Ticket competition is WRONG
Under Randy Lerner’s reign I have little to be unhappy about in the main they have got most if not all of the major decisions 100% correct.
However their competition just announced is WRONG in many ways. It is not right that 100 tickets (50 pairs) could go to anyone with a 10 year booking history, the criteria should simply be the next people in the queue based on booking history.
Already a fair number of the 31,000 allocation does not get to what I call ‘normal fans’. A number of other areas get the tickets
- Players as we saw by the Nathan Baker incident, probably 400 tickets
- exec box holders (should get one per box as per season ticket holders) but they I have heard get 10- maybe 1000
- club employees, 2 each, probably another 1000
I have no gripe with these getting these tickets but they come out of the 31,000 allocation which means after season ticket holders get their share maybe only 1500 for sale afterwards, depriving these people of 100 tickets is unfair.
Too late now for the club to change it’s mind but I hope they will learn a lesson from this because this is proving to be a very unpopular decision, even with the likes of me who have supported the Lerner regime 100% from the start.
ianrobo,
I hear what you’re saying and I can see your point, however if you look at this from both sides, I think IS far that they’ve made 50 pairs available to fans.
Yes, the corporate side to it detracts from the availability to the common fans (but football is business these days). However 100 available to fans with a history is reasonable.
Consider this….. there are life long Villa fans who don’t live in Brum, the west midlands, or even in the UK who made loyal pilgirmages from far and wide to attend villa matches as and when they have the time and money to.
Let take an example of the Irish fans who make games when they can, coming over a couple of times a year. Is their love or loyalty any less to the club than a season ticket holder who attends every game?? They proudly wear the colours abroad, sing “Holte Enders in the sky” with the best of us, they have the same slagging matches with fans of all other teams and share the dislike of the Blues. They are foreign ambassadors of the club.
I think these fans deserve the chance to get an ordinary priced ticket from the club (and not one touted for 5x the chance).
February 17, 2010 at 14:17
well said ianobo,i have payed 250euro to sit in the united end and i am an irish villa fa
February 17, 2010 at 16:56
Thank you ianrobo, you said what I thought better than I could say it. I have supported Villa for 50 years, I live near London now and can’t afford to travel. Usually I sit in the home end when Villa visit London (agony). This is at least a small opportunity to see Villa in London and sit with other Villans. Well done AVFC.
February 17, 2010 at 19:51
I think any way you look at it, as long as the the demand is much greater than the supply there is going to be dicontent. If not you its me. I think the club is trying to be fair as much as possible. I come from Malta, this season I have come over for three matches and yet I do not have any chance to obtain a ticket from the club, but what I complain about is that I have managed to buy a ticket from a travel agent included in a weekend package, which is not cheap. Most probably if I had a season ticket it would have been cheaper! So why are tickets made available to travel agents?
Why are tickets made available to international football associations?
As regards season ticket holders, yes they should have a preference, so what about we foreigners that have to pay hundreds of pounds to subscribe to watch televised matches? I am wrong to state TV income is sustaining football.
Anyway, as I stated before everyone wants to watch the Villa, let us hope that we reach more finals so that the supply is larger.
February 18, 2010 at 08:40
Don’t want to sound fickle, but I think you’re supporting what I said…. not ianrobo.
February 18, 2010 at 10:02
yep I see your point but are they more deserving than the fan who just missed out because 100 were not available
maybe the club (and I have no objection to this ) should put the 100 aside to an ballot amongst affliated supporters clubs rather than anyone with a booking history ?
February 17, 2010 at 14:26
No, they’re no more deserving. But I don’t think they’re any less deserving.
When you look at it, the club had 5 tiers of ticket avialability.
1. Season Ticket Holders (they got 1st dibs)
2. +17 Booking history got 2nd dibs (on Monday)
3. +7 (I think) had 3rd dibs (on Tuesday)
4. Any left (minus the 100 for the comp) I think are wen’t on sale today
5. There’s the competition 100 tickets.
If you, I or anybody doesn’t fall into category 1, 2 or 3 then I think we’re all as deserving as each other.
