thabucks Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 34 minutes ago, wedge said: Not judging or having a go just purely out of curiosity - if this does come to fruition would you not have any sense of guilt over stepping over someone who is further up the ST waiting list than you but can't afford to pay for this hypothetical (at the time of writing) access? Nope I wouldn’t at all … it is what it is. I’m lucky I can afford it and it’s on offer. Maybe if more people responded negatively or actually in general to the clubs survey on it things would be different, but as the majority of people who did were in favour… we cannot expect success without it coming at a cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 Fair points made, @thabucks I suppose we don't actually know it's on offer at the moment it's just rumoured to be announced in the future for non-existing Holte End ST holders. @blandy I agree, I think the Holte is sacred for the core, hardcore vocal Villa support and the one stand that shouldn't have any form of hospitality/corporate/premium access or availability. I can't quote it off the top of my head exactly and my copy is gathering dust in a box in my garage which I can't be bothered to go and get but I'm sure Nick Hornby in Fever Pitch asks 'who will create the atmosphere that a lot of these corporate/hospitality folk pay to come and be a part of?' because it sure as buggery won't be them. I appreciate the counter-argument to that is that Fever Pitch was published in the early 90s and the Premier League/top-level game in England has got to the inevitably sad stage that's exactly what you said that the clubs/authorities/sponsors don't give a flying hoot about this and if they had their way the entirety of the stadia would be made up of people paying this money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabucks Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 I’ve been to more games than I can remember since 91’ … less so in recent years for various reasons and Bruce … I think it’s slightly unfair to say any fan who takes up the package are less hardcore especially in terms of affecting the atmosphere … just cause you can afford this won’t make you any less vocal or a fan… 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 25 minutes ago, thabucks said: I’ve been to more games than I can remember since 91’ … less so in recent years for various reasons and Bruce … I think it’s slightly unfair to say any fan who takes up the package are less hardcore especially in terms of affecting the atmosphere … just cause you can afford this won’t make you any less vocal or a fan… That's not what I'm saying at all mate please don't think I'm having a pop at you or indeed any other fan, I was referring to the clubs/powers that be wanting all of the stadia to be full of corporate boxes paying top dollar to watch the game, not a true Villa fan who pays for the terrace view in the Holte End! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted June 4, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 4, 2023 2 hours ago, wedge said: Not judging or having a go just purely out of curiosity - if this does come to fruition would you not have any sense of guilt over stepping over someone who is further up the ST waiting list than you but can't afford to pay for this hypothetical (at the time of writing) access? Should anyone who for example buys an executive box for the season feel guilty? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 Just now, sidcow said: Should anyone who for example buys an executive box for the season feel guilty? No - if you're thinking that's my opinion after reading my posts then I've obviously not come across as intended for which I apologise for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted June 4, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 4, 2023 1 hour ago, blandy said: As someone who used to queue up, pay my 50p or pound or whatever it was at the time to stand on the Holte back in the day, it's sad those days are gone in some ways. Premier league football is now a luxury item, not a kind of basic go to the pub go to the match go home thing. The left side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 10 minutes ago, sidcow said: The left side! From next season: The prawn sandwich side! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 2 hours ago, wedge said: If this does come to fruition would you not have any sense of guilt over stepping over someone who is further up the ST waiting list than you but can't afford to pay for this hypothetical (at the time of writing) access? I don’t see why as it’s two slightly different things. Either go on the waiting list for a season ticket or go for a premium/corporate offering which will have its own waiting list once all the current tickets are sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 2 minutes ago, ender4 said: I don’t see why as it’s two slightly different things. Either go on the waiting list for a season ticket or go for a premium/corporate offering which will have its own waiting list once all the current tickets are sold. Unless I'm missing something as well nothing official has been announced with regards to the Terrace View and just anybody who can afford it being able to purchase its benefits so it's all hypothetical anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david-avfc Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 The problem is the "terrace view" is actively taking away facilities for other season ticket holders who will be crammed into a smaller area with much worse facilities - held to ransom an extra £500 a year if they want to use a toilet at half time or get a drink without queuing for 30 minutes. No doubt the concept if successful will grow to something bigger - more areas of the stadium, more mandatory, more angles to charge premium add-ons, pricing more fans out or forcing them to relocate out of seats they've had for decades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest av1 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 10 hours ago, david-avfc said: The problem is the "terrace view" is actively taking away facilities for other season ticket holders who will be crammed into a smaller area with much worse facilities - held to ransom an extra £500 a year if they want to use a toilet at half time or get a drink without queuing