Away tickets on priority sale to season ticket holders etc

[Wise Head]

I was in the ticket office today buying tickets for Gillingham away and Coventry home, but wasn’t allowed to buy tickets for Sunderland away as they only go on general sale on Thursday. The staff were very polite and the ticket office manager asked her boss if they could do so, but it was decided that it would undermine the system in place. While I accepted this explanation, it makes me question the system. What is the point in setting up priority sales for most of our away games when the possible away ticket allocation for almost all games is far in excess of the number we would take. In the Sunderland case the availability on line shows as very good on the initial allocation of 1,000 tickets and the away section at Roker Park holds 3,000. I fully support Priority sale for for instance for Wimbledon away where we are allocated under 1,000 or if we suddenly pushed for automatic promotion, but otherwise it seems unnecessary. I would be interested to see if I am the only fan to find this annoying.

 

[MK Shrimper]

No I agree, it's a bit of a nonsense. Highly unlikely to take more than 200 up there.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

No I agree, it's a bit of a nonsense. Highly unlikely to take more than 200 up there.

Ten quid to SZ says that we take more than 200.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Ten quid to SZ says that we take more than 200.

Lol, not a betting man Yorkie.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Lol, not a betting man Yorkie.

Probably for the best as that was a Barna like prediction.

 

[tottenham541]

Ten quid to SZ says that we take more than 200.

I think we will take more than 400 TBH, I got mine online and didn’t have to prove I was season card holder or shareholder even tho I am, for this long trip I’d just put them on general sale from the start as we ain’t gonna take 3,000 fans.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Seems like a bit of overkill to me....now if it was in the 5th round of the F.A Cup ..I'd get it

 

[OldBlueLady]

Think we'll take a lot more than 200 to be fair Pauly.

I agree it seems nonsense but if that's the way it has to be done then that's the way it has to be done - it's like when Charlton give us theirs, they ticket office is told to sell them from the back downwards, meaning those who buy later get better seats.

 

[tia]

Can see Maybe 500 or a bit more making the trip to Sunderland.The glamour away game for most people this season

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Now that would be good numbers......

 

[rlb999]

How ever many we take Sunderland still have more capacity than we'll ever fill, so I agree with the point that staging ticket sales is pointless - if a bloke is at the ticket office now just sell him one!
Equally I understand why clubs WANT us to buy tickets in advance but I don't understand why fans do this - I pay on the gate every time unless its actually going to be a sell out (happens a couple of times a season).

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

How ever many we take Sunderland still have more capacity than we'll ever fill, so I agree with the point that staging ticket sales is pointless - if a bloke is at the ticket office now just sell him one!
Equally I understand why clubs WANT us to buy tickets in advance but I don't understand why fans do this - I pay on the gate every time unless its actually going to be a sell out (happens a couple of times a season).

Because sometimes it's cheaper in advance?
Also Southend get 5% of the away tickets sales when tickets purchased in advance. Obviously this is a reciprocal arrangement so not sure how much this actually brings in.