How Many Royalty Points Do You Have?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Perhaps there's a case for the top tier to be 1800 points PLUS a current ST.

[Rex]

Hopefully the club will not go down that route Dirk. It seems to be over complicating a very simple system. The issue being that historical points do not always mean an active supporter. Just separate out matches attended this season. HST's are accumulated points irrespective of attendance to all games as we know. Set the limits and grade from there.

[SLAMMED]

1454

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

HST's are accumulated points irrespective of attendance to all games as we know. .

Wouldn't that be the case for all tickets?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

You know, it really shouldn't be beyond the ability of a half decent programmer to devise a system whereby two royalty points schemes can run side by side - home (with the points valid for a maximum of the last five years to reward "current and active" supporters) and away (say three seasons worth of points awarded).

For home games STHs get first dibs followed by banded access by home royalty points, away games go first to regular away followers across maybe one or two bands before home royalty points are taken into account.

It's not a case of programming it - that would be simple enough - but devising a system that people think is fair.

You might get a season-ticket holder who has been going for 20 years+ who only goes to the odd away game these days having more points than a fan who has only been going for two or three years who goes to most away games.

That current away regular will probably say he deserves a ticket more, but the long-time supporter might well have been going away regualry when he was younger and seen Reading away 300 times+ away over the years. When you've been to Bristol City eight or nine times the appeal does begin to wane, and it's hardly surprising enthusiam for going away every other week isn't as strong as it is is for someone who's only been doing so for a couple of years.

I think such a person has the right to pick and choose away games.

The sort of person who almost never goes away games, the Arsenal-away day-trippers etc, are not likely to book up for Stevenage.

[Rex]

HST's are accumulated points irrespective of attendance to all games as we know. .

Wouldn't that be the case for all tickets?

Lumped onto your points scheme in advance though.

[TFF]

It might not be the perfect solution but at some point the club will need to consider that on the rare occasions there is high demand for relatively few tickets they are disenfranchising the "new" supporters that they are desperately trying to attract.

Putting a three to five year expiry on points is a must in my opinion, as is better recognition of the lengths some fans go to to follow/support the team away from home - and I say that as someone who might take in three or four away games a season.

Personally I couldn't give a toss if you spent the first twenty of the last twenty-five years going home and away - if you're not actively supporting the club financially you shouldn't have any more right to tickets than a twenty year old just embarking on his or her RFC "career".

[Svlad Cjelli]

Agreed in principle, but with modifications - someone who was a loyal supporter for year but had to move away three years ago would feel very hard done by if there's a sudden stop and points expire en masse.

So I'd phase it down more gradually.

Last three years' points = full value
Points from 4 years ago = 3/4 value
Points from 5 years ago = 1/2 value
Points from 6 years ago = 1/4 value
Points older the 6 years ago - written off.

It ought to be easy for the computer to do this without too much grief.

[Rex]

It might not be the perfect solution but at some point the club will need to consider that on the rare occasions there is high demand for relatively few tickets they are disenfranchising the "new" supporters that they are desperately trying to attract.

Putting a three to five year expiry on points is a must in my opinion, as is better recognition of the lengths some fans go to to follow/support the team away from home - and I say that as someone who might take in three or four away games a season.

Personally I couldn't give a toss if you spent the first twenty of the last twenty-five years going home and away - if you're not actively supporting the club financially you shouldn't have any more right to tickets than a twenty year old just embarking on his or her RFC "career".

Pretty much spot on.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Personally I couldn't give a toss if you spent the first twenty of the last twenty-five years going home and away - if you're not actively supporting the club financially you shouldn't have any more right to tickets than a twenty year old just embarking on his or her RFC "career".

I actually agree. The pick & choose was more about away games. I've got a mate who'd been to every single Reading match (H&A), bar one, since 1986, but for financial reasons had to jack it in last season (he still has a home season ticket). I do think he has just as much right as someone who has been going to most aways for that least couple of years.

Somebody who has stopped going altogther....I don't think they deserve the same concession. Points should expire.

I also think away games should merit more points than home games, and they should introduce a "weekends" away season ticket, as a fair number struggle to do midweek aways.

[westendgirl]

For home games STHs get first dibs followed by banded access by home royalty points, away games go first to regular away followers across maybe one or two bands before home royalty points are taken into account.

why would STH get first dibs for home games - they already have tickets don't they

[Rex]

Cup games are currently not included in the HST.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

You know, it really shouldn't be beyond the ability of a half decent programmer to devise a system whereby two royalty points schemes can run side by side - home (with the points valid for a maximum of the last five years to reward "current and active" supporters) and away (say three seasons worth of points awarded).

For home games STHs get first dibs followed by banded access by home royalty points, away games go first to regular away followers across maybe one or two bands before home royalty points are taken into account.

It's not a case of programming it - that would be simple enough - but devising a system that people think is fair.

You might get a season-ticket holder who has been going for 20 years+ who only goes to the odd away game these days having more points than a fan who has only been going for two or three years who goes to most away games.




