Vince Alm: ' A message to Cardiff City Supporters '

VINCE ALM:


A message to all Cardiff City supporters club travellers regards payment rules and why we require the money paid before the fixture.


In recent seasons, we have relaxed our policy slightly on enforcing everyone to pay for the ticket and travel up front, and Burton we have allowed some of you to pay on the day due to holiday commitments. However, unfortunately our action has led to an increase of no shows with several trips last season losing money. Another problem for us last season was younger supporters either not being honest with their age category per game or making a mistake! For example, Bristol City have many age group categories and there are £15 difference between some categories which caught us out last season.


Why and how does this effect the Supporters Club;


Tickets;
• All tickets are paid for up front to the football club a couple of days prior to the match; If we have two games away in a week we need an operating balance of cash in the bank to cover the large outlay of money to purchase the tickets.
• When supporters don’t turn up or cancel the day before we are unable to get a refund on the tickets and are left with the cost which eats into the operating balance and the trips lose money


• Giving wrong age category we in good faith provide your fan number to the football club who then provide us with a ticket for your fan number, however we get charged the correct price and are left paying the difference. In the past, we have been unaware of this due to the volume of tickets we purchase



Coach Bookings;
• Coach number and sizes need to be booked a couple of days in advance so we work on the names we have booked on.

• When people book on and then don’t turn up we are left with empty seats on the coach which we are unable to fill. This has a detrimental effect again often causing the supporters club to be out of pocket for ordering to many coaches, or a more expensive larger coach. Midweek games are particularly prone to no shows.
Collecting lots of cash on the day;


• Collecting thousands of pounds of cash on the day can make the coach stewards vulnerable to a robbery or mugging.
• Cash can be lost or dropped or misplaced

We the committee are the elected guardians of the supporter’s club operations including the travel service. If we continue to allow the away travel to continue as the last few seasons we will not have a supporter’s club.

The majority of you this will make no difference at all as you pay up front every time, and I am sure the supporters who don’t pay up front, or don’t turn up have been unaware of the problems that causes the supporters club. Hopefully you will now realise why we need everyone to pay up front.



This season Booking and payment rules from the Wolves game on;

• When you book coach and ticket we need your name; pick up point; age group category; valid fan number (Current season ticket or Current Gold member ticket number) along with this seasons supporters club number 2017/2018 season.
• We require full payment for ticket and coach last home fixture before the away game. When the fixtures throw up gaps between home and away games we will try to open the supporters shop midweek. Please check website, social media for opening days through midweek.


• After the closing deadline for payment we will NOT accept any more coach and ticket requests.

• However, we understand that sometimes people might get a day off work at late notice or their plans may change, so accommodate this we are willing to take COACH ONLY bookings if there is room available on the bus, but you will either need to purchase your own ticket, or pay on the gate if it is available.



• The Ticket office will highlight any age group category errors for us to avoid under charging for tickets.
If you have financial problems paying by certain dates on occasions, or are unable to get to the supporter’s office to pay, we can take a limited amount of payments over the phone, but it is slow for us and takes a lot of personal time up so would prefer if that was only used in emergencies. Otherwise you can talk to us in confidence and we can see if we can help.



The following away games we have identified we may need additional opening;

• Fulham 9th September/ Preston 12th September; the supporters club shop will be open as usual for the Wales V Austria 2nd September, but as many of the supporter’s club committee are away in Moldova to Thursday 7th September we may not be able to open midweek.




• Birmingham City 14th October; Supporters club shop will be open as usual for the Ireland game on 9th October
• Middlesboro 21st October, we will assess if we need to open midweek one evening closer to the time



• Any away game which there is not a midweek home fixture we will assess if there is a requirement to open, we will give plenty of advanced warning if the shop is open. This will depend on cup runs and Sky Sports televised game changes that may have an effect through the season.



Thank you all again for your loyal support and let’s hope for a successful season and some memorable trips away. Allyson Rees Gwilym Rees Rob Davies Jay Sheppard Louis Jones Clive Francis Jeff Davies


Vince Alm
Travel Officer

Vince Alm:


Cardiff City supporters club will be open two hours before kick off and half hour after at tonights fixture against Portsmouth.

We will be taking money and bookings for the forthcoming away fixture at Wolves 19th August, and Preston 12th september, also you can re-new or join supporters club membership, Wales away money. We still do not have confirmation of the Fulham ticket details yet hopefully by Saturday against Villa we can start taking bookings. The supporters website will be down for the majority of this week hopefully towards the end of the week it will be up and running. We are currently resolving an issue with the website host.


Thank you for your support and cooperation. Allyson Rees Gwilym Rees Jay Sheppard Rob Davies Louis Jones Clive Francis Jeff Davies

I'm amazed you guys were doing that in good faith before hand!

But seems fair now, I didn't realise as a supporter I could book travel and tickets with the supporters club! Definitely doing that for Fulham away!

Seems very reasonable - why should supporters club lose out for the non shows.

