So, I’m not sure if this is me spreading awareness or asking my peers for advice?
You know how you have a random direct debit set up that you either forget about or never get around to cancelling?
Well fortunately because I had changed bank details, Arsenal have had to ask me for my yearly membership fee which would normally be taken out automatically.
I say fortunately because I didn’t attend the Emirates this season.
For over a decade I have paid for two Red Memberships which essentially means I’m paying for access to tickets (majority of the time for home fixtures) a month in advance.
The last campaign though was the first time I was unable to do so, essentially meaning that I am paying for a service that I am not getting.
I have given the club approx. 80 pounds for nothing.
As much as I love the Gunners, they are a Billion-pound company who don’t need given money for nothing.
So, before I renew my memberships I just wanted some reassurance that I wasn’t going to invest in the same experience again?
Because when I say unable that doesn’t imply a lack of effort at my end or other commitments preoccupying my time.
Arsenal in the last year changed their protocol no longer selling seats on a first come first serve basis. The criteria now is your name must be drawn from a ballot.
To be fair this is the club trying to battle a serious touting issue. I have been in coffee shops and witnessed people pull out a handful of cards and then sell them for the day. On each card will have access to the stadium for that days match.
The scheme being that say if they paid 50 pounds for the seat, they might now be charging 150. This obviously became apparent when we started challenging for the title again. In 2023 when being Champions was a possibility, rumours were that some Gooners were handing over thousands of pounds because they wanted to be in attendance if the trophy was lifted.
This is obviously against the law.
Yet should loyal customers like me have to miss out because of the minority.
Can it morally be correct that in the dark days of selling our best talent to rivals , competing only for top 4 , the dark days of Unai Emery’s reign , I travelled to London once a month to see a match but once my team flirt with the idea of being successful again , I’m suddenly missing out .
I emailed the club for clarification that I’m not basically paying 80 pound to put my name in a hat and also …how do I know my names going into that hat?
Where I used to see in front of me what I was buying (availability, etc) now I am taking someone’s word as gospel. Why not for example implement a system where if one member is successful for one match, they sit out the next ballot?
I knew the answer of course. Arsenal care about taking the cash, not who they are taking it from?
I contacted them because the company line is they continue to evaluate how the ballot is working so I thought it couldn’t harm to share my experience.
Their stats say that for every ballot you enter you have 11 percent chance of being successful. That number jumps to 33 if you upgrade to a silver member. These figures though are disputed among the fan base. Which is why I’m curious if any readers are finding what I’m finding – entry for every possible ballot and zero tickets?
There’s going to be hundreds or maybe even thousands in a similar position. Just think how much the Kroenke family are pocketing for every member who may or may not be in this hat? Does the hat even exist?
This was my response from the club,
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your email.
I want to express my sincere apologies for the frustration and disappointment you’ve experienced regarding your membership and ticket allocations for Arsenal matches this season. I understand how important attending games is to you, and it’s disheartening to hear that despite your efforts, you haven’t been successful in obtaining tickets through the ballot system.
I completely empathise with your concerns about the fairness of the balloting system and its impact on your ability to attend matches. It’s certainly not the experience we aim to provide for our loyal members, and I assure you that your feedback has been noted.
I want to assure you that we are constantly reviewing our ticket allocation processes for next season to ensure fairness and accessibility for all our members. While I can’t promise immediate solutions, I want you to know that your feedback is invaluable in helping us make improvements.
Kind regards,
Melissa
The issue is our owners make money off the brand we are, which is why they have never had to worry about ending out 21-year drought for the Prem.
Most clubs can play off our emotions. They are aware I’ll end up paying the membership and if I don’t others will.
That’s how they can justify the cost of shirts and TV subscriptions.
I used to average 10 games a season but now for the same price get nothing.
I’m interested in anyone else’s stories and hope maybe you can tell me I am just being unlucky?
Dan
had exactly the same issue Dan
not a single game all season through the ballot
at least the club replied to you i got nothing back from them when saying the same things you have back in jan
you should sit out the ballot for the next game if your are successful to make things fair for everyone
I am a silver member and last season, I applied for tickets 12 times and was successful once.
This balloting systems seems to be fixed.
I emailed the club, raising my concerns, but received no reply.
I also spoke to the ticketing office, who said i was just unlucky.
Its an absolute disgrace and I’m talking from a standpoint of being English and living in the US .My experience is that customer service is significantly better in the US than in the UK so I was very interested in AFCs reaction to your issues.
