LCFC must offer General Sale to fans

[DesertFox]

I had a season ticket for many years, in the 80s/90s, but I moved to the USA just over 20 years ago. I get back to Leicester once or twice a year, but the club makes it so hard to get tickets, the last time I saw a live game, the City manager was... Craig Shakespeare! Before that? Paulo Sousa!

 

I'll be back in Feb, if anyone has spare tickets for Sheff Weds or Boro? I would LOVE to go, and I would go every time I was back, if I could just buy a ticket!

[FoyleFox]

1 hour ago, Unabomber said:

Ah didn’t realise I could buy tickets for others 

Do you not get the emails regarding STH friends and family/guest tickets or what ever it's called. I had the one for Rotherham this week. 

You'd set up an online account for your brother and can then buy him a ticket. 

 

The membership scheme wouldn't be so bad if you got a discount on match tickets. Other clubs do this with memberships. 

[Foxes_Trust]

6 hours ago, Itsthejoeker said:

@Foxes_Trust are you doing anything about this? 

We raised it much earlier in the season (as it was predictable for a number of games this season) and unfortunately the club have not changed their stance as yet.

 

Our understanding is that fans who have any buying history on the LCFC system should be able to get tickets, so if anyone on here has, then it's worth contacting the club

 

it's fans with no record of buying that can't get access, which we feel penalises "the next generation of fan" - which was the main point we made. 

[thegaffer9]

7 minutes ago, Foxes_Trust said:

We raised it much earlier in the season (as it was predictable for a number of games this season) and unfortunately the club have not changed their stance as yet.

 

Our understanding is that fans who have any buying history on the LCFC system should be able to get tickets, so if anyone on here has, then it's worth contacting the club

 

it's fans with no record of buying that can't get access, which we feel penalises "the next generation of fan" - which was the main point we made. 

Nope, I've got a buying history and I can't buy tickets. Just looked again and no option to buy for Rotherham

 

Spoke to ticket office earlier in season and was told in no uncertain terms that it was a membership or no deal.

[Foxes_Trust]

3 hours ago, RYM said:

TBF, no one from the club is going to come on a message board, not at any club with any sense and from experience you don't want to. You can't win and it would be relentless. 

 

It's really easy to club bash on here or on other social platforms for sure but in the club's defence they don't need to be on here and shouldn't be. What there should be is an open line of communication from fan groups to the club, regular minuted and published meetings and complete transparency, especially with issues like this. This members /ticketing strategy / issue could well have been communicated to the likes of the Foxes Trust but they may not have shared that information with the masses? either way what are the FT doing?

 

The EFL insist on fan meetings and the FSA will support fans if this isn't happening. It's down to the fan groups to help instigate this and to hold the club accountable if they aren't doing what they say they are / should be doing (they may well be). If nobody in those groups is contacting the club about these issues then the club aren't in the wrong. 

 

Are the older fan groups doing what they should be doing and representing the fans? I'm not sure they are? It's really easy to whack on a branded polo shirt, write match reports and get "WOW'd" at the ground once a year but if your job is to represent the fans, to hold the club accountable and to support the club in supporting the fans you need to do it or stop pretending.

 

We have to support the club moving forwards and hope that with an £80k a year head of fan engagement coming in, that the club can focus on these issues at the bottom, improve transparency and communications and hopefully start listening to those groups that really want to make a change to the club and not just their egos. I'm not sure the club has had the right resource to match it's incredible growth to focus on fan engagement / fan comms so with a new strategy (and I would assume someone from a blue chip / Tesco Club card type, loyalty based engagement background) we should see an improvement. Again that is going to take time for them to get it right and along the way of course there will be issues, but clearly the club have seen the need for this change so EPL requirement or not, it's a positive step.

 

 

 

 

There is a review on the clubs fan engagement currently underway, one of the results of this is the new position you have mentioned above, we have been involved in conversations for many months and an update was given to all fans groups at the FCC meeting about 10 days ago.

 

Had we still been in the Premier League, then a Fans Advisory Board would have been up & running this season (as mandated by the PL), it isn't mandated by the EFL, however we expect the club to publish details in the early months of 2024.

[SemperEadem]

Ownership superb at PR, got the line of great owners set for ever and a day. Glad a fan group is ballsy enough to call it it. Foxes Trust support UFS with this.

[PAULCFC]

24 minutes ago, thegaffer9 said:

Nope, I've got a buying history and I can't buy tickets. Just looked again and no option to buy for Rotherham

 

Spoke to ticket office earlier in season and was told in no uncertain terms that it was a membership or no deal.

Exactly this...as I said up until a couple of months ago I had a ST...now I can't get a ticket at all.Funnily enough I had an email from the club this afternoon asking me as a "ST Holder" would I like to buy extra seats for Rotherham....you couldn't make it up!

