[Albion] The Fan Advisory Board Thread

[hans kraay fan club]

Surely the answer to the 'WORDS TO GOSBTS ON THE SCREENS' dilemma, if some feel that HAVING the words up helps engage a few more to sing, but others CRINGE at the thought of the away fans seeing them, is simply to remove them from the NS screen, but leave them on the SS screen.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

And on the subject in hand - ONE ceramic mug - it would take you all of 13 seconds to rinse it, if that. Its not like you're cleaning up after a Sunday roast

Indeed.

This is why my INIGO CALDERON MUG, bought in one of those great concourse sales in about 2012, and used for Cup of Tea #1 on every Albion match day since, is still RESPLENDENT.

 

[Giraffe]

Thank you for sharing. Was fanzone raised, and the pre-match build up being improved? Pretty sure it was a common theme in people's responses?

 

[studio150]

1. Why is there are need for a queuing system when T1 opens given that there is no hoarding if tickets before the on sale time.
2. Who has complained about on sale times.
9am is fine and given the length of queuing to get into the ticketing system this morning not an issue.

 

[Uter]

If the rain while queuing after the game is such a ball ache, why not wait in the concourse? You're not getting away if you're stood in the queue.

Vs. AEK I waited inside for 45 minutes before venturing out, only to still find a lengthy queue. I still had to wait over 30 minutes for a train back to Brighton and got absolutely drenched. In previous seasons, I found that waiting this length of time usually meant only a wait of up to around 10 minutes, sometimes less. Now the queues are either longer or slower or both, even though crowds are only marginally bigger.

There is a limit to how long I can nurse a coke post match and, to be honest, after 45 minutes I feel like I've done my bit.

But aside from this, I just don't know how lengthy the queues are until I've left the stadium.

Could the CC-TV feed of the queues for P&R and trains etc. be relayed to the concourses to help give fans an idea on the waiting times I wonder?

Maybe they could invest in a few of these too:

Pro Departure Board - UK Departure Boards

Display live departures for all your favourite UK Train/Tube/Bus/Tram stations on your own highly customisable departure board. Train times.

ukdepartureboards.co.uk

 

[amexer]

How many of these travel problems are the result of fans choices?

The choice to go into town to drink and get the last train before kick off when there is a mad rush, rather than head to the ground earlier on emptier trains and drink there?

Choosing to head to the trains/buses at (or a little before) the final whistle?

How much improvement would those who need to get to the ground on the last train, and need to leave at full time see if more people who don't need to arrived a little earlier, left a little later?

If the rain while queuing after the game is such a ball ache, why not wait in the concourse? You're not getting away if you're stood in the queue.

(edit: this may also require people to recognise the difference between actual need and preference/convenience)

Because many people who live within easy reach of ground dont expect an hour and fify minutes game of football to take up 6 hours of there day and those coming from away leaving early to avoid adding an hour to journey.

 

[Acker79]

1. Why is there are need for a queuing system when T1 opens given that there is no hoarding if tickets before the on sale time.
2. Who has complained about on sale times.
9am is fine and given the length of queuing to get into the ticketing system this morning not an issue.

Complain may not be the right word, but it was a suggestion earlier in this thread

As I'm sure you're aware there have been some ticketing issues this week, which need to be put to the club:

1) Users were able to put tickets in basket ahead of sale time, and purchase afterwards. Club used to block this. Why the change?
2) Incorrect on-sale dates published - tier advertised as 2pm, but went on sale at 9am (I think?)
3) Palace and Arsenal away put on sale at exactly the same time - why?

(PS I would suggest that a 1pm sale time would be more convenient for most fans.)

 

[Greavsey]

Could the CC-TV feed of the queues for P&R and trains etc. be relayed to the concourses to help give fans an idea on the waiting times I wonder?

Maybe they could invest in a few of these too:

Pro Departure Board - UK Departure Boards

Display live departures for all your favourite UK Train/Tube/Bus/Tram stations on your own highly customisable departure board. Train times.

ukdepartureboards.co.uk

I think this is a great idea! In the early days of the stadium, I seem to remember there was train time information on the screens post match. There's a chance I may have imagined this, but pretty certain this happened for the first year or two at least. This was useful because as soon as you saw a train cancelled then you at least knew it was going to be carnage and could settle in with a pint or two extra!

 

[Acker79]

Because many people who live within easy reach of ground dont expect an hour and fify minutes game of football to take up 6 hours of there day and those coming from away leaving early to avoid adding an hour to journey.

I'm not sure this really addresses my point.

It's been over 10 years that we've been at the amex, 7th year in the premier league. Experience should be trumping expectations at this point. By now people should be aware that 25-30,000 people going to a location with limited transport links is going to lead to bottle-necking and crowding at certain points pre- and post-match, and, if viable, looking at alternatives to make the journey better for themself and others if they don't like the current way things work.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Vs. AEK I waited inside for 45 minutes before venturing out, only to still find a lengthy queue. I still had to wait over 30 minutes for a train back to Brighton and got absolutely drenched. In previous seasons, I found that waiting this length of time usually meant only a wait of up to around 10 minutes, sometimes less. Now the queues are either longer or slower or both, even though crowds are only marginally bigger.

