Ticket allocation discussion

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Originally Posted by EastTerracer

If only this were so. Although I've always been a block-booker (since the early 80s) and have always received a ticket for an away game, when it comes to the major finals the FAI have always struggled to come up with tickets for the travelling fans. The 7,000 allocation for South Africa sounds like an improvement but in Italy and the US the official allocation was around 3,000. When it comes to a major finals, sponsors and the FAI officials get priority and then whatever remains is allocated on a lottery basis amongst all the block-bookers who apply. I got nothing from the lottery in 90 and 94 and had to rely on scavenging. If you get a regular away allocation but are not on the block-booking list then I think you'll be very lucky to get an "official" allocation for the finals.

As Greenforever says above though there will always be genuine fans who have spare tickets and will look after someone who's stuck. The fans' ticket distribution system is far more efficient than the FAI's - just think back to Giants Stadium!

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No ticket problems for Euro88.

My memory of 1990 is that the FAI only had tickets for the England game before leaving for Italy. No problems there. The Egypt and Holland tickets were distributed in Sicily and so on. Holland was a problem and some fans were locked out. Romania and Italy saw everyone sorted in the end.

1994 was a disaster. I was sitting beside a couple in the FAI section at their first ever football match. Nice couple but they didn't like the shouting from early on. I was originally turned down for tickets but my father called in favours closer to the tournament and got them. The allocations were small and went to sponsors, officials. There were plenty of tickets in the end.

No problem in 2002 for those who applied to the FAI but plenty locked out of the Saudi game.

I think the starting point has got to be the block bookers for ticket allocations. These are the people that go to the home games and therefor egive money to the FAI. My understanding of the England and Scotland travel clubs are that you must also buy tickets for home games. Both have issues with fans buying tickets they don't use to earn points/caps. They sometimes do ticket distribution in the country. Northern Ireland don't have a travel club and use a block booking scheme. Wales have again don't have an away travel club. I know Belgium operated an away travel club but abandoned it 2-3 years ago. The numbers involved were quite small and there were no ticket issues for any game.

I think if we qualify tickets will be a problem for South Africa initially but probably not in the end.

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Originally Posted by gspain

My understanding of the England and Scotland travel clubs are that you must also buy tickets for home games.

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Yeah, preference should always go to Home Block Bookers that travel to away games and then Home Block Bookers

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Originally Posted by BaZmO*

Yeah, preference should always go to Home Block Bookers that travel to away games and then Home Block Bookers

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That was not the arguement at the start. my gripe was with the fans who cant get on the bb scheme but attend all the home games and most of the aways yet find it hard to get away tickets from the fai....

Preference should be home bb with aways.
then waiting list bb (those who have still buy the home tickets but are not full bb yet) with aways
then home bb with no aways..

with the relative upturn in our fortures and should we end up in play off I can imagine an away play off game could casue ticketing gripes Obviously depending on a Sat or Wed fixture and the opponent.

In a bit of further info on the Scots Holland game in amsterdam the SFA sourced 8000 tickets (a lot more than their minimum allocation) meaning that all those on one point and above are guaranteed tickets ie all you had to do was recieve an offical away ticket for one of the last ten away games and you would be guarenteed a ticket for the glamour tie

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Originally Posted by Newryrep

In a bit of further info on the Scots Holland game in amsterdam the SFA sourced 8000 tickets (a lot more than their minimum allocation) meaning that all those on one point and above are guaranteed tickets ie all you had to do was recieve an offical away ticket for one of the last ten away games and you would be guarenteed a ticket for the glamour tie

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Yes it was a good deal. The Scots also agreed to give the Dutch 8,000 for the game at Hampden.

Hi guys,

Anyone got tickets for sofia yet? Where are you staying? I am thinking about the radison, just round the corner from the stadium, close to all the main irish bars to.

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Originally Posted by Polster

Hi guys,

Anyone got tickets for sofia yet? Where are you staying? I am thinking about the radison, just round the corner from the stadium, close to all the main irish bars to.

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The Radisson is home of the biiggest Irish bar in Sofia, tickets wont be issued till a few weeks before.

THere is a load of Irishbooked into the Radisson