As a result of my choice I am excluded from away games bar the slim ballot chance but i've made my bed and reluctantly accept that those that stayed are now reaping the rewards. I wanted that place empty under Ashley but was foolish to think it would get even close. It's almost a closed shop for me now that  I have my ticket back as it is members but IMO having a post takeover membership shouldn't give you the same claim to away games as someone who's had their ST and built up points over many years. We've all had our chance. Having said that younger fans will always be excluded without the ability to get on the points ladder so it's a hard one to resolve.

 

 

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Scoreboard82

[Dr.Spaceman]

The system is shite man, there is no way I should have 130 or so points, I've been to about 4 away games in the last 15 years, only had my name on the ticket for 2 seasons