I am sure this has been discussed on here before, and I know other clubs have such a scheme, but surely the answer is an Away Season Ticket, which gives holders priority for buying away tickets. Priority for buying the Away Season Ticket (you could sell, say 5,000 of them) would go to Home ST holders, but any left after a certain time would go for general sale. So when selling tickets for away games, Away ST holders get priority, then general sale. Home ST's could be slightly cheaper, with the money being made up by the sale of Away ST's. This gives Home ST holders the choice of whether to buy an Away ST, or take pot luck if they only want to go to a few away games. Also, it means that Home ST holders who never go to away games don't have to pay for the priority position they never take advantage of.
One thing I'd introduce is a scheme that allows fans from outside of Hampshire being given priority to away games that are local to them. For example, Welsh Saints fans should have priority for Swansea away tickets. Only exception I can think of is London. Not sure how others would feel about this?
Ive only been to stoke away this year Been to over half home games but cannot get a season ticket due to work commitments, frustrating that my support for the past 3 years is not taken into acount when buying tickets!
I would imagine that the people that it doesn't favour disagree with it. Those that it does favour probably quite like it! I'm afraid that with most things in life, if demand outweighs supply then those with the most money will get the tickets. I'm not saying that season ticket holders necessarily have the most money but you know what I mean. I think Chilco's idea of an way season ticket has some merit. Although you will be faced with a similar problem in that not everyone can afford or is able to go to all of the games. Perhaps those that leave early should be banned from getting away tickets
It favours me and I don't like it - I think someone who's been to five away games should get priority before I do! That's why I'd be happy to help more deserving people out.
Why are they more deserving? Playing devil's advocate for a moment, you could equally argue that they have been to 5 so why shouldn't someone else have a turn.
Don't think it's about letting somebody else have a turn. It's mostly about nearby games - for example, I'm happy to go to Reading away (as I did), but someone who regularly travels to places like Newcastle and Sunderland should probably be allowed an easy one. I understand differing points of view, but hey, I capitalised on an offer for Reading tickets so might as well defend other people who want to go before it's their turn!
Because I have travelled hundreds of miles to support the team win or lose, sun or snow (literally!) and you're saying someone who hasn't bothered to travel before should get a turn. What a load of bollocks. I reckon I'm entitled to be high priority to buy a ticket and I don't think many would complain if I was.
Every game's an away game unless you live around Hampshire though. The club could do more for those who don't, and it can't hurt to encourage support from outside your immediate catchment area can it?
My journey to the Reading game was actually quicker than my normal journey to St Mary's. Basically a home game.
I've brought tickets for a few people when I couldn't get to an away game. I'll do it anytime for anyone when I can't go (I've only done 5 or 6 away days so plenty others available) On the "it's not fair", point, and I know I am a ST holder but this is my view regardless of that, the club offer to ST holders first as this is their priority market. Pee them off and they are upsetting their core business. It is unfortunate for those who can't be or aren't ST holders, but from a business point of view, I understand it. I work in an industry where occasionally there can be shortages of product; when this happens my core customers get product first.
I'm sorry but I disagree. What you are talking about is the club trying to compensate for people's life movements/choices/circumstances. Some people are fortunate enough to be able to travel to games and others aren't. I live in Northampton and its just under two hours each way; I make that choice to be a ST holder, not the club. I have chosen to sacrifice other things to do that; one day i may not be able to but that Cant be put at the door of the club. The guy who sits next to me as a ST holder, lives in Hull.
Tom, you have to take your personal circumstance out of the situation and put yourself in the clubs shoes. The way the club will see it is as a business. If you to 10 away games, you may be giving the club £300. A ST holder may be giving £500, so the club will look after that person first. It may not seem fair, but often things aren't and for every person like you, there will be another person who is effected in a different way.
Whichever system is employed there will always be winners & losers and people who feel as if they have been disadvantaged - much like life itself. I have struggled to get tickets home & away for donkeys years and its only been in recent years that i have been able to afford a ST, so i feel that i have earned the ability to get first choice of away tickets for me and my kids. In the 70's i hitch-hiked to London to watch Saints play and i have been to hundreds of away games since but its only the past couple of seasons that i have been able to have a good chance of getting a ticket for away games. I understand the frustration of all the great Saints fans on here voicing their displeasure - but there is no fair way to distribute too few tickets to so many passionate fans. A major disappointment this season is how many tickets Saints are allocated for most away games - not the clubs fault nor the ST holders fault - especially when we seem to give many clubs a good allocation at SMS.
Not wishing to bring up the old 'plastic' debate again but I was able to get tickets to every away game I tried in league 1 and championship, now we are premier league it is much harder. Probably one of the reasons I enjoyed league one so much, I haven't been to so many games a season since I moved away from Hampshire. There has been no recognition from the club of those fans that stuck with them and attended in the lower leagues, but then again why should they. As has been mentioned already, the club has to look after itself first, fans second. Would be poor business to ignore a regular stream of income over an irregular one.
Good for you, I'd happily travel to Southampton every fortnight if I was able to, but sadly I'm not. My opportunities are limited and if yours were also, wouldn't you want to go to a game in the midlands that you could attend? I understand the business case for doing it this way, but I don't see how it would materially harm their business to swing the pendulum slightly the other way.
Of course I'd want to, however I thnk it's naive or worse, self centred, for people to think the club should change something that doesn't suit them. I spent years hardly being able to get tickets for the Dell as my commitments and choices (I played football Saturdays) meant I didn't have a season ticket and missed out. Crikey, I went to 10 or 11 away games in 2002/2003 season and the club set the FA Cup ticket selection at 8'home games. I lived in Wigan so hardly did home games, but could I really expect the club to change selection away from benefiting their local and regular support?
