Last week, MOMS was present at the first Away Fan Consultation group meeting of the 2017/18 season at Villa Park, after proving to be a productive experience last season.
First of all, it was good to see some new faces, who are regular Villa away fans and Villa Away Scheme members, who all offered up good insight and opinions.
The main good news was the club have decided to continue the 50k away fund subsidy to reward away supporters for their loyalty in the face of poor away results on the pitch.
Also, due to the good behaviour of Villans on the road last season, away ticket allocations should remain sizeable and it’ll also help the possibility of increasing allocations where possible.
Away Ticket Consultation Minutes – 20th July 2017
Fan representatives: Mark McFarland, Anne Edwards, David Michael, Tom Cole, Jon Knibb & Steve Gough
Club representative: Bromley Davenport
Apologies: Lynne O’Reardon, Steve Todd, Stewart Conniff, John Holder, Anthony Willis, John Perks, PC Stewart Bladen, Anton Cuscito, Lee Preece
Notes from meeting:
Upcoming Away Game Tickets
Cardiff City – Allocation 4,803 tickets
Adults £24, Over 60 £20, Under 22 £15, Under 16 £12
Reading – Allocation 3,900 tickets
Season ticket holders Prices: Adults £20, Over 65 £13, Under 25 £10, Under 18 £5
Non-Season ticket holders Prices: Adults £25, Over 65 £16, Under 25 £13, Under 18 £8
Both of these games will be on sale week commencing 23rd July.
Bristol City – Allocation 3655
Adults £32, Over 65 £29, Under 25 £29, Under 22 £26, Under 19 £15, Under 12 £10
Planned on sale date: 7th August
Barnsley – Prices to be confirmed. The allocation will be around 5,000 as it was last year.
The conduct of our fans on the road last season was excellent and the reputation we gain on the road will go a long way to encouraging clubs and Police forces to give us larger allocations as per PC Stewart Bladen’s end of season update at the last meeting.
£50k Subsidy
The club have confirmed that the £50k away subsidy fund will be available again for the 2017/18 season. The group will decide which fixtures to apply this to with Bristol City discussed as a possible first game to be subsidised for this season.
Reciprocal Pricing
Reading and Ipswich Town have contacted us regarding reciprocal pricing deals. Aston Villa have sought clarification from the league to see if we can apply this discount to away fans in the Doug Ellis stand, without having to extend the offer to home fans, who sit in this stand. The group will be advised as soon as clarification has been received.
The club will then contact other clubs to see who may be interested in further deals.
Away Issues Experienced in 2016/17
The group discussed issues experienced by fans at the Leeds United games with problems getting into the stand and our fans now moving down from the entrance at Burton Albion, which caused a lot of congestion on the terracing.
Fans Selling Tickets Illegally
The club raised concerns about fans selling tickets for away games illegally via social media.
The club will take appropriate action against any fans who are trying to sell tickets match tickets. Refunds are always available on tickets up until the day before the game. Supporters who try to sell away tickets at inflated prices to other fans will have their ticket privileges suspended and their details passed to West Midlands police.
The next meeting will be held week commencing the 24th August.
UTV
