Moving away fans to Upper West Corner

[Dirk Gently]

They can only be charged the same as home fans "in equivalent accommodation" - so they can only be charged the same as home fans in UW.

The idea of only opening UW to away fans and not giving them the option of a cheaper area is an utter dick move, the sort pulled by the worst type of scumbag clubs in the league.

Yeh very cynical move by the club. I've seen it done at other places mind.

After the last few seasons, wish they'd move the home support to a new location too! Bottom Meadow has been possibly the most entertaining place for football over the same time span.

This part of the home support has relocated to Cappielow, which is also a far more entertaining and authentic place for football.

[One8Seven1*]

Would it not make more sense to swap sides with the away fans, and then when C1871 has more demand for bigger games, it's the home fans that occupy the upper and lower west stand corner? In doing so, we're also giving the away fans more seats than we are currently.

[RG30]

Ahead of releasing Season Ticket details for 2023-24, we wrote to a small number of valued supporters with their Season Tickets situated in the south-west corner of the Upper West Stand to personally inform them of proposed plans to relocate the away fan allocation within the stadium bowl.

Having spoken directly with all the fans concerned, the club can now confirm that we intend to utilise the Upper West corner on the south side of the stadium to accommodate visiting supporters in 2023-24.

Why?

The rationale behind the proposal is primarily to improve the home atmosphere by moving visiting supporters further away from the goal and the pitch.

By selling the Upper West allocation to visiting clubs ahead of their allocation of South Stand seats, for most matches Club 1871 will be able to expand as it did for our final home fixture of the season against Wigan – migrating a little towards the area directly behind the South Stand goal thanks to a reduced level of segregation netting.

Away fans will also be located further away from the pitch, giving us more opportunity to capitalise on home advantage given to us by our vocal supporters behind the goal.

Moving visiting supporters to the Upper West also enables the club to charge a proportion of away fans a higher ticket price than we are currently able to. Regulations mean we are obligated to offer visiting supporters the same price as home fans when they are located within the same stand - but this change will mean we can charge a section of away supporters the Upper West matchday ticket price and increase revenue from visiting fans whilst keeping our Club 1871 prices as affordable as possible.

This move also means that, by giving us the ability to increase the potential visiting supporter allocation within the stadium for the high demand fixtures, we will not need to apply any prohibitive sales criteria for home areas as often – allowing the club to encourage more first-time fans into the stadium for more matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

All supporters whose Season Ticket has needed relocating for 2023-24 were directly consulted before any proposals were put in front of and subsequently approved by the Safety Advisory Group – and those fans affected have been relocated to a new seat in a suitable section of the stadium of their choosing. However, if any supporter has any further questions about this change for 2023-24, please feel free to contact our sales team in the Ticket Office on sales@readingfc.co.uk or by calling 0118 968 1313.

So now, more so than ever, we call on Royals fans to back the boys and make some noise as we begin to mount a challenge for a quick return to the second tier next season!

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2023/may/19/upper-west-corner-to-host-away-fans-in-2023-24/

[One8Seven1*]

Can't argue with the Club's logic. Happy with that!

Also this - "Moving visiting supporters to the Upper West also enables the club to charge a proportion of away fans a higher ticket price than we are currently able to. Regulations mean we are obligated to offer visiting supporters the same price as home fans when they are located within the same stand - but this change will mean we can charge a section of away supporters the Upper West matchday ticket price and increase revenue from visiting fans whilst keeping our Club 1871 prices as affordable as possible."

[Dirk Gently]

It's utter hypocrisy. All the "holier-than-thou" stuff from the club about "20s plenty" and suddenly they've changed direction 180 degrees and they're openly talking about exploiting loopholes so they can charge away fans extra.

[Sutekh]

Can't argue with the Club's logic. Happy with that!

Also this - "Moving visiting supporters to the Upper West also enables the club to charge a proportion of away fans a higher ticket price than we are currently able to. Regulations mean we are obligated to offer visiting supporters the same price as home fans when they are located within the same stand - but this change will mean we can charge a section of away supporters the Upper West matchday ticket price and increase revenue from visiting fans whilst keeping our Club 1871 prices as affordable as possible."

Well at least they don't hide that fact (actually pretty hacked off in recent seasons with charging really good prices for away fans only to have naff all reciprocation so why shouldn't Reading start being meaner too)?

[tidus_mi2]

It's utter hypocrisy. All the "holier-than-thou" stuff from the club about "20s plenty" and suddenly they've changed direction 180 degrees and they're openly talking about exploiting loopholes so they can charge away fans extra.

If they still do the reciprocal offer again this season, I don't see what there is to complain about.

[Clyde1998]

By selling the Upper West allocation to visiting clubs ahead of their allocation of South Stand seats, for most matches Club 1871 will be able to expand as it did for our final home fixture of the season against Wigan – migrating a little towards the area directly behind the South Stand goal thanks to a reduced level of segregation netting.

That reads like we'll be giving clubs their initial allocation in the Upper West.

[tidus_mi2]

By selling the Upper West allocation to visiting clubs ahead of their allocation of South Stand seats, for most matches Club 1871 will be able to expand as it did for our final home fixture of the season against Wigan – migrating a little towards the area directly behind the South Stand goal thanks to a reduced level of segregation netting.

That reads like we'll be giving clubs their initial allocation in the Upper West.

