Focus Group meeting at Highbury last night - Full report

[Adam]

http://www.arsenal-mad.co.uk/news/loadn ... &id=139917

Some interesting thoughts there. The Nike stadium is a goer, and the membership scheme might be too.

It's great that the board realise we don't want to be perceived as a marketing corporation with a football team. The Nike stadium name might undermine those sentiments though.

 

[JazzG]

Some very interesting points bought up. I would like to see an Arsenal TV station but if Chelsea's and man utd's lose money than there is no point tbh. Also good to see Nike will be selling our shirts instead of us having to bother with it, we are now Category A client.

Think the Nike Arena would sound cool tbh, they would probably pay us well for using their name and it doesn't sound crappy either tbh. Also he says the size of the stadium is 65k, I was under the impression it is 60k......

 

[The Mini]

A 65,000 seater stadium will hopefully give us different ways of making moneh, such as England matches and band venues (The latter could happen)

 

[Allyboy]

I nearly applied to go to that but didnt because of the weather!

Interesting read though, I agree its very unfair that there are people on the TRS which only buy tickets to the big games, whereas there are people on the waiting list like myself and others on here, who are going to EVERY game that goes on General Sale and are happy to go watch Arsenal play at home against lesser sides.

As for the season tickets, I wonder if they would consider having two categories for this, one as present and another which is cheaper but only gets you a seat for one season ?

 

[KoLo28]

Great article, im glad about the nike thing, because over here if you go into a sports store they rarely have Arsenal strips, yet have bucket loads of ManUre shirts... that will soon change.

 

[Arsene]

Interesting read, blows so badly being overseas! But I ain't paying 20 pounds for no reason, a piece of turf from Highbury. They can give me a monthly mag, some free gear; they can take the CD rom and shove it.

 

[The Mini]

ouch

 

[slapz]

As for the season tickets, I wonder if they would consider having two categories for this, one as present and another which is cheaper but only gets you a seat for one season ?

Sounds like a good idea in theory but can't see it working

 

[The Mini]

I'd like to have that 5,000 to be kept for General Sale so that the poorer can come and bring the atmostphere back

 

[Andrew]

Nike Stadium is cool. Short and sweet. A well known sponsor. And "Nike" is the goddess of victory, so that could be bonus. I hope that goes ahead because we should get good money for it.

 

[va_va_voom]

I'd like to have that 5,000 to be kept for General Sale so that the poorer can come and bring the atmostphere back

How would that work then??? TRS was brought in to ensure that tickets only went to Gooners and couldn't fall into the hands of anyone i.e. touts. It also gave them greater control over who was actually in the ground, helped them uphold bans on hooligans etc.

Going back to a general sale just wouldn't work, though I appreciate if you aren't on TRS it is frustrating not to be able to see the team your support.

I am a TRS member, and go to about 90% of games, limited only by finances and work commitments. The one criticism of TRS that is touched on in the article, is the ability of the "fans" who are TRS, who own 2,3 or 4 membership numbers, and only use them to go to the big matches, Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool etc.

Being a fan should be about supporting Arsenal, no matter who they are playing. It would be interesting if the club could produce some figures on TRS, to detail how many tickets, sold out dates etc of all the premiership games / opposition. I think that it would produce some interesting results.

The one plus point is that at least Arsenal as a club are making the effort to get the fans involved, because at the end of the day, its us who pays the money.

 

[The Mini]

Is TRS Free?

 

[Allyboy]

Mini - I think you have to pay a small fee, I may be wrong.

I think you should have to "qualify" to retain your TRS membership.

Rank all the Premiership clubs from 1 to 19, 1 being Man U 19 being say Wolves and for each game you go to you get that number of points. If you don't have a certain number at the end of the season you drop out the scheme (or alternitavely if your average since you joined dropped below a certain number of points at the end of the season you drop out. If you have gone to every game for 10 seasons but can only make it to a couple for one season its not really fair you suddenly lose your priority tickets!)

Something like that would do.

 

[lewdikris]

How do you actually get on the TRS scheme???

 

[The Mini]

What I'd like to see is that there is sort of a free membership with unlimited people, and those people (and only those people) can get one of the 5,000 tickets. So there'll be the same security (Because you'd need to give your information to gain membership), but the poorer can have tickets to bring the atmostphere back! It would be like first come first serve for the tickets!

 

[The Mini]

And in this membership, you dont get any mags and frilly stuff. Just the reassurance that they have a chance of getting a ticket

 

[Natnat]

Mini that will be nightmare remenber we have fans from far and no way can they be at Highbury early..to line up for tickets.
What may be fair is to start by computer random to give numbers and to have lottery and the numbers given by the lottery is the lucky numbers of those going to the game.

 

[Natnat]

add on numbers are given are yours and not changed.
so you may get chossen for many.
Those who never got a chance next season they get first chance for tickets for the first 10 games then back to lottery

 

[Alexone234]

I am on the waiting list for the TRS, obviously unless scores of people give up their membership, there is no way I will get my TRS before the new stadium.
My greatest fear is that a new membership structure would place me as in some other list wherevy I am unable to get tickets.

 

[marhes26]

i'ts twenty quid a year for ticket registration mini.