brb - I've had a look ! The original advert for season tickets, ( AND, subsequently repeated in the season ticket books as part of T & C ), states that STH are entitled to (other incentives) - AND (A) Two free tickets for ANY league game (B) 4 x Friends for £5. League games only ** . Curiously it doesn't specify ANY league game, but I would say that this is implied by the SPECIFIC description used in (A). The ** bit relates to T & C of use apply. I really can't be bothered to look for the microscopic gobblydook in the T & C that will result in tough poo poo for STH. - you know what I mean - the sort of legal jargon that does absolutely NOTHING to engender any positive relationship with the fans who pay their money up-front -- regardless of success or otherwise. It's just another example of the thin end of the wedge getting thinner ! A real nonsense in all of this is that the ** doesn't appear to apply to (A) -- the FREE tickets - No, it applies to the tickets for which I was going to have to hand over (some) money ! I've got an idea for Scally - especially if we get promoted -- offer 23 free / friends for £5 vouchers in season ticket books. Then put in as many **************** as he likes - all the time knowing that he won't have to honour any ONE of them.
Hmm appears I'm wrong the offer was withdrawn for the Coventry and Millwall games on the 17th March... http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/article/remaining-home-games-ticket-update-3011583.aspx So the next question I ask is what date did the Wall tickets go on sale? I only ask because how can you quote, 'exceeded availability on our promotional ticket offers to season ticket holders for both the Coventry City and Millwall home games.' - if they were not on sale, or if they were how long had they been on sale for?...I'm referring to Millwall. Still not right though, if you sell ST's with an offer you are alwaysright, it should include ALL games, otherwise it's like if we have a bad season, thank you for your loyal support, but if we have a good season, join the queue.
brb Thanks for the above 'link' - I obviously missed it - although I probably was digesting details of the previous days Budget - so Gills were dishing out their brand of bad news on the back of more serious stuff. EXCEEDED AVAILABILITY !!!!! HOW ???? Like I said - there were over 4000 empty seats. This was an exercise in sheer greed - which went spectacularly wrong. We should be getting larger crowds than we have this season. We've only had two over 7000 - and that was due to the large away support. Maybe the town doesn't deserve any footballing success - because, judging by the support it gets , when it hasn't been out of the top 4 places, I don't see anything but a catastrophic struggle in a higher division. (Birmingham gave us a taste of that at the beginning of the season). I don't actually blame Mr.Sally for trying to get as much revenue out of the Coventry game, or the match against Millwall -- but this can still be achieved without treating STH as idiots - because the 4000 empty seats on Saturday showed that EXCEEDED AVAILABILITY was a whopping great LIE. ps - The FULL ** list of T & C in the season ticket books gives NO indication that ANY offer associated with the vouchers can be withdrawn. I stand by my interpretation of ANY league game for the 'Friends for a £5' vouchers - because the Club uses the word 'ANY' for the 'free' ticket offer. I'm fairly sure that you would succeed if you sued the club. - I wouldn't do THAT- because it wouldn't be able to afford the fines - it hasn't sold enough tickets for games to generate the revenue to defend cases of litigation ! ** There may be other T & C but these probably exist in some corner of a drawer in Scally's office - ready to be brought out and dusted down when he needs to shaft STH (AGAIN)
We don't 'always' see eye to eye but on this occasion we do, and I don't even have a season ticket this season. But I know how I would have felt if I still could afford it. As a mere matter of personal opinion you cannot treat STHolders like this, the offer was there at the beginning of the season when you purchased your ST, that purchase could have seen Gills in a relegation season but you bought it none the less. The club can then not move the goalposts based on success, IT's WRONG! Maybe the chairman is spreading the availability for all but you need to look after your loyal customers, who base their purchase on incentives. Yes, it might mean I don't get a ticket for Wall, so be it, but ALSO dependent on events over the next few weeks and performances, the Wall game could well possibly end up a non event (no autos but play-offs already assured maybe), which leads me to add, that match will then well and truly have been milked and that leaves a nasty sour taste in the mouth.
brb Your last point about the Millwall game being a 'dead rubber' is well founded -- if we are already assured of a play-off place. You have to admire Scally's forward thinking on the matter - trying to ensure he gets the money that people would otherwise have saved for the play-off games - and if we end up 7th or worse, it would be money in the bank for him. As for loyalty to STH - there won't be any if we are in the Play - Offs ! Because anyone buying a ticket for Coventry & Millwall ( just 2 games in a season ), will get the same 'privilege' as STH when it comes to ticket priority -- as YOU put it - join the queue.
On my phone now....but so many points i could highlight understanding it from all sides. ie club...STHolder...pay on gate supporters....and finally glory hunters...but i doubt this device could cope with the 10 chapter overload...and once them fingers get going the typos would be so bad you'd think it was written by a romanian gypsy...oh hang on a minute let me think that last bit through lol
You can fill any stadium with plastics I hear that marketing has gone through the roof in Asia on Leicester merchandise, guess it will not be long before the European market follows suit
Yep.....easy to support a winning team. No one apart from the true supporters wants to be associated with a 'normal' team. Speaks volumes regarding the make up of those 'supporters'. Tools R Us......(Let's come out on a sunny day if we're likely to win.......)
I've said it before time and time again, the club has a data base it is about time it put it to the use that data bases serve a purpose for, knowing your regular supporters. I think if you attend games, albeit maybe only one or two you receive credits towards the availability of ticket purchases, if you have no credits, you lose out. This at the very least will cut out the once a season visitors. Maybe during the season the lower rated a game the higher the credit value you receive. This system would then not penalise the less well off, but would penalise the one game glory hunters.
brb It's quite obvious that Mr.Scally doesn't care whose money he gets - and will gladly accomodate Martians - as long as they pay up . I am sure that a number of supporters take the incentives into serious consideration when deciding whether or not to purchase a season ticket - whilst juggling their family budget for the year. I am very fortunate that I am not constrained by finances - but I do feel sorry for people who have to decide which game to attend. Not everyone can afford to pay for all their family to attend all the games - and the voucher scheme ( if properly honoured ), is an excellent idea - to allow families with 'restricted ' income to attend games at a reasonable cost. If you withdraw the incentive - on a whim - you end up with over 4000 empty seats - and next season people may think twice before buying a season ticket. If the Coventry game had 'exceeded availability', then fair enough - and (despite the 'plastic fan' tag, I would like to see more people / fans/ supporters / customers coming to our games - but we know it was just Scally getting more blood out of a stone - a stone that will remain solid, and not 'bio-degrade' as quickly as a Tesco bag.
So price comparison; 1980/81 cost of a game £1.50 Standing or £2.20 seated but now it is about £20+ 1983 price of pint 21p but now it is 75p for 2 pints 1983 price of bread 38p now around a £1 but can be purchased cheaper 1987 price of 97p but now it is about £3.20+ - £5 depending where you buy, but some ales can still be purchased for about £2.50 (Weatherspoons) Now spot what is seriously wrong with those above price comparisons, the price of the game has doubled in comparison to other basic items, meaning the lower earning income bracket are being priced out of the game!
I think it's what he paid when he last 'stood his round' brb- seriously, I'm only kidding - don't do a Toby on me ! On a more serious note - you have made the precise point of the disproportionate cost of watching 'Top Flight' football has exploded compared with 'normal leagues' in pre- Sky days.
Exactly about top flight football. Also I don't believe ANY player is worth the disproportionate wages they are paid since post sky. None of this money has gone back into grass roots, none of this money has kept the costs down for lower income bracket families. To say I despise it with a vengeance is an understatement and what's even worse it has led to the inevitable corruption of FIFA and it's president. At least if we get out of the EU some clubs will be forced to rethink their transfer policies. People talk to me about how much it costs to go to the Cinema or other major events, but I dismiss those arguments, football is our national sport and was always meant for the community, hence it cannot be compared to the other luxuries, it's just the marketing men have cloned people to think like that. Rant over
SORRY I need to aplogise for the term I used in Post No.1071. In paragraph 2 I referred to families on 'restricted income. On reflection this was a poor choice of words. I should have said normal income - and with no disrespect intended by this alternative as I would classify myself as somebody with fairly normal income, and have to make the same choices as to how to use my income as the rest of you. I'm dumbfounded how people of normal income can afford to watch live Premier League football each week - let alone this having been normal for the humble working-class man (woman) of not so long ago ( a mere 25 years ago ).
Sometimes my sophisticated wit is beyond normal intellect of others. A joke isn't necessarily unfunny just because nobody understands the punchline. Today I met up with a certain group of friends - as I routinely do on a weekly basis ( No, it's not Alcoholics Anonymous ). One of our number brought along his nephew and neice ( 11ys & 9ys), whose names were Ronan and Ornna. ( seriously !). I pretended not to know the parents of these children ( for the purposes of what turned out to be a poor joke.) I spoke to my friend (the uncle), and said " I think I know their parents. I'm fairly sure their mum's name is Anagram and their father's name is Palindrome. " The balloon then became leadened as my friend asked me " Why did you say that - I thought you knew their mum and dad is Patricia and John."
