Exiled fans - how can we be better rewarded for loyalty?

[exAtyeoMax]

11 minutes ago, Littlesh*t said:

I know you can't watch them (legally) but does that go for radio as well? I would have thought radio Bristol would have a website with a live broadcast....can't say I listen to it 

Yes bbc sounds. They’re not allowed to broadcast online during games

Edited March 22 by exAtyeoMax

[Grey Fox]

As an exile (East Sussex) my only moan is that as I can’t realistically make evening games it is not worth my while buying a season ticket, this increasingly means I miss out on away games (Plymouth is a currently example) as they often sell out before Members get an opportunity to buy.Never use to be much of a problem but has occurred a lot more over the last two or three seasons.

Not sure what the answer is , perhaps if we keep playing crap , then less people will want to go , and problem solved ️

[Fjmcity]

The only real question of loyalty here is you moving away from Bristol, if anything you should be paying the club more

[Pippintogg]

10 hours ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

Respect to those who live locally and this is by no means a competition or remark on other fans, I’m a Bristolian from birth but haven’t lived there for a good 20 odd years and unlikely to ever move back. That said I am a season ticket holder of over 30 years yet feel frustrated in many aspects. 

Well I guess to start with, it costs probably £100 a home game without season ticket, so every game is an away game, six hour round trip, yet you don’t feel you get plaudits for that or recognition, believe me it ruins your Saturday more than a 20 min drive home (I’ve done both and for sure it hurts more as you sit on the journey mulling it over and get home late!). 

You get the odd ‘home’ game in London fair enough, but you still pay for your match ticket and travel! 

You can’t even listen to City on Radio Bristol without paying! Because you are a city fan who doesn’t live in the area….I mean how unfair is that?! So if you can’t make a game as an exile you are essentially out of pocket either way. A local fan who cannot make it can pass the time by switching on local radio. 

Basically I think us exiled fans deserve a form of loyalty! Now whether that’s loyalty points for distance travelled overall, discount off merchandise, or a free home shirt, but minimum allow exiled ST holders free radio commentary coverage! 

I could easily get a season ticket at Arsenal tomorrow or West Ham. But they aren’t my club, City are, however I probably spend more than a season ticket at both those clubs combined to watch Champ football at AG. So, what can be done to encourage that and commend those supporters (many I know on here) who commit huge amounts of time and money to get to home games, plus the fact travel away most weeks too. Interesting debate, appreciate life is about choices, but some are enforced too and one thing we cannot lose is our first love - our football club! 

Sorry you have to put up with negative comments in what is an interesting and genuine question. My brother lives in Hertfordshire so like you every home game is 'away'. He chooses to have a ST so we can all sit together, we live 10 minutes walk from AG, but rarely does night games. It's a challenge for anyone living outside Bristol. I do think there needs to be a better reward system alongside other improvements, not least on the pitch. I've been going to AG for 53 years, and like many I feel there is still a massive 'disconnect' between the club and fans. Despite all the talk, the foundation and supporter services. Don't get me wrong, they do a lot of great work, but everything can be improved. 

[Guest]

The whole topic of loyalty for this and head of the queue for that leaves my head in a spin.

Personally I see all of it as a complete nonsense brought about by clubs to create a kind of hierarchy of support, and dare I say more income.

What is wrong with

Season ticket for home games, all league games plus chance to purchase for cup home games.

1/2 Season ticket for home games (glory hunter category), as above.

Home membership (reduction on home game tickets)

Away membership first chance to buy away tickets (not a guarantee of a ticket)

No mates rates games as this detracts from both the season ticket and membership schemes

A sell back scheme for ST holders who can’t make games.

I genuinely see no reason to link home season tickets with away game tickets, they are two completely different animals in my opinion.

I don’t know how often away tickets sell out to ST holders, but I guess for the popular games demand will always outweigh supply.

[Littlesh*t]

As a non season ticket holder these days I don't get why people are moaning about away games. Of course a season ticket holder deserves to have 1st rights to these tickets as they are the ones committing to all home games.

 

I can't get an away ticket to some of the games I want to go to and as annoying as that is I completely appreciate why. 

