Supporters forum 17th January (3 Viewers)

nunchuckas · Jan 9, 2024

Can we get a definitive answer on the away stand and shutter situation?

I clearly remember we used to be able to use a shutter to sell home tickets in that stand and move the shut off point and segregation further down.

Why can we not shut off the concourse from say block 10 - 12 and sell it to home fans, and limit the away fans to around 3,000, shove them up to blocks 6 - 9. then we'd only need a couple of rows of segregation either side like every other club in the land. That way we could open up 12 and 13 permanently for home fans too.

It's definitely been done before using the shutters, so what's changed?

Marty · Jan 9, 2024

Any chance they could remove the 2 curbs as you're heading down towards the underpass near the match day ticket office, it's a trip hazard, especially with the poor lighting outside and the amount of people around after games.

nunchuckas · Jan 9, 2024

Martw said:
Yes I would argue in general they have been ok with sone very very good ones but supporter engagement and a choice of even just the home kits would be even better surely?

Whilst not a bad idea at all, we have struggled to get the new kits released until September the last few years, this would just add further steps to the process that would delay them further, unfortunately. First step would be get the kits released as early as possible in the summer (bound to increase sales before people go on their jollies in their new shirts). Once this is achievable, then yeah, great idea to improve engagement etc.

Deleted member 5849 · Jan 9, 2024

Flying Fokker said:
It’s not my problem, it’s yours.

Which is why he wants clarification from the people who can give it

ccfcricoh · Jan 9, 2024

i'm putting 80% of the turnstile problem down to the fans to be fair.

Fans have got used to having a half full ground and rocking up 10 minutes before kick off and walking straight to their seat.

Agree the security is slow and queuing system could be slightly better, but hard now they've dropped a fan zone there.

They're quite clear you can use any turnstile and still people join bigger queues, and dont get me started on the people who get to the front and then start digging through their wallet for the ticket!

We've started going in 20mins before KO, never queued more than 5 minutes, the bigger issue we're finding now is that the concourse area seems far too small and makes it hard to move round inside once busy (not like that can be fixed easily though!)

shmmeee · Jan 9, 2024

Main issues are entering and exiting the ground as usual.

Queueing: I think they’re clearly trying different stuff, the stewards were actively moving down our line while people they’d checked were waiting to go in, which helped. Paper tickets seem to be a real issue. I’m sure the club will say nothing can be done or whatever but a ticket that’s printed on A4 (as that’s the printer we have at home!) with the barcode all around the edges and along the middle with clear folding lines would help. Have a look at Aldi stuff and some of it has absolutely huge barcodes so they’re easier to scan. There must be something we can do with a template or something that makes it easier to do.

Mobile ticketing through NFC instead of scanning the screen if at all possible. Signs telling people to turn up the brightness to full if using their phone. Little things that might help. TBH half the time it just needs the steward to turn around and do it for them with paper tickets. I had a guy who took ages to figure it out in front of us and the stewards couldn’t care less.

The website needs work. Stuff like Block 13 displaying on the pitch is shocking TBH. The notification system for reserved tickets is unintuitive garbage, just show my seat for me on the map. You can still click through to sold out games even though you can’t buy tickets.

If these things are down to TicketMaster (and I suspect they’re just configuration issues) then change TicketMaster.

Random stuff: presentation of STs could be better. This thing costs the same as a phone or TV and I want a bit of experience to it, an unboxing. See BCFC this season for example.

Robinshio · Jan 9, 2024

nunchuckas said:
Can we get a definitive answer on the away stand and shutter situation?

I clearly remember we used to be able to use a shutter to sell home tickets in that stand and move the shut off point and segregation further down.

Why can we not shut off the concourse from say block 10 - 12 and sell it to home fans, and limit the away fans to around 3,000, shove them up to blocks 6 - 9. then we'd only need a couple of rows of segregation either side like every other club in the land. That way we could open up 12 and 13 permanently for home fans too.

It's definitely been done before using the shutters, so what's changed?

View attachment 33223

agreed - was around 2008 when they let season ticket holders move to that end, which at the time was called the Jewson stand

shmmeee · Jan 9, 2024

ccfcricoh said:
i'm putting 80% of the turnstile problem down to the fans to be fair.

Fans have got used to having a half full ground and rocking up 10 minutes before kick off and walking straight to their seat.

Agree the security is slow and queuing system could be slightly better, but hard now they've dropped a fan zone there.

They're quite clear you can use any turnstile and still people join bigger queues, and dont get me started on the people who get to the front and then start digging through their wallet for the ticket!

