CLARETANDBLUEFOXY Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 (edited) Does anyone remember the days where it was fairly easy to get away tickets as long as you had a decent booking history? I would regularly get to away games up and down the country because my booking history for home games was always really good. And this was during the MON era when we were flying high and you’d expect demand to be high but I’d never have trouble with away tickets. These days, they sell out within a few minutes of going on sale and never get any further than season ticket holders. Why do we think this is? Is demand so high now that people go more now than ever? Or do opposition clubs give us less allocation? I just find it mad that around 2009-2010 (our most successful period in recent history) I could regularly enjoy an away day and now it’s beyond impossible. Just wondered what people thought had changed? I just really miss enjoying an away day and although I’m on the waiting list for a ST I just feel a bit hopeless at ever getting a chance again. Edited January 15, 2023 by CLARETANDBLUEFOXY 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Follyfoot Posted January 15, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted January 15, 2023 (edited) 23 minutes ago, CLARETANDBLUEFOXY said: Does anyone remember the days where it was fairly easy to get away tickets as long as you had a decent booking history? I would regularly get to away games up and down the country because my booking history for home games was always really good. And this was during the MON era when we were flying high and you’d expect demand to be high but I’d never have trouble with away tickets. These days, they sell out within a few minutes of going on sale and never get any further than season ticket holders. Why do we think this is? Is demand so high now that people go more now than ever? Or do opposition clubs give us less allocation? I just find it mad that around 2009-2010 (our most successful period in recent history) I could regularly enjoy an away day and now it’s beyond impossible. Just wondered what people thought had changed? I just really miss enjoying an away day and although I’m on the waiting list for a ST I just feel a bit hopeless at ever getting a chance again. Closed shop mate, need 7 plus away booking history to get one as a rule and the ones that do not attend still buy the tickets to stay ahead on the booking list. Very rare they even filter down to season ticket holders either. I am old enough to remember some of my games in the 70s and the 80s were 15 to 20,000. Villa will turn up at an away ground. No rhyme, or reason for it just happened from time to time and was amazing. Edited January 15, 2023 by Follyfoot 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danceoftheshamen Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 (edited) I used to go to loads of away games too and as a season ticket holder I think they need to re-organise it in all honesty to give others a chance. The current system is wrong in my opinion. Especially as a season ticket holder! Surely you should get the chance at least a couple of times a season, if you registered your interest when buying the season ticket for example?! Most season ticket holders would naturally not want to go away regardless, so out of the 30k we currently have lets suppose 10k (Total guess) would want to go to an away game. If there are 19 away games & maybe 1 cup away game (seems all we can muster in recent years lol) then surely if 500 tickets were reserved for season ticket holder then you would get the chance to go to a couple per season at least? Edited January 15, 2023 by danceoftheshamen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Is it because Villa only buy the minimum allocation rather than the maximum allocation? Or do they not get to choose anymore? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 The only away games I’ve been to in recent years were in the championship. Larger ticket allocations (sometimes 5k+) and a portion of fans that can’t be bothered with championship games meant the less regular match-goer like me had a chance. I’d rather we don’t have to get relegated again for me to see us play away, but it’s probably the only way now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I know of a guy that’s able to get quite a few and he sometimes even sells them on to home fans! What can you do hey? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 15, 2023 Administrator Share Posted January 15, 2023 51 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: I know of a guy that’s able to get quite a few and he sometimes even sells them on to home fans! What can you do hey? Report him to the club. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 7 minutes ago, limpid said: Report him to the club. I don’t know him directly. He’s a friend of a friend. But I’m sure if the club really cared they could find out about this stuff quite easily without people having to report others. But do they really care as long as they are getting their money? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 15, 2023 Administrator Share Posted January 15, 2023 Just now, Vive_La_Villa said: I don’t know him directly. He’s a friend of a friend. But I’m sure if the club really cared they could find out about this stuff quite easily without people having to report others. But do they really care as long as they are getting their money? The club doesn't make money from away tickets. There are people in this thread missing out because of this person's actions. It's entirely possible that the club doesn't know people are (criminally) reselling tickets. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyvilla Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 its very common that people sell or let friends have away tickets now , it looks like you have been to every away game so always get one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I have only been to one away game since covid, and that was United away in the cup in November. Very hard to get the tickets! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danceoftheshamen Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 48 minutes ago, mattyvilla said: its very common that people sell or let friends have away tickets now , it looks like you have been to every away game so always get one. For me this is why it needs to change. It's a ridiculous situation to have zero chance of ever getting an away ticket (Unless you happen to know someone who is effectively denying you any chance through their actions as you state) They should reserve 1000 per game for rotational sales for me. The rest can go to those who by the looks of it often sell them on illegally. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Yeah, I’d love to go to an away match one day but looks like that will never happen. Do Villa always take the full allocation of away tickets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 41 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said: For me this is why it needs to change. It's a ridiculous situation to have zero chance of ever getting an away ticket (Unless you happen to know someone who is effectively denying you any chance through their actions as you state) They should reserve 1000 per game for rotational sales for me. The rest can go to those who by the looks of it often sell them on illegally. So excluding the dodgy resell people, those that go to every away game and have done for years should be reduced allocation because some fans who might or might not be season ticket holders want to go to an occasional away game. Can’t make this stuff up! Yes, sort out the dodgy resellers but no way prioritise occasional customers for every game, guaranteed customers…what kind of business would do that. As a former every away game supporter for many years I would be very cheesed off if an occasional supporter was allowed my ticket instead of me whose been there through bad games/fixtures and good ones because I’m guessing the tickets these occasional fans want isn’t Palace on a Wednesday night in the winter but the prime games like Anfield and the Etihad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Would love to go but aside from potential anecdotes ( some no doubt true somewhat) or people occasionally or often selling them on to retain their loyalty history....these people go watch Villa up and down the country every single week. More power to them because they spend a ton of money and don't have much else going on obviously. "Sorry Derek. I know you haven't missed a Villa game since 1973 and spend thousands on tickets and travel every year. You've given your life to following the club. You can't go to Leicester away. Dave fancies a game." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 9 minutes ago, rodders0223 said: Would love to go but aside from potential anecdotes ( some no doubt true somewhat) or people occasionally or often selling them on to retain their loyalty history....these people go watch Villa up and down the country every single week. More power to them because they spend a ton of money and don't have much else going on obviously. "Sorry Derek. I know you haven't missed a Villa game since 1973 and spend thousands on tickets and travel every year. You've given your life to following the club. You can't go to Leicester away. Dave fancies a game." It’s true, I was part of it for a long time in my younger days and it was a brilliant community and I had many friendships from it and at the time you got occasional ITK but as my life changed I couldn’t give as much time so had to back away. Couldn’t leave work on a regular basis after lunch because of mid week away games, getting home 2-3am and knackered for work the same day 5 hours later. Missing family and friends birthday nights or special occasions out and spending a fortune on tickets, travel and other stuff. I applaud those that do it who have families and lives, it’s a massive commitment and sometimes you question why when Villa go through bad periods which down the years we’ve had. To those, giving some favouritism to a few who want to go an odd game here or there and likely to a prime game seems unfair. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 15, 2023 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2023 It's a very difficult balance between rewarding those people who give up huge amounts of time, money and effort to go to every away game, or almost every way game and finding ways to ensure that there's an element of fairness and availability. Those people that go to every away game should be given the opportunity to continue to do so, their loyalty and effort I think earns them that right. The problem becomes one where those people know that if they drop out of a couple of games, they lose the opportunity to buy tickets and it's really difficult to get back on - the more casual away fan, the one that goes to three or four games a season, doesn't exist through the existing club channels. We've all heard the stories of the fella whose wife had a baby and he doesn't go away any more but still buys the tickets every week so that he can get back to it when he can, the one whose mates then sell them on, or the bloke that only does the games in the Midlands and London but has to buy Newcastle away to make sure he can, the away ticket that is a sort of collective, where a group of people buy tickets then see who out of the gang can go that week - and sadly we are in a situation where if you're someone like me, a season ticket holder who'd like to go to the occasional away game, you've got a much better chance of doing so by knowing someone who goes to every away game than you have through the club. Finding the right balance and the right way to police it is really difficult - I think ultimately we need to find some way to associate the use of the ticket on the day with the person that bought it - that would need to be something league wide and if it adds a cost, then football clubs aren't going to do it. So for example, you could add a picture of the purchaser to every away ticket, it it's not you when you arrive, you're reported and knocked off the list. I think there's probably a technological solution somewhere along the line where you buy a ticket on a phone associated to you and get a code confirmed on arrival at the ground, but I'm not really sure what you could do. There are amongst the Villa away support a really good number of incredibly loyal, passionate supporters who give a huge amount to be there week in and week out, demand creates strange requirements of those people and ultimately that's the thing - no matter how we cut it or slice it - there are a lot more people who would like to go away than there are tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLARETANDBLUEFOXY Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 So wait, people buy them whether they’re going or not to ensure they can go when they want to? That needs cracking down. That’s awful. How has it got like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 1 minute ago, CLARETANDBLUEFOXY said: So wait, people buy them whether they’re going or not to ensure they can go when they want to? That needs cracking down. That’s awful. How has it got like this? Demand outstrips supply. It’s the same for say home fans at Anfield or Goodison - if you give up your season ticket you won’t get it back in your lifetime. So even if you move to a different country for a year or two, you’ll still keep your season ticket so it’s available when you are back in the country. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulberto21 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 1 hour ago, nick76 said: So excluding the dodgy resell people, those that go to every away game and have done for years should be reduced allocation because some fans who might or might not be season ticket holders want to go to an occasional away game. Can’t make this stuff up! Yes, sort out the dodgy resellers but no way prioritise occasional customers for every game, guaranteed customers…what kind of business would do that. As a former every away game supporter for many years I would be very cheesed off if an occasional supporter was allowed my ticket instead of me whose been there through bad games/fixtures and good ones because I’m guessing the tickets these occasional fans want isn’t Palace on a Wednesday night in the winter but the prime games like Anfield and the Etihad. I wouldn’t mind the palace ticket . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts