Should Hibs change the ticket process for high demand games?

[Eyrie]

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It’s not really a good analogy though. You’d need to add the bit where one of the guys had still turned up to the pub every week for the previous few years when nobody else would, paying his money to keep them operating while drinking pint after pint of flat, pishy, uninspiring lager out of nothing more than a desire to support the pub during its toughest times. Meanwhile the other three had been nowhere to be seen for years and just wanted to show up when the good bevvy was back on the menu.

Excellent response.

[wookie70]

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Personally I dont think a loyalty scheme rewards loyalty it rewards ability to spend and is socially inequitable.

My own view is all away games should have a pre registration process where every who wants to register for a ticket is included before the tickets go on sale. Each registration is allocated a randomly generated number within a number range and then just like ERNIE tickets are allocated randomly by the computer on single ticket per registration basis.

Isn't The Rangers system not too dissimilar to this. If you want Cup Tickets including finals you have to agree to go into the ballot for every game and then the money is taken off your account if you are drawn out of the hat. Not sure if away games for them are the same.

[bod]

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Let's fire this poll up once again after another fun-filled rush for derby tickets - hopefully someone can get the results of this poll over to LD for further consideration.

Does the ticketing system work as it is for games like these where not everyone is guaranteed a seat? Should we replace it with something else, or bring back the loyalty points system?

No,can’t keep chopping & changing because folk miss out

[OxoHibby]

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I think the online system can be a bit frustrating but it works ok imo. Would prefer some kind of tiered loyalty system though like we used to have. With points only based on match attendance as mentioned above.

Agree with the tiered loyalty system but not attendance only. Some can't make it every week but are hibbies and contribute in other ways like shareholding or hsl and get nothing in return

[Brooster]

Its fine the way it is. All season ticket holders get the same chance.

[tamig]

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Agree with the tiered loyalty system but not attendance only. Some can't make it every week but are hibbies and contribute in other ways like shareholding or hsl and get nothing in return

Awarding points for signing up to HSL was the death knell for the previous scheme.

[wookie70]

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Touche MWC! To follow your train of thought though the guy never went to different pubs either whereas the others would see what the same brand of beer tasted like in a different brewery's house.

They just stopped drinking and not investing in their local until they got a product they wanted. They would probably have went nuts if the local shut but weren't going to put themselves out to buy a few pints when the pub needed them. Pubs are actually a reasonable analogy because the local pub has went downhill or worse been swallowed up by the pub giants like Wotherspoons because the local pubs weren't supported by anyone outside the hardcore regulars.

I hope it doesn't happen but if we fall from grace next year or thereafter the fans who have had season tickets for years and who have seen us through thick and thin will mostly still be there regardless of league position and style of play. The fans who only go to games when it is likely they will see Hibs winning will drift off pretty quickly. Great to have them here while the goings good and hopefully some will stay for when the weather isn't fair but most will go back to what they did before. Look at our neighbours next year if you want proof.

The core away support at Hibs isn't that big and certainly not as big as the away end at Tiny holds. Everyone going to 6-10 away games would probably be guaranteed a ticket if they were at any of the clubs similarly sized to ours. I think the club knows those fans won't abandon ship so they see no advantage in rewarding that loyalty and rather reward those who are joining/new/need incentives to stay. No different to a credit card company or broadband supplier in many ways. I'll not swap my teams and I doubt I'll stop going if health and money permits but that kind of favoritism to those not onboard yet makes me move phone, fuel and broadband suppliers almost every year. The suppliers are always asked to match what a newcomer would get and if they say no I'm off. Much more difficult to do that with Hibs who feel like family to me.

[EH54]

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Isn't The Rangers system not too dissimilar to this. If you want Cup Tickets including finals you have to agree to go into the ballot for every game and then the money is taken off your account if you are drawn out of the hat. Not sure if away games for them are the same.