We've started going in 20mins before KO, never queued more than 5 minutes, the bigger issue we're finding now is that the concourse area seems far too small and makes it hard to move round inside once busy (not like that can be fixed easily though!)

One thing that would help is not just having one smoking area. I have to go from one corner to the opposite one and there’s a stream of smokers going both ways that’s uncessessary and means there’s no overflow to outside anywhere else.

Would be good to know the logic on this. The big area is great but why only one? Could we not get a couple of smaller ones or is the hope to push everyone to the big one?

SBbucks · Jan 9, 2024

ccfcricoh said:
i'm putting 80% of the turnstile problem down to the fans to be fair.

Fans have got used to having a half full ground and rocking up 10 minutes before kick off and walking straight to their seat.

Agree the security is slow and queuing system could be slightly better, but hard now they've dropped a fan zone there.

They're quite clear you can use any turnstile and still people join bigger queues, and dont get me started on the people who get to the front and then start digging through their wallet for the ticket!

We've started going in 20mins before KO, never queued more than 5 minutes, the bigger issue we're finding now is that the concourse area seems far too small and makes it hard to move round inside once busy (not like that can be fixed easily though!)

The concourse is too small? It’s probably the roomiest in the Championship (along with Cardiff), although I can’t comment on Leeds or Sunderland (yet). A good number of the others feel like death traps in comparison. There’s lots of potential to improve the CBSA but I can’t honestly see that this is fair criticism.

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DazzleTommyDazzle · Jan 9, 2024

Given that we now seem to be getting larger home attendances, why are all blocks not available from the start instead of the current practice of opening the “extra” blocks one at a time.

MalcSB · Jan 9, 2024

Sky Blue Pete said:
Pretty sure they do say this

i have used different turnstiles all season.

MalcSB · Jan 9, 2024

Something along these lines:-

“The club has enjoyed record season ticket sales this year, whilst those season ticket holders have suffered what feels like record fixture changes, affecting the ability of some to attend. This does impact on the economic value of the season ticket offering. Do the club have any proposals to maintain the value of the ST offering given the likelihood of continuing fixture changes, or does the club just accept a potential impact on ST sales in the future?”

Skybluedownunder · Jan 9, 2024

Perhaps worth asking why we were a good few games into the season and kit wasn’t on sale and away kit wasn’t even released and some people still didn’t have their season tickets. What measures will the club enforce to ensure this doesn’t happen again

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pusbccfc · Jan 9, 2024

nunchuckas said:
Can we get a definitive answer on the away stand and shutter situation?

I clearly remember we used to be able to use a shutter to sell home tickets in that stand and move the shut off point and segregation further down.

Why can we not shut off the concourse from say block 10 - 12 and sell it to home fans, and limit the away fans to around 3,000, shove them up to blocks 6 - 9. then we'd only need a couple of rows of segregation either side like every other club in the land. That way we could open up 12 and 13 permanently for home fans too.

It's definitely been done before using the shutters, so what's changed?

View attachment 33223

That's the plan but there's issues.

They say it's the concourse but I think it's more down to fears of having fans entering and exiting without a wall in place.

It seems like they are looking at having away fans in 9/10/11 and giving home fans 8/7/6. Hence why it recent games away fans have been shoved close to the corner. This stops the fear that the SAG have of fans from the corner moving behind the goal (even though this is very difficult with the barrier in place).

Away fans would enter to the right of the sky blue cladding and home fans would then enter the bit below.

It doesn't leave many turnstiles or exits for 3000 away fans though.

shmmeee · Jan 9, 2024

Skybluedownunder said:
Perhaps worth asking why we were a good few games into the season and kit wasn’t on sale and away kit wasn’t even released and some people still didn’t have their season tickets. What measures will the club enforce to ensure this doesn’t happen again

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Think you’re gonna have to give them a bye on anything admin related before this season TBH.

MalcSB · Jan 9, 2024

Skybluedownunder said:
Perhaps worth asking why we were a good few games into the season and kit wasn’t on sale and away kit wasn’t even released and some people still didn’t have their season tickets. What measures will the club enforce to ensure this doesn’t happen again

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We were told the kit was down to delay in agreeing shirt sponsor (implication being it was initially overpriced).

Wyken Sky Blue · Jan 9, 2024

SBbucks said:
I can’t comment on Leeds

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Leeds this season was one of the worst concourses I've been to, no room at al!

hill83 · Jan 9, 2024

Gynnsthetonic said:
Sell the balcony seats at a cheaper price and sort the empty seats in block 2, if players friends an family are not taking up the seats get them sold on early, ot all looks terrible on the TV

Put the cameras on the other side

SBT · Jan 9, 2024

ccfcricoh said:
i'm putting 80% of the turnstile problem down to the fans to be fair.

