Thanks to Teemi Pukki’s brilliance, Moritz Leitner’s composure and Todd Cantwell’s coming of age, the intricacies of the club’s new membership scheme appear to have been largely forgotten.
And rightly so. This has been a swashbuckling start to life in the Premier League by City, two games characterised not so much by realpolitik as they have been by Daniel Farke and his men steadfastly abiding to their assiduously drilled, promotion-winning principles.
However, with two league away games having now gone on sale and social media entering what has often resembled a form of collective meltdown, it’s time to acknowledge the impact of the new scheme – which I still disagree with, by the way – has been grossly misunderstood.
I have every sympathy for those unsuccessful fans who patiently queued both online and at Carrow Road for tickets to Anfield and the London Stadium. I fully understand the second priority window for games like these is something of a lottery, an unedifying scramble that invariably leaves hundreds – perhaps thousands – of fans vehemently disappointed.
For games like these, I consider myself extremely lucky to be one of the ring-fenced 750 who are guaranteed a ticket – courtesy of that loyalty-activating and flagrantly wrong £50 – for every away match providing we log on at the required time.
However, the issue I have is with fans viewing these two games as representative of what the rest of the season will hold.
This piece is not so much a defence of the new scheme as it is a critique of its perceived impact amongst our fanbase; a message of reassurance to those fans who were unsuccessful for Liverpool and West Ham and have been left fretting about their ticketing chances for the remaining 17 league away games.
Firstly, the new scheme is wrong. What was sold as a loyalty-championing initiative, of course, represents the opposite, forcing fans who have shown such an admirable trait into a corner and making them pay £50 – more for families – to continue supporting their beloved club up and down the country.
The fact that any old person can pay that £50 and immediately be placed on a par with someone with a season ticket and nine away stubs from last season is, obviously, a farce.
However, what remains important to consider is that the issues seen for the Liverpool and West Ham games will not be repeated for every game throughout the season. For those fans in the premier window who were unfortunate enough not to access tickets, your time to attend away games – if you’ve paid that £50 for the right reasons: to watch City away from home wherever that may be – will come.
Liverpool and West Ham represent two of the most desirable away fixtures. Liverpool – although lacking West Ham’s accessibility – was always going to be over-subscribed owing to its curtain-raising nature and the prospect of a trip to Anfield, while the 90-minute train from Norwich to Stratford is an attractive proposition for even the most tenuous City fan.
But do those who missed out really think the Burnleys, the Southamptons, the Brightons, the Newcastles, the Villas – on Boxing Day – the Sheffield Uniteds, the Leicesters and the Wolves will be as difficult to get tickets for? I think not.
The point is, many away games this season will go to general sale. If you’ve paid your £50 for the right reasons – and not for a day out at a desirable, big ground or a boozy session in the capital with your mates – there should be an equal desire to watch City at St Mary’s on a Wednesday night as there is to watch us at the old Olympic Stadium on a Saturday afternoon.
What people often forget is that this is about – first and foremost – supporting your team away from home, rather than external factors that naturally do make some games more desirable than others.
The point I’m making is, if you have missed out on Liverpool and West Ham: take your chance when the time comes. When Burnley tickets go on sale next week and invariably do remain available in later ticketing windows, buy them.
I just hope the people complaining about their inability to get a ticket for the first two games won’t be the same people who just pick and choose the ‘big’ or accessible games to go to, instead individuals who bought their membership to support City far and wide and for the right, loyalty-determined, reasons.
So, for those reading this who were devastated to miss out but want to attend as many away games as possible: your time will come. Many of those 7000 plus people who paid that £50 – or £30 – will have done so for non-City-motivated reasons, opting only to apply for the games they view as the best days out or the easiest to get to.
On the most basic level, tickets will not always be as hard to access as they were for these first two – extremely desirable and thus completely unrepresentative – away matches.
I just hope, as this compelling season progresses, Pukki, Leitner and Cantwell continue to flourish, and this membership debate eventually becomes invisible.
There are a lot of games to come and, as you say Will, some may be easier to get the tickets than others.
The London Stadium is never full but they don’t like to give visiting teams large amount of tickets – it will be the same at many other grounds as well.
With the newer stadiums being built, it is about time that away supporters had a completely segregated area with safe entrance and exit.
Spurs’ new stadium has just increased its capacity but like all other grounds due to safety will never reach that because of the blocked off seats between supporters in their first game. 2000 seats were not used due this regulation plus the income to the clubs.
In this day and age, Safe Standing and blocked off seating area seem out of place. How many seats in the same system are unused to keep a clearance area at Carrow Road that could be used for away supporters or casuals who could purchase tickets on the day.
Just to mention Man City and their supporters after Saturday’s game, it is being reported that a number of Spurs supporters got spat on after the game by Man City supporters who were unhappy by the VAR decision. Also, a female was punched and reported it with a picture to the club but so far no response from Man City. Out of the ground, I suppose not their responsibility.
Onwards and Upwards
OTBC
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Just an update Alex, but there is no intentional sterile area at Carrow Road between home and away supporters, There is however a moveable barrier and seats to ensure that there is the minimum loss of usable seats For the Newcastle game they returned 600 or so seats, so we moved the barrier and sold more seats in the enlarged home area and it appeared that all those extra seats were sold. I don’t think that we (NCFC that is) could do any more to make the maximum number of seats available..
At Anfield they only had two. maybe three seats in each row between home and away supporters.
