[Albion] Going to be pretty empty for the Villa game

[Guinness Boy]

Allowing fans to 'give away' tickets would devalue them when the club currently struggles to sell out (certainly evening games).

It would also add to the number of away fans in home ends.

Etc etc. We've done this so many times now...

Would it? Don't remember many Leeds or Newcastle in our end in the Championship and they're the two biggest clubs in the universe.

Perhaps the club should tackle WHY we struggle to sell out mid week when we're in the top ten of the bestest league in the world. Maybe a give away to schools / football clubs / youth clubs in deprived areas of Sussex or further discounts on under 21 tickets or something. People who are going to be pleased to go to something out of their price range or people who will only care about the game and beers instead of moaning about the travel because now they're going to miss 10 minutes of Question Time or whatever.

But, yeah, let's not "devalue" our "product"

 

[Peter Grummit]

Season ticket holders can share their season ticket with a MyAlbion+ member* for a seasonal upgrade fee of £20 (per season).
This will mean you can give your season ticket to a friend/family member for a match you may not be able to attend.

 

[Biscuit Barrel]

I'm missing this game as I am away on holiday.

The atmosphere is the east lower will suffer without me. Won't be the normal cauldron of noise

 

[Wozza]

Ok you've done it many times, we understand that, thank you for the contribution.

No worries.

Now tell me, why can't I share my annual train ticket with a mate?

I'll use 3 days a week, and then share 4 days a week with others when they fancy a trip into London. Some of them will pay me.

Seems to be enough space on the trains. No-one missing out. All good?

 

[jackalbion]

It absolutely has though.

Season ticket holders (incl. 1901ers) have c24,000 tickets, Villa have 3,000-odd and 4,000 or so matchday tickets have sold.

Because of that the club now give STHs the chance to sell on their ticket(s) if they can't make it.

A few years ago there was no season ticket exchange, this game would be announced as a sell-out and some folk would be absent. I think it's quite commonplace for c10% of fans to be no-shows across the Premier League.

I'd prefer to be able to hand my tickets to my neighbour and his son on the occasions I can't go, but I also understand why the club don't want that to happen.

The club however have made it increasingly difficult to move that ticket on (with all intentions of paying for it). If I wanted to buy a ticket for someone for tomorrow, I'd have to get them to input data into the clubs website, send me all those details, spend time linking those accounts, and then bank transfer me the money for the ticket that only I can buy under the guest ticket situation. Rather than that just being a two step process of me buying a ticket under my name and bank transferring. If someone is in the stadium under my name they are the responsibility of me, and that is a completely unnecessary step. We get one free ticket to transfer to My Albion Plus a season, surely it would make more sense to lift this amnesty for Midweek games (especially one as important as this).

 

[portlock seagull]

No worries.

Now tell me, why can't I share my annual train ticket with a mate?

I'll use 3 days a week, and then share 4 days a week with others when they fancy a trip into London. Some of them will pay me.

Seems to be enough space on the trains. No-one missing out. All good?

Probably best not to use a train analogy when they’re a root cause of so many people unable to attend!

 

[jackalbion]

No worries.

Now tell me, why can't I share my annual train ticket with a mate?

I'll use 3 days a week, and then share 4 days a week with others when they fancy a trip into London. Some of them will pay me.

Seems to be enough space on the trains. No-one missing out. All good?

A football ticket is completely different to a train ticket, and either way, if the ticket is in paper form, you can absolutely pass it on.

 

[Bozza]

We get one free ticket to transfer to My Albion Plus a season, surely it would make more sense to lift this amnesty for Midweek games (especially one as important as this).

That would be a really positive and logical step.

I'll raise it with the club.

 

[jackalbion]

Probably best not to use a train analogy when they’re a root cause of so many people unable to attend!

We had a full house for all the European games with the same train service! So people will bother if they want to go, as @Justice said it's a combination of fans being fickle, those who have genuine work commitments and people not being able to get a ticket to people who want to attend.

