Meeting Tomorrow - Updates

[yoda-jag]

Surely the easy answer to the U16 problem would be, if the U16 ST is acquired at the same time as an adult paying for his seat, they U16 ticket can be reserved next to their parent or guardian? If not, then it's assigned to the kids section.

 

^^that makes perfect sense

 

 

Meant to say, thanks Andrew for the Twitter updates.

 

yes, me too. thanks agentandrew.

 

 

For anyone who was there last night, any mention of season tickets? e.g. prices and launch date. Would be good to move forward from this and keep with the positive vibe by showing our backing and snapping up tickets soon.

 

any truth to rumour any st's bought by those who signed north stand petition get free entry to main stand for celtic game(s)?

Edited May 17, 2014 by yoda-jag

[allyo]

 

 

^^all of this

 

 

to add:

• kids go free (for home fans only) should continue.
  
• kids go free (for away fans) should be implemented for any visiting teams who offer ptfc under 16's the same consideration. i'd be proud of my club if they were to be the proactive ones in this issue, opening talks with other clubs and attempting to persuade them to offer such reciprocal arrangements.
  
• the reps being "ambushed" last night with this, right at end of meeting is a throwback to last saturdays debacle. why does the club operate in this way? its not the first time, and fear it won't be the last ..... all the more reason for supporters reps having regular meetings with board reps, to be constantly appraised and advised of any material (monetary or matchday experience) changes the board is considering, so that proper consultation and canvassing of the wider support base can be carried out, and avoid instances and upset like the past week.
  

 

Jeez, how much consultation do you want? Are you seriously suggesting that the club has to be asking the fans every times it's thinking about making a change to it's pricing structure? And not only that, but they have to, what, call a separate meeting for it? If they hadn't mentioned it last night, and then introduced a change, you'd just be moaning about it and asking why they hadn't brought it up at the meeting, but when they do it's an ambush.

 

You have much anger yoda. Don't give in to the dark side.

 

[stuartaytonspeaksfrench]

My perspective on the u16s issue - it was raised right at the end of the meeting by a slightly beleaguered Ian Maxwell. One of the issues is policing it (and some of the comments bear this out) and a figure of around 160 young fans being thrown out across the year plus over 150 unclaimed season books!

 

A solution was discussed, and Davy Mains will be well placed to put forward his point. He raised some points.

 

I can understand a cost being attached to it, but naturally we should look to keep this as low as possible. The club were always going to struggle to put a price in it after giving free entry - however we should remember that you pay at over 90% of other grounds. A nominal fee doesn't seem unreasonable.

 

We also need to be careful here. Firstly we weren't in a position to get into a debate on it last night as we had no club statement/facts/time to consult with parents. So a bit tough to expect a host of questions to be pushed out. Secondly, the North Stand issue united the support. Other issues won't be so one tracked - and there shouldn't be an attitude of we backed you, so you must back us!

 

If consultation is required I am certain that we will all get the heads together (perhaps in a less manic way than this week) and ensure we make credible representations to the board.

Edited May 17, 2014 by stuartaytonspeaksfrench

[Lenziejag]

I think Stewarty is right. It is regulation that is required. I am sure that the club could prevent the 150 that weren't collected from renewing again this season. Although we have a computerised system,it might not be sophisticated enough to record who is attending ?

 

A few folk have complained that it would be unfair to pay for a reserved seat for kids. I am pretty sure that use to be the case as recently as a few years ago. When did it change to being free. I would turn this on its head. How is it fair to reserve a seat and pay nothing ?

[Stewarty]

Are you seriously suggesting that the club has to be asking the fans every times it's thinking about making a change to it's pricing structure?

 

Yes. It only changes its pricing structure once a year, at most. In business circles this is known as 'market research'.

[yoda-jag]

Jeez, how much consultation do you want? Are you seriously suggesting that the club has to be asking the fans every times it's thinking about making a change to it's pricing structure? And not only that, but they have to, what, call a separate meeting for it? If they hadn't mentioned it last night, and then introduced a change, you'd just be moaning about it and asking why they hadn't brought it up at the meeting, but when they do it's an ambush.

 

You have much anger yoda. Don't give in to the dark side.

 

no anger here allyo, just i care what happens to the club and every single thistle supporter (i recall you indicating on ns issue a "don't care" attitude when news first came out ..... like i said then and will say here again, you may not care what happens to other thistle supporters, but i and many others clearly do).

 

my consultation comment was based on one of the reps (sorry can't remember who actually posted it) said one of results of last nights meeting was an indication that there could (or would?) be quarterly meetings, so quite easy for such issues to be flagged up in advance, discussed and then canvassed ..... if tag is to happen, everyone has a number, easy to creat a log-in attached to tag number for online polls, where all thistle fans can have a vote, thus democracy in action.