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Your last sentence is wishful thinking I’m afraid. The problem acquiring tickets is not confined to away matches; it’s the same for home matches and there can’t be many examples where paying £50 guarantees you nothing, apart from a long wait in a queue. I think I remember a season where games were split into groups and members were guaranteed a ticket from each group. There has to be a better way than the current system. Unlike you, I believe that this situation will continue throughout the season.
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Was only referring to away games in the article, Max, but understand your frustration. Agree, the system is highly flawed, but I just can’t see games like Burnley, Southampton, Newcastle etc being oversubscribed and not going to general sale.
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Good article Will.
One of my worries with this new, one might say farcical ticketing system, was that many home supporters would get some of our away allocation, just by stumping up 50 quid. And from what I hear that is exactly happened at Anfield, and rumour has it one of our female supporters was assaulted.
I haven’t heard of that being reported officially as such but if any of it is true it is a very worrying development.
It is right Will that the club saw sense and ring fenced yours and other regular away supporters tickets, I know how furious my friends who go away to every game were over this. Especially Marty he was nearly as angry as when the board gave Gunny the managers job !
But I know of some supporters who did 9-10 away games last year and couldn’t get a ticket for Anfield hopefully you are correct and things may get a bit better now. But what was wrong with last seasons points system ?
Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke have a tremendous understanding of the club and it’s supporters, it seems Mr Kensell has none of these qualities.
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This is an issue that divides opinion in extremis.
As I’ve said on MFW ad nauseam, on the few occasions per season I go away I sit in with friends who support other clubs – I’m 61 and hardly an ultra. I just want to see the game. As do my pals.
My gripe is that I cannot reciprocate. I can no longer get a ticket in the ground (let alone the Barclay) for my friends from London, Brighton and Sheffield. They all understand so if they cannot get a ticket at their end in the away section at Carrow Road they will not travel. I can no longer get tickets for them. I’ve become a social pariah:-)
I guess its the way of the world but I’m really confused about this policy.
Of course Joey and Sarah from Brighton don’t deserve tickets over NCFC supporters. But it puts me in a slightly awkward position cos they’ll get me a ticket for the Amex for sure and I’ll have nothing to offer them back.
Perhaps I was getting away with this for too long?
A very alternative take on the issue I know.
My feelings are really with our regular away fans who have to pay to enter a lottery to see if they can keep up their lifestyle.
Compared to these loyal persons I have nothing to fret about.
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At best this article gives half the story. For OAPs like me only able to get to home games this is the first season since I bought a membership card 6 years ago that I cannot get even one home ticket – let alone a second (on my wife’s membership). Logon before 9AM is rejected. Then when you can get in you are held in a queue for 40 odd minutes then when you are finally let in the tickets are sold out. Invariably. Giving out a few tawdry trinkets is no consolation for never getting a ticket. The only exception was the returned 500 tickets from Geordie fans. But that won’t be often!
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I have to agree with Roger. I have been a supporter for well over 50 years living over 200 miles from Norwich. I have been a member for most of that time but certainly continuosly for the last 20 years or so and try to get to 2 or 3 home games a year. I joined the new scheme assuming logging in at 9 am would get a ticket, but as Roger found after 40 minutes waiting it was all sold out. Of course there has to be some system but this one is rather crude and takes no account of loyalty. To be told it will be reviewed next year is too late and not really good enough. The club has records of membership over the years. It is surely possible to revise the system even now taking account of loyalty and still allowing the chance to bring in some new supporters. The team on the pitch has been sorted lets get the ticketing sorted too.
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The membership system is seriously flawed – what catastrophe needs to happen for the club to take action? The club have inadvertently created an opportunity for touts, faceless anti-social behaviour and a potential potent mix of opposition fans sat together. Irrespective of the fairness of the system – I have wasted a number of hours both online and trying to get through on the phone lines and failed to get tickets for both away games – and a total disregard of fan loyalty, the club needs to urgently review.
As an aside Will, the system needs to be fair and consistent – my circumstances dictate the away games I can realistically apply for – logistics and, particularly for my 9 year old season ticket holding son, the attactiveness of the opposition, come into this but don’t make us any less of passionate NCFC supporters.
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I’d just like confirmation on how many memberships were sold. Surely there had to be a reasonable maximum number for both categories to give us all a reasonable chance
If 7000 really were sold then there could well be a long queue for Burnley as well
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I just hope Will is right that away tickets become more readily available soon.
I’m one of many disillusioned Canary supporters who failed to get a ticket for West Ham.
Personally, I feel I’m being penalised for being ill last season.
For years I’ve travelled a total of 10,000 miles each season from my home in Cornwall, with an away season ticket.
I was unable to travel all of last season because of illness and so didn’t have an away season ticket.
Result? I don’t qualify for this season’s priority window and can’t renew my travels despite paying £50 for premier membership.
Suppose I’ll just have to make do with Truro City!
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This whole debate brings to mind that old quote “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
With the limited number of away tickets available, it was never going to be possible to find a perfect solution. Yes it’s vital to reward the loyalty of those people who’ve historically supported City away in the bad times as well as the good but, equally, there has to be an opportunity for other fans to share in the experience rather than making it an almost closed shop.
The club had to start somewhere but one can only hope they’re monitoring the situation closely in readiness to make any changes needed once they’ve had a chance to see how it’s worked (or not as the case may be) at the midway point of the season.
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Astounded, that this websites most talented and usually most perceptive writer should publish such a condescending, apologist, ignorant gaffe.
Subtext = “Remain huddled under the great table and soon some crumbs will fall”
Thanks.
Enjoy the games, for all of us
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