W block reminder....

[GregStarz]

All this pointless hassle is one of the reasons why I now sit in the East Stand, apart from the view I can't stand the East Stand, the seats are dire and so uncomfortable, you get the sun in your face all game and the atmosphere is non existant.

I much prefer the West Stand and used to sing my heart out in the West every game as I used to in the North Bank but it's all this crap that I can't be bothered with so I continue in the East for the time being, shame as I'm one person down on the atmosphere really, no matter how hard you try all you get is 1 or 2 joining in and a few clapping who either don't know the words or just want to clap.

Also the fact that prospects car park is now closed the long walk all the way round after being in the club shop/ticket office is very off putting now, especially if you're running late.

Sort it our SUFC put everyone from W in the X block and let them stand together and sing before the atmosphere is gone for good!

 

[HudsonNo1]

Surely it's not too difficult for those who want to go to W to just buy a ticket for W block... I don't see the hassle in that at all. I buy a ticket for where I want to sit, it's pretty simply really.

 

[Jbd2502]

Does anyone know the point of not allowing people into the bar through the outside door at half time? Seems ridiculous to me!

I heard they were limiting numbers to 50 people max at one time in there as well?

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Surely it's not too difficult for those who want to go to W to just buy a ticket for W block... I don't see the hassle in that at all. I buy a ticket for where I want to sit, it's pretty simply really.

That's exactly what we did, but the point is...a lot of regulars that walked over didn't know it was ticket only and some newbies bought tickets in a block they really didn't want to be in...

 

[Jam_Man]

I have a season ticket in W but wasn't there on Saturday , however at the Brighton game lots of people were not sitting/standing in their allocated seats. I spoke to Kavanagh on this at the end of last season as it was obvious what was going to go wrong . Unfortunately as usual the way we implement things and don't do the 'obvious' things that cost no money would astound me, or would astound me if I wasn't used to it.

How difficult would it be to :

• Make it clear on the on line ticket section - ie re name W 'Singing/standing section'
• Posters at the ticket offices - nothing fancy just explaining you MUST have a ticket for W to go to W
• Telesales- for the first few matches give the sales staff a script to read out to anyone buying tickets in the West- one script for if you are buying in W-'did you know this is the singing/standing' section' , one for all over blocks ' If you attending to move to W block you will need to buy a ticket in that block '
• Explanation letter to fans sellotaped to each seat in W for the first couple of games
• Explanation in the programme (not sure if we have done this as I don't buy one)

All of the above would have kept us informed and would have cost sod all and are easy to do- yet all we seem to have done is a piece on the website weeks ago

All good ideas and bearing in mind how big a change it was should have done more.

 

[Tommy2holes]

My point is this.

The club have done this for the reason of safety and to identify potential troublemakers.

This has caused aggregation for the stewards with people getting lairy.

You can walk up on the day and buy a ticket for cash without giving any details.

So how is this safe or sensible?

 

[HudsonNo1]

My point is this.

The club have done this for the reason of safety and to identify potential troublemakers.

This has caused aggregation for the stewards with people getting lairy.

You can walk up on the day and buy a ticket for cash without giving any details.

So how is this safe or sensible?

I often buy mine on the day and am normally asked my name and postcode. Not sure if it's compulsory you give them but would set alarms ringing if you refused to.

 

[HudsonNo1]

That's exactly what we did, but the point is...a lot of regulars that walked over didn't know it was ticket only and some newbies bought tickets in a block they really didn't want to be in...

Same as me, still least the regulars will now know for Swindon, and the newbies will also know for next time. Don't see it being as big a issue as more games come.

 

[DTS]

My point is this.

The club have done this for the reason of safety and to identify potential troublemakers.

This has caused aggregation for the stewards with people getting lairy.

You can walk up on the day and buy a ticket for cash without giving any details.

So how is this safe or sensible?

Yet unless you are a season ticket holder and actually sit in your seat which no one does the club has no idea at all who is in that block hence all this has done is anger fans with no end result.

 

[DTS]

Same as me, still least the regulars will now know for Swindon, and the newbies will also know for next time. Don't see it being as big a issue as more games come.

Unless you buy a ticket with every person you want to sit with every game as the rules stand you cannot sit with your mates which defeats the whole object of a singing area as you often need those around you to back you when a song gets going.

 

[united we stand]

My point is this.

The club have done this for the reason of safety and to identify potential troublemakers.

This has caused aggregation for the stewards with people getting lairy.

You can walk up on the day and buy a ticket for cash without giving any details.

So how is this safe or sensible?

all of your points make complete sense , but personally I think a major factor is that the club is 'seen to be doing something'. I find it difficult to believe that we are the only club in the country where you can buy a ticket without having to provide proof of ID?