 

[el punal]

It's a bit odd that the uptake is low. Are there some local schools on Easter hols? Sun will be shining, chasing Europe. Can't get my head round it.

My daughter and grandson live in SOUTH Croydon (there is a difference to the rest of the dump you know!). My daughter works in central London with late hours and my grandson is doing his A Levels. Obviously they want to watch the game but circumstances make it really difficult to attend - travel issues being one consideration and pressures of work and school another. For myself I’m going. I hate driving at night but I’ll make an exception for this game. So I’ll drive from Southampton to Chichester - at least it’s reasonably straightforward as the M27 and A27 are okay as far as Chi. Then train there and back from Brighton. All a bit of a pain in the arse but will be worth it if we get the three points.

 

[portlock seagull]

Everyone made it to the Marseille game, our fans are flaky at best.
This is a huge game win and we are looking positive for a European place.
Can’t believe the numbers that can’t be arsed.

I’ve flown back from Austria, will be driving down from S.Bucks too (so very late night for me, and hope roadworks are kind). Plus I was STH at Gillingham (both years) and have a lead on what happened to the cup final money too. When it comes to pastry, I’m not ‘flakey” but positively HARD crust made with added LARD.

 

[Wozza]

A football ticket is completely different to a train ticket, and either way, if the ticket is in paper form, you can absolutely pass it on.

Sorry, you're saying I can legally pass on a rail season ticket?!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

More and more people are voting with their feet re midweek matches now. Such a shame because its a great atmosphere under the lights. But the shitty midweek transport infrastructure just can't cope with the numbers, and it would appear that it's an intractable problem. Booooooo...

 

[portlock seagull]

We had a full house for all the European games with the same train service! So people will bother if they want to go, as @Justice said it's a combination of fans being fickle, those who have genuine work commitments and people not being able to get a ticket to people who want to attend.

It’s not the same though, it’s Villa. Who we have an appalling record against. I understand why people choose to sit this one out for the multitude of reasons already cited. Not least because they’re not Uber fans like you and I…

 

[jackalbion]

Sorry, you're saying I can legally pass on a rail season ticket?!

No not a season ticket. Although I agree that you should be able to pass it on. Like a football season ticket, a train service not a service that should be run for profit but one for public benefit but thats a different argument.

 

[jackalbion]

It’s not the same though, it’s Villa. Who we have an appalling record against. I understand why people choose to sit this one out for the multitude of reasons already cited. Not least because they’re not Uber fans like you and I…

I get that though, thats the root cause, people can't be bothered with that, one, so ultimately these 3,000 seats are never going to sell, unless theres a discount, £50 odd a ticket for a midweek game is unappealing, but there doesn't seem to be a budge on ways you could get more people in. Yes the transport is crap, but there are a multitude of other reasons, and these could be changed (unlike the transport).

 

[Oh_aye]

More and more people are voting with their feet re midweek matches now. Such a shame because its a great atmosphere under the lights. But the shitty midweek transport infrastructure just can't cope with the numbers, and it would appear that it's an intractable problem. Booooooo...

is it different in the weekend to the week?

I always thought weekends were more disrupted.

 

[portlock seagull]

I get that though, thats the root cause, people can't be bothered with that, one, so ultimately these 3,000 seats are never going to sell, unless theres a discount, £50 odd a ticket for a midweek game is unappealing, but there doesn't seem to be a budge on ways you could get more people in. Yes the transport is crap, but there are a multitude of other reasons, and these could be changed (unlike the transport).

I definitely agree club can do more to fill empty seats, but it’s cost/benefit and cost is king in that equation by looks of so empty they must be.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

is it different in the weekend to the week?

I always thought weekends were more disrupted.

Many 8 carriage trains laid on for most weekend games. Pitiful number of 3 and 4 carriage trains laid on for most midweek games to cope with near enough the same number of people who need to use them.

Rolling stock availabilty

 

[Hovegull]

is it different in the weekend to the week?

I always thought weekends were more disrupted.

People tend to have more time to get home at the weekend though. When you’ve been at work all day and you have to get up early the next day for work/school etc it’s a bit different