Loyalty Points - Do they Make sense?

[Platypuss]

I thought we didnt get a penny for away games unless its a cup game.

quite correct i don't think we do, the clubs buys tickets and if they don't sell them the other clubs buys them back

Quite incorrect - we do get 5% of the face value of away tickets sold from our office. Did you think Mr A was making it up?

[Dirk Gently]

Slightly more complicated than that - the first ticket allocation we get is on sale or return, so if we don't sell it all we can return them. For these, we get 5% of ticket price.

If we decide we want a higher ticket allocation, we commit to purchase all of these, so these aren't on sale or return. And as we're buying them I assume we don't get the 5% but not sure on this latter point.

[Alan Titchmarsh]

Whats loyalty points???? Do you mean Royalty points?

[Platypuss]

If we decide we want a higher ticket allocation, we commit to purchase all of these, so these aren't on sale or return. And as we're buying them I assume we don't get the 5% but not sure on this latter point.

I'd imagine we perhaps don't buy those at face value.

[notloyalenuffroyal]

Apologies for the huge confusion

Loyalty points / Royalty points - crikey - I can imagine the nightmare!


All very interesting - but it hasn't solved my - introducing the next generation of fan - problem.

This is obviously a key season for the club. Great for long term supporters, which I just about include myself in having been going for 20 years, and I know some of you have been going for many more.....

....BUT..... surely if the club wants to grow it has to let new people in the door and Royalty points stop this happening.

I am not a STH (yes - I know - plastic!) and found the only way to get tickets at the end of last season was to spend several hours on the internet as the tickets came available for the correct number of points.

Obviously big games sell out. I would consider 17 of the 19 home games next season big games (and this isn't the place to work out which I mean) and so it will be bad enough for me - but what about Mr Plod and little Jimmy Plod who could be the future who don't get to come.

Stop shutting out the new people and scrap this stupid system.

It was fine for big cup games in the Championship - but now -
WE DON'T NEED IT - WE PLAY BIG GAMES EVERY WEEK!!!!!!![/b]

[Wycombe Royal]

Obviously big games sell out. I would consider 17 of the 19 home games next season big games (and this isn't the place to work out which I mean) and so it will be bad enough for me - but what about Mr Plod and little Jimmy Plod who could be the future who don't get to come.

Yes there will be some people who genuinely want to become fans of RFC who miss out, but if you don't have the royalty points systems many more "genuine" fans will miss out because there will be a queue of people wanting to see matches just because we are in the Premiership and they wants to see the star players on the opposition teams.

It is unfortunate but it is just a symptom of success.

[notloyalenuffroyal]

Yes there will be some people who genuinely want to become fans of RFC who miss out, but if you don't have the royalty points systems many more "genuine" fans will miss out because there will be a queue of people wanting to see matches just because we are in the Premiership and they wants to see the star players on the opposition teams.

It is unfortunate but it is just a symptom of success.

We always see things on this site that talk about "Do you remember your first game"! Well I remember mine ...(not the time or place).... and by the end of that game at the age of 10 I had stopped supporting a top league side and became "A GENUINE" fan.

GENUINE fans won't miss out unless stopped by unrealisticly stupid half-season ticket sales in December (they better not do that)! GENUINE fans will always make sure they get to go.

New fans can be put off by the "OLD-BOYS" Plastic Syndrome too typical of many people who contribute to this site...

It's time to move on - It's time to face facts - we are getting bigger - we need to get even bigger - lets try and welcome new people and find a way of letting them come and see our great club!

[Wycombe Royal]

We always see things on this site that talk about "Do you remember your first game"! Well I remember mine ...(not the time or place).... and by the end of that game at the age of 10 I had stopped supporting a top league side and became "A GENUINE" fan.

GENUINE fans won't miss out unless stopped by unrealisticly stupid half-season ticket sales in December (they better not do that)! GENUINE fans will always make sure they get to go.

New fans can be put off by the "OLD-BOYS" Plastic Syndrome too typical of many people who contribute to this site...

It's time to move on - It's time to face facts - we are getting bigger - we need to get even bigger - lets try and welcome new people and find a way of letting them come and see our great club!

Demand is outstripping supply due to the size of the ground and therefore restrictions need to be placed on who can buy tickets to make sure that those who have committed money to the club buying buying tickets recently are those who get priority.

No system will ever be perfect but unfortunately that is the way it is.

As for your comment about genuine fans will always make sure they get to go is also not true. Yes they will try anything they can to get a ticket but if tickets aren't available because they have been bought by a Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, etc fan (or just someone who likes watching football) then they won't be able to get one.

[Stranded]

Yes there will be some people who genuinely want to become fans of RFC who miss out, but if you don't have the royalty points systems many more "genuine" fans will miss out because there will be a queue of people wanting to see matches just because we are in the Premiership and they wants to see the star players on the opposition teams.

It is unfortunate but it is just a symptom of success.

We always see things on this site that talk about "Do you remember your first game"! Well I remember mine ...(not the time or place).... and by the end of that game at the age of 10 I had stopped supporting a top league side and became "A GENUINE" fan.

GENUINE fans won't miss out unless stopped by unrealisticly stupid half-season ticket sales in December (they better not do that)! GENUINE fans will always make sure they get to go.

New fans can be put off by the "OLD-BOYS" Plastic Syndrome too typical of many people who contribute to this site...

It's time to move on - It's time to face facts - we are getting bigger - we need to get even bigger - lets try and welcome new people and find a way of letting them come and see our great club!