[Eddie Hitler]

The "reward' used to be membership of the London branch of the Supporters Club, of which I was a member.

By the time I joined, mid 90s, I had the impression that the perks had mostly fallen away but you met up with people to travel and had entry to the Supporters Bar at Ashton Gate.

It was also a great way of hearing what was happening at the club in the days before internet forums (Rob Fernandez / @Olé's Net Centre starting about 1998) and without spending half your salary on calling Team talk only to hear that nothing had occurred.

This might still be going, it's a very long time since I lived in London.

This was however run by the fans rather than the club, the club does perks for membership and season ticket holders which is about all it has ever done AFAIK.

[exAtyeoMax]

10 hours ago, O'Garlandinho said:

I live in London too and always thought club should put on a Saturday(weekend) only season ticket offer which include the usual benefits such as st away ticket priority, as midweek games are not always feasible with work, late night finish and removed post match train service. 

I'm hoping that with the TV deal the club might implement some kind of scheme to release my unused ticket.

[SecretSam]

I live away as well, although planning to move back. But I don't expect any rewards, as such. It's just how things are. I don't get to many games, but having been to the Cardiff home game recently, I don't feel that I have missed out!

[alexukhc]

I live in Basingstoke and will be buying me n the lad season tickets next year, truth is I found out lately after being exiled for so long for me n my boy to get a return train ticket, bus ride to Ashton gate, lunch, snacks etc, plus the price of a match day ticket was still cheaper than a night out down my local. Next year he will get his free shirt and the memories we make are priceless. 

[phantom]

12 hours ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

Respect to those who live locally and this is by no means a competition or remark on other fans, I’m a Bristolian from birth but haven’t lived there for a good 20 odd years and unlikely to ever move back. That said I am a season ticket holder of over 30 years yet feel frustrated in many aspects. 

Well I guess to start with, it costs probably £100 a home game without season ticket, so every game is an away game, six hour round trip, yet you don’t feel you get plaudits for that or recognition, believe me it ruins your Saturday more than a 20 min drive home (I’ve done both and for sure it hurts more as you sit on the journey mulling it over and get home late!). 

You get the odd ‘home’ game in London fair enough, but you still pay for your match ticket and travel! 

You can’t even listen to City on Radio Bristol without paying! Because you are a city fan who doesn’t live in the area….I mean how unfair is that?! So if you can’t make a game as an exile you are essentially out of pocket either way. A local fan who cannot make it can pass the time by switching on local radio. 

Basically I think us exiled fans deserve a form of loyalty! Now whether that’s loyalty points for distance travelled overall, discount off merchandise, or a free home shirt, but minimum allow exiled ST holders free radio commentary coverage! 

I could easily get a season ticket at Arsenal tomorrow or West Ham. But they aren’t my club, City are, however I probably spend more than a season ticket at both those clubs combined to watch Champ football at AG. So, what can be done to encourage that and commend those supporters (many I know on here) who commit huge amounts of time and money to get to home games, plus the fact travel away most weeks too. Interesting debate, appreciate life is about choices, but some are enforced too and one thing we cannot lose is our first love - our football club! 

So loyalty should be measured on distance travelled?

What about someone with low to no income that spends their money on going to a game?

Sorry, but never going to happen

Though on a personal note, upmost respect for the commitment in following the club

[REDOXO]

If Steve could fess up for the occasional airline ticket. That would be nice! 

[Reigate Red]

2 hours ago, Grey Fox said:

As an exile (East Sussex) my only moan is that as I can’t realistically make evening games it is not worth my while buying a season ticket, this increasingly means I miss out on away games (Plymouth is a currently example) as they often sell out before Members get an opportunity to buy.Never use to be much of a problem but has occurred a lot more over the last two or three seasons.

Not sure what the answer is , perhaps if we keep playing crap , then less people will want to go , and problem solved ️

I'm in the same situation being in Surrey. I've also noticed that getting away tickets has become more difficult in the last few years and have to reluctantly accept that if we did ever get to the PL I don't think I'd be in with a shout of getting away tickets. I fully accept that ST holders have priority but what irks me is that anyone can buy a membership to enable them to get priority just for a specific "glamour" game, potentially not having been to a City game before and therefore having equal priority to someone like me (55 years man and boy!!).  City even plug buying memberships prior to a big game for that reason.

