Away Tickets - What's the magic?

[claret+blue ed]

Incredible how near impossible it is to get away tickets now.

Go back a decade and I could get to the likes of Everton and West Ham away fairly easily and I was a non season ticket holder going to 6-7 home games a season in those times. Those were mid ranking away games but zero chance now of going to either fixture this season (even if we draw either away in the FA cup) and that's not going to change unless we get really rubbish again at prem level and even then they'll be loyalty for a few seasons.

Getting promotion really did re-energise our support home and away in terms of numbers.

I was probably similar to this, don't warrant an ST due to location and not even on the waiting list, would regularly get to 20 games home and away a season, only away I have been able to get since promotion was Man U away in the cup last year, literally because we got 7k on a Thursday night

I don't believe there will ever be a perfect system to suit all and I do think genuine loyalty deserves rewarding, but we do have to try and come up with something to enable other supporters to experience the away days

 I've seen suggested a 70/30 split on booking history and a ballot, that could be worth a try

[TonyD]

Some tickets, maybe a lot more than some might be freed up if they were to weed out the charlied up, pissed morons who seem to be ever present away followers. It might make the experience a bit more enjoyable to everyone else who follows too.

I could fully get behind that proposal. One of the reasons I'm not that bothered about away game attendance these days is that a large percentage of the travelling Villa fans are absolute wankers who make the experience deeply unpleasant. Making a mosh pit in the concourse before the game and chucking beer around, and then doing nothing but flap their hands at the home supporters during the match. Absolute scrotes.

More reasons for 70/30 split.  Get some new people on board. 

[frank black]

Some tickets, maybe a lot more than some might be freed up if they were to weed out the charlied up, pissed morons who seem to be ever present away followers. It might make the experience a bit more enjoyable to everyone else who follows too.

I could fully get behind that proposal. One of the reasons I'm not that bothered about away game attendance these days is that a large percentage of the travelling Villa fans are absolute wankers who make the experience deeply unpleasant. Making a mosh pit in the concourse before the game and chucking beer around, and then doing nothing but flap their hands at the home supporters during the match. Absolute scrotes.

This is my view of England fans, only been to one England game and it put me off for life.

Spilling/chucking pints should be grounds for a ban

[rjp]

I missed a couple of away games at the start of last season and I tumbled down the list and haven’t been able to recover since. Ive only been to a few away games since then, and that’s with the help of friends with spare tickets etc. I haven’t got a problem with this system because it’s always been the same. The demand for Villa tickets has never been higher in my lifetime and its bloody great, if a little frustrating. Better than having a half empty Villa Park and a mini bus of fans at away games being Blues.

FTFY.

[VillaTim]

Some tickets, maybe a lot more than some might be freed up if they were to weed out the charlied up, pissed morons who seem to be ever present away followers. It might make the experience a bit more enjoyable to everyone else who follows too.

I noticed the three bellends behind me at Anfield, who were spoken to by the police at half time and were also being gobshites outside after the game, in the front row at Chelsea shortly after.

I doubt I'd manage to get through another game in their proximity without saying/doing something.

Yeah i wish they'd just spend the day in the pub

[Risso]

Some tickets, maybe a lot more than some might be freed up if they were to weed out the charlied up, pissed morons who seem to be ever present away followers. It might make the experience a bit more enjoyable to everyone else who follows too.

I could fully get behind that proposal. One of the reasons I'm not that bothered about away game attendance these days is that a large percentage of the travelling Villa fans are absolute wankers who make the experience deeply unpleasant. Making a mosh pit in the concourse before the game and chucking beer around, and then doing nothing but flap their hands at the home supporters during the match. Absolute scrotes.

More reasons for 70/30 split.  Get some new people on board. 

Probably just end up with a new group of cretins.

[VillaTim]

Some tickets, maybe a lot more than some might be freed up if they were to weed out the charlied up, pissed morons who seem to be ever present away followers. It might make the experience a bit more enjoyable to everyone else who follows too.

