Corporate tickets and missing blocks

[franniesTache]

So we've now see at multiple away games entire blocks that have been empty despite games "selling out", for example Hull, Charlton and Norwich, and we all know that when people first logged in to buy tickets for Fratton at least three large blocks were greyed out and unable to purchase.

Obviously we also know regional supporters groups get tickets, as do staff and players families, but that doesn't seem to account for the amount that are seemingly now being held aside.

Doing some digging i came across this from publicity P&O did when they agreed to sponsor us

"This collaboration marks P&O Cruises’ first venture into sports sponsorship and will provide exclusive benefits and experiences to P&O Cruises guests and Southampton FC members and fans. Perks include special cruise offers, match tickets, meet-and-greet events and onboard coaching sessions." 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/08/po-cruises-partners-with-southampton-fc/

Maybe the club need to be honest with fans, are they holding aside away tickets for people taking cruises with P&O? And if they are how can they justify doing that at the expense of the mushes who go home and away supporting us.

Some serious questions need asking of the club about this because with lower allocations in this league it's taking the piss to give tickets to people who potentially aren't even Saints fans

 

[Mattio]

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

You can see how this would escalate if we got back to the PL.

P&O have clearly been allocated ’x’ amount of tickets for every game as part of their sponsorship and they’re probably not particularly bothered if they’re taken up or not. It’s their entitlement and I’d imagine they’re not handing them back as their clients may decide last minute to use them.

It’s the same with home games too, I’m a member so go on to buy tickets and regularly see blocks show as sold out but then have the same empty seats most weeks.

[Turkish]

Get the FAB on the case! 👊👊👊👊

[Noodles34]

If you go to enough away games then it ain't an issue anyway, as the OP knows cause he goes to most. I personally like the fact that there's empty seats, means I can move away random people I don't want to stand next to. 

[Noodles34]

And do you really think P&O have an allocation for Blackburn away? 

I can imagine the middle class family from St Albans travelling down to Southampton a day earlier to pick up their match tickets for a train trip to Ewood Park. Before coming all the way back to catch the cruise on Sunday morning. Nah, that doesn't add up. 

[IFHP]

18 hours ago, franniesTache said:

So we've now see at multiple away games entire blocks that have been empty despite games "selling out", for example Hull, Charlton and Norwich, and we all know that when people first logged in to buy tickets for Fratton at least three large blocks were greyed out and unable to purchase.

Obviously we also know regional supporters groups get tickets, as do staff and players families, but that doesn't seem to account for the amount that are seemingly now being held aside.

Doing some digging i came across this from publicity P&O did when they agreed to sponsor us

"This collaboration marks P&O Cruises’ first venture into sports sponsorship and will provide exclusive benefits and experiences to P&O Cruises guests and Southampton FC members and fans. Perks include special cruise offers, match tickets, meet-and-greet events and onboard coaching sessions." 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/08/po-cruises-partners-with-southampton-fc/

Maybe the club need to be honest with fans, are they holding aside away tickets for people taking cruises with P&O? And if they are how can they justify doing that at the expense of the mushes who go home and away supporting us.

Some serious questions need asking of the club about this because with lower allocations in this league it's taking the piss to give tickets to people who potentially aren't even Saints fans

 

Have you emailed the club asking why? 
 

The frustration is some fans are missing out on so called sold out away games because of this.

 

you just know how much we are going to get the piss taken out of us a fratton when there is an empty block of 200 odd ( maybe more) seats in our end . 
 

by the time they’ve finished spinning this they’d be more empty seats than our allocation! 

Edited 13 hours ago by IFHP

[EssEffCee]

Were loads of empties for Stoke this morning too.

[Ted Bates Statue]

3 hours ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

You can see how this would escalate if we got back to the PL.

P&O have clearly been allocated ’x’ amount of tickets for every game as part of their sponsorship and they’re probably not particularly bothered if they’re taken up or not. It’s their entitlement and I’d imagine they’re not handing them back as their clients may decide last minute to use them.

It's a slap in the face of the loyal support which has been quite astonishing to behold considering how bad we've been in our two most recent seasons in the PL (and most of this season, for now). Rupert Lowe era post-relegation led to an instant 10-12k drop in attendance, so while it is mildly surprising that people have so much more patience with the club now, not sure it's guaranteed to stay that way while Sports Republic make continuous errors of judgment. 

This sort of thing makes mugs of the supporters and it makes the club leadership look extra fucking stupid to have empty seats when the demand is so high among genuine fans.

[LGTL]

It’s the lack of transparency that fucks me off. Every club in the land holds tickets back, but it’s about time they started explaining who/what/why.

[bangkoksaint]

1 hour ago, Ted Bates Statue said:

It's a slap in the face of the loyal support which has been quite astonishing to behold considering how bad we've been in our two most recent seasons in the PL (and most of this season, for now). Rupert Lowe era post-relegation led to an instant 10-12k drop in attendance, so while it is mildly surprising that people have so much more patience with the club now, not sure it's guaranteed to stay that way while Sports Republic make continuous errors of judgment. 

This sort of thing makes mugs of the supporters and it makes the club leadership look extra fucking stupid to have empty seats when the demand is so high among genuine fans.

I think you’re spot on with this. I don’t think we’ll go up this season and we’ll see more bizarre contract extensions and sales of some of our better players. Couple that with another YTS manager at the start of next season and the additional financial hardships that people will be facing and there will be a significant drop off in attendances. 