February 18, 2010 at 10:08
we’re talking about 0.32% of the allocation being used for marketing purposes.
first cup final in a decade, i’d be horrified if the sales / marketing teams weren’t milking this for everything they can get. frankly, this is nothing.
at the end of the day, the arbitrary numbers you’re throwing around here aside, Villa have an allocation of 31k tix and VP regularly attracts >40k. guess what, not everyone will get tix to the final.
it could be worse, OT regularly gets 75k fans in and they’ve got the same allocation. however, they’re not ‘normal fans’, whatever that means, i suppose?
February 17, 2010 at 14:45
ian,
I disagree.
I have 2 brothers and we are all lifelong Villa fans. Me and one bro are season ticket holders. The other used to have an ST. We all went to the 94, 96 and 00 cup finals.
One bro now has 4 kids and rarely goes to VP. Why should he be denied the chance of a ticket?
February 17, 2010 at 14:50
because Minty, the regular fans deserve the allocation. Your brother made the choice not to go, others make that choice and deserve more to go.
Yes it is harsh on a lot of fans who no doubt have C&B blood but this means that 100 fans will miss out who were next in the queue and went to games this season.
February 17, 2010 at 14:53
Dan, it is the principle of this that is the issue, because if we get to an FA cup final some ST holders will HAVE to miss out.
No one is claiming any fan is more loyal than another but those who have to more regular home games, deserve to go.
February 17, 2010 at 14:54
Ian,
Quick correction club employees were only entitled to one ticket and some didn’t even get that!
February 17, 2010 at 15:21
Villa have been allocated 35000 in total, 31500 to season ticket holders and people with booking history so 3500 go to staff and corporate, nice and fair dont you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 17, 2010 at 15:35
Thanks Denis, was it only the youth kids who got two then ?
as you say we got 31,000 in total Chas, the general confirmed all the extras come out of that allocation
can you confirm anywhere where is says the extras were a different allocation, I would be happy to read that
February 17, 2010 at 15:42
sorry ian, without any rationale or justification for why it’s “WRONG” this just reads like a populist rant. the principle you talk about, so far as i can tell, is that there is an entitlement attitude about a product where demand outstrips supply.
lots of people are going to be disappointed. who gets to define where the line lies that separates who does and doesn’t “deserve” to have the opportunity to purchase a ticket and on what basis?
frankly, i’d be more interested in learning exactly where the ~30k tix that are not allocated to either club go. whining about 100 out of 90,000 seems a bit small potatoes to me.
February 17, 2010 at 15:56
As I understand it 27,000 season ticket holders, box holders get one per seat – so a box of 10 gets 10. There are 100 or so boxes but not all sold. Then there are the members of the Sky Lounge Etc who get one each (not sure if thay count in the ST numbers though). Don’t forget the sponsors will no doubt have some too. Players get 10 each but can;’t speak for some full time staff who may get the same. Then senior staff and directors, McGregors etc.
So bottom line 27,000 ST plus players and main staff 500. Occasional staff 500, boxes about 1,000 then the corporates 1000 don’t leave many do it?
I understand from a member that if any are left then those main members, those that spend a lot of money, could get extras.
February 17, 2010 at 16:00
yep Denis, read that on a few forums, the fact the club do not announce the exact distrubution says a lot, we are not unique, this happens at every club.
But just giving 100 away in a competition is depriving 100 fans of tickets. Not populist rant Dan but just the fact that some fans from this will get tickets despite being to less home games than those who missed out, the principle is not fair.
Wait for the FA cup fuss WHEN we get there and FULL ST holders have to lose out
February 17, 2010 at 16:04
“frankly, i’d be more interested in learning exactly where the ~30k tix that are not allocated to either club go. whining about 100 out of 90,000 seems a bit small potatoes to me.”
agree Dan, 15,000 to club Wembley people and is it 15,000 to the ‘football league family’
All a con and no wonder final atmosphere’s are muted
For this competition as well it is not clear if people already with tickets can enter again, maybe missed that.