That's how I see it too and it makes the most sense, if they only sell their initial allocation in the Upper West, C1871 can be expanded into the entire South Stand.

[Hendo]

By selling the Upper West allocation to visiting clubs ahead of their allocation of South Stand seats, for most matches Club 1871 will be able to expand as it did for our final home fixture of the season against Wigan – migrating a little towards the area directly behind the South Stand goal thanks to a reduced level of segregation netting.

That reads like we'll be giving clubs their initial allocation in the Upper West.

That's how I see it too and it makes the most sense, if they only sell their initial allocation in the Upper West, C1871 can be expanded into the entire South Stand.

That's also how I read it.

[Hendo]

It's utter hypocrisy. All the "holier-than-thou" stuff from the club about "20s plenty" and suddenly they've changed direction 180 degrees and they're openly talking about exploiting loopholes so they can charge away fans extra.

Maybe there was already discussions with clubs ahead of a potential relegation and no one (or only a handful of clubs) was looking to reciprocate the offer. If that's the case then I feel like the club are within their right to charge as much as possible for away fans.

With the situation the club is in, along with the wider financial outlook for L1 football, they need to get as much money through the door as possible, and if that means charging some away fans a bit more, then so be it.

[windermereROYAL]

So the way I read this is they offer the upper west first and then if they want more they can have segments in the south stand, is that correct?

[One8Seven1*]

So the way I read this is they offer the upper west first and then if they want more they can have segments in the south stand, is that correct?

That's how it reads, so the smaller followings will go upper west and then overflow into the South if they can fill the extra seats.

[Weymouth Royal]

Can't argue with the Club's logic. Happy with that!

Also this - "Moving visiting supporters to the Upper West also enables the club to charge a proportion of away fans a higher ticket price than we are currently able to. Regulations mean we are obligated to offer visiting supporters the same price as home fans when they are located within the same stand - but this change will mean we can charge a section of away supporters the Upper West matchday ticket price and increase revenue from visiting fans whilst keeping our Club 1871 prices as affordable as possible."

Well at least they don't hide that fact (actually pretty hacked off in recent seasons with charging really good prices for away fans only to have naff all reciprocation so why shouldn't Reading start being meaner too)?

Exactly this. It's a good and sensible move by the club, whilst at the same time ensuring the benefits of C1871 behind the goal for home fans.

[Jackson Corner]

So when we went to QPR and they charge us £35 to sit on those crumby seats. The home fans pay the same at the other end? How the hell can they justify that? To watch Championship football.

[tidus_mi2]

So when we went to QPR and they charge us £35 to sit on those crumby seats. The home fans pay the same at the other end? How the hell can they justify that? To watch Championship football.

What should the value of a ticket be though? Our ST prices have been frozen for a decade, if they had risen in line with inflation my ST in the SJM stand would now be £525 for example, so I appreciate the club has tried to do right by the fans all these years.

[Dirk Gently]

It's an important issue because not so many years ago we were whining at Leeds because they only have the most expensive area of Elland Road available for away supports, specifically so they can charge them more.

It's a shameless bit of exploitation, and this attitude of "let's charge away fans more" is utterly dickish - and only serves to ensure that prices go up and up for everyone, because if every club is always trying to squeeze that little bit more money out of visiting fans then you're on an upward pricing spiral.

Put it another way - do we really want our club to have the same moral standards as Leeds United?

https://lufctrust.com/article/lufc-trust-takes-a-look-into-away-fan-pricing-in-the-championship

[Weymouth Royal]

It's an important issue because not so many years ago we were whining at Leeds because they only have the most expensive area of Elland Road available for away supports, specifically so they can charge them more.

It's a shameless bit of exploitation, and this attitude of "let's charge away fans more" is utterly dickish - and only serves to ensure that prices go up and up for everyone, because if every club is always trying to squeeze that little bit more money out of visiting fans then you're on an upward pricing spiral.

Put it another way - do we really want our club to have the same moral standards as Leeds United?

https://lufctrust.com/article/lufc-trust-takes-a-look-into-away-fan-pricing-in-the-championship

So what! As stated already, had prices continued to increase over the last decade as they perhaps should have, you'd be paying a lot more for your tickets today. I'm absolutely fine with matching Leeds and whoever else for moral standards if it keeps the club making the money it needs to get out of trouble and move upwards once again.

[tidus_mi2]

I think the issue arises that clubs are trying to increase their revenue streams to better compete in an FFP environment, if we charge low prices, other teams just charge higher and get a financial advantage. Really, considering all the costs associated with following your club away, an agreed EFL price cap for each division on solely away tickets would be beneficial I would feel, I would include the Premier League but they already have away tickets capped at £30

[Orion1871]

It's an important issue because not so many years ago we were whining at Leeds because they only have the most expensive area of Elland Road available for away supports, specifically so they can charge them more.

It's a shameless bit of exploitation, and this attitude of "let's charge away fans more" is utterly dickish - and only serves to ensure that prices go up and up for everyone, because if every club is always trying to squeeze that little bit more money out of visiting fans then you're on an upward pricing spiral.

Put it another way - do we really want our club to have the same moral standards as Leeds United?

https://lufctrust.com/article/lufc-trust-takes-a-look-into-away-fan-pricing-in-the-championship

Somebody call a Wambulance.