[die Mannyschaft]

If its a small amount of tickets for home fair enough but not away games for sponsors. I've got a few away games allways at end allocation like Chelsea and WHU where it looked sold out then maybe 20 back on. Chunks of 100 is not on should go to those who are regular fans paying money to watch home games, paying membership anx season tickets. Give them free tickets to Belgium v Ivory cost in WC or Euros not key Saints games fans could go to. 

[Ted Bates Statue]

I find it hard to get my head around the idea that corporate types would want to spend the day in a bubble and go to Fratton Park. I suspect it's hangers-on within the club itself.

On a related note, I don't understand why it is that since clinching automatic promotion under Adkins, according to transfermarkt we have allegedly sold out St Mary's just once. But I've sat out enough games in that time knowing there were no more tickets available. Is this really just down to segregation, or should I be giving more thought to joining the prawn sandwich brigade in corporate hospitality, or breaking my legs to enjoy the match from a wheelchair?

Edited yesterday at 20:18 by Ted Bates Statue

[Weston Super Saint]

8 hours ago, franniesTache said:

So we've now see at multiple away games entire blocks that have been empty despite games "selling out", for example Hull, Charlton and Norwich, and we all know that when people first logged in to buy tickets for Fratton at least three large blocks were greyed out and unable to purchase.

Obviously we also know regional supporters groups get tickets, as do staff and players families, but that doesn't seem to account for the amount that are seemingly now being held aside.

Doing some digging i came across this from publicity P&O did when they agreed to sponsor us

"This collaboration marks P&O Cruises’ first venture into sports sponsorship and will provide exclusive benefits and experiences to P&O Cruises guests and Southampton FC members and fans. Perks include special cruise offers, match tickets, meet-and-greet events and onboard coaching sessions." 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/08/po-cruises-partners-with-southampton-fc/

Maybe the club need to be honest with fans, are they holding aside away tickets for people taking cruises with P&O? And if they are how can they justify doing that at the expense of the mushes who go home and away supporting us.

Some serious questions need asking of the club about this because with lower allocations in this league it's taking the piss to give tickets to people who potentially aren't even Saints fans

 

I did a P&O cruise in September.  Still waiting for my ticket to be offered...

[SaintsLoyal]

Is there not some sort of cut off date to claim hospitality tickets or they go to regular away fans ? 

[Breeny]

Freebies handouts and corporate sponsorship allocations for seats are the reality of the corporate world guys …, 

[benjii]

A sponsor would usually get home tickets but not away tickets.

[franniesTache]

18 hours ago, Noodles34 said:

And do you really think P&O have an allocation for Blackburn away? 

I can imagine the middle class family from St Albans travelling down to Southampton a day earlier to pick up their match tickets for a train trip to Ewood Park. Before coming all the way back to catch the cruise on Sunday morning. Nah, that doesn't add up. 

When i got ours for doncaster this morning mush there were a a few blocks greyed out again, assume some are supporters groups but can't be all of them. And so far we've had these empty blocks at Hull, Norwich, Charlton off the top of my head.

 

18 hours ago, Noodles34 said:

means I can move away random people I don't want to stand next to. 

Your problem is we just follow you 🤣

13 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

I did a P&O cruise in September.  Still waiting for my ticket to be offered...

Obviously didn't spend enough on your cabin mush, no perks for you proles.

12 hours ago, Breeny said:

Freebies handouts and corporate sponsorship allocations for seats are the reality of the corporate world guys …, 

I don't think many would begrudge tickets at st mary's, to use totally made up numbers 500 tickets in a crowd of 32k isn't going to be noticed, the same number in an away end of 2k is a pisstake.

As @Noodles34 said i'm in the "i'm alright jack" camp, there's basically no away game i don't qualify for as i do most of them, but it's the principle of those people who do them being overlooked for corporates that pisses me off.

It's the same way i think season ticket holders with no aways getting preference over members who do away games is a pisstake too, those folk who put in the leg work should get priority, that's just the fairest way to do it.

19 hours ago, Turkish said:

Get the FAB on the case! 👊👊👊👊

I don't want to de-rail the important work they're doing on making sure there's chips at st mary's, or how we make home games friendlier for away fans, you know, the things we really care about

[IFHP]

12 hours ago, Breeny said:

Freebies handouts and corporate sponsorship allocations for seats are the reality of the corporate world guys …, 

But they shouldn’t go unused for away games when some fans are missing out. If the sponsor doesn’t want them then put them back on sale to fans . 
 

How many they get is another argument and the club should come clean , for the game at fratton it look like at least over 500 were held back.

 

[Football Special]

3 hours ago, franniesTache said:

When i got ours for doncaster this morning mush there were a a few blocks greyed out again, assume some are supporters groups but can't be all of them. And so far we've had these empty blocks at Hull, Norwich, Charlton off the top of my head.

 

Your problem is we just follow you 🤣

Obviously didn't spend enough on your cabin mush, no perks for you proles.

I don't think many would begrudge tickets at st mary's, to use totally made up numbers 500 tickets in a crowd of 32k isn't going to be noticed, the same number in an away end of 2k is a pisstake.

As @Noodles34 said i'm in the "i'm alright jack" camp, there's basically no away game i don't qualify for as i do most of them, but it's the principle of those people who do them being overlooked for corporates that pisses me off.

It's the same way i think season ticket holders with no aways getting preference over members who do away games is a pisstake too, those folk who put in the leg work should get priority, that's just the fairest way to do it.

I don't want to de-rail the important work they're doing on making sure there's chips at st mary's, or how we make home games friendlier for away fans, you know, the things we really care about

Might be a bit extreme but a good plan is for one of us to go down the panorama route as suggested,  get a job in the ticket office and go undercover , then expose the corruption with an report published on here