I will put money on this letter only stating that they are going to enforce this idiotic rule, rather than back down. If that is the case, then the club clearly are not listening to their customers. It will be the downfall of attendances in this and future seasons. And in actual fact it will probably work in reverse to what the family stand is there for. Its there to attract the next generation of fans, but without adults to bring them (who are likely to boycott coming to matches if the rule is enforced), how will the next generation get hooked into QPR. Well done QPR, very well done...
I also received that email from Ian Taylor this afternoon. At least they are now acknowledging that there is an issue. I can't guarantee anything Sussex but if you want to pm me your email address I can request that you get invited along.
Just sent it to you Roller, could you let me have yours so I can give you what I've emailed to the club tonight Cheers Steve
This really would add to the stresses of family life! Rushing around like mad and suddenly find the kid is late or sick or has a party or whatever and you have to ring at the last minute to get a new ticket.... Ages to get through.... Sort it..... Kid changes his mind ...gets better...... Party cancelled.......urghhhh! What a mess.
On a slightly different issue, but similar. They also seem to have changed the type of ticket that a junior season ticket holder with the membership upgrade can buy. I just tried to get two additional tickets for the Liverpool game for my Brother and his Son, who are both adults. However, when I tried to assign one of them to my Son, who is a Junior season ticket holder with the upgrade, they wouldn't allow it. He was able to buy an additional junior ticket, but not an adult. Last year, I was able to get additional tickets on his membership for adults. They seem to not allow this any more. Luckily, my other Son, who is an adult member can't go, so I was able to get the second ticket with his client number. The club seem hell bent on making things as difficult as possible for their supporters!!
I'm not surprised col, they seem to make it up as they go. TBH I'm sick of it. Sh1t on the pitch and Sh1t off the pitch.
Nines pissed off? Sussex pissed off? Judo pissed off? I'm pissed off! On a number of occasions, I've had the pleasure of sitting in the Lower Loft with the above 3 having paid an upgrade to change one of Nines' kid's ticket to an adult ticket. To me that's a win, win, win situation....... Win number 1: the Club gets extra revenue (isn't that the business point?) Win number 2: the players get a lunatic Corkman roaring them on to win (isn't that the point of a having fans?) Win number 3: Nines, Sussex and Judo (and Mrs Sussex) get to sit next to me! ;-)
Huge sympathy for those affected. From afar, my suggestion would be to try to get an alternative suggestion to the club before they send out these letters (they don't sound like good news and possibly imply a point of no return). My compromise would be to make the section "family friendly" - priority tickets given to those buying for families but adults allowed (say, tickets for members go to those linked to U16s and tickets for adults with no child links go in with the general sale for that section). Similarly, season tickets go up a couple of days earlier to families and then to the rest (with seats decided after so those with existing seats can keep their trusty positions). The section can be marshalled slightly more rigidly than other areas (remain seated, no C words for example). Not sure I've explained well but it's better to compromise now than to try to claw it back on others terms later. Good luck.
I must keep saying...this really does not business sense from their point of view. They cannot of thought it through. What is their legal situation if on Thursday morning you say you have 3 adults and a kid...the kid can't go ...and you want to take up your seats or be reseated ...and it is a sell out. And WHO do they resell your ticket to...a member with a kid, who hasn't got a ticket???? It just does not make financial sense. And all the extra work on their end... And where is their ultimate gain....a new generation of R fans...not this way...
So it's effectively an 'U16 stand' rather than a "family stand"? We don't have a big enough fanbase or a big enough stadium to arse about with these things in my opinion. Sounds like they're running 18k loftus Road as if it's a big multi purpose 60k seater. It's not designed for family stands- certainly not if it's to the detriment of the Loft's atmosphere. Performances will improve on the pitch if the upper + lower loft are filled with the 'hardcore' vocal fans. What's wrong with Ellerslie/SA Road/school end? I know Phil Beard had a mealy mouthed excuse for this in the past, but it really needs readdressing. On a basic level: there'll be more dissatisfied fans if the lower loft remains a family stand, than if it doesn't. It simply doesn't make sense to anger a major part of your customer base for the sake of a minor part. Kids have survived for 100 years without being squirrelled away in parts of stadiums. Football's never had a problem with attracting young fans in that time? I loved sitting in the mixed areas as a kid, the cultural melting pot element was always an exotic attraction. Strikes me this is the initiative of a "Boutique club" trying to attract ponsey Fulham types who don't want to sit with the Riff Raff. The level of disrespect shown by phil is really reminiscent of Flavio's assertion that he didn't give a toss about "people who turn up and pay £20". Have times changed as much as we thought..?
Good post Matt. I wouln't care to sugest a solution but this certainly looks like a starting point. Roller, Can you post this thread to the club so that they can see how feelings are running, by all , not just the supporters affected?
The only other thing I'll add is that it's not worth disrupting the devoted fans we've got (possibly breaking the generation to generation links that these have to the club and will have in the future) for the sake of the immediate now when we're meant to be in a new ground in 5 years (when space and initiatives would all have an even starting place). It's one generation at the expense of the next and previous ones.
Back in my youth 1966 - 1975 when I attended a good number of R's games, home & away, with or without my Dad, standing or seated - we took tickets wherever they were available and never encountered any problems, although at my first ever match at Bournemouth & Boscombe in 1966, watching Rodney for the first time, crowded amongst the home fans, my Dad struck up some interesting, at times not so friendly banter with a few of them that made me cringe a little wearing my R's rosette & scarf, holding my blue & white hooped ARP rattle! For him, it was probably just like being back in London going to R's games with his own Dad, my Grandfather, who had passed away around 1961. On reflection it would have been wonderful if our three generations had attended an R's match together.
Having the more 'Vocal' fans behind the Home goal has been in football for years. Ever since the LL became the Family Stand the atmosphere (bar 2 or 3 games over the past few years) has been dire in comparison to, for example, a club with a similar attendance, the Fratton End down in Portsmouth where I live. They get around 15-18k each week but the Fratton End is always sold out and the noise generated from that sound alone reverberates around the entire ground and you can see the lift it gives to the players. I get embarrassed at the lack of noise at our home games sometimes (I'm even embarrassed to invite friends along!) and feel like a right tit trying to generate some noise from my stand. Bring back LL for the vocals!!!!!
Well said Block F. It is embarrassing at times. When the Family stand thing was first introduced (with the standard no consultation of course), I wrote and warned the club of the potential outcome on 3 occasions (2 emails and a letter in the post), without a single reply. Sadly I don't think we'll get it back until we move stadium. The club doesn't seem to have either the knowledge of our history within the staff, or a good enough connection to the fan base (as shown by the repeated mistakes they are making). Bring back the original Loft terrace I say!!! maybe we should start a #LowerLoftNoise campaign?