Fans have got used to having a half full ground and rocking up 10 minutes before kick off and walking straight to their seat.

I think there’s a limit to how much more we can make this argument (which we’ve been making since…2021?) now that the majority of fans entering the home ends are ST holders. If you’re buying a single match ticket then it’s more often than not extremely obvious how busy the stadium will be.

Sky Blue Pete · Jan 9, 2024

Marty said:
Any chance they could remove the 2 curbs as you're heading down towards the underpass near the match day ticket office, it's a trip hazard, especially with the poor lighting outside and the amount of people around after games.

We’ve talked about this you’re absolutely right
I think there’s extra lighting there but I wonder if more could be done about the curbs

ccfcricoh · Jan 9, 2024

SBbucks said:
The concourse is too small? It’s probably the roomiest in the Championship (along with Cardiff), although I can’t comment on Leeds or Sunderland (yet). A good number of the others feel like death traps in comparison. There’s lots of potential to improve the CBSA but I can’t honestly see that this is fair criticism.

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its more the amount of people moving along it i suppose than the size of it. with more people going in other turnstiles and then having to walk along, the bar staff being painfully slow generating big queues, the ongoing saga with toilet queues and using people using exits and as Shmee said, smokers finding a smoking area, lots of people end up wandering up and down or stood blocking it whilst queuing.

Whilst it might be a bigger concourse than most grounds, i cant think of many where you have to make your way too far along it, most are get in a turnstile, there's a bar and toilet close by and youre straight up the stairs to the stands.

Like i say, not sure on right answer but the last few games its felt like it cant handle the attendance

ccfcricoh · Jan 9, 2024

SBT said:
I think there’s a limit to how much more we can make this argument (which we’ve been making since…2021?) now that the majority of fans entering the home ends are ST holders. If you’re buying a single match ticket then it’s more often than not extremely obvious how busy the stadium will be.

i absolutely agree, most if not all know its now busier, but a huge proportion still rock up at 2.50 anyway

turn up at 2.30 and you'll be in the ground with a beer in your hand by 2.45 every time

nunchuckas · Jan 9, 2024

pusbccfc said:
That's the plan but there's issues.

They say it's the concourse but I think it's more down to fears of having fans entering and exiting without a wall in place.

It seems like they are looking at having away fans in 9/10/11 and giving home fans 8/7/6. Hence why it recent games away fans have been shoved close to the corner. This stops the fear that the SAG have of fans from the corner moving behind the goal (even though this is very difficult with the barrier in place).

View attachment 33226

Away fans would enter to the right of the sky blue cladding and home fans would then enter the bit below.

It doesn't leave many turnstiles or exits for 3000 away fans though.

That would be better, but would still mean we couldn't open up blocks 12 and 13.

They would have to put barriers in place outside the ground, but if we were able to open up blocks 10 - 12 to home fans and have away fans in 6 - 9, then the only issues I can think of are the same as if we gave home fans 6/7/8, would allow us to open 12 and 13 too, and would negate the concern about the fans in the corner getting to the blocks behind the goal, as they would be Coventry fans too.

Legia Sky Blue · Jan 9, 2024

The obvious question has to be what plans the club have to maximise the stadium capacity, instead of leaving 2,000+ seats not utilised?

I also agree with questioning the approach of opening ticket availability block by block, leading to many people hold off from buying when single tickets are mostly only available to buy. I also second the questioning of the approach to empty seats in the player's friends & family area, which could otherwise be sold.

MalcSB · Jan 9, 2024

SBT said:
I think there’s a limit to how much more we can make this argument (which we’ve been making since…2021?) now that the majority of fans entering the home ends are ST holders. If you’re buying a single match ticket then it’s more often than not extremely obvious how busy the stadium will be.

Against Oxford I posted at 11:54 that the concourse was really quiet. At 12:20 Nick posted that there was turnstile mayhem - 10 minutes before kick off. I do wonder whether the outside bars and eateries are delaying people going to enter the stadium, causing or majorly contributing to the supposed problems. Whatever, don’t leave it till the last minute to go into the stadium.

SHUNT31 · Jan 9, 2024

MalcSB said:
Against Oxford I posted at 11:54 that the concourse was really quiet. At 12:20 Nick posted that there was turnstile mayhem - 10 minutes before kick off. I do wonder whether the outside bars and eateries are delaying people going to enter the stadium, causing or majorly contributing to the supposed problems. Whatever, don’t leave it till the last minute to go into the stadium.

They do close half hour before kick off don’t they? Wasn’t at Oxford but Swansea I got a pint just before it closed.

Think the outdoor area is very good and has a good atmosphere.

