Reduced fans/season tickets

[Wrighty22]

Was talking to a mate about this last night and I think the common sense approach would be to prioritise season ticket holders but give them the option if they’d wish to attend any games. I’m sure some won’t feel comfortable in attending any games until it is much safer and it would be extremely harsh to make them either attend or risk losing their season ticket. If they don’t wish to attend their seat will stay reserved for a later date and when it’s deemed much safer to attend (there will obviously have to be limits to this, I.e. can’t leave their seat empty while they wait for a vaccine or the virus to disappear). For those that have opted in, they will be able to attend but depending on numbers this may have to be via a ballot. I can’t see the numbers being that low but if they were then offer to members in the same way away tickets would be sold. 
 

The logistics of this wouldn’t be easy and I’m sure our ticket office would make a mess of this or go for something even more complicated. 
 

I’m a season ticket holder and I don’t want to attend any games until it’s safer. Just wish Sky and BT weren’t greedy money grabbing cvnts and would show more games on TV. 

[foxinsocks]

12 hours ago, ThorpeAstleyFox said:

Am I the only one who doesn't want to go back to games under these circumstances? I've been a season ticket holder for 18 years and I very rarely miss a home game (generally less than 1 per season). But football is going to be very different when we first go back. I'm working on the following assumptions:

1. Attendance restricted to ~25%
2. No away fans
3. No gathering in concourses
4. Socially distanced seating
5. No guarantee that you will get tickets to the same games as your friends/family
6. No singing/shouting (no-one has mentioned this yet but both of these are known to increase the spread of droplets in a scary manner)

All of these points combined would make the experience of attending a game almost worthless for me. If games continue to be broadcast then I'd rather watch the game with my friends over a couple of beers.

I think you are right.  For me no 5 is a biggy. Part of the football trip is setting out with you friends (we sit in different parts of the ground) and driving to and from the game. (When we were int he championship I have had more fun in the car than at the game!). I expect we will go strait in to our seats.

I would also point out that ST holders tend to be older (young people won't commit to 20 games - or don't have the funds)... so it may be some don't want to  come.

[Footballwipe]

13 hours ago, ThorpeAstleyFox said:

Am I the only one who doesn't want to go back to games under these circumstances? I've been a season ticket holder for 18 years and I very rarely miss a home game (generally less than 1 per season). But football is going to be very different when we first go back. I'm working on the following assumptions:

1. Attendance restricted to ~25%
2. No away fans
3. No gathering in concourses
4. Socially distanced seating
5. No guarantee that you will get tickets to the same games as your friends/family
6. No singing/shouting (no-one has mentioned this yet but both of these are known to increase the spread of droplets in a scary manner)

All of these points combined would make the experience of attending a game almost worthless for me. If games continue to be broadcast then I'd rather watch the game with my friends over a couple of beers.

I agree with this completely. We talk about how soulless the games have been without fans. Well, try going to a match where you have the same attendance as a popular reserve game, and where everyone has to be spread out.

 

The atmosphere will be dreadful, the experience will be dreadful. Stewards will either be so draconian (rightly or wrongly) or so lax the whole social distancing is busted within minutes, potentially harming the short term future of fans back in stadia.

 

Then there's your other points about being drawn out of a ballot alone. No friends, no family, just you, 2m away from the next person. It just doesn't seem worth it. I'm in the "all or nothing" camp for sure, no matter how long "all" takes.

[Yes N'Didi]

53 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Then there's your other points about being drawn out of a ballot alone.

I would imagine each household unit or household bubble can enter and sit together. Long way off knowing more though.

 

I personally think all existing STH will have the chance to renew, and either not pay anything unless they get drawn to go to a game, in which 1/19th of the cost of the frozen ST will be taken from that month, or we continue paying ST as usual, and claim a refund each match that isn't attended.

[jammie82uk]

25 minutes ago, Yes N'Didi said:

I would imagine each household unit or household bubble can enter and sit together. Long way off knowing more though.

