How should Newcastle United away tickets be distributed? Club asks season ticket holders key question | OneFootball

The club have done a Newcastle United away tickets survey.

The survey sent out to NUFC season ticket holders.

Questions to be answered online and returned to the club.

If you are a season ticket holder and have gone through it, you will have seen it is bog standard leading questions, until you get to the very end.

This is when it asks us the season ticket holders, what to do regarding allocating next season’s Newcastle United away tickets.

This is that last question of the Newcastle United away tickets survey and the three options you had to select from:

‘In case of emergency, travel disruption for example, would you support season ticket holders having the ability to pass on an away ticket for 1-2 games per season to a nominated person(s)? This question is required.* (Please note, in this instance neither the purchaser nor the attendee would receive a loyalty point).

Away Ticket Distribution Process

The club continues to strive for a fair access model that protects and promotes its long-established Away Tickets Loyalty Points System whilst supporting a positive matchday experience.

Following recent fan consultation, a number of suggestions were put forward with regards to the Away Ticket Distribution Process.

In the 2023/24 season, following supporter consultation and feedback undertaken during the previous season, a combination of intelligence-led and random spot-checks were introduced to ensure those who were buying the tickets with Away Tickets Loyalty Points, were in fact the fans attending the matches and using the ticket.

This process has resulted in a lower loyalty point threshold being required to buy tickets for the majority of Premier League matches (compared to previous seasons).

Newcastle United could change the current process based on supporter feedback. We would like to ask Newcastle United season ticket holders for their views on the following three options with regards to the Away Ticket Distribution Process.

Please choose from one of the following options. You can only choose ONE option.

Please read each option carefully before making your selection.

Please note, if Options 2 or 3 are introduced following this fan consultation:

In line with the current process, if the person using/collecting the ticket is not the purchaser, or potential nominated individual (should that option prove favourable in the results of the survey), the purchaser will have their loyalty points revoked.

Option 1 – Revert back to no Away Ticket Checks on a Matchday

During the 2022/23 season, away ticket allocations were not monitored on a matchday. Supporters were able to buy away tickets via the website based on number of loyalty points. No checks were made at the away fixture location.

Option 2 – Continue Spot-Checks at Away Match Locations

In the 2023/24 season, following supporter consultation and feedback undertaken during the previous season, a combination of intelligence-led and random spot-checks were introduced to ensure those who were buying the tickets with Away Tickets Loyalty Points, were in fact the fans attending the matches.

Spot-checks are carried out by Newcastle United staff at each away match to ensure only travelling supporters with legitimate possession of tickets are able to enter the stadium.

At turnstiles, a number of supporters who have their entry rejected during the scanning process are directed to the away box office, or another suitable location, to have their identity verified, before the ticket is then re-issued.

Option 3 – Introduce ID Ticket Collections

For each match, a random group of supporters, who have acquired tickets to an away match via the Away Tickets Loyalty Points System, will be notified (timescale to be confirmed) prior to the match, that they will have to collect their ticket from an Away Box Office or another suitable location on matchday (rather than it being posted to them).

The supporter ID will then be verified by Newcastle United Box Office staff at a ticket collection location near the away stadium up to 72 hours before the game. The associated ticket would then be handed to the supporter.

My opinion

I went for option 1, return to the old system and here’s my reasoning why.

Firstly, I am privileged to have the time and money to go to every game home and away.

For the first time in the very recent history of our club, demand is seriously outstripping supply when it comes to tickets.

Let’s put this into perspective.

Travelling away regularly to watch us has only been around since the 1970s.

So that means a lot of lads who went in the 70s and 80s are still going away, in those eras there was never any real trouble getting into away games as lots of grounds were half empty and back in the day, Newcastle literally took thousands and thousands to some games.

So when the loyalty points scheme came in, the same fans simply continued going away and collected points.

Then as fans got older, human nature just kicked in and with points accumulated, tickets were passed on to family and friends. With this system working perfectly because when the FCB took over, producing an under-invested team, people got sick of watching the dross being served, ending with Bruceball.

Now after the takeover, a vast swath of supporters, many of who had boycotted to get rid of FCB, now find they are locked out now and looking in.

So we now have the situation where if you keep going under Ashley when we were shi.e you get a ticket, and if you didn’t, tough.

We had some fans shouting how unfair it was, including calls from NUST for change, so as we know, we got a new system from the club with id checks and draconian measures should anybody break the new ticketing rules.

So why did I vote for option 1 in the Newcastle United away tickets survey?

The old system broadly worked.

From my personal experience of hundreds of away games, I’ve never seen one ticket passed on at more than face value. There is no secret cartel hoarding tickets to pass on with mythical charlatans running buses making fortunes.

Ok not in my experience…

I personally know our bus (AKA The ugly bus), Shambles travel, Steve and David’s bus from Chapel Park, even The Mag comments section pantomime villain, The Monk, they all run their buses for family and friends. Some might see me as naive in thinking this, but again, this is simply my personal experience.

As for passing on Newcastle United away tickets?

It has gone on for years, benefitting exiled mags aal owa the country where having a season ticket wasn’t a practical option.

Obviously the counterargument to this, is that you are depriving a ticket for the next person in the queue.

And this is where human nature comes into it.

If you have a spare ticket for an away game and cannot make it, are you really going to put it back into the pot, or instead pass it on to your son who’s desperate to go to an away game, or your mates who now live in London and are desperate for a ticket?

Look, I am not unsympathetic to the young uns and would definitely have say a percentage of the allocation solely for them.

Normally, anything I have published on The Mag I never then comment further on it in the comments section, as I feel I have had my say. However, on this subject, I will happily debate with my fellow Mags.