A new points based system - away tickets

[Arsenal Of The North]

We are pleased to confirm that we will trial a new points-based ticket sales for our trip to Harrogate Town in January.

As Harrogate continue to renovate their stadium, we have been handed an allocation of 770 tickets for the fixture and expect demand to be very high.

Following discussions with the Supporters’ Club and the Shadow Board, it was agreed that a new ticketing system be introduced this season, with points allocated to supporters based on tickets purchased. The Supporters’ Club provided a generous donation for the facility to be introduced with our ticketing partners, SeatGeek.

The purpose of the system is to provide those who regularly travel to away fixtures, regardless of location or kick-off time, the best chance of securing a ticket to matches with limited allocations.

The Harrogate fixture on Saturday, January 6, 2024 provides the ideal opportunity to trial the system, with one of the smallest allocations the club will receive this season along with the close proximity of the two teams.

Season Membership holders will still receive priority for this fixture before members and general sale but an additional classification based on previous games attended this season will also be used.

Points are awarded as follows:

23 points are issued to all Season Membership holders on the purchase of their Season Membership
Ten points are issued to all Flexi Ten Ticket Membership holders
Five points are issued to all Flexi Five Ticket Membership holders
Two points are issued to all Supporter Members
One point is issued for any purchased cup match ticket
One point is issued for any purchased away league match ticket
One point is issued for any purchased home league match ticket
As the club currently operates a policy of named purchases only for away tickets with no transfers, points tracked should be accurate.

As of December 12, the club has played 20 league matches - ten home and ten away - and nine cup fixtures. Therefore, the maximum number of points a supporter could have gained to the date stated is 42 - 23 points for a Season Membership plus ten away league matches and nine cup matches).

Tickets for the Harrogate Town fixture will therefore go on sale as follows:

Monday, December 18 - 35 points or more
Wednesday, December 20 - 30 points or more
Friday, December 22 - Season Membership holders
Wednesday, December 27 - Supporter, Flexi, Club Doncaster Lottery and Young Reds membership holders
Wednesday, January 3 - General sale
Pricing details will follow in due course.

[donnievic]

Can see plenty of fans not being happy

[Jenny]

Sounds fair to me, priority has always been given to ST holders so then makes sense to give those who have been to more away games tickets first.

And I'm saying that as someone who probably won't get a ticket

[DD]

I'll kick the complaints off........

1 - surely (SURELY) the "system" should display the amount of points accrued? I.E - log into DRFC official account - under ticket history (or somewhere!) - it should clearly state "POINTS ACCRUED TO DATE" - this is going to be a headache for the Ticket Office staff

2 - so much for loyalty! I've been a STH since @1980 - continuous - where is there reward for that? Even if they started afresh with the new system (@ 5 years ago???)

I fully appreciate that those fans who travel, week in , week out & in the pouring rain etc should get 1st call but the system should factor in loyalty.

[VivaRovers]

I've been a STH since @1980 - continuous - where is there reward for that? Even if they started afresh with the new system (@ 5 years ago???)

Data won't go back far enough for this, and if it could this is would be a daft idea, as it would mean younger fans could miss out purely down to the fact they haven't lived as long as older fans.

[Arsenal Of The North]

I've been a STH since @1980 - continuous - where is there reward for that? Even if they started afresh with the new system (@ 5 years ago???)

Data won't go back far enough for this, and if it could this is would be a daft idea, as it would mean younger fans could miss out purely down to the fact they haven't lived as long as older fans.

I agree with a reset every season, you would end up with people buying tickets just to keep up their score as such. See it at countless other larger clubs with big away followings and they just hoard tickets so they keep their points up for games where it really matters.

It seems fair enough to me, rewarding the proper die hard fans first, and so it should.

I may miss out on Harrogate tickets now, I’ll be disappointed, but the system should be designed to protect the fans who travel almost every week home and away.

[One_Matty_Lucas]

Good idea, could be used as an incentive for early ST renewals or renewals in general.

For example you get 5 points if you renew before the early bird end, 3 if you renew.

[roversdude]

Hopefully prevents some of the DH’s going this season it was toxic last season.
I’m biased but think it’s a fair method

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I'll kick the complaints off........

1 - surely (SURELY) the "system" should display the amount of points accrued? I.E - log into DRFC official account - under ticket history (or somewhere!) - it should clearly state "POINTS ACCRUED TO DATE" - this is going to be a headache for the Ticket Office staff

2 - so much for loyalty! I've been a STH since @1980 - continuous - where is there reward for that? Even if they started afresh with the new system (@ 5 years ago???)

I fully appreciate that those fans who travel, week in , week out & in the pouring rain etc should get 1st call but the system should factor in loyalty.

You don't need x years loyalty to be at the head of the queue.

How many away games have you been to this season?

[Campsall rover]

Sounds very fair to me.

There is no such thing as a 100% perfect system.
There will always be some that are not happy.

