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Matchdays at Arsenal – Have your say

Open invite to AISA meeting on 11th April

8 March, 2013 9:00 26 comments
Matchdays at Arsenal – Have your say

SUBSCRIBE TO THE GOONER

AISA is organising a "matchday experience" meeting to discuss the results of our recent survey, to decide what priorities should be, and how to achieve change. The meeting will take place at 179 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5LS on THURSDAY 11TH APRIL, 6.30 for 7.00.

The meeting is open to all Arsenal supporters. It would help us with the admin if you could let us know if you plan to attend - just email [email protected]

We met again with the Club last week to discuss some of the issues we have been pursuing with them. Much more info at the meeting but included were AISA proposals and suggestions regarding:

SEASON TICKET STAGED PAYMENT SCHEME
Introduction of a scheme that allows season ticket holders to spread payment over many months with no additional cost except a small admin fee

CHEAPER TICKETS
- Backing for a national scheme, as proposed by the FSF, that will cap away ticket prices at a lower prior than present
- Cheaper tickets for juniors to encourage future generations of Arsenal supporters
- Reduction in cost of FA Cup and, if applicable, Europa League tickets
- Extra ticket entitlement for season-ticket holders, enabling them to buy additional tickets several times a season, some at reduced cost for under 18s
- Relocation of away supporters at the Emirates to upper tier, thereby providing 3,000 cheaper tickets for home supporters

REWARDING LOYALTY
- Specific benefits for Arsenal supporters who regularly travel to away matches. Proposals include free vouchers etc, and also reduced price travel to all away cup matches
- Reduced price season tickets for existing gold members who are senior citizens (building on the current scheme where discounts are applicable but only for those who are prepared to move away from existing friends and family)

TICKET EXCHANGE
- Improvements to scheme including immediate cashback, more flexibility and easy ways of sharing tickets with friends and family (with or without payment)

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ATMOSPHERE
- Various, including a commitment from the Club that they would introduce safe standing, as and when the law is changed.

We believe considerable progress has been made on many of these items (and others discussed separately) and look forward to announcements in due course. If you want any further information, or have suggestions and ideas you want to put forward, contact us at [email protected]

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26
comments

  1. Rocky RIP

    Mar 11, 2013, 23:21 #33151

    @Hotspurs - we can only admire your discipline at Anfield on Sunday. Unnecessary back passes into the opponent's path. Bravo. The open top bus parade awaits a top 4 finish and renditions of Chas and Dave. P.S. When exactly were the glory years? Nobody has ever given me a straight answer. @Stroud Green - agreed. The DJ only serves to dampen the atmosphere by drowning people out. It creates a noise vacuum. People are just force fed a 'match day experience' to go with their hot dog against their will. When there was no pre-match 'entertainment' the crowd took it upon themselves to get songs going. Is it a deliberate ploy by the club? or do they think we are so stupid that we can't generate interest without their help? Prior to pre-match 'entertainment' crowds arrived over an hour early; with pre-match entertainment many arrive at kick off. You decide. And yes, yes, yes, yes, yes to Safe Standing. Follow the German model on standing, fan ownership, club legends on the board and affordable ticket prices. They know what they are doing.

  2. Red Member

    Mar 11, 2013, 11:56 #33114

    wheres wally is a gooner - you have hit the nail on the head. it really is that simple

  3. Where's Wally is a Gooner

    Mar 10, 2013, 19:22 #33088

    All our regular away supporters should be given season tickets behind the North Bank at £10 a game. Then the excellent atmosphere they generate can be replicated at home

  4. Stroud Green Road Boy

    Mar 10, 2013, 10:03 #33085

    Would echo Robbb's and Uccello's points. Safe standing, football urgently needs the atmosphere this generates again. And less, not more Americanisation of the stadium. NO DJ! People should be able to sit there for 15 minutes at half time and discuss the match without 'entertainment' drowning them out and having junk food thrust under their noses.

  5. Danny Carter

    Mar 09, 2013, 14:23 #33081

    think moving the away fans is a good point. like the idea of a dj as well. On a seperate point, how comes cazorla gets so much stick for diving agaisnt wba yet golden boy bale gets booked for a 4th time this season and the press hardly mention it ?

  6. GG89

    Mar 09, 2013, 13:45 #33080

    Yes. reward the away fans.... Give them shares, give them free beer, give them a say in how the club is run, they are stakeholders and a half.... give them trophies not a healthy bank balance....