 

I personally think all existing STH will have the chance to renew, and either not pay anything unless they get drawn to go to a game, in which 1/19th of the cost of the frozen ST will be taken from that month, or we continue paying ST as usual, and claim a refund each match that isn't attended.

Where the Pilot tests have been for the cricket 

the person In charge said they had to design a new seating map that allocated for people in sit in 1’s 2’s or 3‘s so I assume that will be the same for football as well 

[SemperEadem]

14 hours ago, FLAN said:

Reading this and just laughing at the mess the ticket office will be when something has to be done 

You can just picture now the balls up.

Edited 29 July 2020 by SemperEadem

[Ashley]

Itll be pro rata surely. 

 

Like i said in another thread believe it, dont believe it. 

 

The FA are hoping for a 22k crowd at Wembley for one of England Internationals in October. However thats 22k split over 4 stands over 3 tiers. A lot easier than majority of Premier League clubs can do. 

 

Also Dubios versus Joyce in October at the 02 is expected to sell out 18k tickets and theyre on sale now. - What's the difference from this and a game of Football especially with the under card not that many watch undercard fights. 

[Foxin_Mad]

20 hours ago, LinekersLugs said:

I have been told by a mate who works for Sheff United ticket dept that he thinks all

clubs will follow the same process they are developing 

 

Which will simple be done on a rotating seats that are allowed in stadium 

 

a simple computer program will allocate us our seats for certain games 

 

the rotation will ensure all holders get a chance to attend and ensure clubs keep the fan base entact  and they can then enforce social distancing 

Only issue with that is what happens if the computer allocates you a 12 o clock Sunday kick off that you can't make? Then what?

 

Do you only pay for the games you can go to on a prorata of season ticket price? Or will the club charge full price as they are obviously losing money on this.

 

Seems like a minefield to be honest.

 

It would be a lot easier if the government forced the TV companies to televise all games until further notice. Problem is Sky and BT are crying over profits, so now the 3pm blackout is back and only a few games covered each week. There is no legal way to watch 70% of the games. Still IPTV providers will be loving it I guess!

[Yes N'Didi]

2 minutes ago, Ashley said:

What's the difference from this and a game of Football

Football is perceived as immature - ie wont follow social distancing rules, lots of shouting and chanting etc.

 

Rightly or wrongly we will be the last sport to have a full crowd.

[Yes N'Didi]

1 minute ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Only issue with that is what happens if the computer allocates you a 12 o clock Sunday kick off that you can't make? Then what?

 

Do you only pay for the games you can go to on a prorata of season ticket price? Or will the club charge full price as they are obviously losing money on this.

I would imagine you enter a ballot for each game you want to attend. If they only can fit 8k maximum (might be less) and you have 23k STH - even if a lot can't make it, then you will still likely fill the allocation. Even if you don't have members enter who will pay for tickets if sucessful. Either way club will hit allocation. People will also be more likely to apply for 'big games' than for example, Burnley.

 

Like you say, minefield.

 

The club will have to wait for the government advice and at the very least register interest.

[Ashley]

5 minutes ago, Yes N'Didi said:

Football is perceived as immature - ie wont follow social distancing rules, lots of shouting and chanting etc.

 

Rightly or wrongly we will be the last sport to have a full crowd.

Yep you're probably correct. 

[Bert]

24 minutes ago, Yes N'Didi said:

Football is perceived as immature - ie wont follow social distancing rules, lots of shouting and chanting etc.

 

Rightly or wrongly we will be the last sport to have a full crowd.

What as opposed to boxing where I’m there’s fighting in the crowd every event? 

[Edingleyfox]

There was talk of limited entry to games from October but I think this is wildly optimistic

 

I also think there is every likelihood of a second wave of infection possibly not as bad as the first but enough to scrap any schemes that involve more than a few thousand in the ground. Sitting in the stands is only one factor - there is entry/exit /concourses/commuting/ making any noise that will generate an aerosol etc.