Vince and the others do an excellent job and we should do our best to make sure they can enjoy the season as well without losing money

although i have a certain amount of sympathy with the SC .
its done my head in on many occasions when ive failed to get tickets for big games {not for a while, but many missed out on Burton tickets } because people gollop up hundreds even when the club set criteria.
most other clubs fans book transport after they know they have qualified for a ticket.

Might be worth opening up a pay pal for people who can't take time out to visit the supporters club in their own time, that way people will be paying upfront also

although i have a certain amount of sympathy with the SC .
its done my head in on many occasions when ive failed to get tickets for big games {not for a while, but many missed out on Burton tickets } because people gollop up hundreds even when the club set criteria.
most other clubs fans book transport after they know they have qualified for a ticket.

Maybe a bit obvious (and not having a go at you) but I can't fathom out why anyone would book transport BEFORE they have a confirmed ticket!

Only the full support of those who wish to use the service will allow it to survive. It is all too obvious that there are lot of people out there who simply don't care what happens outside of their own heads and that is why the OP is fair and equitable, i.e. if you book, you pay on the spot with no refund if you fail to turn up on the day or if your place cannot be sold on

Vince Alm and his team put themselves out and do a fantastic job. My personal experience of the CCSC trips is that they are well run, well marshalled and well worth it!

It should be crystal clear because its how clubs all over the country operate. you apply TO THE CLUB for a ticket..if you qualify { your a bona fide ST holder/ member/have correct criteria.. you then book transport.}
NOT book the package irrelevant of all the above.

I've always been fair minded and fully accepted with Cardiff and Wales when my criteria does not qualify me. Equally peed off when i should qualify but dont get a ticket has nothing to do with well run..well stewarded..doing a fantastic job..fan A qualifies ..fan B does not and should still not just because he is prepared to go by coach.

I think your getting mixed up somewhere?????

Vince, Dibs, Carl or whoever else who is in the travel club can apply for tickets for their travelers BUT they must produce full details of those people traveling to see and make sure they fit the criteria for tickets, especially if its a sell out like Burton, but most of the time there are always tickets available for our away games.

The supporters club along with the other groups who provide transport and providing a service for the fans and the club assist with this by allowing them to buy tickets in bulk for those who travel on their coaches but like I said if there is any criteria in place these people have to follow it, and wont get tickets if they fail that criteria

I think your getting mixed up somewhere?????

Vince, Dibs, Carl or whoever else who is in the travel club can apply for tickets for their travelers BUT they must produce full details of those people traveling to see and make sure they fit the criteria for tickets, especially if its a sell out like Burton, but most of the time there are always tickets available for our away games.

The supporters club along with the other groups who provide transport and providing a service for the fans and the club assist with this by allowing them to buy tickets in bulk for those who travel on their coaches but like I said if there is any criteria in place these people have to follow it, and wont get tickets if they fail that criteria

no im not mixed up..
its happened over a long period of time on numerous occasions.and if you care to go back through history on this site youll find threads on it ..its happened to me..not for a while because there has been no demand but no doubt will happen again if /when we get a chelsea or an arsenal in the cup.
doesnt happen with Wales away games ..or does it.?
i really dont see any arguement for not wanting tickets to be distributed fairly to Fans not organisations.

What is the criteria?

I can well understand the reasons for implementing these rules but I think, as a gesture of fairness, the Supporters Club should make it much easier for people to book and pay for tickets/coaches without having to visit their shop at the stadium in person. I think having the facility to pay on their web site at any time would be a big step forward.

Are we saying that even if your a gold member and member CCSC you arent guaranteed a ticket if you book through them?

Are we saying that even if your a gold member and member CCSC you arent guaranteed a ticket if you book through them?

From what I've seen, Cardiff City Supporters Club organise coaches and travel for all Cardiff City away games and tickets and travel can be purchased for members who provide their Fan Numbers as a matter of course at point of booking or alternately members can book 'travel only' on assumption they will source their own tickets

Technically (and I guess someone will correct me if I am wrong here) CCSC are simply acting on behalf of their bona fide members when they submit applications for tickets and the reality is that all they are doing is saving their entitled members the hassle of queuing or travelling distances to the ground, as those fans are as entitled to tickets as anyone else (surely a benefit of any membership?)

Obviously, there will be times when people prefer to travel under their own steam (I am often one of them) and lately that hasn't really caused any issues but we must remember that a plus side of Supporters Travel Clubs for any football club is that fans travel in controlled and organised groups

With regard to any future 'issues' with ticketing due to over demand, the club itself will set the criteria (as they have in the past) and all fans, supporters groups included, will have to abide by those when requesting tickets. People who then 'miss out' (as in the FA and Football League Finals) will likely do so because they have fallen short of the given criteria and not because they didn't book the coach!

Cheers Sven, has there been cases of Gold Members who are also members of the supporters club missing out on tickets for away games?

Cheers Sven, has there been cases of Gold Members who are also members of the supporters club missing out on tickets for away games?

No worries and not that I'm aware of. I think Gold Members are next in line to season ticket holders?