Minutes from Away Fan Consultation Meeting held on Thursday 24th October 2019
Attendees:
Bromley Davenport (AVFC), Lee Preece (AVFC), Nathan Thurman (AVFC), Anne Edwards, David
Michael, Joanne McKibbens, Jonathan Knibb, John Holder, Kevin Pickersgill, Steve Hollyoake, Steve
Gough, Tom Cole
Apologies:
Anton Cuscito, John Perks, Mark McFarland, Max Stokes, Mo Razzaq Stuart Bladen
Away ticket allocations and prices for upcoming matches:
Vs Manchester United – Sunday 1st December, kick-off 4.30pm
Allocation 3,064
£30 Adults, £15 Over 64, £22.50 Student & U22, £10 Under 16
On sale from Monday 28th October
Vs Chelsea – Wednesday 4th December, kick off 7.45pm
Awaiting allocation and pricing details – TBC
Due to be on sale Monday 4th November subject to confirmation
Vs Sheffield United – Saturday 14th December, kick off 3.00pm
Allocation 2,865
£30 Adults, £25 Over 65, £20 Student & U22, £16 Under 18
Due to be on sale Monday 11th November subject to confirmation
Vs Watford – Saturday 28th December, kick off 3.00pm
Allocation 2,204
£30 Adults, £22 Over 65, £18 Student, £5 Under 19
Due to be on sale Monday 11th November subject to confirmation
Away ticket sales criteria for matches in 2020
Current away criteria, for away matches in 2019 was decided at the start of the season and we are at
the point where criteria for the matches in 2020 needs to be decided. It was opened up to the
consultation group to discuss ideas for the fairest system. Ideas discussed included carrying on with
basing criteria on last seasons away matches for the remaining away matches, using last seasons
(18/19) away history and this seasons (19/20) away history or using part of last season’s history
(from a certain point in the season – eg last 12 matches) and this seasons history. The idea of using
loyalty points instead of away history was mentioned however the club advised this would cause
confusion between the current rewards points system and it could not be merged as it would mean
that fans who do not necessarily have the relevant away history might get preference over regular
away attendees and could potentially ‘buy’ their eligibility. After a vote at the end of the discussion,
the majority agreed that using last season and this season history combined will be the best option
as this rewards loyalty for the championship season in addition to those maintaining attendance in
the Premier League. Bournemouth will have a separate sales criteria confirmed due to the small
ticket allocation and in the interest of being fair.
FA Cup Final ticket allocation
A question was asked about possible FA Cup Final ticket allocation with the increase in season ticket
sales and memberships. The club advised that while the allocation would likely to be less than the
amount of season ticket holders we have, the last time in 2015 we allocated tickets based on season
ticket tenure to ensure fairness in distributing tickets.
Anti-social behaviour at matches
Recent away games have resulted in numerous instances of bad behaviour of our fans at away
grounds. Behaviour at Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Norwich have been particularly poor. So much
so that West Midlands Police have advised that these instances are being brought to the attention of
away ground safety officers and dedicated football officers and if this trend continues, the club could
see reductions in ticket allocations and alcohol being withdrawn from sale. The club acknowledge
that a minority of fans are engaging in bad behaviour, however we will look at ways of
communicating /educating fans and reminding them of the consequences the club face if problems
continue.
Issues with online sales
One of the group mentioned issues they were experiencing online when trying to select seats
whereby seats would initially show as available but then would not add to the basket with the error
message ‘seat no longer available’. The club confirmed that this is a case of so many fans being
online at the same time all selecting seats. Seat availability when you first log in is a snapshot of
what is available at that particular time and fans are continually selecting and de-selecting seats all
the time.
Collection of tickets at away grounds
The question was asked if the forced collection of selected tickets at away grounds would continue.
Following the last consultation meeting, the club indicated that this was an option we would explore
this season to ensure that only fans who are assigned to match tickets are using them. The only way
to enforce this policy is to randomly select fans to collect at the away club and provide ID. A recent
trial of this at Norwich City proved very successful and the club will continue this throughout the
season subject to the away clubs being happy to assist us. Concern was raised about forms of ID as
not everyone has photo ID but the club explained that the only way someone at an away club can
verify a supporter is genuine is by providing photo ID. The club would look at any individual instances
should they arise however this policy will apply to all supporters in the interest of clamping down on
the unauthorised passing on of match tickets.
Contradicting Twitter messages
It was raised that the number of available tickets communicated via AVFCSupport (Twitter) and what
is available to view on the online system is different and therefore leading fans to be confused about
how many tickets are left. The club confirmed that not all tickets are released for sale on the first
sale date as there are selling orders that the club are obliged to follow. In addition to this the club
will naturally sell one block before another in some instances so that ticket fulfilment can happen
sooner and operate more efficiently.
Internet sales on various unauthorised websites
Noticeably more so this season, the club have noticed an increase in the number of unauthorised
ticket sales. The club advised that we take action against any supporter who is found to be passing
or selling tickets to other supporters. We constantly monitor social media for instances of
unauthorised sales. Tickets are strictly non-transferable and should a supporter not be able to
attend, they can return the ticket to the Ticket Office for a refund providing they are within the
refund deadline date which is advertised.
