FA Cup 2023-24 FA Cup R1 Draw

[BigAlan]

Does it REALLY matter if you cant have your regular seat just for one game, i have not got my regular seat for the game as that area is closed in the East Stand, am i going to sit at home and cry, not likely.
Get to the game and support the team even if it is only little Maidenhead

Indeed it does, I did not pay a fee to sit somewhere else, I paid to sit with five of my friends and chat about the game etc, now all of our seats have gone, so in the best interest of the game I won’t attend. And just so those who don’t approve this will be my 15th season as a ticket holder (this time) and have only missed two home games since..

 

[werthersoriginal]

After a mini-flounce our seats were available after all, which is nice. We might have tried SSU but only the 'far end' is open, which didn't appeal as much.

 

[Coffin dodger]

With the closure of the North stand there is no designated family area and possibly the loss of the sensory area, surely this has some implications.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I’m not sure the club has yet again, thought fully about this decision.
It is a given that ST holders have their seat reserved for cup games, to just close areas and stands to fans without warning doesn’t do very much for customer relations.

The fact they haven’t even said in the ticketing details that it will be reduced areas of the stadium comes across as them just trying to do it and hope no one notices.

Yet again, the club have miss read the room. I am sure fans would have been much happier if the club had just said, due to a lower crowd expected, not all areas of the ground will be available and the north stand will be closed to home fans.

 

[Scotchegg]

I’m not sure the club has yet again, thought fully about this decision.
It is a given that ST holders have their seat reserved for cup games, to just close areas and stands to fans without warning doesn’t do very much for customer relations.

The fact they haven’t even said in the ticketing details that it will be reduced areas of the stadium comes across as them just trying to do it and hope no one notices.

Yet again, the club have miss read the room. I am sure fans would have been much happier if the club had just said, due to a lower crowd expected, not all areas of the ground will be available and the north stand will be closed to home fans.

I think it's a fairly reasonable decision badly communicated on the whole.

However, there are implications for wheelchair accessibility, the family zone and the sensory room.

It's awful, but I don't actually know if there is lift access to the boxes, but it would have been a nice touch if a box or two could have been made available for wheelchair users, and another as a safer space/sensory room. It doesn't look like these boxes are all being used and would at least show that alternative measures were being considered.

 

[Carpy]

It's awful, but I don't actually know if there is lift access to the boxes

There is

 

[Berliner]

I think it's a fairly reasonable decision badly communicated on the whole.

However, there are implications for wheelchair accessibility, the family zone and the sensory room.

It's awful, but I don't actually know if there is lift access to the boxes, but it would have been a nice touch if a box or two could have been made available for wheelchair users, and another as a safer space/sensory room. It doesn't look like these boxes are all being used and would at least show that alternative measures were being considered.

It's like they all sit around a table and work out the best possible and sellable option, then do the direct opposite of it.
Yes, it's improving. Yes, we're doing well on field. Yes, the new Marketing bod is aware of issues. But just a basic bit of common sense in the club management would go a long way.

 

[SteMerritt]

I think it's a fairly reasonable decision badly communicated on the whole.

Have we ever done this before for an FA Cup game? I don't remember season ticket seats ever being not reserved for a proper (league, league cup, fa cup) match.

 

[OX14]

Have we ever done this before for an FA Cup game? I don't remember season ticket seats ever being not reserved for a proper (league, league cup, fa cup) match.

Last season against Exeter was the same.

I was hoping the north stand would be open so I could bring a couple of relatives along to this but it doesn't even look like there is a designated family area for this one.

 

[Northstandboy]

wow just seen the availability.

Disappointing to see the family stand is closed, esp after the family day against Blackpool.

 

[Scotchegg]

Have we ever done this before for an FA Cup game? I don't remember season ticket seats ever being not reserved for a proper (league, league cup, fa cup) match.

We've definitely done it before, including last season. There will be costs associated with opening areas that will be under used (stewarding, turnstile operators, catering etc) so I can understand why the north stand and SSU will close or will be restricted. But it does cause much greater disruption to some sections of our fanbase.

This could easily be addressed by communicating this as part of the season tickets t's and c's ("whilst your seat will be held for cup games, the club reserves the right to close sections of the ground where attendance will be reduced), and a further announcement once the ticket details were advertised.

Like a couple of factual inaccuracies regarding the clubs history in the stadium proposal, these oversights may seem small, but they show a lack of attention and care that upsets fans more than the initial decision.

 

[Foley]

Indeed it does, I did not pay a fee to sit somewhere else, I paid to sit with five of my friends and chat about the game etc, now all of our seats have gone, so in the best interest of the game I won’t attend. And just so those who don’t approve this will be my 15th season as a ticket holder (this time) and have only missed two home games since..

You could still buy tickets and sit with your friends?

 

[BigAlan]

You could still buy tickets and sit with your friends?

The decision of us all is to give it a miss.

 

[nick68]

Seems an unpopular decision to make on the back of the club recovering from the poor decisions of last season, it's like they try and make it hard for themselves.
Of course we can all select another seat but as mentioned before you get used to the people who sit around you and that becomes part of your match experience, mostly you only see these people inside the stadium so arranging to sit elsewhere isn't exactly possible given availability is constantly changing.
Just wish the club was up front and say what they were doing rather than try and sell it on the back of cheaper tickets and hide the bad news.

 

[Scotchegg]

I don't think it will be difficult to find plenty of space for friends to all sit together, even if they book separately.

 

[nick68]

I don't think it will be difficult to find plenty of space for friends to all sit together, even if they book separately.

It's easy to say that but if the club start looking at the FA Cup as an inferior competition along the lines of the PJT then soon fans will follow suit and also treat it accordingly.
They have already got rid of replays and moved the Cup Final to accommodate the Premier League and however minor you think this is it gives the impression the club also don't value it.

 

[Scotchegg]

It's easy to say that but if the club start looking at the FA Cup as an inferior competition along the lines of the PJT then soon fans will follow suit and also treat it accordingly.
They have already got rid of replays and moved the Cup Final to accommodate the Premier League and however minor you think this is it gives the impression the club also don't value it.

How many people do you think will attend, even if all stands were open?

We had 3,600 against Exeter in the second round last season. I would think that we'll do well to get 3,000 against Maidenhead in the first round this year.

So it's not the club that are devaluing the competition, it's them responding to reduced demand. Are we as fans are devaluing the competition by not turning up?

It's not been managed well though poor communication, which is an ongoing problem. But let's not make this into something It's not.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

What are the club playing at, look after your customers!

 

[uptheus]

Why are the directors box seats not showing available for this match? One rule for one and another rule for others.

Another own goal by the club.

 

[Osei Yaw]

I imagine this will be a bit like the Pizza Trophy where nobody really bothers until we reach the final.