[Donnywolf]

I think it is an extremely fair way of doing this   especially for this fixture

I have often thought  (and said so.on here)  that those people who travel every game or almost every game have hearts like lions

It is what they do and I for one would feel guilty if I took the Ticket from a regular away travel person just because I.have a Season Ticket

With a reduced capacity its going to be tight and even with 770 I might squeak in . Who knows but I will be happy either way

Do think.it would be a good idea to have a  Score calculated and displayed somewhere so people would know when to apply

[roversdude]

I’ve received 2 e mails for my lad saying in one hr has enough for Monday and the other for Wednesday he should have 41 points. Would imagine the Ticket Office are snowed under currently

[RoversInSpain]

Anyone that went to Accrington last Saturday should be given first dibs on any away ticket for the next 10 years, plus a lifetime of free hot Bovril

[Padge_DRFC]

My mate has always bought my away ticket this season. Ie Accrington just gone will it know I bought one as he had to provide my details?

[Pliskin]

What if we happen to get Harrogate (or similar high demand game) as the first away fixture next season - everyone will be on the same points?

[drfchound]

Won’t it be hard for people who don’t get the chance to go to many away games to ……… go to some away games.

[adamtherover]

Anyone that went to Accrington last Saturday should be given first dibs on any away ticket for the next 10 years, plus a lifetime of free hot Bovril

i can live with this lol

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Won’t it be hard for people who don’t get the chance to go to many away games to ……… go to some away games.

Alot depends on the allocation of course. I guess for many games it won't be an issue.

As one ST holder who's not been to an away game for sometime, it's very unlikely I'll put myself in a position to block someone else who attends away games more regularly, where the demand is likely to be higher than the allocation.

[adamtherover]

At the end of the day, this is about going to an away game, so surely folk with the best record of going to away games must be head of the queue, if you barely go to any , or not at all, would you really care who went ahead of you in the queue?

[adamtherover]

Anyone that went to Accrington last Saturday should be given first dibs on any away ticket for the next 10 years, plus a lifetime of free hot Bovril

same for the 192 brave souls who went to Crawley away on a Tuesday nite last season...

[drfchound]

At the end of the day, this is about going to an away game, so surely folk with the best record of going to away games must be head of the queue, if you barely go to any , or not at all, would you really care who went ahead of you in the queue?

I wouldn’t really care, but sometimes I just fancy going.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

At the end of the day, this is about going to an away game, so surely folk with the best record of going to away games must be head of the queue, if you barely go to any , or not at all, would you really care who went ahead of you in the queue?

Yes, but at the same time you wouldn't want to dismiss the privilege awarded to Season Members.

This provides that balance . How many away matches this season has there been so far when demand has outweighed the allocation?

[adamtherover]

At the end of the day, this is about going to an away game, so surely folk with the best record of going to away games must be head of the queue, if you barely go to any , or not at all, would you really care who went ahead of you in the queue?

Yes, but at the same time you wouldn't want to dismiss the privilege awarded to Season Members.

This provides that balance . How many away matches this season has there been so far when demand has outweighed the allocation?

of course, but I'm kinda expecting the folk that go away automatically have an ST, so the deciding factor becomes the amount of away games done ahead of everything else,   it's never gonna please everyone, but it looks as good a system as I can envisage. 
As said before tho, how many games will this actually apply to?

[normal rules]

Harrogate aside, there are very few matches this will have any affect on.
When was the last time rovers regularly sold out away allocations?
It’s one of the joys of supporting a lower league club. You can get a ticket for 99% of games.

[Donnywolf]

Anyone that went to Accrington last Saturday should be given first dibs on any away ticket for the next 10 years, plus a lifetime of free hot Bovril

same for the 192 brave souls who went to Crawley away on a Tuesday nite last season...

Yep hands up I was there. Set off one Saturday got as far as Woodall Services at 9am and were turned round game off

Near to end of Season it was rearranged for a Tuesday. 5 and a bit hours going down 6 hours coming back

My a**e ached for a week . What a nightmare that was

[Padge_DRFC]

Same issue will arise at Grimsby.

A lot of people are more bothered about ticking grounds off so might be okay as they did it last season v Harrogate

[normal rules]

Anyone that went to Accrington last Saturday should be given first dibs on any away ticket for the next 10 years, plus a lifetime of free hot Bovril

same for the 192 brave souls who went to Crawley away on a Tuesday nite last season...

Four of which were my youngest son and three of his mates. Who all live in sw london. Rovers supporters are not just confined to Doncaster.
They went to Sutton, wimbledon, orient and Colchester also.
This system will prejudice them.
But as I’ve said, away tickets are usually always available.
 

[Reg of the Rovers]

It's just for this one game - the description makes that clear. It sold out in less than an hour and a half last year so having a system that rewards loyalty for this one game is pretty reasonable.

It shouldn't be an issue for any other games - more tickets and less demand means everyone who wants one should get one. There's still plenty left for Notts County which is a localish derby against a team we've not played in a while on a bank holiday (as an example).

[Campsall rover]

Spoke to ticket office today.

E Mail was sent to all those with 30 points or more on Monday and another today for all those who have over 35 points and get first dibs on Monday and Tuesday.

I was told on Monday that I was only eligible for Wednesday purchase but now have been told it will be Monday when I can purchase as have over 35 points.

[Donnywolf]

I'm exactly the opposite having been told 30 to 34 points for me meant buy Monday

An hour later I got second email saying mistake had been made and now Weds for me.

Should be ok if first 2 days given over to those with 35 plus