S l o update turnstiles

Feedback on Northampton game.

Normally the club would expect 700/800 to pay cash on day, for this type of game. Over 1500 turned up to pay cash and in the main were in the last 30 mins before kick off. It was untrue that only 2 cash turnstiles were open. 10 turnstiles were available and some of the problem was caused by fans with tickets joining the cash turnstile queues. Lessons to be learnt on both sides.

On Saturday there were still large queues at the RHS of Ponte End, trying to gain access to the East Upper. Despite six empty turnstiles just around the corner. Please try to use the turnstiles in the East stand as well as the RHS of Ponte end.

Finally, it is appreciated that fans who are not local need to collect tickets and buy for away games. However, you need to allow time as the Box Office are not as fast as the turnstiles obviously. Please try to arrive a little earlier on Saturdays, clearly it is not always possible for night games.

Don't forget, if you arrive early you can always watch a Sky game etc in Redfearn's Bar !!!!

Hopefully on my next update i will be able to share some turnstile figures from an actual match. You will be amazed how late fans turn up at Oakwell.

Enjoy the game tomorrow and hope to see some of you on the walk Saturday.

 

Surley it's completely normal and expected for the majority to turn up 30 minutes prior to kick off for a 7:45 game on a Tuesday evening.

I was in the queue outside the East Stand car park and there were definitely only 4 turnstiles open. It was a farce and if you turn up to a game 10 minutes before kickoff you dont expect to miss 15 minutes of the match.

 

So you chose to ignore everything bondy took the time to post.

 

What have I ignored?

I dont see how the fans have a lesson to learn with this. It was the clubs fault that the queues were huge and slow moving not the fans.

 

1 there were 4 turnstiles open for cash. Two for the upper. Two for the lower. Hardly anyone went into the upper tier.
The rest were ticket only.
At no point did the club or stewards make the decison to utilise more turnstiles into cash or get people thru with correct money to shorten the queue.
There was easy a couple of 100 who decided against going.
2 - those stewards club employs should be trained in basic crowd management and be able to direct folk to turnstiles with shorter queues. If they cant manage that they want ****ing off.
3- i turn up at 1505 every saturday game. The match is second to seeing mates. Socialising. Shooting the ****. By doing so i avoid turnstile queues. There is **** all incentive to turn up any earlier.

 

I don't know why it's such a surprise that fans at Oakwell turn up at the last minute , traditionally it's always been like that . I distantly remember we used to kick off at 3-15pm on Saturday because of it. Equally its traditional that the Club Secretary never has a clue about ticket demand for cup games !!

 

So you don't mind missing us score an early goal then? Seems like a big enough incentive to me. You probably leave early as well to resume your socialising?

You could have a drink on any one of 365 days each year. But you could only see Conor Hourihane score a last minute goal against Sheffield United on one day this year. Which is more important?

 

I posted a photo on Twitter at 2.50pm Saturday. Ponte was empty. Don't think it will ever change, but folk have no right to moan that they can't walk straight in the ground, if they can't be arsed leaving themselves enough time.

 

This wasn't a case of fans not getting to the match on time.

This is my 20th season watching BFC and I've never missed a kickoff until the Northampton fixture. I missed 15 minutes.

I'm really disappointed the club have tried to partially blame the supporters.

 

I think the club is being slightly disingenuous about this. I was there in plenty of time for the Northampton match. Slightly more than half an hour against relatively unattractive opposition and still missed the first 5 minutes. . In terms of paying cash on the day there were 2 turnstiles open for ESU and 2 for ESL this was confirmed to me on the night by the turnstile operator who didn't understand why more had not been opened.

Again on Saturday I'd talked quite a few people who used to have season tickets into getting them again. Of the 6 four of their season tickets did not scan when they got to the turnstiles so had to join box office queue at 2.45pm missing the first 20 minutes of the game. They were offered no apologies. Treated relatively off handedly. Others in the queue were being rude and aggressive but instead of managing this the box office staff allowed them to jump the queue leaving my polite mates silently fuming. Were given replacement tickets for the game and told to go back after the games to get season tickets once they'd been sorted out. After another 15 minutes they got to the front of the queue and were to,d season tickets still not ready and to come back again on Wednesday. Again treated pretty off handedly no apologies given. Pretty piss poor service really. Especially on top of the debacle at Northampton.

 

I dont understand why the club are lying about the amount of cash turnstiles open. Doesn't the ES only have 10 turnstiles? Of which 6 were ticket only.

 

I mentioned that in my report of the match. At 2.30 the ground was nearly empty apart from the away end which was filling up nicely. At 2.50 it wasn't much better.

I just don't get it! It's a short game - 45 minutes, then another 45 minutes. Not all day like a cricket match. Why do people pay for a ticket and then choose to miss some of it? Turnstile problems, like last Tuesday, are one thing, but quite rare thank goodness. Mostly you can roll up any time between 2.30 and 3 and walk straight in. For the moment at least - when we are pulling in 20,000 as the season rolls on who knows!

 

I know it's a bit daft isn't it and just makes it look worse.

 

Here's a question that you might care to ask the club. I queued at the ESL turnstile to hand over cash, and missed the first few minutes of the match. When I got to the turnstile the guy took my money then let me through. No suggestion of giving me a ticket for "my seat". I don't mind that - I just went to my normal one anyway - but if they can do that then SURELY there is no reason why we can't just go through any door. Ticket or cash - what difference does it make?

I understand there may be an accounting problem but this can be worked around just so that we, the CUSTOMERS, are not inconvenienced. If the turnstile operators can't be trusted they shouldn't be there.

 

Just had a text from one of the lads with the faulty season ticket. He called the club yesterday to see if he could go pick season tickets up either yesterday or today to be told they won't be ready until tomorrow and he will have to join the queue. Again no apology and he has no confidence that the season tickets will miraculously be working tomorrow during a peak in the box offices activities. Shoddy.

 

Having not read all replies, for those games can't you actually access upper or lower tier once through the turnstile? Certainly seen that

 

Yes, I sit in ESL and the SLO posted last year to "try a new turnstile" so I now use the ones on the RHS of the Ponty having always walked round the corner for years.

 

Additional, I got there twenty to with a ticket and got in within 2 minutes. If I was ever in a long queue that seemed out of place, I'd definitely ask around to check what the options were eg say to person next to me in queue 'I've got a ticket have you?'

 

I mentioned the same to the Missus.... we sit in the East upper and at 2.55pm on Saturday there was hundreds still streaming down Grasmere Road!

 

Give us your money but do it when we tell you it's convenient.