Huddersfield Town have confirmed the priority system for their forthcoming season in the Premier League. As predicted in my earlier article about the difficulties in working out an away ticket priority system, many fans have been left feeling aggrieved.
There are winners and losers with the system that’s been announced but I personally think that the club have done a good job of trying to make a system that gives everyone a chance but rewards fans that have followed the club for the longest.
The system isn’t completely fair though, so here’s my interpretation of the winners and losers.
The winners in the away ticket priority system
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Blue and White Foundation members, Terriers on Tour members or patrons that have had a season ticket for the last three years or longer – Being a member of one of these extra groups means you leapfrog people that have held a season ticket longer but didn’t join an additional scheme
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People that a long running history of season card owning – Even if you’ve never been to an away game in the past ten years, your attendance at home games gives you a leg up the priority system. This group also lose out somewhat to people with the memberships mentioned above, so it’s win/lose really
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People that lost their reserved seat because of stadium changes – I think it’s fair enough that those that have been forced to relocate get the extra bonus of being at the front for away tickets. The club had to move people to meet Premier League standards, so it’s nice they’ve been able to reward them for the inconvenience
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Non-season card holders – Details are sketchy on the ballot system as yet, but the wording implies that you don’t need to be a member to enter into the ballot for 10% of the away ticket allocation. This means everyone can get a chance of getting a ticket one of the big away games, regardless of priority. It’s probably only a slim chance for big games, but at least it’s a possibility
The losers in the new system
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Anyone that skipped a season recently – If you didn’t get a season card for any of the last three seasons then you’ll be in priority group 4, which is pretty far down the pecking order. I’m in this group, more on that later
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People that go to away games but don’t buy season cards – This is the group that I feel most sorry for, because the club would almost certainly have made away ticket buying history part of the scheme if there was any way to reliably implement it. Because the club don’t have records of every away ticket sold for each supporter it would end up with people having to dig through their drawers for ticket stubs from years gone by. Fans that live away from Huddersfield but travel to away games make up a big part of this group
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Longstanding season card holders that aren’t in a special club – While season card ownership on its own can get you up to level three if you’ve had one for a while, it’s not enough to get you into the very top groups. So people with 40 years of season card ownership (or season tickets as it would be for the bulk of those years) wouldn’t be guaranteed tickets
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New season card holders – If you bought a season card this year without getting one last year then you’re dumped into category five, which is the very bottom position and is only slightly better than waiting for general sale. It’s a shame but as the chant goes: “Where were you when we were shit?”
What games will it be easy to get tickets for?
For Swansea away, Bournemouth and possibly even West Ham given the changed kick-off time it’ll probably be easy to get tickets. I expect that we’ll still only take a modest following to the games that involve a long journey and/or take place at awkward times. So fans will be able to get to at least some of the away games.
Games such as Burnley and Crystal Palace are harder to predict because they aren’t top teams but Burnley isn’t too far to go and Palace is the opening game. I’d guess these games won’t go on general sale but I don’t know which priority groups will get a chance to buy tickets.
What games are going to be hard to get tickets for?
The big away games against relatively nearby opponents like Liverpool and Manchester United will get snaffled up by fans in the higher priority groups. The video released by the club suggests that priority one members are only likely to go for around 700 tickets, even for big games (using the Man City replay as the source of this estimate). So people in groups one and two should be fine.
Priority group three may manage to get tickets for the big games but it’s not certain and it’ll probably mean being quicker off the mark than those with the same priority system. Those in group four or five will probably have to hope their number comes up in the ballot.
There will then be the grey area for games such as Arsenal. It’s a big team but it’s a weeknight game, will probably be televised, and we played them in the cup a few years ago so some fans have ticked The Emirates off their lists. It’s hard to predict what will happen with ticket sales.
How have the club handled away ticket prioritisation?
I think they’ve done a pretty good job given the situation they faced. With incomplete ticket histories for away games, far more demand than supply, lots of new fans that don’t want to feel shut out and some fans that think they deserve special treatment. So the system isn’t perfect but it’s about as good as it can be.
I’m pleased that they found a way to recognise loyalty using the information that is available but still left a mechanism in place for brand new supporters to at least have a chance at getting tickets. It’s a shame that people that some fans that have followed the club all over the country won’t be recognised with this scheme but that’s a problem that could only have been put right years ago, not now.
It’s also worth pointing out that the club have gone for a system that’s going to take a lot of time for them to implement. The ballot system will take a lot of effort to organise. Having five different levels of priority means staggered sales will be harder to plan out. They’ve definitely not gone for the easy option and have tried their best to get the fairest possible system, even if it’s not perfect.
What’s my priority?