  7. maguiresbridge gooner

    Mar 09, 2013, 13:34 #33079

    A couple of good issues one being the payment scheme.But as Gaz has pointed out in both his posts even if all the issues raised were granted it wont make any difference to the match day experience under this current regime, and i'm sure AISA would have even more support if they were to concentrate on trying to do something about that.

  8. Uccello

    Mar 09, 2013, 11:23 #33078

    Safe standing has to, has to, has to be reintroduced if we are to rediscover our soul as a club and protect our future in the long term by making the club accessible to local kids, local families and the less well off long term supporters. That is where the real loyalty lies, the support we can be proud of, the sense of community and identity, not the increasingly corporate, Jonny-come-lately, I think I'll entertain the bank manager / business clients tonight, / tourist with tickets bought with a hotel room and leave the club shop with plastic bags full of branded guff clientele that the club is increasingly marketed towards. That monied fanbase will disappear faster than Walcott in the derby if times get tough. I work in a local school and none of our kids, many of whom are passionate ardent Arsenal fans could ever dream of going to a game, nor their parents ever afford it. We are betraying them their birthright. When some cheap tickets came our way through Arsenal in the community doubles club, we took 160 to their first game, or similar for an emirates cup match a couple of years back, kids could go with parents and siblings, it was a bitter sweet joy to organise as they made such a racket and loved the day out, but knowing that our club was deliberately excluding these local ardent fans. Safe standing must be brought back to open our club back up, otherwise our soul/identity/history is being ripped out with every kerching of the cash registers

  9. Ken

    Mar 09, 2013, 10:44 #33076

    Could not agree with you more Paul the gooner.We the fans have been fathful with Wenger and the Board over the years, and now it can't go on any longer, It must happen soon. If you attend games then get the posters out let them see there time is up.I made my poster a long time ago.

  10. Paul the Gooner

    Mar 09, 2013, 7:43 #33071

    Improve the atomosphere. 1. Get rid of the tourists and JCL's 2.Get a new manager in 3.Get an owner in who wants to win trophies and not make profits 4.Get a winning team.5.Football has and always will be about winning. As for Spurs i was at the ****hole last week and their fans made more noise with 35,000 than our JCL's at the Soul-less bowl with their camera's and burgers.I went to watch a game in Bremen last year and i was behind the goal and everyone stood up the whole game.It that happened at the library the JCLs would get the stewards to kick them out.The club doesnt care about atomosphere just pay your money buy food and shut up.This is Arsenal 2013

  11. Robbb

    Mar 08, 2013, 23:30 #33066

    Gooner London - what we don't need is the shmaltz associated with American sports games. The game goes for two 45 minute halves. If you can't keep your focus on the game during that time....don't attend. Stay at home and watch the TV and gorge yourself to your heart's content.

  12. David the Price is Ian Wright, Wright, Wright!

    Mar 08, 2013, 21:16 #33063

    Sorry to be repetitive, but three words exemplify my thoughts. Wenger , Board out!

  13. N4

    Mar 08, 2013, 20:51 #33062

    I am fully behind Gaz on this! He expresses exactly what I was thinking, thanks Gaz, well said!!!

  14. Betty

    Mar 08, 2013, 18:58 #33061

    @Hotspurs.The atmosphere at the Arsenal Munich game was electric the best I have seen anywhere in this country all season.The atmosphere at the lane last night was the same as it's always been,like the Middlesex cricket ground you originate from.It's the same myth as Spurs once playing good football,unfortunately it can never be authenticated as television was not around then.

  15. norfolk gooner

    Mar 08, 2013, 17:34 #33059

    I think a singing section near the away supporters at the clock end would help improve the atmosphere.Don't think a safe standing area will ever happen though.As for the food, simple don't buy it!

  16. Ramgun

    Mar 08, 2013, 17:00 #33056

    Season tickets should be for League games only. Season-ticket holders should be able to claim their seat if they want to but given that Wenger rests players for FA Cup-ties (see Blackburn in the 5th round) they have no right to take money up-front for extra matches, particularly when those extra matches might be against teams we have never heard of on a Thursday night. Is AISA making that point?

  17. Green Hut

    Mar 08, 2013, 15:31 #33054

    HotSpurs- The s***e hart lane atmosphere is red hot only in your own mind, and you stole the songs that you sing when you're winning from Southampton, Celtic and Man Utd. tottenham are typical of a medium sized club showing potential after 20 years of nothing. Man City were the same and their fans were bigging themselves up, now after a couple of trophies you can hear a pin drop at whatever their stadium's called. 1971, 2004, 52 years and counting. Forever in our shadow. FOYS.

  18. johnnyhawleylovinggooner

    Mar 08, 2013, 14:22 #33053

    how about this :there is a marguee player looking for an out at old trafford. you keep telling us if the right player comes along you will spend the money. he is right for us in the team and the club shop.-go and buy him then

  19. billthered

    Mar 08, 2013, 13:54 #33049

    They will definetly do something as I think a lot of people are like me and will not be renewing season tickets etc,and as the only thing they care about is the pound note well you do the maths.

  20. Gooner, London

    Mar 08, 2013, 13:54 #33048

    Agree - Move the away fans upstairs and put protective plastic sheeting in front of their section to stop them throwing things down to the home fans below. (As that will inevitably happen no doubt) !! A much large family enclosure is required. Families are not the minority but the majority of the population. It's supposed to be a family club. Proper entertainment at half time and a decent DJ to create a bit of atmosphere when there is no play. Improve the food on offer as its over priced and poorly managed. Hot dogs, pizza etc are always stale, cold and ridiculously over priced. Inedible rubbish. Follow the American style where food is brought round to the spectators, selling pop corn, nuts etc in the seating area (cinema style) so you don’t have to leave your seat if you don’t want to. Lastly…The toilets are always filthy and the queues are enormous. They also need attendants in the toilets as the last couple of times I have been people are urinating in the wash basins. I've been to Wembley many times and never had to queue for a drink or to use the lav and they are spotless. Its supposed to be a day out and the stadium is amazing, but some of the things that go on are pretty awful!!! I’ve also seen loads of people smoking in their seats and nothing ever gets done about it. Stewards should be pulling people up about it and throwing them out if they persist.

  21. Red Member

    Mar 08, 2013, 11:02 #33039

    as Gaz has said it is pointless trying to improve this whilst the current board/management is in place. the club is currently divided and the problems now so deep rooted that only a change cann improve things now

  22. Thomas

    Mar 08, 2013, 10:47 #33037

    Come and work on my Suffolk farm for a month in the summer and you'll be able to afford your ticket.Eveybody nowadays seems to want something for nothing.City folk are too molly coddled in their cosy office jobs, as far as improving the atmoshere you need to eat more fresh produce lots of fruit and veg and less of your processed muck.A few weeks on a proper country diet with real Ale instead of your girly lager and you will be singing like Tom Jones.Stop blameing Arsenal for all your shortcomings get a grip on yourselves and get some positive thinking in those jellied eel heads of yours.

  23. HotSpurs

    Mar 08, 2013, 10:17 #33035

    a highly driven chairman; highly motivated young energetic postive manager; a team that drives forward but is also disciplined; a stadium where the atmosphere is red hot.

  24. Yusuff amuda

    Mar 08, 2013, 8:22 #33028

    It's management that cause all this thing you see now you have money and you are not spend it please go and look for a good striker and midfield if you buy this thing you will see that the team will be better please do it quikly.

  25. Gaz

    Mar 08, 2013, 7:11 #33022

    Thinking about it even though my last post was me being sarcastic there is a more serious issue here regarding this meeting. By that I mean that whilst its a good idea I really can't see the benefit of it whilst the Clubs being managed and run as it currently is. After all the fans will always be led and influenced by what's happening on and off the pitch and there's simply a lack of excitement about supporting Arsenal at the moment with fans talking about being bored and lacking any kind of enthusiasm. Most of the points up for discussion (high ticket prices, atmosphere etc) most probably wouldn't be issues if our Club were really competing for trophies and utilising the funds it does have on better players. So in all seriousness whilst I understand the reasoning behind this meeting it could be argued that a quicker way to achieve the same goals would be to actively protest at getting the useless kroenke out of the club then getting a manager in who might just get the best out of a set of players who always seem to be under performing.

  26. Gaz

    Mar 08, 2013, 6:53 #33021

    With all due respect the only thing that will improve my match day experience is watching the side managed by somebody else and the club run by anyone other than kroenke and gazidis!