There is a limit to how long I can nurse a coke post match and, to be honest, after 45 minutes I feel like I've done my bit.

But aside from this, I just don't know how lengthy the queues are until I've left the stadium.

Could the CC-TV feed of the queues for P&R and trains etc. be relayed to the concourses to help give fans an idea on the waiting times I wonder?

Maybe they could invest in a few of these too:

Pro Departure Board - UK Departure Boards

Display live departures for all your favourite UK Train/Tube/Bus/Tram stations on your own highly customisable departure board. Train times.

ukdepartureboards.co.uk

Live departure boards are a great idea.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I'm not sure this really addresses my point.

It's been over 10 years that we've been at the amex, 7th year in the premier league. Experience should be trumping expectations at this point. By now people should be aware that 25-30,000 people going to a location with limited transport links is going to lead to bottle-necking and crowding at certain points pre- and post-match, and, if viable, looking at alternatives to make the journey better for themself and others if they don't like the current way things work.

Do you think people don’t do this? Of course people consider their transport options. Trouble is, none of the options work very well unless you leave before the final whistle, or pay an extra £20-25 for a Seagull Travel coach ie they’re not great options either.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I think this is a great idea! In the early days of the stadium, I seem to remember there was train time information on the screens post match. There's a chance I may have imagined this, but pretty certain this happened for the first year or two at least. This was useful because as soon as you saw a train cancelled then you at least knew it was going to be carnage and could settle in with a pint or two extra!

No - this definitely WAS a thing.

If we were drinking in the WSL after a game, and heading into town, we'd watch the displays, and plan which upcoming train we were going to make a dash for.

(That isn't the same as live QUEUING TIME info, mind. No sense leaving your dry concourse to dash for a train, then finding there's still a 20 minute queue!)

 

[Bozza]

No - this definitely WAS a thing.

If we were drinking in the WSL after a game, and heading into town, we'd watch the displays, and plan which upcoming train we were going to make a dash for.

(That isn't the same as live QUEUING TIME info, mind. No sense leaving your dry concourse to dash for a train, then finding there's still a 20 minute queue!)

As I tend to drive these days this doesn't really affect me, but you'd think it should be relatively simple to:

a) reinstate the train information boards, and
b) try to incorporate some "current queue situation" information to supplement that

 

[Uter]

No - this definitely WAS a thing.

If we were drinking in the WSL after a game, and heading into town, we'd watch the displays, and plan which upcoming train we were going to make a dash for.

(That isn't the same as live QUEUING TIME info, mind. No sense leaving your dry concourse to dash for a train, then finding there's still a 20 minute queue!)

Yes, that's why I suggested relaying the CC-TV feeds to the concourses too. Departure boards are useful of course, but they only give you a partial picture of what's happening outside. To get a full picture you need to be able to see what's happening, or at least have some indication of waiting times. Departure boards don't help the P&R folks either.

 

[drew]

I'm not sure this really addresses my point.

It's been over 10 years that we've been at the amex, 7th year in the premier league. Experience should be trumping expectations at this point. By now people should be aware that 25-30,000 people going to a location with limited transport links is going to lead to bottle-necking and crowding at certain points pre- and post-match, and, if viable, looking at alternatives to make the journey better for themself and others if they don't like the current way things work.

Part of the problem will be people's previous experience of football at a ramshackle Goldstone ground with gates averaging 5.8k in 1996/7, and Withdean where the max capacity was still only about 9k. We're now getting in excess of 30k.

That said, I used the P&R at Mill Rd for the first few seasons and didn't really see it as too much of a problem but my recent very sporadic use of that service has led to lengthy delays post match which I'm guessing is due to the effective halving of capacity when the bendy buses were retired!

 

[studio150]

Complain may not be the right word, but it was a suggestion earlier in this thread

And this is the problem with the FAB in a nutshell.

I person makes a comment without any further evidence that this is actually a problem and it would appear to be taken forward. Why?

A few minutes to think about this, would provide a few issues that would show a downside to this being adopted. But first why is 1pm seen as more desirable.

If you work, 1 pm is not everyone's lunchtime, so the work issue remains
If you don't work, then with 9am, you can have the ticket done and dusted before 9.15 and spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want to do.
With 1pm, you have to plan your day around it, so that you are back home for 1pm, or just take pot luck as to whether you can get a internet or strong mobile connection. Not great if you are driving, or undertaking other activities.

Great if you don't like mornings, but really without sufficient numbers, I just don't understand why this was even discussed, other than see if further research is needed,

I just wonder how many complaints PBOBE has received on the timing of the windows, single digits if that?

 

[Greavsey]

Yes, that's why I suggested relaying the CC-TV feeds to the concourses too. Departure boards are useful of course, but they only give you a partial picture of what's happening outside. To get a full picture you need to be able to see what's happening, or at least have some indication of waiting times. Departure boards don't help the P&R folks either.