I know for Rangers most ST holders would get 7-8 away games a year with there ST if they are in the scheme problem with us doing this is most would then get a ticket every week and it becomes what's already in place an away ST due to allocation and amount of people who would sign up imo

[Carheenlea]

A simple loyalty points system that identifies the most regular travelling Hibs supporters and those most regular attendees are given the first opportunity for the most in demand games.
Been argued to death, it’s not returning any time soon, but the fact remains that nobody has come up with a better plan. Not one.

[Kojock]

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I make sacrifices to watch Hibs, why should I go in a random draw. Utter madness.

Your post is insulting

The fans who want a loyalty scheme are guys like you and I who go to nearly every away game and must number around 500 - 750 however we are up against the other 12500 or so fans who don't want to or are unable to go to away games but want a chance to attend the "big" away games who don't won't a loyalty scheme as it reduces their chances of a ticket. Your farting against thunder mate.

[davhibby]

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Every time we have the same arguments and no one ever changes their minds. It just goes round and round in circles.

The away ST looks after those who go to every away game and with no loyalty scheme in place and discussion about it well off the table it's about the best compromise we can have. Those who commit to that are looked after at Tynecastle, Ibrox and so on.

I'm not sure the management of the free for all sales can't be managed better though. I think some clarity on how many tickets actually make it to the sale would be a good start.

The Away ST basically forces those who try to go to all the games into agreeing to give other clubs money whether they can go or not because there's a good chance of missing out on the big games now. It's a total farce. Celtic, Aberdeen and Hearts all have points based away ticketing systems that work well yet we have a free for all every time there's a game with a big demand.

[Kojock]

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Personally I dont think a loyalty scheme rewards loyalty it rewards ability to spend and is socially inequitable.

My own view is all away games should have a pre registration process where every who wants to register for a ticket is included before the tickets go on sale. Each registration is allocated a randomly generated number within a number range and then just like ERNIE tickets are allocated randomly by the computer on single ticket per registration basis.

And that's exactly what a season ticket does. If you can't afford the upfront season ticket cost but can get the money to attend every home game as it comes around then you have no chance of getting an away ticket before a season ticket holder.

[Hermit Crab]

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Its fine the way it is. All season ticket holders get the same chance.

They shouldn't get the same chance as those who go to all or most games. Didn't see us sell out Dundee, Motherwell, Hamilton or Ross County etc. Just the "big" away matches.

[Brooster]

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They shouldn't get the same chance as those who go to all or most games. Didn't see us sell out Dundee, Motherwell, Hamilton or Ross County etc. Just the "big" away matches.

In your opinion.

[Hermit Crab]

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In your opinion.

Yes, of course.

[HH81]

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The Away ST basically forces those who try to go to all the games into agreeing to give other clubs money whether they can go or not because there's a good chance of missing out on the big games now. It's a total farce. Celtic, Aberdeen and Hearts all have points based away ticketing systems that work well yet we have a free for all every time there's a game with a big demand.

Hibs have made it clear on several occasions so I never understand why people still go on about this.

Their aim is to get as many season tickets sold as possible if sales were to drop due to different tier levels for away games then people may not renew. Their stance is get as much home ones sold as possible to help pay the bills.

Away tickets do not make Hibs money.

[HibeeHibernian4]

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Hibs have made it clear on several occasions so I never understand why people still go on about this.

Their aim is to get as many season tickets sold as possible if sales were to drop due to different tier levels for away games then people may not renew. Their stance is get as much home ones sold as possible to help pay the bills.

Away tickets do not make Hibs money.

If people would actually pack in buying a season ticket over not having quite as much of a chance for tickets at big away games, I'd question whether they should've bothered having a season ticket in the first place with that level of fickleness.

There are maybe 1,000 Hibs fans who go every week and should be getting priority for in demand away games, that would leave just under 3,000 tickets left for other ST holders to go for. That is not asking for a lot, it is basic fairness. Fans of clubs such as Aberdeen and Hearts are in genuine disbelief that we don't have one. But I suppose that's the remnants of the Roseburn being half full for some of our recent derbies. Where were the queues of fans then eh?