[hackenbacker]

Timely forum!!!

 

It is f'ing ridiculous how hard it is to get a ticket to a home game.

 

I am in the UK with my family for a holiday. I bought 4 tickets to the Birmingham game sitting with Birmingham supporters because apart from being extremely easy to buy was the only sure way my 2 young boys would get to see a LCFC game.

 

I have only convinced one of them so far to follow LCFC (the 9 yo) while the 7 yo is taking more convincing. They both enjoyed the game but said they would have liked to be with the LCFC supporters.

 

I have been trying the past couple of days to get tickets to Rotherham game but it is both expensive and an administrative nightmare.

 

To become members would cost us £96 in total for the local membership or £160 for the international membership. Then we have to purchase the  4 tickets. I don't know, probably £200+ just to see one game.

 

I put a post on here a couple of days ago about getting tickets. A couple of people kindly gave me suggestions including getting another member to buy the tickets as a guest. Ignoring the fact that I don't know any other LCFC members this require  that everyone in my family have a supporter number. As I am registered at LCFC.com I found out I have supporter number but to get one for my wife and 2 boys require their registration at LCFC.com. Registration also requires a separate email address for each registration so I have to set up an email address for each child and this requires a 2 stage activation which blah blah blah blah blah. I gave up!

 

Bottom line my 1 LCFC supporting child is very dissapointing about not seeing LCFC at home and my yet to be convinced LCFC supporting child has probably formed the opinion that it is all to hard to support LCFC and he is now a life long Birmingham supporters as you can buy tickets to their games online in 5 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

[ozleicester]

Absolutely fvcking ludicrous

[PAULCFC]

2 hours ago, Foxes_Trust said:

We raised it much earlier in the season (as it was predictable for a number of games this season) and unfortunately the club have not changed their stance as yet.

 

Our understanding is that fans who have any buying history on the LCFC system should be able to get tickets, so if anyone on here has, then it's worth contacting the club

 

it's fans with no record of buying that can't get access, which we feel penalises "the next generation of fan" - which was the main point we made. 

Up unti a couple of months ago i had a ST and had it for 20 plus years....the club still has my Away points/home points etc listed on the website,but without forking out £32 for a membership refuse to sell me a ticket for Rotherham.

[SK3Blue]

3 hours ago, thegaffer9 said:

Nope, I've got a buying history and I can't buy tickets. Just looked again and no option to buy for Rotherham

 

Spoke to ticket office earlier in season and was told in no uncertain terms that it was a membership or no deal.

I have a buying history, had the option for PNE, Sunderland and Millwall, all midweek games and the back of the family stand was all that was left.  

 

Got no option for Rotherham, Ipswich etc. 

 

There is so much inconsistency, and the prospect of a season ticket holders 'guest' who's never been before gets one over a fan who's got purchase history, really is laughable. 

[CrazyKopCorner]

It's absolutely ludicrous - Is it to promote the crappy Membership scheme or is it a genuine safety concern? Both seem to be totally ridiculous  

 

Come on Leicester get your finger out and allow those people who can only afford the odd game, who have job and family pressures who can only make a few games, who have moved away etc to get tickets easily (I'd be actively trying to attract these true fans not making it like fort Knoxs to get in) 

 

We always used to have a high percentage of walk up on the day fans back in the day and these fans are likely to enhance the atmosphere tremendously in my view. 

 

Come on Leicester and come on Jim get your finger out 

[Voll Blau]

7 hours ago, Foxes_Trust said:

We raised it much earlier in the season (as it was predictable for a number of games this season) and unfortunately the club have not changed their stance as yet.

 

Our understanding is that fans who have any buying history on the LCFC system should be able to get tickets, so if anyone on here has, then it's worth contacting the club

 

it's fans with no record of buying that can't get access, which we feel penalises "the next generation of fan" - which was the main point we made. 

Obviously glad it's on your radar, but I find it slightly astonishing that you have no idea that it takes more than just having booking history to get a ticket at the moment.

[Jackubu]

7 hours ago, Foxes_Trust said:

There is a review on the clubs fan engagement currently underway, one of the results of this is the new position you have mentioned above, we have been involved in conversations for many months and an update was given to all fans groups at the FCC meeting about 10 days ago.

 

Had we still been in the Premier League, then a Fans Advisory Board would have been up & running this season (as mandated by the PL), it isn't mandated by the EFL, however we expect the club to publish details in the early months of 2024.

The structure of which is hilarious, you forgot to add. 

[fox_up_north]

Serious question- what are we able to do about this?

 

Can UFS and the Trust get together and request a meeting with this fan engagement guy? Can we maybe get an email campaign going to him?

