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Away Tickets; Shambles
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Topic Started: Oct 6 2008, 12:37 PM (89 Views)
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buckfasthero
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Oct 6 2008, 12:37 PM
Post #1
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Read this interesting article on 'Jinky's Oars (which I'll admit is usually full of pish). Is this the main reason why there are so many empty seats at our away games this season?
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SCOTTISH FOOTBALL'S MOST UNWANTED - THE FANS October 6th 2008
A common gripe among many thousands of Celtic fans is that they are unable to buy a ticket for an away game because they are not a season ticket holder.
Celtic FC points out that (A) "Tickets for Celtic's away games are available only to season ticket holders and is one of the advantages of purchasing a season ticket" and (B) "Away game tickets are only available to season ticket holders for security reasons."
Because of Celtic's greed in demanding a five percent handling fee from other clubs which in turn led to other clubs selling directly to Celtic fans, point A no longer applies and shouldn't be being used as a season ticket selling point.
Point B is and always was nonsense because the Club could easily ask for details of anyone buying a ticket from them for an away game whether they were a season ticket holder or not which is exactly what Kilmarnock FC did recently when selling tickets to Celtic supporters.
It is common knowledge that many of the Celtic supporters who go to away games are not season ticket holders but have obtained their ticket from someone who is.
Most season ticket holders simply cannot afford to go to games both at home and away every week yet still buy a ticket for the away games to increase their chances when it comes to the ballot for a game at Ibrox, Tynecastle or Easter Road, I used to do this myself but there is little point now when Celtic will have no control over the sale of tickets for Hibs and Hearts away.
Our recent games at Motherwell and Kilmarnock were well short of capacity yet fans couldn't buy a ticket to get in, yes Killie were selling tickets but you had to turn up at their ticket office in advance of the day of the game with ID to buy one, there was no postal option.
Celtic were selling some of the tickets for Rugby Park but only to season ticket holders. Those tickets Celtic were selling could easily have been put on general sale after a deadline date had passed for season holders and if ID had to be produced then so be it but the Club has the details of everyone who has ever bought a ticket online or by phone anyway so it wouldn't be too much of a problem.
The fans' complaint is that they cannot buy or at least it is extremely difficult to buy a ticket for an away match which will be far from being sold out otherwise. You would think that clubs would want to fill their grounds with supporters since they are continually bleating about their lack of finance but this seems not to be the case.
With the price of fuel these days it is costly enough travelling to away games without having to travel there and bear all the costs on your own and it's even more annoying when you see thousands of empty seats when you get there and know that there are thousands of people who would fill those seats if given the chance.
Celtic may well argue that it is of little benefit to them to try to sell as many tickets as possible for away games and that would not surprise me in the least because these days the supporter comes further down the list of priorities than ever before.
After the Champions League ticket shambles, the season card shambles and the Thomas Cook monopoly on away European games it makes me wonder sometimes if it's all worthwhile.
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buckfasthero
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Oct 6 2008, 02:11 PM
Post #2
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An update on the away ticket fiasco, this time concerning European away games. There is a group forming to oppose the Thomas Cook monopoly on package tours:
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Celtic News : Please Read - A Group To Unite The Celtic Support
Celtic’s relationship with Thomas Cook has put the Celtic supporters in a position where we are feeding off the scraps of tickets ‘not needed . At present Thomas Cook is there only to make serious profit out of Celtic supporters.
We understand every method of travel taken to a fixture amounts to profit for someone; it should not be to the extent that Thomas Cook seeks.
We feel Celtics current relationship with Thomas Cook is damaging to the club as it devalues one of the main reasons why the Celtic support buy a season book. Fewer supporters are travelling to games as they feel harshly done by. In today’s financial climate Celtic should be encouraging fans to attend all fixtures and should not be making supporters feel as though they are hard done by.
Aim
To unite all Celtic Supporters and CSC’s. We plan to bring The Celtic Supporters Association, The Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs, Affiliation of Celtic Supporters Clubs, all independent CSC’s and independent season book holders together; together we potentially could have the biggest fans organisation anywhere on our planet. A committee will be set up representing all the organisations within the group.
First Objective
To have European Away tickets distributed the same way as domestic away fixtures
Areas to Avoid
We need to be focused on our first objective. Celtic Supporters and CSC’s entitlement to European away tickets, this should remain as per SPL away games distributed by Celtic Ticket Office. No person or organisation within the group has the right to play ‘God ‘, the aim is to get the tickets back in the hand of the support. Such a discussion would only waste limited time. Other issues such as singing etc will be left at the door for now, all past Celtic politics between CSC’s remains at the door.
About The Group
The group is not on a power trip; at our first meeting independent CSC’s and travellers along with the Celtic Association were in agreement that this group should be formed to finally unite the Celtic Support on current issues with the main one being the European away ticket tissue.
Too many people feel that there are Celtic supporters who are being deprived of the chance to support their team in the world’s biggest club football competition due to a number of reasons including price, ticket allocation and departure points.
The next meeting is on Saturday 25th October at 1215 in the Garngad. Venue to be Garngad Bar/Parish Hall, please check the Celtic message boards on the internet next week. We encourage as many delegates from CSC’s as possible to attend along with independent season ticket holders. All Celtic Supporters must play their part in bringing these people on board.