[Hermit Crab]

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If people would actually pack in buying a season ticket over not having quite as much of a chance for tickets at big away games, I'd question whether they should've bothered having a season ticket in the first place with that level of fickleness.

There are maybe 1,000 Hibs fans who go every week and should be getting priority for in demand away games, that would leave just under 3,000 tickets left for other ST holders to go for. That is not asking for a lot, it is basic fairness. Fans of clubs such as Aberdeen and Hearts are in genuine disbelief that we don't have one. But I suppose that's the remnants of the Roseburn being half full for some of our recent derbies. Where were the queues of fans then eh?

Brought this up before mate, I've been at Ibrox when there was 300 of us in that corner. No idea where everyone was like.

[Barney McGrew]

Hibs destroyed the loyalty points system when - with the best intentions - they decided to give out a load if you signed up for HSL, which I think devalued it massively. On top of that, Leeann had her head swayed by a couple of people who threatened to cancel their season tickets because they perceived the system as flawed.....the one mistake I think she’s made since she started with us.

I can’t see how anyone can really argue against a points system. It could look after those who regularly follow the club home and away, which is probably around 800-1000 supporters, with plenty tickets left for those who want to go odd games here and there for most games. In reality, it’s only for six games a season max that it would come into play.

The away ST was a great introduction for those who could commit to going every week, but I know quite a few guys who are not in the scheme but attend probably 80% of away games every season who missed out on Tynecastle and also people who have only been to two away games all season (Tynie x 2) who got one. That hardly seems fair.

[Brooster]

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Brought this up before mate, I've been at Ibrox when there was 300 of us in that corner. No idea where everyone was like.

I was there too but I realise that things change and Hibs must give every season ticket holder an equal chance of getting a ticket for every away game. It's discrimination otherwise.

[Jones28]

Loyalty points (or matchday points or I'm better than you points) are surely the best way to do this.

The club have gone as far as they can to ensure people are able to buy season tickets with monthly DD's etc - what else is there?

This whole pub analogy shows that there is no other viable alternative.

Jimmy goes to games week in, week out, spends lots of time and money following the team and misses out on a ticket for Hearts away because of a randomly assigned number in a lottery? Nah. Doesn't cut it for me.

Season tickets are the lifeblood of the club, it stands to reason that people that buy them should be given first dibs over people who pick and choose.

[ian cruise]

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Loyalty points (or matchday points or I'm better than you points) are surely the best way to do this.

The club have gone as far as they can to ensure people are able to buy season tickets with monthly DD's etc - what else is there?

This whole pub analogy shows that there is no other viable alternative.

Jimmy goes to games week in, week out, spends lots of time and money following the team and misses out on a ticket for Hearts away because of a randomly assigned number in a lottery? Nah. Doesn't cut it for me.

Season tickets are the lifeblood of the club, it stands to reason that people that buy them should be given first dibs over people who pick and choose.

I think the lottery idea was for season ticket holders only, not any fan who wants to participate so its still meeting the above criteria.

It's unfortunate but inevitable that we're going to have season ticket holders miss out on the big away games due to the allocation vs our current season ticket numbers. There's no answer that please all as loyalty points may mean those who go to more away games win but those who can't/don't aren't giving any less money to the club, and away days like this might be enough to keep them coming back if/when our form does dip.

While I appreciate it's frustrating I just happy we've a team so many are desperate to see and hope this continues to be the case for many seasons to come.

[Speedy]

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Personally I dont think a loyalty scheme rewards loyalty it rewards ability to spend and is socially inequitable.

My own view is all away games should have a pre registration process where every who wants to register for a ticket is included before the tickets go on sale. Each registration is allocated a randomly generated number within a number range and then just like ERNIE tickets are allocated randomly by the computer on single ticket per registration basis.