February 17, 2010 at 16:27
“But just giving 100 away in a competition is depriving 100 fans of tickets.’
that’s not accurate, is it. they’re offering 50 “winners” the opportunity to purchase a pair of £38 tix. the type of tix that have been left over from the initial rounds of sales. in other words, what is evidently the least desirable tickets on offer.
perhaps the “normal fans” who are “deprived” this time can get some kind of priority in the next final, because this is going to happen every single time. we’ve got the same allocation as Man Utd and the same allocation as both teams received last year. you can’t piss a pint in a half pint glass.
nitpicking over 100 tix here and there really doesn’t make much difference.
February 17, 2010 at 16:34
Just dislike the principle Dan, it seems not ‘fair’ to me and if I was someone who tomorrow will be in the queue when ticket sold out goes up then maybe I would be angry ?
Always will be a cutoff of course, always those with stories of why they deserve one but random 50 poeple makes no sense, at least to me.
February 17, 2010 at 16:49
I have been told by people who work at villa, I know people can make things up but I have been told these figures by 3 seperate people, true or false I dont know make your own mind up.
February 17, 2010 at 16:45
no probs Chas and maybe the club at the start should have broken down how the tickets are allocated, openess and all that.
I have heard for some away games (especially Arsenal) a lot of tickets, say get ‘diverted’
February 17, 2010 at 16:48
Why will some season tickets holders not get tickets for the FA Cup Final?
February 17, 2010 at 17:24
and KVFC, we have as discussed will only likely get 22-23,000 for ST holders, vast majority will be ok but half ST holders no chance
it is the benefit of buying a ST
February 17, 2010 at 19:20
Because each club only gets 25,000 for FA cup final
February 17, 2010 at 17:52
I think you’re wrong Ian, for all the reasons people have said. Sorry
February 17, 2010 at 18:49
I think you are very wrong.
I had been a season ticket holder for the past four years but didn’t renew this year because of work commitments (I’m in the military and had to deploy). Because I have not attended many games this year I can’t get a ticket. How’s that figure?? I have over 1000 loyalty points on my client reference but that obviously means nothing! Competitions like this are my only chance!
February 17, 2010 at 20:19
they are Mark, but at the expense of those who have been able to go ?
plenty of other competitions around you could take part in which do not come out or our allocation
trust me there are hundreds like you, very deserving grounds, I go to a game with a bloke who gave up his ST last season and yet been to all but three home games this season.
problem is he has borrowed ST’s and got tickets on my ST.
February 17, 2010 at 20:30
This situation does swing both ways. I have been a loyal fan for a long time and by that I mean attending games both home and away, it just so happens that this year ( of all the years ) I couldn’t commit to a season ticket. But that means that someone who may not of been to many games previous to this season could of attended a few games this year and been thrown up the pecking order. Might be just me but I believed that when they eventually did release tickets to non ST holders it would of been on the loyalty points that fans have accrued over time an not on how many games someone has been to this year. Surely this is what the loyalty points are for??
February 17, 2010 at 23:29
What really annoys me is the allocation of 10 wembley tickets for villa corporate boxes, now I know they pay a lot of money per season for the boxes at villa but most of them are company boxes and the money they pay for them is written of to tax, so out of those 10 wembley tickets per box how many villa supporters are likely to attend the final! not many I would quess and they get the best seats available this I do know.
February 18, 2010 at 08:28
Lesson to learn?
Get a season ticket and stop moaning, your moaning about the system because your not part of it. Back your club and be part of it. Pisses me off that these temp fans come out the woodwork and moan about not getting a ticket or a competition is launched and they are suddenly up in arms.
You only have yourselves to blame.
For all those with loyalty points heaped up, contact Villa, countless people have contacted Villa who have genuinely been to many games over the last few years and have been given tickets after being reviewed. They aren’t scrooges , IF YOU DESERVE A TICKET, you get one.
