Matches Crystal Palace - First 10k gate of the season

[Scotchegg]

If ever there's a time for some forced positivity, it's now. Results have been poor, performances worse! Even the last round against Swansea was awful for 70 minutes!

But the beauty of the cup is that a goal deflecting off the a**e of our least likely scorer, a pinball free kick and one penalty save can result in games that live long in our memories for years to come.

These threads helped drum up interest last season, and we desperately need something that can kick start this season. PL opposition under the lights during the school holidays, hopefully gives us the opportunity to encourage supporters old and new along. Palace will sell out their allocation I'd guess, so let's get out in numbers to show them the same as we showed West Ham a few years ago!

With decisions on Stratfield Brake on the horizon we need to take every opportunity we have to show how big a club Oxford United is, and why we need a bigger and better stadium. So let's get out in numbers by spreading the word and actively encouraging others along. Bring the kids, take a mate, fill a car load of people from work. Whatever it takes to get people through the doors and cheer the team into round 3.

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/oxfordunited/

 

[Scotchegg]

Over to @Colin B and @Thecurraghofkildare for the dot counting and @OUSP Secretary and @OxVox to push this too.

 

[Trevor L]

Home game, school hols, low prices, not unbeatable premier league opposition, it will be a memorable occasion. What's not to like?!

The tickets for this should, you would hope, fly off the metaphorical shelves, assuming there's a decent level of public awareness of the game. @OxVox will certainly play its part in pushing it.

Cash and budgeting, given the insane number of August matches, may inhibit some of course, but surely 10k+ is achievable.

 

[Colin B]

Will have a proper count up tomorrow, but sales at the moment look much higher than I'd anticipated, especially after Saturday's defeat. Of course it will only be a true figure once the reserved season ticket deadline passes on Wed or Thur.

 

[CCYellow]

@OUSP Secretary @OxVox Please find out from the club if the football special buses will run for this game and ask them to update the ticket details article with whichever answer is received. Could the club please be asked to put this information on for all cup games, regardless of whether the buses are running.

 

[Colin B]

So, here's the count up as of about an hour ago.

Home sales are showing at about a dozen below 7,000 which is very good for this stage of sales. As usual this doesn't include box sales. East Stand sales are particularly strong, as are North Stand, and this has been the usual pattern for our 10,000 home crowds. A slight note of caution is that season ticket holders' seats are currently saved, so although I'd expect most to attend, it may be that some have bought tickets elsewhere (taking advantage of the "better" seats being the same price as the rest?) and once those seats are no longer reserved (is it Wednesday or Thursday, the club still haven't updated this!) the figure will take a little dip, but hopefully not by much.

I'll do a daily check, which will enable me to forecast a bit more accurately in two or three days time, but I thought this one might have been about 8,000 total after Saturday's debacle, but it's clearly going to be much more than that. No idea how many Palace will sell but if it's 1,000 or so, then I'd say we'll be over 10,000 total.

A small piece of good news, let's hope it's a turning point.

 

[Essexyellows]

Please note the pricing on the promotional material says "from" - it's the small wins.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Tickets purchased, looking forward to it!!

 

[southlondonyellow]

Please note the pricing on the promotional material says "from" - it's the small wins.

Maybe it should just say 'Advance tickets from £5'...

It'd still be truthful, although I'm not sure that would help with sales when buyers realise it's 4 times that for an adult!

 

[Trevor L]

@OUSP Secretary @OxVox Please find out from the club if the football special buses will run for this game and ask them to update the ticket details article with whichever answer is received. Could the club please be asked to put this information on for all cup games, regardless of whether the buses are running.

Chris Williams has just told me no decision yet on the buses.

 

[FAB Admin]

@OUSP Secretary @OxVox Please find out from the club if the football special buses will run for this game and ask them to update the ticket details article with whichever answer is received. Could the club please be asked to put this information on for all cup games, regardless of whether the buses are running.

Announcement coming shortly for the CP evening match. Good news on buses.
Will ask for it to be clearer for cup games.

 

[FAB Admin]

Football Specials to Run for Palace Game | Oxford United Football Club

Oxford United are pleased to announce that all three Football Special buses [OX2, OX3 & OX7] will be running - at normal times for the evening matches - for the Carabao Cup tie versus Crystal Palace next Tuesday evening .

www.oufc.co.uk

 

[FAB Admin]

ST holder seats are reserved until 3pm on Wednesday 17th.