Presently we feel there are too many rumours regarding the various organisations i.e. meetings with Celtic, who attends these meeting and the deals done / outcomes. Some organisations unfortunately over the following weeks find members defending themselves hence damaging the trust amongst the support. The group will make every effort to inform the support of meetings talking place; both internal meetings and external meetings such as with Celtic. In turn the outcomes will be made available. This is 2008 so email lists will be setup, communication by mobile phone and text. If the group invest in a website this will be updated as regularly as possible.
Why Thomas Cook Does Not Work 1.Charters are open to season book and non season book holders 2.90 % of charters leave Glasgow 3.Approx 2500 season books in England and 3500 in Ireland are excluded 4.The price is too extortinate 5.Trips appear to be only run when a profit can be made i.e Moscow last season 6.No CSC knows the percentage of tickets Thomas Cook are contracted to 7.Thomas Cook customers come before Celtic Investors
The group feel we need to get as many season book numbers together so we can meet with Celtic PLC as a huge financial sum. Every season book cost in the region of £500, for every 1000 season books in support of the group there is half a million pounds worth of business for the PLC. The group should collate all the mobile numbers and emails of the delegates of each CSC. In turn each delegate should source as many membership numbers as possible.
Ideally by the Hibernian home fixture on the 25th October we should have a committee of well spoken and respected Celtic fans to represent the group or join the other CSC associations/groups. What we bring to Celtic PLC can be discussed at this meeting. We may be too late to save our European tickets this season but for the good of Celtic, to save the way we have been brought up and for the good of our children we need to make every effort to get the tickets back in the hands of the support.
Thomas Cook apparently pays Celtic a large sum of money for our tickets. The PLC need to weigh up the gamble of taking this money and making so many season ticket holders unhappy. Celtics turnover is approx £60 million a year some CSC’s give Celtic £60,000 a year in home ticket sales, that’s £1 in every £1000 in the Celtics turnover.
We are Celtic Supporters, faithful through and through. Now is the time to start supporting each other for what is right for the Celtic support.
Hail Hail
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Mainser
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Oct 6 2008, 03:16 PM
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Two good articles to prompt debate, but we should be careful not to confuse the issues.
Regarding domestic fixtures, I have to say the piece is largely ignorant bollix - if you are a season ticket holder then prior to this season you get away tickets for all but Aberdeen, ICT, Hearts and Hibs pretty much by just pestering the ticket office, whether you live in Glasgow or not. Then once you have done that a couple of times, hey presto you start getting offers for the "premium" games. It's not rocket science, it really isn't and I get annoyed at serial moaners who don't listen to how the system works.
I also think the statement that somehow there are thousands of Celtic fans who would love tickets for away games but can't get them is not backed up by any fact that I can ascertain - it's pure conjecture.
Regarding Tam Crook, that's a different story and I applaud any effort which would lead to transparency for ticket distribution. One major failing in the organisation right from the start though is there no published means of contacting the organisation if you can't make the meeting, which will be relevant for exiled fans like myself who is a season ticket holder, but can't make every game - a major group who I would have thought they wish to represent - a glaring oversight IMHO.
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groucho bhoy
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Oct 6 2008, 05:05 PM
Post #4
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UnrepentantFenianBastard - RespectToAllWhoRefuse ToBeMastered
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mainser, last season i went to a lot of away games just by phoning the ticket office and buying them, just as i have done since 2000 when i joined the away ticker scheme.
if i get offered 1 ticket a year it has been a good year.
for big games i have to get them off my own back with no help from the ticket office.
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[COLOR=green][SIZE=14]ARTUR BORUC - POLISH PROVO #1[/SIZE][/COLOR]
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tigergerry
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Oct 6 2008, 10:27 PM
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- groucho bhoy
- Oct 6 2008, 05:05 PM
mainser, last season i went to a lot of away games just by phoning the ticket office and buying them, just as i have done since 2000 when i joined the away ticker scheme.
if i get offered 1 ticket a year it has been a good year.
for big games i have to get them off my own back with no help from the ticket office.
tiger will always help you and yir uncle out fir dundee m8 :thumbs.up:
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tigers gonna get ya
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groucho bhoy
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Oct 6 2008, 11:16 PM
Post #6
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UnrepentantFenianBastard - RespectToAllWhoRefuse ToBeMastered
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- tigergerry
- Oct 6 2008, 10:27 PM
- groucho bhoy
- Oct 6 2008, 05:05 PM
mainser, last season i went to a lot of away games just by phoning the ticket office and buying them, just as i have done since 2000 when i joined the away ticker scheme.
if i get offered 1 ticket a year it has been a good year.
for big games i have to get them off my own back with no help from the ticket office.
tiger will always help you and yir uncle out fir dundee m8 :thumbs.up:
haha!
cheers mate.
yer some man for the one man.
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[COLOR=green][SIZE=14]ARTUR BORUC - POLISH PROVO #1[/SIZE][/COLOR]
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tigergerry
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Oct 6 2008, 11:34 PM
Post #7
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- groucho bhoy
- Oct 6 2008, 11:16 PM
- tigergerry
- Oct 6 2008, 10:27 PM
- groucho bhoy
- Oct 6 2008, 05:05 PM
mainser, last season i went to a lot of away games just by phoning the ticket office and buying them, just as i have done since 2000 when i joined the away ticker scheme.
if i get offered 1 ticket a year it has been a good year.
for big games i have to get them off my own back with no help from the ticket office.
tiger will always help you and yir uncle out fir dundee m8 :thumbs.up:
haha! cheers mate. yer some man for the one man.
:thumbs.up:
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tigers gonna get ya
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