 

Having said this I'm sure a small number of fans might be allowed in and the question then is the fairest way to do this.Not every season ticket holder will want to attend depending on age,health conditions and family circumstances and this should of course be respected.

 

I'm sure the club with some up with a fair system allowing a certain number of games in a season and categorising the fixtures etc

 

However I don't think season ticket payments will be going out any time soon. Lets hope for a vaccine by Christmas

 

 

[Yes N'Didi]

20 minutes ago, Bert said:

What as opposed to boxing where I’m there’s fighting in the crowd every event? 

I agree with you! But the perception is that a football crowd is filled with drink and drug fuelled lads who can't follow simple instructions before a global pandemic and wouldn't now.

 

Whether the boxing industry is being a bit premature selling tickets knowing that there is a long way to go before getting a crowd like that signed off I don't know.

 

The other issue you will face is that a game/event could be called off with a few days notice due to local lockdown restrictions as well. 

[davieG]

ST holders should be given the opportunity of either going, may require a ballot or being allowed coded streaming of home games. So you pay for your ST and get that choice.

[Foxin_Mad]

12 minutes ago, davieG said:

ST holders should be given the opportunity of either going, may require a ballot or being allowed coded streaming of home games. So you pay for your ST and get that choice.

I'm not sure they will be allowed to stream due to Sky/BTs money spinner and brain dead 3pm ban.

 

Only lower league clubs can do live match streams as far as I know. Ours games are as now subscribe to Sky, BT and Amazon for about 80 quid a month. Not have any access to 3pm Saturday games.

 

You have a basic choice. Dont watch the match unless it's on some legal service above, or use IPTV/streaming for less than a quarter of the price.

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Foxin_Mad said:

I'm not sure they will be allowed to stream due to Sky/BTs money spinner and brain dead 3pm ban.

 

Only lower league clubs can do live match streams as far as I know. Ours games are as now subscribe to Sky, BT and Amazon for about 80 quid a month. Not have any access to 3pm Saturday games.

 

You have a basic choice. Dont watch the match unless it's on some legal service above, or use IPTV/streaming for less than a quarter of the price.

They could code stream all the games that are not on BT/Sky/Amazon which would be all the 3pm KOs

[Yes N'Didi]

Just now, Foxin_Mad said:

I'm not sure they will be allowed to stream due to Sky/BTs money spinner and brain dead 3pm ban.

 

Only lower league clubs can do live match streams as far as I know. Ours games are as now subscribe to Sky, BT and Amazon for about 80 quid a month. Not have any access to 3pm Saturday games.

 

You have a basic choice. Dont watch the match unless it's on some legal service above, or use IPTV/streaming for less than a quarter of the price.

The 3pm blackout was lifted for the last few months by the government. I would imagine the same will happen if crowds are capped. The only reason it wouldn't be is if the Football League wrote to the FA to say that they felt they wouldn't hit their allowed capacity because supporters would rather stay home and watch either their match on TV or a Premier League game rather than attend their match. If each team is happy they will sell their allocation of tickets then there should be no reason, as it actively encourages fans to watch from a safe location rather than congregate.

[CosbehFox]

Problem is there will be clubs from League 1 onwards who also insist on the blackout - they need crowds to function, 25% is better for them than nothing. A blackout could make that 25% capacity become 15% as 10% have decided to sit at home and watch a game. 
 

Personally with the current rate of infections increasing, I’d be surprised if we have crowds in October 

Edited 29 July 2020 by Cardiff_Fox

[CosbehFox]

9 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

I'm not sure they will be allowed to stream due to Sky/BTs money spinner and brain dead 3pm ban.

 

Only lower league clubs can do live match streams as far as I know. Ours games are as now subscribe to Sky, BT and Amazon for about 80 quid a month. Not have any access to 3pm Saturday games.

 

You have a basic choice. Dont watch the match unless it's on some legal service above, or use IPTV/streaming for less than a quarter of the price.