 

[CCYellow]

Football Specials to Run for Palace Game | Oxford United Football Club

Oxford United are pleased to announce that all three Football Special buses [OX2, OX3 & OX7] will be running - at normal times for the evening matches - for the Carabao Cup tie versus Crystal Palace next Tuesday evening .

www.oufc.co.uk

Perfect, thank you.
Can book my ticket after work now.

 

[OX14]

Announcement coming shortly for the CP evening match. Good news on buses.
Will ask for it to be clearer for cup games.

There shouldn't of even been a need for a decision, Buses should run whatever the game or predicted attendance is going to be. You can't expect everyone to just drop car travel at Stratfield Brake and use public transport when currently the club
drive people in to using their cars to get to the Kassam for cup games.

The board may have a vision and working hard at building us a new stadium but they might want to take a look at a few aspects of how the club is being run currently as to say we could do better is an understatement!

 

[Sarge]

Football special buses are running for the Palace game....

Football Specials to Run for Palace Game

Oxford United are pleased to announce that all three Football Special buses [OX2, OX3 & OX7] will be running - at normal times for the evening matches - for the Carabao Cup tie versus Crystal Palace next Tuesday evening .

www.oufc.co.uk

 

[Trevor L]

There shouldn't of even been a need for a decision, Buses should run whatever the game or predicted attendance is going to be. You can't expect everyone to just drop car travel at Stratfield Brake and use public transport when currently the club
drive people in to using their cars to get to the Kassam for cup games.

The board may have a vision and working hard at building us a new stadium but they might want to take a look at a few aspects of how the club is being run currently as to say we could do better is an understatement!

You make it sound very simple and I agree with your sentiments. Unfortunately, following deregulation, bus companies run with profit on each route as a major consideration. This one sounds an easy decision for them but would you say the same for the pizza trophy for example?

 

[OX14]

You make it sound very simple and I agree with your sentiments. Unfortunately, following deregulation, bus companies run with profit on each route as a major consideration. This one sounds an easy decision for them but would you say the same for the pizza trophy for example?

Maybe if they ran it like a dial a ride where you book your bus in advance they would know exactly how many people were intending to travel by the football special busses. Instead they just cancel the service which either turns people in to their cars or stops people attending all together. A combined football ticket and bus ticket is the way forward both at the kassam and Stratfield Brake.

 

[Trevor L]

Might be a model that has some legs. The essentials really are predictability of service and reasonable prices. It's 2022 after all & there's this thing called the web which would allow pre registration etc.

 

[CCYellow]

Maybe if they ran it like a dial a ride where you book your bus in advance they would know exactly how many people were intending to travel by the football special busses. Instead they just cancel the service which either turns people in to their cars or stops people attending all together. A combined football ticket and bus ticket is the way forward both at the kassam and Stratfield Brake.

Maybe an idea for season tickets next year is a football special bus addon? Prices would have to vary depending where you got on, but I come from Carterton so the buses (for only league games) will cost me £195.50. Maybe a £150 addon to a season ticket would encourage other supporters concerned about travel prices as well as the season ticket would help.

Or maybe everyone, no matter where you live pays £100, but when you get on the bus you have to pay a little bit e.g get on in Carterton, pay £2 when you show your bus addon (£146 over the league games), and maybe £1 in Eynsham for example.

 

[OX14]

Maybe an idea for season tickets next year is a football special bus addon? Prices would have to vary depending where you got on, but I come from Carterton so the buses (for only league games) will cost me £195.50. Maybe a £150 addon to a season ticket would encourage other supporters concerned about travel prices as well as the season ticket would help.

Or maybe everyone, no matter where you live pays £100, but when you get on the bus you have to pay a little bit e.g get on in Carterton, pay £2 when you show your bus addon (£146 over the league games), and maybe £1 in Eynsham for example.

That's a good idea and definitely a route the club should be taking. I'm not sure fans coming from a little bit further should pay more. If the bus is running full to capacity or near to capacity there is no reason why it can't be one set fare and still be profitable. The bus could work on a pre booked basis through an app so the required vehicle or extra vehicles can be sent to do the route.

