Lions Clubs

[Three Spires Villa]

Hi, First time poster, long term buyer & reader of the forum. Serious post, heard tonight about a Lions club member who is not a season ticket holder, no away games this season who has got tickets for Wolves tomorrow + Botts Forrest. I'm a ST holder of a few, 10+ and 4 away games this year + I couldn't get tickets. Can someone on here who knows more about this than me explain how Lions clubs distribute tickets.

Thanks people

[Malandro]

Join a Lions club? I'm with the Yorkshire Lions and it's well worth the subscription.
Good people and a few perks, you may get help with a ticket but it's often down to a lottery system.

[Malandro]

The tickets are also primarily from  fellow members who cannot attend, for whatever reason.

[Three Spires Villa]

Ok, I get that the Lions Clubs can help fellow Villa fans but I live close enough to VP and buy a ST and travel, so why or how can someone who's not a ST holder get difficult to obtain away tickets, dosent seem fair tbh. Maybe we don't buy ST + become members of Lions Clubs?

[wittonwarrior]

To be fair there is no fool proof  method of  controlling away tickets.  I think Villa have a good  distribution method.

I can remember running  back to the 70's when you could get cup final tickets as a bingo rep, the programme vouchers and through being a season ticket holder, so whilst you had 2,000 estimated  villains  outside Wembley in 77  some people had the opportunity of obtaining  3 tickets. 

Bearing in mind our club's hard  times it is essential that you keep the Lions Clubs  running and the only way to do that is dangle the carrot of available tickets.

[PeterWithesShin]

I could well be wrong as never been a member, but isn't it a case that each of the Lions clubs can apply for tickets for a game, Villa tell them they can buy X amount and then it's up to each of the clubs which of their members have them?

[Three Spires Villa]

Ok thanks Witton, I get that. Maybe just feel a p#$$ed that buying a ST for 13 seasons on the bounce + going away (no way as many as other posters on here) that a Lions club not far from Villa can give tickets to non season ticket holders when me and my son and many more deserving Villa fans can't get them. Ho hum 😣

[Three Spires Villa]

Thanks PWS, guess you are right. Hope every one going enjoys it

[wittonwarrior]

For any avoidance of doubt the system is not without issues however it is important that supporters clubs are kept running.  You only have to look at the fixture list to realise that . I live in the North West and know some fans would miss out on some games if it was not for the North West Lions club coach.

I have  missed  out on Forest ticket for example and am  a  season ticket holder  so I understand the problems but the Aston Villa Lions club has been running for years and is essential to The Villa.

Yes I do feel for supporters who miss out due to elevation of ticket distribution to the Lions Club members but I am not into a Villa v Villa battle over this.

Could also argue that what I have done previously is not fair getting tickets on the back of someone else who has a bigger away history but can't attend a particular game. 

I really wouldn't like to be the person determining the distribution if I was honest.

[Three Spires Villa]

Absolutely agree, might be an idea though that Lions Clubs near or in Birmingham give tickets to season ticket holders and regular away followers?

Lions Clubs further away should get away tickets of course, they make more effort to get to VP and away games than those of us who live closer, I get that. Anyway don't want to start Villa on Villa, but if a 7+ away games fan can't get a ticket then a non season ticket holder shouldn't. Only my opinion

[Malandro]

But why not join one, for the sake of £10?

[Bad English]

Hi! I am the southwest France chapter of France Lions! I am very lonely.

[exigo]

For any avoidance of doubt the system is not without issues however it is important that supporters clubs are kept running.  You only have to look at the fixture list to realise that . I live in the North West and know some fans would miss out on some games if it was not for the North West Lions club coach.

I have  missed  out on Forest ticket for example and am  a  season ticket holder  so I understand the problems but the Aston Villa Lions club has been running for years and is essential to The Villa.

Yes I do feel for supporters who miss out due to elevation of ticket distribution to the Lions Club members but I am not into a Villa v Villa battle over this.

Could also argue that what I have done previously is not fair getting tickets on the back of someone else who has a bigger away history but can't attend a particular game. 

I really wouldn't like to be the person determining the distribution if I was honest.

To add to that, and answer the question to some degree, I'm a Lions Club member down south – having moved away from Birmingham over twenty years ago. A season ticket is out of the question for me, but I get to as many games as possible (and a home game is a £70/10 hour investment each time); this season I've done three homes and five aways, committing to three more in the next month. For most fixtures, I could get a ticket with my own booking history, but a few allocations are much smaller and therefore impossible to get this way.

On average, Villa put aside around 50 tickets for Lions Clubs – probably fewer than that put aside for club staff and hangers-on. Chairmen and women have to ring up (can't be done online) at a set time, and hope to make it through in time. They can only apply for six tickets per club branch, and every ticket MUST be allocated to a registered member with a Villa account number.

I'm not here to debate the rights and wrongs of that. And I totally understand your frustration – I'm going to both Forest and Brentford, and know that I wouldn't be otherwise. That's why I'd echo other posters who've said that it's worth joining your local Lions Club. For me, it's been a great way to meet likeminded Villans, and make travelling for hours to another defeat much more enjoyable.

[Meanwood Villa]

When I first started going away around 2000 there was never any danger of not getting a ticket. It was literally a case of write to the club saying how many you wanted with a cheque for said amount. Now it seems we sell out every away and I am one of those less regular attendees who rely on Lions' club membership to get tickets. Anyone know why there's been such a change and when this happened?

[Three Spires Villa]

Thanks to all for the answers. I'm not questioning the Lions Clubs and Villa fans who travel great distances deserve tickets. I was just told a story that now appears to be BS, that a person with no away games was able to get tickets today. I didn't understand how that could be if the criteria was 7+ away games. As for myself I live less than an hour away from VP, so have never thought of joining a Lions Club. Haven't meant to offend anyone and thanks for the info.