 

as andrew says:

If consultation is required I am certain that we will all get the heads together (perhaps in a less manic way than this week) and ensure we make credible representations to the board.

 

and as stewarty says:

Yes. It only changes its pricing structure once a year, at most. In business circles this is known as 'market research'.

[La Scimmia Rossa]

There wasn't a charge last season. The 150 unclaimed tickets are irrelevant. Dont issue them next year.

 

Lets get this in perspective. A"reserved" seat? There's plenty of seats to choose from every week. The stadium is half empty. Having kids next to their parents isn 't problematic.

 

If they club want to make a charge for the Celtic match. Fine. If they want to ask parents to give up the kid's seat for the Celtic game, that's fine too.

 

Moving people to another section of the ground? Seems like its fair enough because it's kids but not when it's adults?

 

If the system is being abused, deal with it. Monitor the turnstyles . This hasnt been done all season.

[Big Col]

Maybe too early for this, but will JHS season ticket holders still be able to use it to enter NS? Hope so.

[allyo]

Okay, first of all it's a bit inaccurate suggesting that I don't care what happens to the fans. What I said, and you can check it back, is that I'm not too concerned for my own sake, that I'm quite happy to turn up and sit where they put me, and a winning team on the park is effectively what determines whether I enjoy my match day experience. That doesn't mean that I don't respect other people's right to be concerned about such matters, and I certainly do care that the club treats the fans correctly.

 

Regarding further consultation, I'm all for it, but where is the organised, representative fan group to discuss such issues? What turned up the other night was a flash mob united by a single issue. It worked out well, and I'm delighted, but it seems a bit off to describe raising the other issue as an "ambush" when I don't see any other immediate fan representation for the club to turn to.

[stuartaytonspeaksfrench]

There wasn't a charge last season. The 150 unclaimed tickets are irrelevant. Dont issue them next year.

 

Lets get this in perspective. A"reserved" seat? There's plenty of seats to choose from every week. The stadium is half empty. Having kids next to their parents isn 't problematic.

 

If they club want to make a charge for the Celtic match. Fine. If they want to ask parents to give up the kid's seat for the Celtic game, that's fine too.

 

Moving people to another section of the ground? Seems like its fair enough because it's kids but not when it's adults?

 

If the system is being abused, deal with it. Monitor the turnstyles . This hasnt been done all season.

 

Concerns were raised last night by various people. This included comment on pricing structure and where people were to sit. To quote David Beattie - "we hear you". We will see what the Board come up with. As I pointed out, if we need to do more we will. To suggest that people are saying one attitude for adults, one for kids is useless. Can't help but think you have another agenda that you are trying to peddle.

[gerrybritton9]

I think we have to give the board credit on this. They may have made the odd gaff but make no mistake, they are on our side.

 

We are thistle and so are they!

 

Whatever happens, let's stay united. We may have the most successful period in our history just ahead .........

[La Scimmia Rossa]

I'm not suggesting it, it's clear from some of the posts on here. That's exactly what some ARE suggesting. So what more are you going to do? Can we have specifics? A petition? A boycott? Something else?

[Fawlty Towers]

As I wanted the Jags fans to stay in the North Stand I am happy with the outcome. As for the U16 issue I will wait and see what exactly is put forward as there are valid points on both sides.

 

There are a couple of questions I have regarding the meeting but I do realise that there may not be answers as they may not have been discussed in too much detail.

 

1. Are the proposed improvements to the Main Stand & Aitken Suite still taking place or was that only happening if the North Standers were moved?

 

2. Was anything discussed about the new stewarding firm and the appointment of the catering manager as both of these are major factors in people's matchday experience?

Edited May 17, 2014 by Fawlty Towers

[stillresigned]

I'm very pleased to see that the North stand issue appears to have been settled satisfactorily. As for this so called problem of 150 or so peoples fiddling their ages, are we not taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut here. Using entirely back of an envelope calculation, I'd guess we're taking about the sum total of 0.2% of our total home attendance. In every field of human activity you axiomatically encounter a certain degree of non compliance or deviance.

I suggest that such a tiny amount of wrongdoing is insignificant and expending resources to control it is likely to result in diminishing returns. In short it is a non-issue.

[Lionel J. Botch]

Not really happy with the kids issue with what has been mentioned thus far, but I'll await to see what the official line is. My concern is that the renewals will be available soon and a charge will be a fait accompli.

 

I have sat in my seat for a few years with my kids, even when I had to pay for my daughter. I have not abused the system, I have used the kids season tickets, but I need to move for reasons that I don't fully understand. Ok I can stay, but it will cost me potentially £100.