We are in the Premiership now so we will attract a lot of "football fans" who will just want to watch the big name players, not Reading. That is a fact of life and happens everwhere. Very, very few of those will become Reading fans following a game against say Arsenal (esp if we get stuffed).

The Royalty scheme, whilst not perfect means that it is more likely that floating fans of the club, those most likely to become regulars again, stand more chance of getting in over those sort of fans.

I think the club also realise that a lot of families won't get in to first team games hence the Chupa Chups thing they are doing for the reserve games.

[RFCSinceBury1971]

Our rise to the prem has created the problem, not the Royalty Points System.
Its upto us, the supporters to show we need a bigger capacity at the Madstad.
The problem will vanish if we get relegated so first we must survive in the top flight and stay there. Then, as has already been mentioned the club can consider increasing the capacity.

[notloyalenuffroyal]

Demand is outstripping supply due to the size of the ground and therefore restrictions need to be placed on who can buy tickets to make sure that those who have committed money to the club buying buying tickets recently are those who get priority.

WHY?

I can understand it for the end of last season! People supported the club during the season get the reward by seeing the end of it.

I can just about understand it for games against - Man U - Arsenal - Chelsea etc

BUT AGAINST OTHERS

WHY???

[Wycombe Royal]

Demand is outstripping supply due to the size of the ground and therefore restrictions need to be placed on who can buy tickets to make sure that those who have committed money to the club buying buying tickets recently are those who get priority.

WHY?

I can understand it for the end of last season! People supported the club during the season get the reward by seeing the end of it.

I can just about understand it for games against - Man U - Arsenal - Chelsea etc

BUT AGAINST OTHERS

WHY???

No need to shout.

Because otherwise these fans will not be able to get tickets ahead of general football fans who just want to watch a game. Isn't that obvious?

The fans that have bought tickets before are the most likely to continue buying tickets in the future and therefore prioirty is given to them.

[Stranded]

Demand is outstripping supply due to the size of the ground and therefore restrictions need to be placed on who can buy tickets to make sure that those who have committed money to the club buying buying tickets recently are those who get priority.

WHY?

I can understand it for the end of last season! People supported the club during the season get the reward by seeing the end of it.

I can just about understand it for games against - Man U - Arsenal - Chelsea etc

BUT AGAINST OTHERS

WHY???

No need to shout.

Because otherwise these fans will not be able to get tickets ahead of general football fans who just want to watch a game. Isn't that obvious?

The fans that have bought tickets before are the most likely to continue buying tickets in the future and therefore prioirty is given to them.

Precisely. Why should somebody who has never shown an interest in RFC before our arrival in the top flight get precedence over somebody ,who although not a regular, had paid to see us at home to the likes of Stoke, Hull, Plymouth or Brighton?

[rabidbee]

Yes there will be some people who genuinely want to become fans of RFC who miss out, but if you don't have the royalty points systems many more "genuine" fans will miss out because there will be a queue of people wanting to see matches just because we are in the Premiership and they wants to see the star players on the opposition teams.

It is unfortunate but it is just a symptom of success.

Anyone remember the number of rags on the home terraces at Elm Park, when United played us (in '96?). None of my mates got into that match, which was a sell-out - they would have done if the tokens that the club had issued for the previous round had not had to be withdrawn (due to forgeries). This is a much better system. More to the point, notloyalenuffroyal seems to be the only person complaining, and the poll suggests that the system is overwhelmingly popular, and that is what matters to the club. The points were introduced by popular demand, because of problems in the past, and the majority of fans seems happy with the system.

Cheers, Alex

[Royal Fleet]

I think it is a good system, and most of the big clubs operate variations on the theme.

Let's face this is going to a one season problem one way or another. If we stay up - bigger stadium, if we go down, less ST's sold.

[KC Royal]

I do have some reservations about it and I didnt really agree with it in the Championship. But if it cuts out those fans who only come to see Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U play and dont really care about the club then it can only be a good thing in the long run.

[Rawlie19]

I don't understand why you're getting all worked up, notloyalenuffroyal. As I believe people with no points could buy tickets to the game on Saturday. There will be games this season that won't sell out before going on general sale so if you want to take little Timmy to a game, pick one of those.

[Hoop Blah]

The system is a good one, and even the infrastructure to run it appears to be pretty good.

My issue with the system is that the club originally sold it as a means of more fairly distributing tickets to fans who'd attended more games and as such show more loyalty to the club. The Royalty name is purely a "clever" bit of word play to give the points system a Reading flavour, I don't subscribe to the arguement that it then has nothing to do with loyalty. The way they've started to allocate points means that, in my opinion, the system is no longer a fair way of distributing tickets to those fans that have shown the most loyalty.

The way the system has been implemented and the now more obvious revenue generating motives behind the allocation of points has taken the balance away from helping the club treat fans better. Yes it's better than a free for all with queues right down the Norfolk Road, but it's by no means perfect as the club chase every last penny out of us fans.

This might be a fact of life in the Premiership but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[pieface]

i rather call them money points how can u measure how loyal people are when they have only beeen running a few seasoins and you get 20 points to go see a fraindly cause they know loyals have to pay to make sure they carry on in the top boundry. And it works to be fair on them but it all bout money.This club dont care bout thier fanz now they in top flight and got people flocking in

[URZZZZZZZZ]

The idea needs to be in place. I disagree with only getting 2 points for an away game though, as opposed to the 5 you get for home matches.