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[Albion] Change to away ticket sales process [Club update - post #140]



Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,530
Back in Sussex
As picked up by those who have already bought away tickets, and discussed on the Southampton away thread, the process has changed this season, something the club has confirmed.

I wrote to Jenny Gower, the club's Head of Ticketing & Supporter Services about this, and she's given a detailed response as to why the change has been put in place, and she kindly agreed I could share this to help others understand the position the club are in with regards to away ticket sales, particularly the financial risk due to the club having to pay for all tickets requested, whether they are taken up by Albion fans or not.

Jenny's response below:


You are correct in saying the way we sell and allocate away tickets this season has changed.

As a club we are well aware that the second season in the Premier League often results in a drop to travelling support. Whilst in the first season we could pretty confidently say we would take the full allocation for almost every away match, we anticipate this being a more difficult decision for us in season two, as experienced by many other clubs who have been promoted.

As a result of this likely uncertainty we are trying to get games on sale as early as possible. This will allow us to gauge likely travelling numbers before we have to formally (and financially) commit to our ticket allocation 4 weeks prior to the fixture.

The issue we have in the Premier League with ticket demand from home fans so high for every club is that host clubs will give us a range of away allocations - this may, for example, be for 1,000/1,500/3,000 seats. In some cases the area that they allocate to us for, say, 1,000 seats may be entirely different to the area they would give us for 3,000 seats. It’s worth noting that, with demand for home tickets so high at the Amex, we also do this for visiting clubs to ensure we can maximise home ticket sales for the benefit of the team.

In light of this we are now selling a dummy block of seats for our away games and once we decide our allocation we are moving supporters in to the allocated seating plan. Where possible we are ensuring those fans that book the earliest get the best seats (which is often not the case if you sell from a block plan – for example, where host clubs dictate the order we must sell in – as sometimes those fans with the most loyalty points who book early can be stuck in the worst seats).

I’m aware from other emails to supporter services and to Paul Barber that some supporters still think that even with the new system they should be able to request a front/back/upper/lower preference. Unfortunately, this just isn’t possible and, for the reasons I’ve explained, it risks setting expectations that our eventual ticket allocation and seating plan may not be able to satisfy anyway. Unfortunately, we just don’t have the resources to answer the queries and complaints this would lead to when processing time between games is already very tight.

From a commercial point of view, we do need to be mindful to take the correct allocation of tickets for all of our away fixtures. If we get this judgement wrong, it can be extremely costly to the club. Unlike in the Championship where all tickets are sale or return, the tickets we request in the Premier League must be paid for, so if we estimate we will have demand for, say, 1,600 tickets we would have to look to take the 1,500 allocation rather than the 3,000 to avoid a large bill.

Finally, I should also mention that for the 17/18 season supporters booking online were never able to select their seats as it was done on a best available basis. However, supporters with special access needs or concerns about standing for 90 minutes did contact us by phone to try to request seats that best suited their needs. We will continue to do this but meeting these requests is more complex when we don’t know the lay out of the seating area we are selling or the allocation we will take. We will however build a small block of seats for those with access requirements and when we come to allocating seats in to the seating block we will allocate these seats in areas closest to the vomitories or where there are less steps.

I hope the above explains the changes we have made and the reasons.
 

Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,530
Back in Sussex
My personal view, which I've shared with Jenny, is that I entirely understand the risk the club are trying to mitigate here, eg the club take a full 3,000 allocation but only sell 1,500 tickets, the club has to pay £45,000 to the home club for unsold tickets.

For this reason, for some games, the approach taken by the club seems eminently sensible.

However, there are a large number of games where a full 3,000 (or less in some cases) allocations will absolutely sell out, and it seems a shame that fans are not being able to be selective as to what seats they want for these games. Although we've never been able to select specific seats, we have been able to choose specific blocks and I know many of us have become accustomed to repeatedly selecting seats from a block until we get the row in an area we are happy with (front, middle, back) before completing a purchase.

I also wonder if this new approach will lead to an increase in people simply taking the seats of others because the seats they were sold are a long way from their preference, leading to confrontation between Albion fans at away games...

"You're in my seat."
"I got here first - go and find a seat somewhere else"
 

Deadly Danson

Well-known member
Oct 22, 2003
3,922
Brighton
My personal view, which I've shared with Jenny, is that I entirely understand the risk the club are trying to mitigate here, eg the club take a full 3,000 allocation but only sell 1,500 tickets, the club has to pay £45,000 to the home club for unsold tickets.

For this reason, for some games, the approach taken by the club seems eminently sensible.

However, there are a large number of games where a full 3,000 (or less in some cases) allocations will absolutely sell out, and it seems a shame that fans are not being able to be selective as to what seats they want for these games. Although we've never been able to select specific seats, we have been able to choose specific blocks and I know many of us have become accustomed to repeatedly selecting seats from a block until we get the row in an area we are happy with (front, middle, back) before completing a purchase.