I assume this will be to the kids area around section 7 and I assume we will need to move when Celtic come to town.

Many people have said they are not taking their kids to the Celtic game, so the kids ticket does not include the Celtic game and if you want to go, you can apply for a ticket a few days before the tickets go on general sale. If you have not advised the club the kids are going, they can sell the seat. Sounds obvious but I have no idea if we have the technology or resource to deal with it.

 

I think the club need to look at the the stadium as a whole and not sections in isolation. For example, with the lack of fans from some clubs, such as Ross County, why open the main stand at all. Can they be housed in the JH? If so, it would be in the sections closest to the NS, where the family section is. Should the family section be at the other end, say section 2? This would also mean we do not sell season tickets in the sections that will be vacated for Celtic. This can be a section for people who pay at the gate to use.

 

We need a stadium strategy, for want of a better way of putting it, as we need to keep the home fans as happy as possible at the same time as maximise the revenue the club can bring in.

[stuartaytonspeaksfrench]

As I wanted the Jags fans to stay in the North Stand I am happy with the outcome. As for the U16 issue I will wait and see what exactly is put forward as there are valid points on both sides.

 

There are a couple of questions I have regarding the meeting but I do realise that there may not be answers as they may not have been discussed in too much detail.

 

1. Are the proposed improvements to the Main Stand & Aitken Suite still taking place or was that only happening if the North Standers were moved?

 

2. Was anything discussed about the new stewarding firm and the appointment of the catering manager as both of these are major factors in people's matchday experience?

 

Improvements still being made - slow and steady.

 

New stewards are G4S (I think) and catering manager is in.

[stuartaytonspeaksfrench]

I'm not suggesting it, it's clear from some of the posts on here. That's exactly what some ARE suggesting. So what more are you going to do? Can we have specifics? A petition? A boycott? Something else?

 

What am I going to do? Wait and see what is put forward. Assess reaction within not only the group I represent but also the support at large. Wlll then engage with Board as appropriate.

 

I'm not sure we can have specifics yet, as we don't know the proposal, we have a high level suggested point based on a 6 minute discussion at the meeting last night, concerns were raised as I noted. After that - we assess what the best option is and we move forward. Believe me when I say that this BOD know they didn't engage correctly on North Stand. Our young fans are the future of the club - we need to get the best deal for them.

 

Not sure if some of the guys on here have the direct line of a rep. If not give me a shout and we can work something out.

[La Scimmia Rossa]

My understanding is that the season ticket apps are ready to go. So that means one of two things

1. The changes to the kids' ticket terms and conditions are already in there.

2. The changes to the kids' ticket terms and conditions aren't in there.

 

Either way, you can see how this is going to play out...

 

 

 

 

[stuartaytonspeaksfrench]

My understanding is that the season ticket apps are ready to go. So that means one of two things

1. The changes to the kids' ticket terms and conditions are already in there.

2. The changes to the kids' ticket terms and conditions aren't in there.

 

Either way, you can see how this is going to play out...

 

I'm pretty certain that there are still season ticket decisions to be made. For example, the pricing of a Celtic exclusive ticket - unless we were being lied to last night this is not written in tablets of stone. From what Maxi said last night (and as I previously noted he looked beleaguered) we don't have final call. A lady at the back and Davy raised points. Ian might have as well, and Manpreet said something. I'll reserve judgement until we hear more.

[Graemei]

Perhaps given the situation with the North Stand we could cut the board some slack on the U16 issue? It seems positive that in a meeting for the North Stand issue and even though it was brought up at the end the fans questioned it and backed discussions or a re-think?

 

Maybe on reflection I feel I was slightly more critical of the board over the last few days than necessary. So the above might seem like I care less about fans bringing their kids than I do being in the North Stand, but that's not the case all i'm saying is the board are aware and lets see how it progresses.

[Blackpool Jags]

Whoaw! I'm getting a wee bit concerned here. We sent fan representatives last night (at very short notice) to contest the issue of North Stand regulars being moved to the Main Stand. Those reps were given no notice of the board's plans; they were given no opportunity to canvass the opinions of other regulars (thank fcuk for this forum); they worked flat out in the short period of time between the bombshell and the meeting to garner the views of fans; they attended last night on a quickly established mandate of maintaining tenure of the NS for Thistle fans.

 

Having acquitted themselves with great credit, in my opinion, and having won the substantive argument - which was the putative purpose of the meeting - they're now getting blitzed with strongly worded questions around secondary issues which the board raised following their admission that they were at fault. WTF do you expect of those individuals? Just for the purpose of clarity, the reason for last night's meeting was to determine whether the North Stand will be the preserve of Thistle fans or opposition fans; THAT was the brief of our reps, nothing else.