 

When are we next on telly? Could there be a protest outside the ground? 

[lcfc278]

8 hours ago, Foxes_Trust said:

We raised it much earlier in the season (as it was predictable for a number of games this season) and unfortunately the club have not changed their stance as yet.

 

Our understanding is that fans who have any buying history on the LCFC system should be able to get tickets, so if anyone on here has, then it's worth contacting the club

 

it's fans with no record of buying that can't get access, which we feel penalises "the next generation of fan" - which was the main point we made. 

Excellent news that you've raised it, but no pressure on the club and no pushing for an answer? This is where your criticism stems from. 

 

Back the UFS with this one. Come out and make a statement supporting the call. Come out and post on social media that you fully agree and support this stance and want the club to investigate it with a little more urgency. This is one where you will absolutely, 100% have the backing of the fans and gain some credit - it's what your purpose is for starters. 

[Big Dave]

18 hours ago, MPH said:

Could it be that there are no more seats available for general sale or do people see a lot of empty seats?

Loads of seats available in M1 (not wanted by Rotherham).  Quite a few dotted around the ground as well.  Must be a few hundred still available.

[CosbehFox]

36 minutes ago, fox_up_north said:

Serious question- what are we able to do about this?

 

Can UFS and the Trust get together and request a meeting with this fan engagement guy? Can we maybe get an email campaign going to him?

 

When are we next on telly? Could there be a protest outside the ground? 

Fan engagement guy isn’t even appointed yet 

 

There are quarterly meetings with fan groups - be lucky if you ever see a set of meeting minutes. From speaking to people who’ve attended, plenty of good points are made but then spoken down by the club and other attendees whom benefit on the current status quo 

Edited 21 December 2023 by CosbehFox

[Paninistickers]

Can anyone imagine Barry Hearne refusing to sell tickets to the snooker or boxing and preferring empty seats? The guy would have a coronary.

 

The attitude down there should be one of promoter. However, they choose instead a role of gatekeeper. It's beyond bizarre. Breaks every business rule in the book. 

[Stadt]

13 hours ago, RYM said:

TBF, no one from the club is going to come on a message board, not at any club with any sense and from experience you don't want to. You can't win and it would be relentless. 

 

It's really easy to club bash on here or on other social platforms for sure but in the club's defence they don't need to be on here and shouldn't be. What there should be is an open line of communication from fan groups to the club, regular minuted and published meetings and complete transparency, especially with issues like this. This members /ticketing strategy / issue could well have been communicated to the likes of the Foxes Trust but they may not have shared that information with the masses? either way what are the FT doing?

 

The EFL insist on fan meetings and the FSA will support fans if this isn't happening. It's down to the fan groups to help instigate this and to hold the club accountable if they aren't doing what they say they are / should be doing (they may well be). If nobody in those groups is contacting the club about these issues then the club aren't in the wrong. 

 

Are the older fan groups doing what they should be doing and representing the fans? I'm not sure they are? It's really easy to whack on a branded polo shirt, write match reports and get "WOW'd" at the ground once a year but if your job is to represent the fans, to hold the club accountable and to support the club in supporting the fans you need to do it or stop pretending.

 

We have to support the club moving forwards and hope that with an £80k a year head of fan engagement coming in, that the club can focus on these issues at the bottom, improve transparency and communications and hopefully start listening to those groups that really want to make a change to the club and not just their egos. I'm not sure the club has had the right resource to match it's incredible growth to focus on fan engagement / fan comms so with a new strategy (and I would assume someone from a blue chip / Tesco Club card type, loyalty based engagement background) we should see an improvement. Again that is going to take time for them to get it right and along the way of course there will be issues, but clearly the club have seen the need for this change so EPL requirement or not, it's a positive step.

 

 

 

 

I’m not asking for them to come on here that’d be daft but even to address any concerns. We get essentially back channel comms through the FCC and most of the time that palms off any issues. They’ve been “looking into” the broken away priority system for years  

[Stadt]

9 hours ago, hackenbacker said:

Timely forum!!!

 

It is f'ing ridiculous how hard it is to get a ticket to a home game.

 

I am in the UK with my family for a holiday. I bought 4 tickets to the Birmingham game sitting with Birmingham supporters because apart from being extremely easy to buy was the only sure way my 2 young boys would get to see a LCFC game.

 

I have only convinced one of them so far to follow LCFC (the 9 yo) while the 7 yo is taking more convincing. They both enjoyed the game but said they would have liked to be with the LCFC supporters.

 

I have been trying the past couple of days to get tickets to Rotherham game but it is both expensive and an administrative nightmare.

 

To become members would cost us £96 in total for the local membership or £160 for the international membership. Then we have to purchase the  4 tickets. I don't know, probably £200+ just to see one game.