I could fully get behind that proposal. One of the reasons I'm not that bothered about away game attendance these days is that a large percentage of the travelling Villa fans are absolute wankers who make the experience deeply unpleasant. Making a mosh pit in the concourse before the game and chucking beer around, and then doing nothing but flap their hands at the home supporters during the match. Absolute scrotes.

More reasons for 70/30 split.  Get some new people on board. 

Probably just end up with a new group of cretins.

yeah but at least they'd be rotating

[amfy]

For games like Bournemouth and Brentford, where the allocation is tiny, the 70/30 would be unfair.

There's 2400 with 11+ aways; so you could with your ~3000 allocations have 19+, 15+, 11+ categories and then open up the last 20% to season ticket holders for a ballot and you probably wouldn't be changing too much, just giving folks the chance to do 4 or 5 aways a season rather than none.

I still don't think the problem of people passing on tickets is too wide spread and I really don't agree with the "don't want to go but have to buy tickets" thinking at all. I don't think there's any basis for that.

I think you're wrong.  Infact I know you're wrong.

You have a very extreme view as you are in the club and can be for as long as you like.  Everyone in your position will buy 19 away tickets so they can do the same.  I'd say the vast majority sell a few on.

I understand your point of view.  In your mind you did the hard yards and will benefit forever more because your circumstances meant you could go to away matches when we were in the championship.  Anyone else can fuck off because they didn't go to 19 away matches 4 years ago.

I get it.  Why would you want redistribution of your wealth when you are the one with the wealth?

As many have said, there's no easy answers.  Of course loyalty should be rewarded, but but I don't think the same 2-3,000 buying all the tickets in perpetuity can or should be the answer.  There should be opportunities for other fans, particularly younger fans.  Personally I think 50/50 would do this.  I don't think there should be a '19 games' criteria.  You'd still get to most games but because you don't HAVE to buy a ticket for every game then more will trickle down.

I think this is the key - I don’t think taking out the 19+ criteria will stop those who want to go to all 19 games from going.

It’ll just mean that when you don’t want to go, you just don’t, and give someone else a chance. If each of 2,500 fans missed just ONE game a season because of a wedding, funeral, special birthday party, illness, etc and put that ticket back in the pot instead of selling it on to keep their ‘19+’ record, they would still get tickets for every game they wanted to go to, and (for example)  416 more Villa fans could go to 6 games.

[Risso]

But if they're selling it on, then presumably a different Villa fan is going, anyway.

[Paul.S]

I 100% agree with rewarding loyalty. I go to about 6 always a season but during the mid 80’s for about 20 years I’d go to nearly all of them. I would’ve hated it if I’d been told I couldn’t go.
Maybe up the ballot to 200 tickets per away game.

[amfy]

But if they're selling it on, then presumably a different Villa fan is going, anyway.

But not on their own record, and only if they are somehow linked with a seller. What’s wrong with people wanting to build their own booking history instead of someone else’s?

[VillaTim]

I 100% agree with rewarding loyalty. I go to about 6 always a season but during the mid 80’s for about 20 years I’d go to nearly all of them. I would’ve hated it if I’d been told I couldn’t go.
Maybe up the ballot to 200 tickets per away game.

Ballot 1500 would be fair

[AlexAlexCropley]

I 100% agree with rewarding loyalty. I go to about 6 always a season but during the mid 80’s for about 20 years I’d go to nearly all of them. I would’ve hated it if I’d been told I couldn’t go.
Maybe up the ballot to 200 tickets per away game.

Ballot 1500 would be fair

Agreed. Loyalty or not,  the away support needs reinvigorating .

[amfy]

I 100% agree with rewarding loyalty. I go to about 6 always a season but during the mid 80’s for about 20 years I’d go to nearly all of them. I would’ve hated it if I’d been told I couldn’t go.
Maybe up the ballot to 200 tickets per away game.

Ballot 1500 would be fair

Agreed. Loyalty or not,  the away support needs reinvigorating .

I agree with this too. It’s not that the most dedicated fans don’t support the team well, but those who are on a massive adventure because they don’t do it often, rather than in a routine, do bring a different energy.

[VillaTim]

Yes an alternate energy to 10 pints of Carling and a couple of lines