Amidst a week of elation and jubilation among Arsenal supporters following their long-awaited victory over Manchester City in the Premier League, attention has regrettably refocused on the persistent ticketing issues plaguing the club, affecting both home and away fans.
Back in April, Arsenal made the move to revamp their ticketing system for home games by introducing ballots. At first, this change was met mainly with scepticism and but some hope. One positive being that it meant bidding farewell to the familiar nightmare of the 10am queue.
For many silver members, buying tickets in seasons prior to 2022/23, when demand increased exponentially, had been a relatively straightforward task, the queue aside. However, amid growing complaints about the system’s inadequacy, the club decided to make adjustments.
As this season has gone on, it has become increasingly evident that these changes have not been favourable for silver members.
Silver memberships, capped at 30,000, cost an additional £20 annual fee to the base level red membership and earning Silver status typically demands years of red membership (often 10-15 years). Junior Gunner/Cannon Club members join the red membership queue in the place they would have been ahd they joined the red membership when they first signed up.
With the long-term loyalty required to become a silver member, there is an expectation of additional priority compared to red members.
When Arsenal moved to the Emirates Stadium, the silver allocation stood at around 7,000-8,000 seats, comfortably accommodating the demand of silver members. Over the years, the club has consistently chipped away at this allocation.
Here’s how the silver allocation has dwindled over time:
– Pre-COVID (2019/2020): 7,200 seats
– 2021/2022: 4,200
– 2022/2023: 2,400
– 2023/2024: 1,800
From pre-COVID to now, there has been a staggering 75% reduction in the silver allocation at the Emirates. This reduction has resulted in an increase in allocation for red members, supporter clubs, family enclosures, and even overselling to season ticket holders. In fact, the club temporarily suspended issueing new season tickets last summer in an attempt to reclaim some of these seats for silver members.
In comparison, the red allocation sits at 2,900 tickets – nearly doouble that of silvers (editors note: losing silver ballot applicants can also no longer enter the red ballot). This further exacerbates the current discontent among silver members regarding the ballot system.
The introduction of the ballot system, particularly for a league-based competition, has raised eyebrows among many fans, myself included.
This randomised system doesn’t acknowledge the loyalty of silver members who have held memberships for many, many years. Also, the ballot system was launched without the basic functionality of allowing members to choose their seats or a price band.
For instance, entering the ballot for a Category A game with a price range of £70-£103 per ticket can swing the cost from £280 to £412 for a group of four!
While outlets suggested that the ability to choose from a price band would be introduced after the Fulham game, three months later it’s still not available (due to Ticketmaster’s incompetence).
Further, there are still unanswered questions on how the allocation is divided amongst single/paired/trio/quad tickets, as well as the probability of winning tickets in each category.
So, what exactly does it mean to be a Silver member in comparison to a Red member?
Let’s read what Arsenal.com says:
“There are far fewer Silver members than Red members – this means that, subject to the number of ballot registrations, the probability of a Silver member securing a ticket in the Silver ballot is expected to be higher than for Red members. Silver members also have exclusive access to purchase any tickets made available via Ticket Exchange between the Silver ballot and the Red ballot.”
The so-called “exclusive” period for the Ticket Exchange (TX) is advertised as a benefit for Silver members. However, this priority period typically occurs 6-7 weeks before the game when TX activity is at its lowest. It would have made more sense to increase priority for Silver members closer to the game day when TX activity is higher, providing more opportunities to purchase tickets, rather than competing with thousands more Red members and TX bots.
On social media, you may have noticed Silver members expressing frustration with a string of unsuccessful ballot entries, sometimes marked as “0/10.” Conversely, some have won 4, 5, or even 6 tickets through the ballot.
The question arises: if the system is truly “random,” why aren’t tickets distributed more evenly across the fan base? (editors note: this can happen with random systems. Think about roulette. You get a 50/50 chance of hitting red or black, but can often go 7 or 8 reds in a row and vice versa). This raises concerns that by the season’s end, some fans may have attended only a few out of 19 Premier League games, while others might have secured tickets for 10 or more, despite both balloting for the same number of games.
To compound the issue, Ticketmaster’s shortcomings have become glaringly evident in their inability to effectively host Arsenal’s ticketing system.
At the start of the season, Arsenal introduced a new 3D Map User Interface (UI) in hopes of improving the previous UI. Instead, fans found themselves wrestling with a broken and frustrating UI, forcing the club to revert to the old interface due to the number of fan complaints.
Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB) Meeting
Arsenal recently shed light on discussions from the Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB) meeting, with a key point on the agenda being the ticketing issues.
A positive is that the club are finally communicating back to the fans regarding this because to date this season it’s been nothing short of embarrassing from the malfunctioning TX to a lack of transparency in ballot information.
As explained earlier, Arsenal revealed the Silver allocation now stands at just 1,800!
Based on the 1,800 allocation and the official success rates, the following number of people are estimated to be applying for tickets for upcoming matches:
– Forest: 28% – 6500 applicants
– Fulham: 37% – 4900
– United: 36% – 5000
– PSV: 40% – 4500
– Spurs: 22% – 8200
– City: 30% – 6000
– Sheff Utd: 29% – 6200
– Sevilla: 34% – 5300
– Burnley: 34% – 5300
– Lens: 38% – 4700
The AST clarified that these figures represent the total number of memberships entering the ballot, rather than individual ballot entries, which can include up to four people.
This data reveals that only a modest percentage, averaging between 15-20%, of Silver members are participating in the ballot. This begs the question of whether a ballot system was even necessary for Silver members. Additionally, the impact of the number of people included in a ballot entry on the chances of winning a ticket remains unknown.
Another thing to note is you can see in applications as to how the reduction in acvailable tickets has caused this problem.
Pre-Covid (7,800 tickets available to silvers), every fan that entered the ballot would have been able to get themself a ticket for every game bar Tottenham. And there still would have been up to 2,700 tickets available for red members.
In 2021/22 (4,200), 83% of those entering the ballot would have got tickets.
Had the club have even just maintained the 2021/22 level, I am sure most fans would not have had a problem (every fan that entered every ballot would have likely won between 6-10 times!)
Notably, on average 17,580 tickets are being used by non-Season Ticket holders for each matchday owing to the initial ballot sale, TX and Ticket Transfer (TT).
Rather ironically, the club appear to be insinuating that the silver allocation is perhaps larger than 1,800 due to the availability of tickets through alternative channels. However, yet again, the figures pertaining to how many Silver members are truly benefiting from these avenues is unknown.
Another pressing concern regarding the 17,580 tickets is how many are being sold through ticket touting or being snapped up by bots. Instances have emerged this season where fans have been using PDF tickets purchased for hundreds and hundreds of pounds.
In conclusion, Arsenal’s recent ticketing changes have left Silver members feeling undervalued once again. While the club aimed to improve the ticket purchasing experience, these changes have inadvertently fuelled frustration and uncertainty among its loyal supporters.
The additional cost of Silver membership is now being questioned, as its perceived value has diminished in the eyes of many fans. It would not be surprising if Arsenal scrapped the Silver membership at the end of the season and made everyone red. Two fingers up to those fans who have shown their loyalty to the club for over a decade.
As the club continues to evolve its ticketing procedures, it’s essential that they consider the needs and expectations of their loyal supporters to ensure that the matchday experience remains accessible and enjoyable for all.
Benny Blancooo
Follow @Benny_Blancooo
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 