[Street red]

19 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

You can watch every game from the comfort of your own home for £25 per month.  That’s incredible value. Beats a free shirt any day. 

Yeah even better you can turn it off

Edited March 22 by Street red

[Rocking Red Cyril]

13 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

What a strange post 

Is it strange that London is in the UK or that somebody would post it on here ?

[Rocking Red Cyril]

6 hours ago, Reigate Red said:

I'm in the same situation being in Surrey. I've also noticed that getting away tickets has become more difficult in the last few years and have to reluctantly accept that if we did ever get to the PL I don't think I'd be in with a shout of getting away tickets. I fully accept that ST holders have priority but what irks me is that anyone can buy a membership to enable them to get priority just for a specific "glamour" game, potentially not having been to a City game before and therefore having equal priority to someone like me (55 years man and boy!!).  City even plug buying memberships prior to a big game for that reason.

Myself and two grandsons have hade memberships for years and have missed ticket allocation on big games before 

[Ring]

Until recently, I lived in Canada. I was still a city fan. I never thought the club should give me special treatment because I’d chosen to live there. 

If the club chose to reward me, would they have paid me to come to the games, because my travel costs were so high? Free merchandise?

I now live in south Glos. It takes me longer to get to AG and costs me more than those who live close to it. Should I get a subsidy for that?

Where would you draw the line?

London isn’t that far away. I have many city supporting friends who live further away than that.

[ExiledAjax]

I've thought for a while now whether we could have some sort of innovative "online season ticket" or something.

I've never fully thought through what it should get you but essentially I'd see it as falling between an ST and a membership in terms of general ticket priority, but maybe with full ST priority for one home and one away game each season, and also including RobinsTV for all of the games that can be covered in the UK.

Price it at something like £200.

I don't know, it might be too complicated or not necessary or not workable, but I've sometimes thought it would be interesting to see something other than just ST, memberships, and POTD.

[REDOXO]

1 hour ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Is it strange that London is in the UK or that somebody would post it on here ?

We have a supporter in London Ontario!   

We actually do!

[finbarr_in_z]

23 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

There’s a surprising amount of season card holders live outside Bristol, many of those live a good deal further away than I do.

A friend I’ve been going to games with for over 40 years lives in Manchester and the chap in the seat next to me lives in Serbia. Lots, like the OP live in London and the list goes on.

It’s a good effort by all but I don’t think any of us deserve anything extra, a free mental health check up maybe?

There could be an entire documentary about this chap. How many games does he get to?

(BTW I'm in Derbyshire - practically round the corner from AG).

[ralphindevon]

9 hours ago, finbarr_in_z said:

There could be an entire documentary about this chap. How many games does he get to?

(BTW I'm in Derbyshire - practically round the corner from AG).

He gets to quite a lot of games actually, working for an airline helps though. 

[BigTone]

22 hours ago, REDOXO said:

If Steve could fess up for the occasional airline ticket. That would be nice! 

He has a private jet doesn't he ?  Why not use that ?

[ralphindevon]

21 hours ago, Reigate Red said:

I'm in the same situation being in Surrey. I've also noticed that getting away tickets has become more difficult in the last few years and have to reluctantly accept that if we did ever get to the PL I don't think I'd be in with a shout of getting away tickets. I fully accept that ST holders have priority but what irks me is that anyone can buy a membership to enable them to get priority just for a specific "glamour" game, potentially not having been to a City game before and therefore having equal priority to someone like me (55 years man and boy!!).  City even plug buying memberships prior to a big game for that reason.

Yeah if we get to the promised land the away allocations are often worse than in the championship.

There are thousands of season ticket holders of PL clubs that can’t get an away ticket season after season.

[East Londoner]

On 21/03/2024 at 22:05, Shauntaylor85 said:

Respect to those who live locally and this is by no means a competition or remark on other fans, I’m a Bristolian from birth but haven’t lived there for a good 20 odd years and unlikely to ever move back. That said I am a season ticket holder of over 30 years yet feel frustrated in many aspects. 