Lower league clubs can’t in the UK. They can stream Saturday 3pm games abroad and then midweek games everywhere 

Edited 29 July 2020 by Cardiff_Fox

[Foxin_Mad]

10 minutes ago, davieG said:

They could code stream all the games that are not on BT/Sky/Amazon which would be all the 3pm KOs

Do the broadcasting rules allow this? 

14 minutes ago, Yes N'Didi said:

The 3pm blackout was lifted for the last few months by the government. I would imagine the same will happen if crowds are capped. The only reason it wouldn't be is if the Football League wrote to the FA to say that they felt they wouldn't hit their allowed capacity because supporters would rather stay home and watch either their match on TV or a Premier League game rather than attend their match. If each team is happy they will sell their allocation of tickets then there should be no reason, as it actively encourages fans to watch from a safe location rather than congregate.

I hope they do. I subscribed for these games. I will cancel if it goes back to normal.

 

6 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Problem is there will be clubs from League 1 onwards who also insist on the blackout - they need crowds to function, 25% is better for them than nothing. A blackout could make that 25% capacity become 15% as 10% have decided to sit at home and watch a game. 
 

Personally with the current rate of infections increasing, I’d be surprised if we have crowds in October 

For most lower league clubs 25% is probably their average attendance. There are very few lower league clubs that sell out. I am not sure on the theory that 3pm games stop fans attending lower league football myself. If you are a fan of Grimsby surely, you go an watch Grimsby not United LIVE on Sky. 

 

It depends if more hospital admissions and deaths occur as a result of more infections. To be honest more infections is a good thing if controlled. If we stay locked up for so long, when we do go out we will all die from flu or some other virus as our immunity will be so crap having not been subjected them for so long.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Do the broadcasting rules allow this?

Not normally I would think but we've just had an end of season where all games were shown and many free to air. If they're not on BT/Sky/Amazon, which they would be at 3pm then they don't lose out financially. Clubs would benefit by selling all STs and lower league clubs would not be affected because these would only be available to ST for home games which they would be normally attending anyway. It would take the pressure off clubs trying to cope with and deciding who and how many can attend.

 

I don't see any drawbacks.

[davieG]

2 hours ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Problem is there will be clubs from League 1 onwards who also insist on the blackout - they need crowds to function, 25% is better for them than nothing. A blackout could make that 25% capacity become 15% as 10% have decided to sit at home and watch a game. 
 

Personally with the current rate of infections increasing, I’d be surprised if we have crowds in October 

Not if they were only available to ST holders for games at 3pm therefore not affecting BT/Sky/Amazon as these fans would normally be attending their own club's games anyway.

[Monsell1976]

22 hours ago, ThorpeAstleyFox said:

Am I the only one who doesn't want to go back to games under these circumstances? I've been a season ticket holder for 18 years and I very rarely miss a home game (generally less than 1 per season). But football is going to be very different when we first go back. I'm working on the following assumptions:

1. Attendance restricted to ~25%
2. No away fans
3. No gathering in concourses
4. Socially distanced seating
5. No guarantee that you will get tickets to the same games as your friends/family
6. No singing/shouting (no-one has mentioned this yet but both of these are known to increase the spread of droplets in a scary manner)

All of these points combined would make the experience of attending a game almost worthless for me. If games continue to be broadcast then I'd rather watch the game with my friends over a couple of beers.

 The singing and shouting a good point, in Skeg for summer and you can’t even shout bingo if you win 😂, but they will definitely insist on no shouting or singing due to chances of fluid being released 

[Bert]

8 hours ago, davieG said:

ST holders should be given the opportunity of either going, may require a ballot or being allowed coded streaming of home games. So you pay for your ST and get that choice.

I think if it’s 40% capacity which will work out to around 12,000 then season ticket holders get priority and you’ll get it split evenly as to which games you can go. The club will go the right way about it I’m sure. At the end of the day, we’ll have to abide by what they say.