 

[united we stand]

Yet unless you are a season ticket holder and actually sit in your seat which no one does the club has no idea at all who is in that block hence all this has done is anger fans with no end result.

Just to add insult to injury , we stand in the same general area for every mach but I wouldn't have a clue what the seat/row numbers are , so we made a guess when getting season tickets this year as we were unable to attend any friendlies and make a point of noting down seat numbers . I now have a seat with a post dead in line with the center of the South stand goal - marvelous ! I know I can talk to the club and get it changed, its not a big deal but is just annoying and more grief, and we watch football to get away from the general grief of everyday life

 

[onceknownasrab]

Not quite sure what the situation is here. I am not anti-TBV but I don't understand why stewards got aggravation because they had to enforce people sitting where they were supposed to sit? Is there a suggestion that some people expect special dispensation because they are a self-elected 'groupie band?' Surely you buy a ticket with a seat number on and you sit in that seat?

If there have been 'incidents' in the past that has brought this about then it's not the club that is to blame.

I appreciate that many like to band (no pun intended) together but any seated venue I go to, theatre, cinema etc involves sitting in designated seats. Is that so hard to do?

 

[rigsby]

Just to add insult to injury , we stand in the same general area for every mach but I wouldn't have a clue what the seat/row numbers are , so we made a guess when getting season tickets this year as we were unable to attend any friendlies and make a point of noting down seat numbers . I now have a seat with a post dead in line with the center of the South stand goal - marvelous ! I know I can talk to the club and get it changed, its not a big deal but is just annoying and more grief, and we watch football to get away from the general grief of everyday life

If this carries on I can see you having to change your user name to united we sit.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Everyone on ShrimperZone knew ages ago about this, there shouldn't be anyone on here buying tickets elsewhere and expecting to migrate across. The situation was made perfectly clear by several of us in the wake of the smoke bomb/flare fiasco.

I do agree, however, that the W block should be clearly advertised as the singing section and that this should be reflected both in the ticket office and on the online booking facility. It is maybe something that TBV representatives should be taking up directly with Steve Kavanagh.

 

[rigsby]

Everyone on ShrimperZone knew ages ago about this, there shouldn't be anyone on here buying tickets elsewhere and expecting to migrate across. The situation was made perfectly clear by several of us in the wake of the smoke bomb/flare fiasco.

I do agree, however, that the W block should be clearly advertised as the singing section and that this should be reflected both in the ticket office and on the online booking facility. It is maybe something that TBV representatives should be taking up directly with Steve Kavanagh.

Maybe instead of stewards we could employ some well paid and heavily armed French police.....Er hold on a second

 

[Smiffy]

It's a real shame to see this happening.

A lot of hard work was put in by a number of people as far back as 2008 to get this area of the ground recognised for its atmosphere. Seems as though a few wannabe football factory ultra type children have pretty much undone all the hard work and very quickly.

My suggestion would be as OBL says, a rep for TBV needs to meet with SK and get this sorted. But also perhaps the more Senior people involved with TBV need to be more on top of things and "self-police" within W. This includes making sure no more idiots decide to launch smoke bombs and get the block shut for good. If this means an old skool clip round the ear or a "friendly" word in the ear then so be it. The old North Bank boys would of done just that. :hilarious:

 

[Tommy2holes]

I often buy mine on the day and am normally asked my name and postcode. Not sure if it's compulsory you give them but would set alarms ringing if you refused to.

I also buy on the day and I have never been asked for my details once

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Everyone on ShrimperZone knew ages ago about this, there shouldn't be anyone on here buying tickets elsewhere and expecting to migrate across. The situation was made perfectly clear by several of us in the wake of the smoke bomb/flare fiasco.

I do agree, however, that the W block should be clearly advertised as the singing section and that this should be reflected both in the ticket office and on the online booking facility. It is maybe something that TBV representatives should be taking up directly with Steve Kavanagh.

Yep. Those on SZ probably did buy tickets for the block (we did), but not everyone is on SZ. They tend to follow the OS, and the last update on this was ages ago. Saying that, we still haven't had confirmation whether you can pay cash on the day from the Shakespeare Dr entrance for that block. If you can, how is that monitoring who is in the block ?

Why should TBV representatives have to take this up with the club ? The club have decided to move the goalposts. They are the ones that should be relaying any changes to TBV members.

 

[Chris S]

Definitely needs to be more information about what W block actually is, had a family near me with an 8 year old who couldn't see at all. Tried standing on his chair for the first half, but for the whole second half he was sitting down, head in hands almost in tears (could have been related to our performance on Sat but idk :winking:). Waste of money on their part, and takes up seats that could've been used for people willing to sing/chant/add to atmosphere.

That could've been a family coming to their first game at Roots Hall after seeing us play at Wembley, what's the chances they return after that experience?