 

[CCYellow]

That's a good idea and definitely a route the club should be taking. I'm not sure fans coming from a little bit further should pay more. If the bus is running full to capacity or near to capacity there is no reason why it can't be one set fare and still be profitable. The bus could work on a pre booked basis through an app so the required vehicle or extra vehicles can be sent to do the route.

I do agree with the one fare fits all for these buses, and it would benefit me as my ticket price would come down, currently being the most expensive. It’s not really an advantage to me to be sat on the bus longer than people from Botley

 

[FAB Admin]

That's a good idea and definitely a route the club should be taking. I'm not sure fans coming from a little bit further should pay more. If the bus is running full to capacity or near to capacity there is no reason why it can't be one set fare and still be profitable. The bus could work on a pre booked basis through an app so the required vehicle or extra vehicles can be sent to do the route.

This is a good idea. We'll talk to bus users and to Mick Brown about how this could work.

 

[Colin B]

Really strong sales today, over 500 since 8:30am this morning, meaning there are now only 2,075 home tickets left, with over a week to go. Unless a large number of season ticket holders don't take up their seats (which is unlikely), I think this one might actually sell out.

Also Palace only managed a draw at Anfield this evening, so we shouldn't have too much trouble seeing them off next week!

 

[werthersoriginal]

Really strong sales today, over 500 since 8:30am this morning, meaning there are now only 2,075 home tickets left, with over a week to go. Unless a large number of season ticket holders don't take up their seats (which is unlikely), I think this one might actually sell out.

Also Palace only managed a draw at Anfield this evening, so we shouldn't have too much trouble seeing them off next week!

Great, despite all the whinging on here we’re playing a PL team under lights in the cup, why wouldn’t you go if you could? I’ll never forget the West Ham game.

 

[werthersoriginal]

So the ticket take will be about a quarter of a million? Cam’s equaliser was valuable. Do we still share that with the away team?

 

[Lincoln.yellow1]

We visit a lot of clubs where supporters buses and coaches are evident, Sunderland must have 30 plus double decker buses and normal coaches taking fans from surrounding towns and possibly villages and definitely further afield up an down the country, Derby County had a similar amount of Buses and coaches after our first game if the season lined up and it always amazes me that when we visit Shrewsbury they have at least 8-10 coaches taking their supporters back to their towns and villages.
We could have such an increased fan base if we had these sorts of transport in place from our surrounding towns and villages, most of or supporters drive to the ground (early to park) and drive straight home (after a delay getting out of the ground). Imagine having a few pints in your local pub, a coffee, or having a bite to eat in you own town then getting on a luxury coach and 30 minutes later (non stop) your are the stadium 45 minutes before kick off, then 15 minutes after the final whistle you are back on you coach looking forward to a pint or three back in your local.
The football special buses idea needs more thought and more thought towards who uses the service.
We have no 3rd party coach arrangements for home games and I believe it would be used and create a lot more interest around Oxfordshire and who knows even further afield.
It would also lead to more accessible transport to away games if the coach companies were making a profit and were available in the way of unofficial transport.

 

[Johnf]

Trying to ring the ticket office this morning to book my season ticket seats for the palace match and I get a ring tone for 20 seconds and then it goes to a engaged tone. I am away this week so can’t go in person. probably just the volume of calls right now but just wondered if anyone else has had trouble getting through ?

 

[Beech Road Bokelberg]

Trying to ring the ticket office this morning to book my season ticket seats for the palace match and I get a ring tone for 20 seconds and then it goes to a engaged tone. I am away this week so can’t go in person. probably just the volume of calls right now but just wondered if anyone else has had trouble getting through ?

I phoned up earlier and I just got crackling on the line

I was calling the swine flu advice hotline though so maybe not useful

 

[Colin B]

So now the season ticket holders no longer have their seats reserved we have some interesting figures.

We've gone from "sales" of 7,850 at midnight last night down to 5,100 as of just now. This means 2,750 season ticket holders, which is over half of them, have not bothered retaining their seats. I've got to say I'm pretty shocked by that. It means that of the 5,100 home sales at present approximately 2,450 are season ticket holders and 2,650 are non season ticket holders.

Total daily home sales have been high at over 1,000 a day though, so with nearly seven days to go I'd still expect a decent crowd. I'll need to study the next two or three days sales to be able to accurately forecast though, as I am quite shocked at the low season ticket holder uptake.