Agreed. But I think an easier starter question for FAB to the club is re the departure boards for trains, especially as others have corroborated they were displayed back in 2011. Start suggesting CC-TV feeds and it becomes a whole other level of effort for the club, and they'd find logistical reasons to squirm out of it e.g. we'd need floodlights for night games, what queue would we focus on the internal screens Lewes or Brighton etc...

Re P&R, I've never used it, so don't know how something like this would work for that scenario, but you could argue that if the trains are easier to get then it would relieve pressure on the P&R.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

And this is the problem with the FAB in a nutshell.

I person makes a comment without any further evidence that this is actually a problem and it would appear to be taken forward. Why?

A few minutes to think about this, would provide a few issues that would show a downside to this being adopted. But first why is 1pm seen as more desirable.

If you work, 1 pm is not everyone's lunchtime, so the work issue remains
If you don't work, then with 9am, you can have the ticket done and dusted before 9.15 and spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want to do.
With 1pm, you have to plan your day around it, so that you are back home for 1pm, or just take pot luck as to whether you can get a internet or strong mobile connection. Not great if you are driving, or undertaking other activities.

Great if you don't like mornings, but really without sufficient numbers, I just don't understand why this was even discussed, other than see if further research is needed,

I just wonder how many complaints PBOBE has received on the timing of the windows, single digits if that?

• It's fair to say that no single window-open time would solve the problem for everyone. But I think it would make sense to at least stagger the times to reduce the chance of long waits. It doesn't seem sensible to start selling 3 matches at once + parking. That said, I don't know how the staffing works. Is it possible that they have to schedule extra or temporary staff on duty for sales window openings? If so it might be more cost-effective to have several start at once.
  
  
• On another topic, it does amuse me that people get so anxious about the appearance of the words to SBTS! I can never remember all the words, and like to see them up there. At the UEFA games, the words haven't been visible and there's been a quite noticeable drop-off in participation until the chorus comes round.
  
  
• Regarding the park and ride, I'd like to see a charge introduced for the service, and make it bookable in advance. It's annoying to have to turn up so early to be sure of a place at the racecourse. I'd happily pay £5 for a guaranteed place. Or perhaps a 'speedy boarding' sort of arrangement. So that people who pay in advance and actually have a car parked at the P and R are allowed on the first tranche of buses away from the ground at the end. The later buses that return to the ground could then be made available to all. People get very upset when I suggest that the P and R buses should primarily service fans who actually use the P and R, rather than those who just want a free bus away from the ground. But that's my view anyway.

 

[jackalbion]

• It's fair to say that no single window-open time would solve the problem for everyone. But I think it would make sense to at least stagger the times to reduce the chance of long waits. It doesn't seem sensible to start selling 3 matches at once + parking. That said, I don't know how the staffing works. Is it possible that they have to schedule extra or temporary staff on duty for sales window openings? If so it might be more cost-effective to have several start at once.
• On another topic, it does amuse me that people get so anxious about the appearance of the words to SBTS! I can never remember all the words, and like to see them up there. At the UEFA games, the words haven't been visible and there's been a quite noticeable drop-off in participation until the chorus comes round.
  
  
• Regarding the park and ride, I'd like to see a charge introduced for the service, and make it bookable in advance. It's annoying to have to turn up so early to be sure of a place at the racecourse. I'd happily pay £5 for a guaranteed place. Or perhaps a 'speedy boarding' sort of arrangement. So that people who pay in advance and actually have a car parked at the P and R are allowed on the first tranche of buses away from the ground at the end. The later buses that return to the ground could then be made available to all. People get very upset when I suggest that the P and R buses should primarily service fans who actually use the P and R, rather than those who just want a free bus away from the ground. But that's my view anyway.

I have brought this up a few times to the club in reference to two away games on sale at the same time and have yet to receive a response. Its annoying as you want to select the best seats for both games but can't.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

And this is the problem with the FAB in a nutshell.

I person makes a comment without any further evidence that this is actually a problem and it would appear to be taken forward. Why?

A few minutes to think about this, would provide a few issues that would show a downside to this being adopted. But first why is 1pm seen as more desirable.

If you work, 1 pm is not everyone's lunchtime, so the work issue remains
If you don't work, then with 9am, you can have the ticket done and dusted before 9.15 and spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want to do.
With 1pm, you have to plan your day around it, so that you are back home for 1pm, or just take pot luck as to whether you can get a internet or strong mobile connection. Not great if you are driving, or undertaking other activities.

Great if you don't like mornings, but really without sufficient numbers, I just don't understand why this was even discussed, other than see if further research is needed,

I just wonder how many complaints PBOBE has received on the timing of the windows, single digits if that?

My thoughts exactly. Almost every thread on here has opposing views on any and every subject ... so one person saying they'd like ticket sales starting at 1pm doesn't reflect what others think.

9am works for me for the reasons you've given.