 

I put a post on here a couple of days ago about getting tickets. A couple of people kindly gave me suggestions including getting another member to buy the tickets as a guest. Ignoring the fact that I don't know any other LCFC members this require  that everyone in my family have a supporter number. As I am registered at LCFC.com I found out I have supporter number but to get one for my wife and 2 boys require their registration at LCFC.com. Registration also requires a separate email address for each registration so I have to set up an email address for each child and this requires a 2 stage activation which blah blah blah blah blah. I gave up!

 

Bottom line my 1 LCFC supporting child is very dissapointing about not seeing LCFC at home and my yet to be convinced LCFC supporting child has probably formed the opinion that it is all to hard to support LCFC and he is now a life long Birmingham supporters as you can buy tickets to their games online in 5 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

Any notion of being a well run family club is completely untrue. Sorry to hear about this, no doubt there’s hundreds if not thousands on the same boat.

 

The club lack any will to listen and improve on matters like these. If they were proactive, this would never happen but even if it did they’d actually listen to issues like these and make a change 

[HoChiMinhFOX]

17 hours ago, Stadt said:

It makes no sense business wise either, ok in the immediate short term we'll profit from the small percentage of people who do buy a membership. A much larger proportion are put off altogether.

 

Imagine how many people would want to attend 1 or 2 games a year but don't bother because of the membership scam?

 

Leicester fans who:

• Live abroad
• Live elsewhere in Britain 
• Work Saturdays
• Play football on Saturdays 
• Can't afford to go more often 
• Don't have regular childcare 
• Students
• Kids
• Tickets purchased as a gift

 

Then there's neutrals who might be in the city for university, work, tourism or whatever else who might catch a game if they can too.

 

All of these put off by the paywall, a solid amount will just give up entirely which is the bigger crime (from a business PoV) as the lifetime value of a STH is probably 5 figures.

Spot on. I work in London, work full time AND on weekends, am a full time student and yet when I've had the option to go a home game on my day off or an away day closer to me, it's been impossible for me to get a ticket. Which is upsetting because I love going to the football, even on my own and yet now even the club I've followed all my life are making it difficult for me to physically go and watch them...

[SemperEadem]

8 minutes ago, HoChiMinhFOX said:

Spot on. I work in London, work full time AND on weekends, am a full time student and yet when I've had the option to go a home game on my day off or an away day closer to me, it's been impossible for me to get a ticket. Which is upsetting because I love going to the football, even on my own and yet now even the club I've followed all my life are making it difficult for me to physically go and watch them...

And sadly you are not alone in this. UFS has had countless messages from others with a very similar story.

[ramboacdc]

It's started a debate on the FB groups that there aren't as many tickets available as claimed. One person claimed that the 4k of empties at Millwall was "Maybe STH's who couldn't make that game" which I thought was a weak explaination. Others claiming the £30 charge is a way to help income for FFP seemed weak also. 

The club want a membership so they can capture data to prevent banned people getting in and also stop touts by having the ticket be in your name. It's why its still a swine to buy a ticket but if you can't make it and give it your friend/family member there is a chance you will be stopped or ejected because the ticket doesn't show your name as you walk in. Same with away end spot checks. They are cracking down on even face value exchange, which was always illegal but was sort of blind eyed until we hit the bigger time and groups popped up everywhere. People for example were trying to sell free disabled carer tickets for the face value of the ticket if purchased and pocketing the rest. The club were scanning the FB groups and banning people. I left Foxestalk for a while and I can see now the ticket exchange here has a disclaimer also. I am not sure if the same thing happened here, but it wouldn't surprise me. 

 

It does ruin the ability to wake up boxing day or over the Christmas break and decide late doors to pick a ticket up with your mates at the store if you want a last minute thing to do and have a bit of extra money, but there is an arguement on both sides. It's the shite state of football these days. If you can afford tickets you are gouged through the nose for them price wise, if you are someone who can't make every game and justify a membership, you can't buy a ticket off a mate who can't make it or buy one on general sale or the Championship away ends cost a stupid amount since theres no price cap.  

 

It's not about glory hunting fans or "you should have come see us when we were in L1 if you call yourself a fan." It's money (from both fans and LCFC) and the club trying to cover themselves and comply with police ensuring bans can be enforced. I don't think it's right but it is my thoughts on the state of football in general. 

 

 

[guest123]

2 hours ago, fox_up_north said:

Serious question- what are we able to do about this?

 

Can UFS and the Trust get together and request a meeting with this fan engagement guy? Can we maybe get an email campaign going to him?

 

When are we next on telly? Could there be a protest outside the ground? 

well there won't be a protest outside the ground, 99.99% of people there will have a ticket and aren't locked out