When I first read the announcement I thought I was in category two for the first hour. Then I checked back on my buying history on my online account and realised the year I didn’t get a season ticket was 2015/16, not the year before as I’d initially thought. So I’m actually in priority group four.
I think this will mean I’ll struggle to get to the bigger away games but I’ll try my best and hope that I can get lucky on the lottery system. I’m not going to let it bother me if I can’t get to the games I want to. It’s a nice problem to have and I’ll be able to watch a lot of the games on TV anyway.
I’ve been a season ticket holder for nine out of the last ten years, a Terriers on Tour member last season, have been up and down the country for away games for many years but I missed a season out, so it’s fair enough that I’ve dropped down the priority list.
The year that I missed was because I wanted to be at home with my son during his first year. So I don’t regret missing out on that year’s season card (I still made it to plenty of games) and I’m delighted that I’m going to be able to watch Town play in the Premier League.
What are your thoughts on the priority system? Put your thoughts in the comments below.
seems o.k for a starting point but needs to take into account away travel (and possibly take into account people trying to buy tickets) in future
as a lot of people will maybe attend 2or 3 big games and not bother with the poorer games which is a bit unfair to those who want to attend most away games
as for B&W and patrons this was always part of the membership and always stated as such
But as you no longer need membership to canalside then the B&W now offers only the draw so for later members making it less value for money so suspect this may loose members
don’t really know what else the patrons offers but they have still lost canalside and priority tickets
i don’t think man city can be a true representation as it was a cup game
shef wednesday and certain other games sold more than 700 priority tickets
unfortunately this was always going to be a difficult decision
I’m happy with my priority – it’s number 2 I’m in. The TOT membership I invested in was well worth it – a lovely little investment at £20. It may not be returning for this season, but it’s still got me into a priority category I’m happy with. Those below priority 2 may well be biting their nails when thinking of their hopes of a ticket. I look at this way – whoever we’re playing and whenever – demand will be higher than ever. We’re in the Premied League now. It’s our first ever time in the top flight in its current form, so whether it’s a Swansea, Watford or a Swansea away day, demand will be there and we should be looking to sell out allocations. For those in priority 3 who have had a SC for more than three seasons (before 15/16) but didn’t invest in a TOT membership, they’ll be wishing they had. This is the predicament my friend is in. We’ve both been a SC Holder for roughly the same amount of time (since 2011/12 possibly), but one thing he didn’t have that I had was a TOT membership. A little £20 investment has made all the difference for me. I think I’ll be bailing my mate out of trouble just so he doesn’t miss out regularly on away days and I’ll get him to come along as my Personal Assistant/PA. He may be used to buying for himself and he’d be going for free, but it’s the thought that counts more than anything. I’m autistic and so is he, and despite a relatively small age gap of 6 years (I’m 22 and he’s 16), I like my mate that much. If you’re bailing your mate out of trouble because he is priority 3, then you should be proud of yourself. Thinking of your mate and helping them out when they are in need is what friendship is all about. It shouldn’t be considered as being too kind. You can’t have enough kindness in this world.
For me I’m very disappointed but get the problem. Living in Kent for 26 years and still having bought a season card / ticket for a good number of those years often just to financially support the club as I knew I’d not always get to the games and some seasons only used my card a few times ( in league one a few seasons back I had 3 seasons where I only missed a handful of games home and away). I’ve followed Town all my life and all over the country, clocking up more miles than all but the most ardent of fans ( it’s a 550 mile round trip to home games). Now, as I missed the 15/16 season ticket, (was still at some horrible away games and home ones) I’m dumped into a category 4 so will not get a chance at the big away games. After being at places like Yeovil, Cheltenham and the Bristol clubs when very few others bothered, I feel somewhat aggrieved and a little bitter. When Town were going bust, I sent a donation which the club responded with a letter of gratitude and surprise but of course, this stands for nothing and I don’t expect it to but adds to the annoyance of being shunted.
I’ll be finding something else to do from now on, won’t be buying my usual two shirts and won’t be informing the ticket office in advance of me not being able to make home games. My seat will remain empty as a response to me not getting a seat at decent away games. I’ve also had blue and white foundation membership on and off as well as patrons on and off over the years. From now on I’ll attend games purely for my own entertainment (many in the past have being mainly to support the club in dire times) as I choose. No doubt when Town are back struggling, (almost inevitable) and the new found ‘fans’ that the club value so highly now have drifted away again, I’ll be back but never with the same loyalty and enthusiasm I once had. The sad bit for me is that I knew this would happen if we reached this pinnacle but as they say, love is blind.
Good luck to the really loyal fans who are tier one and two who have also genuinely endured the hard times. I’m really happy for those few and they truly deserve the tickets.