The problem we have is entry is so slow due to speed of the stewards on the turnstiles and the OTT searches.

Robinshio · Jan 9, 2024

SHUNT31 said:
They do close half hour before kick off don’t they? Wasn’t at Oxford but Swansea I got a pint just before it closed.

Think the outdoor area is very good and has a good atmosphere.

The problem we have is entry is so slow due to speed of the stewards on the turnstiles and the OTT searches.

OTT searches which dont really search you if you really wanted to get something in

MalcSB · Jan 9, 2024

SHUNT31 said:
They do close half hour before kick off don’t they? Wasn’t at Oxford but Swansea I got a pint just before it closed.

Think the outdoor area is very good and has a good atmosphere.

The problem we have is entry is so slow due to speed of the stewards on the turnstiles and the OTT searches.

I don’t Know when they close, Im already in the stadium.

How do the searches compare with other stadia. For me, they seem to be the minimum I would expect.

Irish Sky Blue · Jan 9, 2024

skybluepm2 said:
They’ve ‘never done it’ apparently the woman in the ticket office was quite arsey about it when I’d told her I’d done so regularly in the past.. when people are looking to pay the difference and give money to the clubs coffers, I can’t see the problem. It’s an attitude such as this which will lead to people trying it on with kids tickets all over again.

Agree. Seems both greedy and short sighted.

Mcbean · Jan 9, 2024

Ipswich has no concourse for away fans just stairs - Derby also not very big - people have to get in earlier

SBbucks · Jan 9, 2024

skyblue1991 said:
Leeds this season was one of the worst concourses I've been to, no room at al!

I suspected that would be the case, that’s consistent with all the other old grounds. Having said that, there are some awful “newer” grounds for space too, Reading is a great example. Unbelievably cramped away section for a bowl stadium.

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SBbucks · Jan 9, 2024

ccfcricoh said:
its more the amount of people moving along it i suppose than the size of it. with more people going in other turnstiles and then having to walk along, the bar staff being painfully slow generating big queues, the ongoing saga with toilet queues and using people using exits and as Shmee said, smokers finding a smoking area, lots of people end up wandering up and down or stood blocking it whilst queuing.

Whilst it might be a bigger concourse than most grounds, i cant think of many where you have to make your way too far along it, most are get in a turnstile, there's a bar and toilet close by and youre straight up the stairs to the stands.

Like i say, not sure on right answer but the last few games its felt like it cant handle the attendance

But you don’t need to walk far along it if you go in one of the nearest turnstiles to your block. However that also means going in at a sensible time rather than at the last minute, avoiding turnstile queues.

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skybluecam · Jan 9, 2024

ccfcricoh said:
i'm putting 80% of the turnstile problem down to the fans to be fair.

Fans have got used to having a half full ground and rocking up 10 minutes before kick off and walking straight to their seat.

Agree the security is slow and queuing system could be slightly better, but hard now they've dropped a fan zone there.

They're quite clear you can use any turnstile and still people join bigger queues, and dont get me started on the people who get to the front and then start digging through their wallet for the ticket!

We've started going in 20mins before KO, never queued more than 5 minutes, the bigger issue we're finding now is that the concourse area seems far too small and makes it hard to move round inside once busy (not like that can be fixed easily though!)

The problem is people (like me) who arrive from the south (car park C, station underpass) and sit in the east stand.

Currently to get to one of the less crowded entrances I would have to fight my way through the crowd up to the North stand to find one, then I'd have to walk back inside the concourse to get to my seat. It's just less hassle and probably quicker to queue up near where I actually sit (also for the young/elderly pushing your way through a crowd and doing extra walking isn't ideal).

I would honestly remove any of the bars/food stuff down that end and put queue barriers in place to "snake" the queue round - there is a lot of wasted space outside the disabled entrances.

It does need fixing though.

WestEndAgro · Jan 9, 2024

I'm in block 2, no entrance, quite strange because I know there is access due to being in there when the stadium first opened.
Have to make our way all around the stadium due to coming from the City centre.
Pointless when there are stairwells and exits in place but not being used.
Not sure what's changed to prevent this being a extra option to get people in and out.

mmttww · Jan 9, 2024

WestEndAgro said:
I'm in block 2, no entrance, quite strange because I know there is access due to being in there when the stadium first opened.
Have to make our way all around the stadium due to coming from the City centre.
Pointless when there are stairwells and exits in place but not being used.
Not sure what's changed to prevent this being a extra option to get people in and out.

This is a good point. I sat in block 4 on Boxing Day and it was really weird. Had to walk to the Family Zone corner to get out.

Supporters forum 17th January (3 Viewers)

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