I also wonder if this new approach will lead to an increase in people simply taking the seats of others because the seats they were sold are a long way from their preference, leading to confrontation between Albion fans at away games...

"You're in my seat."
"I got here first - go and find a seat somewhere else"

Exactly this - from a business point of view it makes perfect sense. From a customer service viewpoint it makes none.
 


Nixonator

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2016
6,733
Shoreham Beach
Although we've never been able to select specific seats, we have been able to choose specific blocks and I know many of us have become accustomed to repeatedly selecting seats from a block until we get the row in an area we are happy with (front, middle, back) before completing a purchase.

I also wonder if this new approach will lead to an increase in people simply taking the seats of others because the seats they were sold are a long way from their preference, leading to confrontation between Albion fans at away games...

"You're in my seat."
"I got here first - go and find a seat somewhere else"

Yes, we used to do this. Keep adding/removing tickets until we got the back rows. I have no desire to get into a debate with someone behind me about the fact I prefer standing at games, so this is going to cause more overlap with people not in their allocated spaces.
 

Beanstalk

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2017
2,425
London
My personal view, which I've shared with Jenny, is that I entirely understand the risk the club are trying to mitigate here, eg the club take a full 3,000 allocation but only sell 1,500 tickets, the club has to pay £45,000 to the home club for unsold tickets.

For this reason, for some games, the approach taken by the club seems eminently sensible.

However, there are a large number of games where a full 3,000 (or less in some cases) allocations will absolutely sell out, and it seems a shame that fans are not being able to be selective as to what seats they want for these games. Although we've never been able to select specific seats, we have been able to choose specific blocks and I know many of us have become accustomed to repeatedly selecting seats from a block until we get the row in an area we are happy with (front, middle, back) before completing a purchase.

I also wonder if this new approach will lead to an increase in people simply taking the seats of others because the seats they were sold are a long way from their preference, leading to confrontation between Albion fans at away games...

"You're in my seat."
"I got here first - go and find a seat somewhere else"

So no change in reality?
 

Mr H

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2012
405
LA
Yes, we used to do this. Keep adding/removing tickets until we got the back rows. I have no desire to get into a debate with someone behind me about the fact I prefer standing at games, so this is going to cause more overlap with people not in their allocated spaces.

If the people behind you want to sit down, you could offer to change seats with them.
 


Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
22,956
Sussex by the Sea
There will be problems with this, not affecting BHA finances nor logistics but for travelling fans.

Generally I was in an area around and about where I selected, as a preferred site.

Now, with a general free-for-all, there may be more frequent animated discussions about location.

As I said, doesn't affect the club though.
 

Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
I'm not having this, it is too difficult, nonsense. When you buy a ticket for absolutely any other event you can choose your seat or enclosure, or what have you. Football clubs really do get away with appalling levels of customer service with regards to away tickets. All football clubs have proper box offices, with a proper amount of staff, administering a system where fans are allocated a ticket based on where they, roughly, want to sit should be an absolute piece of piss but they just do not want to make the effort.

Let's take Southampton as an example, a quick google lets me know that the away fans are in blocks 44-48, and the rows are 'numbered' with A at the front running back to OO. With 44 and 48 being next to the home fans and that the disabled section is in the middle of block 44. So all seats in front of that disabled section can be classified as front type seats. How hard is it really after getting this information to divide the seats broadly in to three, front, middle and back, and give fans a non guaranteed choice? We all know the answer is it really is not that difficult but Jenny Gower just cannot be bothered, because pesky football fans are moaning about something the club are not directly making money out of.
 

Cowfold Seagull

Fan of the 17 bus
Apr 22, 2009
21,558
Cowfold
My personal view, which I've shared with Jenny, is that I entirely understand the risk the club are trying to mitigate here, eg the club take a full 3,000 allocation but only sell 1,500 tickets, the club has to pay £45,000 to the home club for unsold tickets.

For this reason, for some games, the approach taken by the club seems eminently sensible.

However, there are a large number of games where a full 3,000 (or less in some cases) allocations will absolutely sell out, and it seems a shame that fans are not being able to be selective as to what seats they want for these games. Although we've never been able to select specific seats, we have been able to choose specific blocks and I know many of us have become accustomed to repeatedly selecting seats from a block until we get the row in an area we are happy with (front, middle, back) before completing a purchase.

I also wonder if this new approach will lead to an increase in people simply taking the seats of others because the seats they were sold are a long way from their preference, leading to confrontation between Albion fans at away games...

