swindonseagull
Well-known member
Live closer than 20 miles away you should be banned from car parks… banned I tell you….
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[Albion] Arsenal parking (home)
- Thread starter timbha
- Start date
- Dec 7, 2017
- 224
But at least you'd only need to do the whole scramble-for-a-ticket once per season, rather than have to be continually checking the website for tickets going on sale. And if you didn't get a season ticket you could plan what to do for the rest of the season. The current system is a complete and on-going ball-ache.
- May 8, 2018
- 9,276
Exactly, preference has always been to drive but as I can’t guarantee a space each game I’ve been on seagulls Travel for the last few years
swindonseagull
Well-known member
Living where we do we dont have that choice, or the free public transport so its P&R or car park, obviously car park gives us the ability to arrive latter due to traffic delays. Mill Road is full within an hour...
would like Pycombe to be open every game.
- May 8, 2018
- 9,276
100% would use Pyecombe if open every game as basically do the same journey now from BH all be it at a cost with ST which despite being official club partners are not allowed to divert my travel subsidy to the coach season ticket, ridiculous
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
To be fair, the on sale dates are generally on the web site. You don't have to continually check the sale dates.
- Dec 7, 2017
- 224
Have you ever tried booking parking?
The on-sale date is on the web site, until it is decided that it isn't. This isn't just for games that are postponed, but for many games they change the on-sale date to "TBC" on the morning that they said it was going on sale. So you're checking the web site to see when this changes in the hope that you know in advance when the tickets will go on sale.
When it does change, the tickets rarely go on sale at the 9am they say they will. Instead they go on sale at 10 past, or 20 past, or whenever someone feels like pressing the button to put them on sale. So you're checking the web site to see when they go on sale.
And often when they do go on sale there are only a handful of tickets for the Bridge car park that go on sale, and little if nothing for the University. So unless you're checking the web site all the time you miss them.
And if you do miss them you're back to checking the web site for when the bulk of car park tickets for both Bridge and University go on sale, which is usually (but not always) around 5 days before the match. So you're checking the web site to see when these pop up.
It's an absolutely terrible system. It's inconsistent, it pretty much requires you to be looking at the web site multiple times per day to find out what's going on, and still requires a modicum of luck for you to hit the web site at the right time to obtain a ticket.
If they want to make allocation "fair" then put them in a ballot. If they want to make it easy then bring back season tickets. But do something other than the current system, which rewards either the very lucky or those with enough time to rack up webpage views in lieu of having anything better to do with their lives.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
I'm sorry, and I appreciate you are having a frustrated rant, but apart from your opinions, the factual elements just aren't correct. Yes, I have successfully booked a ticket for every home match this season at The Bridge.
Yes, the dates occasionally get changed and I get frustrated, but they are usually on a Tuesday and always follow the on sale dates for the match tickets. TBC is only usually if the match gets postponed. Although the Chelsea parking was scheduled for Tuesday this week, we all surely knew it would be changed to TBC (albeit carelessly after 9am this time) because the club won't sell parking for unspecified match dates.
The parking goes on sale at 9.00 am or within a minute or two practically every time. I think there was only once this season when it was late. It just isn't true that they go on sale at 10 or 20 past. That just doesn't happen.
It also isn't true that there are only a handful of tickets at The Bridge. If you keep logging in late, then there may only be a few left, but I have rarely seen less than 100 when I enter the site. I bought one at The University on one occasion, but when more popped up at The Bridge nearer the match, It was easy to buy and pop the University ticket on the Ticket Exchange. Cost me me £1.50 to sell it.
The system is a bit clunky but make the effort to know how it works and you won't go far wrong. Frankly a ballot is a stupid idea. And the club has dismissed season tickets since they lost Bennet's Field and availability fluctuates. Make a proper effort to check the dates, ask Alexa to remind you so you don't forget.
Like I said. I have had a park for every home game including Europa League. It's not luck, it's just making the effort like any process of buying tickets for something where supply exceeds demand.
- Thread starter
- #30
I do exactly what you do and usually get a ticket, however I saw nothing published about Arsenal parking, ie sales date/time and it was only a speculative visit to the ticket site that I saw the “sold out” sign.
What was your strategy for getting Arsenal parking?
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
Almost missed it as I was focussed on Roma parking. But believe it or not I have an Alexa reminder to check Albion parking daily. I knew Arsenal must come up soon to when it came on sale and just struck lucky. Alexa keeps me on my toes!
- Thread starter
- #32
I thought it might be something like that and all credit to you for being so resourceful, however the club needs to take more responsibility for making it a fair system where luck isn’t the over riding factor. For balance I think the club got ticket allocation spot on for the EL matches.
I’ve not had a problem getting tickets . I have got parking tickets I think twice on the on sale date. It normally sells out quickly on the day. What I have found is that in the week preceding the game, a large amount more get put on sale. That’s when I’ve picked most of mine up. So I may not get an Arsenal ticket. But I suspect if I login the Tuesday/wednesday before the game. There’s a good chance I’ll pick one up. Fingers crossed.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
On the whole, it isn't luck though. How could the system be more fair than first come first served when demand exceeds supply. P & R has deteriorated pushing more like me to switch to the car parks. Bennets Field has virtually gone so more pressure on The Bridge and Uni parks. The club could certainly pay a little more attention to comms around parking and the website is a bit clunky, but not sure what more the club can do.
Balls of Steele
Member
- Oct 3, 2023
- 46
True that whilst crowds have risen the availability of parking and P&R spaces actually have likely declined with no Mithras house or Bennett’s field and EDF/Pyecombe tend to only be available if train issues ( strikes or works ).
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,249
Quite pathetic how the trains - one of the main sellings points of Falmer - have gotten so shit that the club has totally washed their hands of them and people are falling over themselves to secure a non-sustainable-form-of-transport parking space 
- Thread starter
- #38
That’s my point. If they communicate a date and time when the tickets go on sale no one can complain. Surely it’s no good for anyone if we have to log on countless times during the day, week and month only to be disappointed. Not least it distorts the web traffic numbers!
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
Although the comms could be clearer when matches are moved, the date and time for parking is the same as the match tickets go on sale. It's a fixed date visible for several weeks in advance on the club website. Usually a Tuesday at 9.00am.
Yep that does seem to be the pattern, but why not confirm that? I think the additional gripe though is that initially only a very small amount of parking is on sale, and then in the week leading up to the game randomly appears. Why not just communicate up front two sales windows rather than having to check the site continuously?