February 18, 2010 at 08:51
Wembley Ticket Holder, on February 18th, 2010 at 08:51:
Mate you are a fool. Not all Villa fans live in Brum, I have been travelling from Portsmouth to Villa Park for 4 seasons every home game and many away games. This season, due to the birth of my child, I have not renewed my ticket.
Does this make me any less of a fan that you? Am I a ‘temp’ fan in your words? I would consider myself a very committed villa fan!! Don’t know who all these countless people are who have got tickets without the booking history, think your talking rubbish again!!!!!!!!!!
Villa Park will not accept my call and there is no chance of getting a ticket as I have not made it to 7 games this season (only 6 + quarter and semi final of cup!)
What pissed me off is mugs who are considered real fans but have stuck their tickets on eBay for £300 each.
February 18, 2010 at 12:25
http://www.barnetfc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10431~1969574,00.html?
Here have a look and enter…..BARNET FC getting them from Carling!
February 18, 2010 at 12:26
JNS
Excuses aside, this season, do you deserve a ticket? The honest answer is no! I have been a season ticket holder for many years, attended every cup game and some away games. Do I deserve my ticket? Yes. Because this season I have done all of the above. Do I feel guilty? No because I INVESTED £2000 plus into tickets and the ticket is my REWARD.
It doesn’t make you any less of a fan it’s just the luck of the draw. Every season is a lottery, you never know what your going to get. Unfortunately you had a sprog and couldn’t attend, should Villa be laid accountable? No. Your life and your decisions have produced your outcome.
Write to Villa then, written down they can look into your case, history, distance and make a judgement. Include your booking history reference, give them a sob story. A phone call doesn’t turn many heads, especially if your pissed off, a letter will fathom a response.
And just for the record, I’m a fool with a WEMBLEY ticket.
February 18, 2010 at 12:59
Wembley Ticket Holder, on February 18th, 2010 at 12:59:
I am not making any excuses mate (just stating facts) and I don’t think it has anything to do with deserving a ticket. As far as I am concerned (and I have a slightly tainted view), I have sacrifised much more than most to attend villa for 4 seasons (6 hour round trip per game + expenses on top of your investments into tickets!!)
I don’t see having a child as unfortunate and I also understand the other villa fans views who have missed out (Minty and Mark in above posts- Christ Mark is serving our country oversea’s and was a season ticket holder b4, are you saying he does not deserve one either becauase of his decisions in life?)
I appreciate your suggestions on writing a letter and agree, however I very much doubt it will get read or responded to ever-let alone before the final but I will give it a go as I have tried every other means of getting a ticket!
February 18, 2010 at 13:55
I’m sure deserving causes WILL get tickets, but you won’t get tickets bitching and moaning about it on the internet. Contact Villa, be persistent and forward your claim. Same goes to one of our boys in the forces, Krulak will probably throw a free ticket at you IF you get into contact via the right methods.
I have an Irish friend who has made about eight league games, 3 cup matches, he wrote to Villa explaining his predicament, long hauls etc and he got a response within a week, granting him a ticket. It really isn’t that hard, granting that you are a deserving cause.
I wasn’t saying bringing a new life into the world as being unfortunate but the timing was in this instance.
February 18, 2010 at 14:48
I agree and responded to you only because I took offence to your ‘temp’ fans comments. Not bitching and moaning, just gutted I am not going, as I am sure you would be!
I would rather be putting my efforts into something constructive like writing a letter – which I will do immediately.
At the end of the day, we all support Villa and I don’t think anyone is more committed than me. Lets see what happens. I have entered nearly all online competitions (which also is disappointing that there are so many) and very nearly bid the £600 on eBay to the asshole who is selling the tickets although in the end, could not justify it.
It’s all good for you as you have a ticket, maybe you should spare a thought for those not as fortunate but EQUALLY deserving in my opinion before your so harsh.
At the end of the day, your going and im not so fair play to you. Well done. Enjoy the Game – UTV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 18, 2010 at 15:09