for 30 minutes. No doubt the concept if successful will grow to something bigger - more areas of the stadium, more mandatory, more angles to charge premium add-ons, pricing more fans out or forcing them to relocate out of seats they've had for decades I agree. Improving the facilities in the Holte has been a issue with fans for years and rather than resolving the issue, this appears to making things worse for those that don’t take up the premium seats. I still maintain that the club could improve revenue a lot by just improving the service in the Holte. I’ve been a ST holder for years and I never buy anything at the ground simply because I can’t be bothered to queue. I got to the stadium really early for the Brighton game and there were no queues so I did end up buying food/drink for me and the boy and I probably spent close to £30. Would I do that every game? Probably not, but certainly I’d do it much more regularly than I do now and I’m sure there are thousands of fans in the Holte that take a similar view to myself. Football grounds are the only business I know that makes it difficult for their customers to buy things. I didn’t add the package to my ST when I renewed, would I do it though if I could afford it? probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted June 5, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 5, 2023 13 minutes ago, av1 said: I agree. Improving the facilities in the Holte has been a issue with fans for years and rather than resolving the issue, this appears to making things worse for those that don’t take up the premium seats. I still maintain that the club could improve revenue a lot by just improving the service in the Holte. I’ve been a ST holder for years and I never buy anything at the ground simply because I can’t be bothered to queue. I got to the stadium really early for the Brighton game and there were no queues so I did end up buying food/drink for me and the boy and I probably spent close to £30. Would I do that every game? Probably not, but certainly I’d do it much more regularly than I do now and I’m sure there are thousands of fans in the Holte that take a similar view to myself. Football grounds are the only business I know that makes it difficult for their customers to buy things. I didn’t add the package to my ST when I renewed, would I do it though if I could afford it? probably. I would be amazed if they're not doing this in conjunction with changing the system in the upper Holte to match the Lower Holte which has absolutely savaged the food and drink queues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 6 minutes ago, sidcow said: to match the Lower Holte which has absolutely savaged the food and drink queues. Does it work? Is it a lot quicker? Does it need a lot of space to work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted June 5, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted June 5, 2023 (edited) 15 minutes ago, ender4 said: Does it work? Is it a lot quicker? Does it need a lot of space to work? It needs a lot less space to work. Put it this way, the biggest queues I've seen were last week and it was say 4 deep at the bar. Bear in mind those 3 people in front are just handing a ticket and receiving beer,not paying. Should take seconds to go down. The food area is just a small tunnel lined with food you just pick up and walk through. I've not had to queue at all the 2 occasions I've used it, but there was a small looking queue on Saturday. And of course all the floorspace previously taken up by huge queues is now available to stand in. You upper Holte enders have no cause for complaints anyway. You've always had at least double the space us poor bastards in the Lower a Holte have. Edited June 5, 2023 by sidcow 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabucks Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 First and foremost fans safety is paramount - they wouldn’t do this if that had any effect on it no way. They’ll be upgrades in line with the lower Holte to maximise space and efficiency so less queuing to free up more space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 I love how they call it a 'bolt on'. Hell of a bolt on for £500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 The cynic in me would say they trialled the lower holte first to see the effect it had on queues and space required before deciding how much space they had to play with for the terrace view offering. They'll definitely roll out the auto service in line with the terrace view. Arguably, the reduced time to get served may actually make the half time experience better even with less space. The bigger issue, for me, is the fans forced to move out of their seats. Presumably most of them will find themselves looking in a different stand to continue their support, and only a minority will be happy to pay the extra £500. Its a very bad way to treat few rows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 (edited) 14 hours ago, thabucks said: Nope I wouldn’t at all … it is what it is. I’m lucky I can afford it and it’s on offer. Maybe if more people responded negatively or actually in general to the clubs survey on it things would be different, but as the majority of people who did were in favour… we cannot expect success without it coming at a cost. Hang on a minute- do we actually have the survey data on this? What is the response rate for a stand of 13,500? I don't remember a question asking if it was okay to remove half the concourse area and then for you to pay 500 quid to have access to it. Edited June 5, 2023 by The Fun Factory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabucks Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 1 minute ago, The Fun Factory said: Hang on a minute- do we actually have the survey data on this? What is the response rate for a stand of 13,500? I don't remember a question asking if it was okay to remove half the concourse area and then for you to pay 500 quid to have access to it. Cannot be bothered to look but the survey results were in favour of GA+ seating. Nowhere near 13,500 fans responded and the costs are in line with what other teams charge for similar offerings - I checked what other clubs were charging before I responded… And how else do you think they’d create this type of area ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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