That current away regular will probably say he deserves a ticket more, but the long-time supporter might well have been going away regualry when he was younger and seen Reading away 300 times+ away over the years. When you've been to Bristol City eight or nine times the appeal does begin to wane, and it's hardly surprising enthusiam for going away every other week isn't as strong as it is is for someone who's only been doing so for a couple of years.

I think such a person has the right to pick and choose away games.

The sort of person who almost never goes away games, the Arsenal-away day-trippers etc, are not likely to book up for Stevenage.

Blimey do you know me?
Thats the category I fall into, except I have only been to Brizzle around 7 or 8 times!
In the numerous years I have been following the club away I have probably done about 70 of the 92 grounds.
Stevenage will be a new ground for me.

[RoyalBlue]

The current system works pretty well and it would be extremely hard to come up with anything that works any better, let alone is fairer.

The more Reading games you have been to over a period of time, the greater chance of getting a ticket to high demand games. Yes, that does mean that the newer supporter has less chance of going but why would it be fairer to take points off the longer term supporter, regardless of how and when they are accrued? One thing you can't deny is that the longer term supporter has been to all of those games. There is no guarantee about anyone's future attendance. The newer supporter who would benefit from the wiping off of older points might well decide not to continue going to games after a couple of years. If that happened, they would have supported the club far less than us longer termers and yet would have got their chance at the high demand tickets. My own kids had to serve their apprenticeship before they accrued enough points and I don't see what was wrong with that.

Nor should points be struck off if there is a period of non-attendance - don't forget Madejski himself didn't attend many games when he was enjoying a holiday from the tax man!

For the past two seasons I have paid for a season ticket for both my son and daughter, even though the fact that they are playing football at a highish level means that they often aren't able to make home, let alone away, games on a Saturday. We did that so that they can attend games whenever they are able (often it is down to where they are playing and/or whether they can dash off the pitch at somewhere like Northampton and get to Reading just as the game kicks off!). As a consequence of buying those season tickets, they had enough points for us all to get Stevenage tickets. Seems fair to me.

As for the idea of 'points inflation' with recent purchases counting for more, why is that needed? Next season my son will probably be playing for a tier club and it really won't be worth buying a season ticket for him. A couple of seasons of that and he will fall down the points table, whereas the newer supporters will leap frog over him. Fair result and good luck to them when they get first dibs at the high demand games.

[PieEater]

It might not be the perfect solution but at some point the club will need to consider that on the rare occasions there is high demand for relatively few tickets they are disenfranchising the "new" supporters that they are desperately trying to attract.

Or alternatively these JCLs might be encouraged to accrue more points by attending more games to catch up.

The points people have translate pretty well to how much they have spent with the club and hence their value to them as a customer. So what is wrong with the club looking after it's best customers.

[PieEater]

As for the idea of 'points inflation' with recent purchases counting for more, why is that needed? Next season my son will probably be playing for a tier club and it really won't be worth buying a season ticket for him. A couple of seasons of that and he will fall down the points table, whereas the newer supporters will leap frog over him. Fair result and good luck to them when they get first dibs at the high demand games.

Points inflation would give your son a chance of climbing back up the points tiers by attending regularly again in a few seasons time. Not at the expense of current supporters, but at the expense of people who haven't been much since the premier years.

[RoyalBlue]

As for the idea of 'points inflation' with recent purchases counting for more, why is that needed? Next season my son will probably be playing for a tier club and it really won't be worth buying a season ticket for him. A couple of seasons of that and he will fall down the points table, whereas the newer supporters will leap frog over him. Fair result and good luck to them when they get first dibs at the high demand games.

Points inflation would give your son a chance of climbing back up the points tiers by attending regularly again in a few seasons time. Not at the expense of current supporters, but at the expense of people who haven't been much since the premier years.

It's not needed in the example you have given because he will have stayed at least level with them and will immediately climb above them through normal value points once he starts attending regularly.

[Maguire]

The whole Royalty Points thing just goes to show that you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Personally i'm just happy that the usually hopeless RFC have implemented a system at all, and you can't really argue about its "fairness" in the sense that you have to really do your time to get >1400 points.

[Dave the rave]

It might not be the perfect solution but at some point the club will need to consider that on the rare occasions there is high demand for relatively few tickets they are disenfranchising the "new" supporters that they are desperately trying to attract.

Putting a three to five year expiry on points is a must in my opinion, as is better recognition of the lengths some fans go to to follow/support the team away from home - and I say that as someone who might take in three or four away games a season.

Personally I couldn't give a toss if you spent the first twenty of the last twenty-five years going home and away - if you're not actively supporting the club financially you shouldn't have any more right to tickets than a twenty year old just embarking on his or her RFC "career".

Pretty much spot on.

Um. Except if you were actively supporting the club financially then, then you paved the way jointly for where the club are today.
Not saying you two didn't but if everyone stopped going to games now there wouldn't be a club in the future to have these debates about.
So you should 'give a toss'.

Personally, I don't have that many points (150+) at last glance. However, I used to spend my money at Elm park, away games etc.
I still go regularly today (cup and league) but due to circumstances it's usually free.

What category do I fall into?

vvv - Awaits derogatory answer

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Dave do you look out for the results/cup draws/ transfers and match reports??