 

The board set the agenda for the meeting, therefore I respectfully suggest that anybody out there who has issues with any of the points discussed OUTSIDE the issue of the North Stand contact the club or begin a campaign to galvanise support for their particular issue. It can be done, but for now please show respect for those who, at a minute's notice, worked diligently to reverse a potentially catastrophic decision. A decision which was won through good organisation and good representation.

 

 

[stuartaytonspeaksfrench]

Whoaw! I'm getting a wee bit concerned here. We sent fan representatives last night (at very short notice) to contest the issue of North Stand regulars being moved to the Main Stand. Those reps were given no notice of the board's plans; they were given no opportunity to canvass the opinions of other regulars (thank fcuk for this forum); they worked flat out in the short period of time between the bombshell and the meeting to garner the views of fans; they attended last night on a quickly established mandate of maintaining tenure of the NS for Thistle fans.

 

Having acquitted themselves with great credit, in my opinion, and having won the substantive argument - which was the putative purpose of the meeting - they're now getting blitzed with strongly worded questions around secondary issues which the board raised following their admission that they were at fault. WTF do you expect of those individuals? Just for the purpose of clarity, the reason for last night's meeting was to determine whether the North Stand will be the preserve of Thistle fans or opposition fans; THAT was the brief of our reps, nothing else.

 

The board set the agenda for the meeting, therefore I respectfully suggest that anybody out there who has issues with any of the points discussed OUTSIDE the issue of the North Stand contact the club or begin a campaign to galvanise support for their particular issue. It can be done, but for now please show respect for those who, at a minute's notice, worked diligently to reverse a potentially catastrophic decision. A decision which was won through good organisation and good representation.

 

A very articulate response & exactly the point I was making.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

1. Are the proposed improvements to the Main Stand & Aitken Suite still taking place or was that only happening if the North Standers were moved?

 

A good question, tho' like others being asked rather secondary to the matter on hand last night. Possibly just gut instinct but I doubt improvements to the Aitken Suite would be cost effective and with less instinct and far more certainty I doubt there's neither any urgency nor should it be prioritised. The idea of having Sky Sports is near laughable and perhaps money better spent would be to ensure the TVs in the JHS concourse always were in working order.

Perhaps not the thread but yet again it involves the North Stand so how about linking the PA up so as the Northies can hear what's going on re announcements etc broadcast to the JHS.

[Fawlty Towers]

A good question, tho' like others being asked rather secondary to the matter on hand last night. Possibly just gut instinct but I doubt improvements to the Aitken Suite would be cost effective and with less instinct and far more certainty I doubt there's neither any urgency nor should it be prioritised. The idea of having Sky Sports is near laughable and perhaps money better spent would be to ensure the TVs in the JHS concourse always were in working order.

Perhaps not the thread but yet again it involves the North Stand so how about linking the PA up so as the Northies can hear what's going on re announcements etc broadcast to the JHS.

 

I suppose it depends on how much it costs to get a Sky package but I do think that there is still a market for having a decent place for home and away fans to have a drink prior to the game within the stadium. I know people will say that fans have a loyalty to a specific pub and that may be true for some but surely not all? Also if we are growing the fan base then there will be new fans and we should be getting them in to a routine of going to the Aitken Suite as part of a normal matchday.

 

With the appointment of our new catering manager and from her remit (given in the Chairman's progranne notes recently) it would appear that we have returned to a situation were money raised through the Aitken Suite goes to the club so if changes can be made (and getting Sky was always something people said they wanted) that tempt a few back as well as generating some new customers it would be benefical.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

I suppose it depends on how much it costs to get a Sky package but I do think that there is still a market for having a decent place for home and away fans to have a drink prior to the game within the stadium. I know people will say that fans have a loyalty to a specific pub and that may be true for some but surely not all? Also if we are growing the fan base then there will be new fans and we should be getting them in to a routine of going to the Aitken Suite as part of a normal matchday.

 

With the appointment of our new catering manager and from her remit (given in the Chairman's progranne notes recently) it would appear that we have returned to a situation were money raised through the Aitken Suite goes to the club so if changes can be made (and getting Sky was always something people said they wanted) that tempt a few back as well as generating some new customers it would be benefical.

 

You can make the Aitken Suite as popular as you want but it would only mean more people coming into the place all at the same time. Extra staffing costs would eat into any profit and in any case there's a limit to how many staff you can put behind a bar without them falling over each other..

Putting Sky Sports in a premises that's only open roughly 2% the time of that of a pub ,most of which cannot afford such a package, would be a total waste of money.