Seeing that they’ve potentially done nothing is very disappointing and I’d hoped for better from them. I’ve heard that in the German leagues the entire process was based more around Families attending and giving the consumer a fare deal. I will still support the Gooners but its definitely got to change !
I am a red DA member ad was very lucky last year to see about 10 games last year with my personal companion including a champions league game to be fair I think we were incredibly lucky though we applied for many more games also being disabled the games are offered at reduced prices as well, personally myself i prefer the ballot system.
Surely it’s verging on betting .
Pure greed ,fans should be guaranteed atleast a few tickets per season .
I have sympathy for you
Me and my two sons got nothing last season so the idea that some are just lucky several times when others don’t get a shout doesn’t seem right.
Cheers guys
Very interested and I guess sad to learn that maybe this is not as successful as Arsenal are implying ?
Nothing we can do 😔
as a silver member i got 2 tickets from 22 ballots no problem getting tickets from season ticket holder who sold his tickets for nice profit and never went to single match himself was told by club no spare season tickets available to those on waiting list this year as all season ticket holder renewed no wo profit can be made from fans like me who cannot get tickets from ballot
That’s not correct J r, as I know of two people who got season tickets for the forthcoming season.
It could be that some fans have passed on of course, but there were s/t handed out.
It is obvious how the tickets aee allocated is bankrupt and will always be unjust to fans playing by the rule.
I sympathise completely with those who haven’t got a season ticket and join as members of the red or silver list.
Whether I use the Arsenal or Holloway Road tube stations, there are ALWAYS touts outside offering tickets.
I know that the club confiscated 35 season tickets, after buying said tickets from the touts and identifying who they were from the seat numbers.
But it still goes on and the club should do the same exercise at every game in order to stamp this out.
If the touts are found to be on the red / silver scheme, they should be banned, along with the s/t holders.
There is a current scheme, where I (for example) can name people on the red or silver scheme, who I list as friends, that I can inform the club will use my s/t for any game that I can’t make…. as long as their profile is the same ie over 65 in my case.
Perhaps the club could relax this particular clause?
The club have also brought in the fact that, if a s/t holder doesn’t attend three games and doesn’t offer their seat back for resale, they will automatically lose their season tickets.
Finally, if anyone doesn’t receive a ticket via the ballot scheme, shouldn’t the club carry their £50 forward to the next season?
So there are at least four suggestions that I have offered up and, as the saying goes, don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions and, maybe Dan, you could put these forward to the club?
Of course mate
Wherever they will care or not ?
Seems like a really good proposition to me Dan – especially as you received a response from the club
I know quite a few Red and Silver Members who have applied for tickets for every game and haven’t been successful for one game. It’s been brought up at meetings with club officials, but it seems the club don’t care.
I remember one of my mates said last year when the ballot system was announced, he said it will be a lottery, not a ballot. Looks like he was right.
in response to ken 1945 i got a email from club saying i had not moved in waiting list for season ticket i am less than 2000 on that list so i have been waiting for along time i think if a person with s/t does not attend more than halve the matches over 2 years in person they should not be allowed sell spares except on ticket exchange so cutting out chance to make profit off other fans
J r, I CANNOT sell my ticket to anyone, except in these two examples :
1. By telling the club I cannot make a game and telling them to put it into the ticket exchange scheme.
2. By using the friend from red and silver membership scheme to give my ticket to a fellow Gooner… in a like for like exchange.
As for not attending at least half the matches over a two season period – that’s already in situ and, in fact, it was four games last season and three games this coming season.
I agree completely that anyone trying to make money from another supporter by using their s/t for personal gain, should lose their ticket with immediate effect – hence my suggestion that club officials “police” the touts outside stations.
Also, of course, if the season tickets that become available are from senior or junior members and you are neither, then you wouldn’t move up the ladder, as they would be in the section of the ground allocated to said supporters (the clock end) – that’s how I’ve been told the system works.
i have been reading just arsenal for along time and i have no doubt you are a real fan ken who would never overcharge another fan i am talking about people who have tickets and charge their [friends] a tidy profit which the club have no idea what is being charged if i gave names i will never get ticket again from them
I’m in Norway and brought 4 red memberships for me and my 3 sons ..my oldest son lives in London.
We applied for every home game last season and got lucky once against Brentford, my oldest sons friend also applied only for the United and city games and got tickets for both games .
I also feel once you have been lucky enough to get a tickey that you shouldn’t be able to enter the ballot for a period of time, it’s not fair that we pay the same to see 1 game yet others can go to see several games for the same yearly price.
🤷♂️