"You're in my seat."
"I got here first - go and find a seat somewhere else"

A potential ticking time bomb in fact. It could also lead, in the long term, to some fans just not bothering to go to away games, simply because they have no idea where they will end up sitting once they get to the ground.
 


ditchy

a man with a sound track record as a source of qua
Jul 8, 2003
5,205
brighton
I'm not having this, it is too difficult, nonsense. When you buy a ticket for absolutely any other event you can choose your seat or enclosure, or what have you. Football clubs really do get away with appalling levels of customer service with regards to away tickets. All football clubs have proper box offices, with a proper amount of staff, administering a system where fans are allocated a ticket based on where they, roughly, want to sit should be an absolute piece of piss but they just do not want to make the effort.

Let's take Southampton as an example, a quick google lets me know that the away fans are in blocks 44-48, and the rows are 'numbered' with A at the front running back to OO. With 44 and 48 being next to the home fans and that the disabled section is in the middle of block 44. So all seats in front of that disabled section can be classified as front type seats. How hard is it really after getting this information to divide the seats broadly in to three, front, middle and back, and give fans a non guaranteed choice? We all know the answer is it really is not that difficult but Jenny Gower just cannot be bothered, because pesky football fans are moaning about something the club are not directly making money out of.

a valid point
 

Thunder Bolt

Ordinary Supporter
Finally, I should also mention that for the 17/18 season supporters booking online were never able to select their seats as it was done on a best available basis. However, supporters with special access needs or concerns about standing for 90 minutes did contact us by phone to try to request seats that best suited their needs. We will continue to do this but meeting these requests is more complex when we don’t know the lay out of the seating area we are selling or the allocation we will take. We will however build a small block of seats for those with access requirements and when we come to allocating seats in to the seating block we will allocate these seats in areas closest to the vomitories or where there are less steps.

I hope the above explains the changes we have made and the reasons.

I am concerned about the special needs paragraph as seats nearest the vomitories or less steps are quite often at the back or middle of the stand, whereas people like myself who cannot stand for 90 minutes, need to be at the front, and even then have found ourselves not being able to see, when the away end is in a corner and people on the front row, still stand, so unable to see the nearest goalmouth.
 

elninobonito

Whitehawk Born and Bred
May 27, 2011
652
Also can see problems when we visit grounds with restricted view? you could be paying for a ticket and not see all of the game through no fault of our own.
 


Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
22,956
Sussex by the Sea
Also can see problems when we visit grounds with restricted view? you could be paying for a ticket and not see all of the game through no fault of our own.

Indeed. In some cases it is not solely the tickets marked as such that offer letterbox viewing, and allocaters in the ticket office will not have a Scooby about this.

Look forward to seeing what happens should we get to Loftus Road again.

Never really get bothered about such matters, but this is plain wrong.
 

Weretheweststand

Unregistered User
Aug 23, 2011
898
Hailsham
I'm not having this, it is too difficult, nonsense. When you buy a ticket for absolutely any other event you can choose your seat or enclosure, or what have you. Football clubs really do get away with appalling levels of customer service with regards to away tickets. All football clubs have proper box offices, with a proper amount of staff, administering a system where fans are allocated a ticket based on where they, roughly, want to sit should be an absolute piece of piss but they just do not want to make the effort.

Let's take Southampton as an example, a quick google lets me know that the away fans are in blocks 44-48, and the rows are 'numbered' with A at the front running back to OO. With 44 and 48 being next to the home fans and that the disabled section is in the middle of block 44. So all seats in front of that disabled section can be classified as front type seats. How hard is it really after getting this information to divide the seats broadly in to three, front, middle and back, and give fans a non guaranteed choice? We all know the answer is it really is not that difficult but Jenny Gower just cannot be bothered, because pesky football fans are moaning about something the club are not directly making money out of.

This is what I was thinking too, have it as it is now, but have an extra dropdown menu with Front, Middle and Back options, which just represents your theoretical preference. Club would then have no obligation to put you there but would at least know what you would prefer. Then, if it was possible, start the allocation of people that have selected Back from the menu, from the back of the stand, and the allocation of people who selected Front, from the front of the stand. Can't really see how that would add any extra work, it would just change the order they allocate the tickets to the seats.
 

redoubtable seagull

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2004
2,512
A potential ticking time bomb in fact. It could also lead, in the long term, to some fans just not bothering to go to away games, simply because they have no idea where they will end up sitting once they get to the ground.

You will get your tickets in advance so will know where you are sitting and, based on the tickets I’ve purchased this coming season, you can find out where you are sitting from the ticketing website. However, probably like most, the lack of choice is disappointing and slightly archaic. The ability to choose a block and randomly select until you got a row that you wanted was very welcome last year.
 


BrightonCottager

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2013
2,096
Brighton
Some interesting insights in this reply to the way the PL differs from the Championship. For info, Fulham still have the 'neutral' blocks in the Putney end - although now renamed the 'mixed' area - so when you sell out your allocation in the away blocks you can buy tickets in there if you have a booking history (at least that's been the approach in the past - now you've not played there for a season it might be different).
 

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