Tourists

[Andy S]

I was listening to Talksport for a few minutes last night and they were talking about tourists in on the big games.
They were saying about teams like Arsenal where people buy several season tickets and sell the tickets on a match by match basis at 4 or 5 times the tickets original value. We have seen a drop in tourists at the cottage this season as well as ticket touts. The Chelsea manager was complaining about the poor atmosphere at a home game a few days ago. So really how bad is it and will clubs do anything about it?

[Roberty]

I was listening to Talksport for a few minutes last night and they were talking about tourists in on the big games.
They were saying about teams like Arsenal where people buy several season tickets and sell the tickets on a match by match basis at 4 or 5 times the tickets original value. We have seen a drop in tourists at the cottage this season as well as ticket touts. The Chelsea manager was complaining about the poor atmosphere at a home game a few days ago. So really how bad is it and will clubs do anything about it?

This has been going on for an age.

They distribute the season ticket cards, usually by messenger on the evening before the match. The messenger collects them or occasionally they have them posted back after the match.

In the envelope with the season ticket are strict instructions about not telling any one or causing a nuisance. They also charge an additional fee if the card is not returned, presumably to cover the cost and inconvenience of getting a replacement from the club.

I know that Arsenal have weeded a lot of these people out by checking bank detail and addresses for multiple applications but it is not too difficult to get round it because we all have friends and who has not got more than one credit card?

So yes the clubs do try to stop it but if the people who buy them are well behaved what is there to do - the victims have no incentive to go and report it to the club because next time they want a black market ticket there might not be one.

[Wingnut]

So really how bad is it and will clubs do anything about it?

I come across lots of people with these tickets on flights over. Liverpool is by far the worst of them all. People buy hotel & match ticket packages for €350-400 per person from travel agents here. The membership or season ticket cards are left in the hotel for them. You come across lots of wives/girlfriends who have bought these packages for their OH, as a present. It's a once off things for them, so they are happy to pay that kind of money. They are there for a social event, so they aren't likely to get involved in bother, so it is very difficult for the club to put a stop to it. Crazy money to pay for a game, I would get to four of five of our games for that money, even in the PL days.

When Liverpool played Milan in the CL final in Athens, there was murder over here, as loads people flew out to Greece after paying crazy money for packages, only to be told that there were no match tickets for them.