There's about as much chance of that happening as Hibs buying all the tickets then selling them off in a silent auction to the highest bidder.

Unfortunately life isn't socially equal, the best Hibs can do is reward fans based on the support they provide to the club.

[Mantis Toboggan]

There can't be many teams of our size that don't have a points scheme of some description? Seems only fair to reward the diehards.

[Steven79]

At the very least they need to change the way we buy tickets for Tynecastle to simply "Lower" or "Upper" (Hearts take the piss with that but that's for another thread) as when you are trying to get tickets you need to try every section and could end up with rubbish tickets purely because you don't want to risk trying again and getting booted out.

It's not much to ask and would simplify the process rather than having to try every bloody section till you find one free.

[Alan62]

The loyalty argument is a strong one. It is also divisive. I'm lucky. When the split came round I thought, 'I'm going to go to all five games'. Three of those were already paid for on my season ticket, Aberdeen was guaranteed and I got lucky yesterday with a Hearts ticket. But, I also had the cash £56 in tickets alone + beers, travel, food, etc. to take in the additional games. Not every season ticket holder can afford to do this. Does that then mean that Hibs supporters who can't afford to go to every game should never get a chance to go to Tynecastle? Should the guy who goes home and away always be in the queue ahead of everyone else?

There are so many different ways of looking at this. The current system adds an element of randomness which I actually quite like. I also don't mind the notion of a ballot. Frankly it would be a lot easier than you think to organise and I couldn't see any problems for the ticket office. In fact, quite the opposite. No queue of folks in their sleeping bags outside, no constantly ringing telephones, just a simple case of batching up the tickets ready for collection and the money already in the bank. It could also allow for options like family and mates groupings to stay together rather than just randomly allocate single tickets all over the place.

I terms of effort it would also be really easy. The week before the draw, you'd log in to your account, specify your preferences (ie random single ticket, stay in a group etc), enter your bank details and wait until the draw took place. No scrabbling around on ticket day. At 12.01, you'd get an email saying either you got your ticket or you didn't. Then you'd pick up your ticket or have it posted. What could be easier than that?

[InchHibby]

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Its fine the way it is. All season ticket holders get the same chance.

I agree, only change I would make would be not to be able to choose your seats, it’s too time consuming, take the seats your given.

[Baldy Foghorn]

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Hibs destroyed the loyalty points system when - with the best intentions - they decided to give out a load if you signed up for HSL, which I think devalued it massively. On top of that, Leeann had her head swayed by a couple of people who threatened to cancel their season tickets because they perceived the system as flawed.....the one mistake I think she’s made since she started with us.

I can’t see how anyone can really argue against a points system. It could look after those who regularly follow the club home and away, which is probably around 800-1000 supporters, with plenty tickets left for those who want to go odd games here and there for most games. In reality, it’s only for six games a season max that it would come into play.

The away ST was a great introduction for those who could commit to going every week, but I know quite a few guys who are not in the scheme but attend probably 80% of away games every season who missed out on Tynecastle and also people who have only been to two away games all season (Tynie x 2) who got one. That hardly seems fair.

Spot on. What I can't understand is those saying if you go every week, you shouldn't be ahead of the queue.

Points system is fair, plain and simple. No agenda, just rewarding those that attend Ross County, Inverness, QotS etc....

[Brooster]

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Spot on. What I can't understand is those saying if you go every week, you shouldn't be ahead of the queue.

Points system is fair, plain and simple. No agenda, just rewarding those that attend Ross County, Inverness, QotS etc....

Its discrimatory against folk who cant go every week. Why should you get a ticket for the derby ahead of someone who couldnt go to Dundee for example?

[bigwheel]

I'm an advocate of a loyalty system, and would do reasonably well out of it...that said, as it only affects about 6-8 games a season, I don't think it is a major issue for us and can understand why it is low down the ER priorities...