Well I guess to start with, it costs probably £100 a home game without season ticket, so every game is an away game, six hour round trip, yet you don’t feel you get plaudits for that or recognition, believe me it ruins your Saturday more than a 20 min drive home (I’ve done both and for sure it hurts more as you sit on the journey mulling it over and get home late!). 

You get the odd ‘home’ game in London fair enough, but you still pay for your match ticket and travel! 

You can’t even listen to City on Radio Bristol without paying! Because you are a city fan who doesn’t live in the area….I mean how unfair is that?! So if you can’t make a game as an exile you are essentially out of pocket either way. A local fan who cannot make it can pass the time by switching on local radio. 

Basically I think us exiled fans deserve a form of loyalty! Now whether that’s loyalty points for distance travelled overall, discount off merchandise, or a free home shirt, but minimum allow exiled ST holders free radio commentary coverage! 

I could easily get a season ticket at Arsenal tomorrow or West Ham. But they aren’t my club, City are, however I probably spend more than a season ticket at both those clubs combined to watch Champ football at AG. So, what can be done to encourage that and commend those supporters (many I know on here) who commit huge amounts of time and money to get to home games, plus the fact travel away most weeks too. Interesting debate, appreciate life is about choices, but some are enforced too and one thing we cannot lose is our first love - our football club! 

Whilst i feel your pain I’m not sure there’s any realistic way to reward fans for travelling a long distance to attend home game, the only thing they could realistically do is to offer a flexible season ticket or a Saturday only season ticket and make it for a section of the ground rather than a specific seat and offer the same benefits of a full season ticket 

As for away games, there is a lot the club could do. Ranging from an away season ticket where you’re guaranteed a ticket for every away game to a points system where the unpopular games like Blackburn away on a Tuesday night get more points than a Saturday trip to QPR and then if a ‘glamour’ game comes along it’s those with the highest number of points who get first chance of getting a ticket 

[REDOXO]

1 hour ago, BigTone said:

He has a private jet doesn't he ?  Why not use that ?

Exactly. We’ll swing by an airfield near you. Job done!

Edited March 23 by REDOXO

[Lanterne Rouge]

26 minutes ago, REDOXO said:

Exactly. We’ll swing by an airfield near you. Job done!

I`m thinking more along the lines of a version of one of those things the trains used to have to grab the mail without stopping. SL could just fly over @BigTone`s country estate and scoop him up in a net.

Would have to be a bloody big net mind!

[REDOXO]

9 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I`m thinking more along the lines of a version of one of those things the trains used to have to grab the mail without stopping. SL could just fly over @BigTone`s country estate and scoop him up in a net.

Would have to be a bloody big net mind!

I like it. Leave him swinging around while a Steve flunky serves us Champers! 

[Shauntaylor85]

2 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

Yeah if we get to the promised land the away allocations are often worse than in the championship.

There are thousands of season ticket holders of PL clubs that can’t get an away ticket season after season.

West Ham do it the right way, through a ballot system. Arsenal are the worst, season ticket holders never get a look in, same old fans get to go each week which is really unfair. 

[Shauntaylor85]

1 hour ago, East Londoner said:

Whilst i feel your pain I’m not sure there’s any realistic way to reward fans for travelling a long distance to attend home game, the only thing they could realistically do is to offer a flexible season ticket or a Saturday only season ticket and make it for a section of the ground rather than a specific seat and offer the same benefits of a full season ticket 

As for away games, there is a lot the club could do. Ranging from an away season ticket where you’re guaranteed a ticket for every away game to a points system where the unpopular games like Blackburn away on a Tuesday night get more points than a Saturday trip to QPR and then if a ‘glamour’ game comes along it’s those with the highest number of points who get first chance of getting a ticket 

Glad to see some debate on this. One thing I think we can agree on is the pain of losing is greater as an exile. A 10 min drive home means you can get on with your evening…..what I will say is as a minimum the club should allow free Robins TV access to the Radio Bristol commentary to season ticket holders who live outside the radius, probably more of an EFL and broadcaster discussion but I am bored of dated approaches when everything else in life is on demand. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have a loyal points system based on radius either, but some consideration. 

[Corkonian]

Totally get you. Being a die-hard fan from afar sucks sometimes.