am i the only one

I also am on the block booking and agree it make's sence, my problem is about the amount of ticket's that go to corperate Ireland when it come's to the big match's.
I understand with the sponsership deal's the fai have a obligation to hand over ticket's to these company's but they go to far it would seem.
One of the only time's i have heard of ticket's for a qualifier going on general sale in the last ten year's was when we played Croatia in 98 and beat them 2-0. I was told that the reason why so many ticket's were avilable were due to coperate company's sending ticket's back.
I guess seeing that we had'nt got to France in 98 and were playing the team that finished 3rd the big suit's and all the other event junkie's did'nt fancy seeing us getting a beating.
It turned out to be one of the best atmosphere's @ a match @ lansdowne since the 80's and would seem to prove to fai that all these corperate company's are only intrested in a succesfull team and just treat football like it's an event.
Even after the Russia game last september i overheard a conversation in a pub in haddington road between two bloke's one saying to the other the reason why he liked drinking in that pub after match's was because it was a good rugby pub and you don't get to many football fan's going in there. I had to remind to p***k just where he'd just been and what he'd just after watching arrrrrgghhh.

Having to watch an eircom league match before your entitled to see Ireland play should not be a prerequisite as should joining a supporters club be either.
Its the same with the rugby if your not connected or a member of a club then you dont have a chance in hell. I'm lucky in that I can get tickets for the rugby if I wanted, probably could with the football and all, the fact I live in Glasgow means though I dont avail of the opportunity.
Its the way it is and always will be.

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Originally posted by sylvo
One of the only time's i have heard of ticket's for a qualifier going on general sale in the last ten year's was when we played Croatia in 98 and beat them 2-0. I was told that the reason why so many ticket's were avilable were due to coperate company's sending ticket's back.

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There were tickets on sale for the Georgia and Albania matches which were returned from the Georgian and Albanian FAs. People were queueing on Merrion Sq when I was picking up our supporters' club tickets.

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Originally posted by petef
Having to watch an eircom league match before your entitled to see Ireland play should not be a prerequisite

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It isn't!
Tickets are scarce due to the limited capacity of the ground.
They're hard to come by.
End of story.

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Originally posted by Schumi
There were tickets on sale for the Georgia and Albania matches

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They certainly were Schumi and were also available for certain World Cup qualifiers because I got them for Cyprus, Andorra and Estonia.

Very true but in the 90's this was'nt something that happened very often ticket's for qualifier's going on general sale. The Georgia and Albania ticket's were return's from the visiting team where as Croatia in 98 was due to lack of intrest in sponser's and other company's @ home who had been given ticket's.

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Originally posted by Peadar
It isn't!
Tickets are scarce due to the limited capacity of the ground.
They're hard to come by.
End of story.

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Exactly right. This complaining about EL fans getting tickets is a pile of B.S. We get a tiny fraction of the tickets, and most EL fans have to go about getting tickets just like anyone else. The benefits of the scheme in terms of atmosphere are unquestionable.

1. We get a small fraction of tickets.
2. Being involved in any level of the game grants you a better chance of getting a ticket...
3. you eventually get what you put into anything...

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Originally posted by petef
Having to watch an eircom league match before your entitled to see Ireland play should not be a prerequisite as should joining a supporters club be either.

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All FAI affiliated clubs get tickets AFAIK. The eL tickets that you see advertised on here for supporters clubs are a result of a specific campaign to increase the atmosphere at the matches... It's aimed at vocal fans of the clubs, and is only around a 1000 tickets max. You'd swear we were getting the whole North Terrace!

Presumably the FAI would prefer more blook bookers but make too much money from corporations to increase BBs at the corporation's expense.The only time tickets go on general sale for qualifiers is when other FAs send tickets back.In such an event or other situatons of in which tickets are freed up those on the BB waiting list should be contacted first.Ie the waiting list fans would be kind of provisional BBookers.

i agree block booking is a good way for the fai to assure they get as much money as they can out of every irish game. but this doesn't necessarily mean that the national team is going to get the support it deserves, it just means all the tickets are sold whether or not the people who have recieved them use them or not. it doesnt really affect fair weather fans because their are still getting tickets, and they can decide to sell them or use it if the game is of interest to them. We will definitely see plenty more tickets becoming available for a lot cheaper for the czech and romania games.

but if you think about it, block booking does garauntee the fai ticket sales but it has a lot to do with the poor atmosphere at matches, because you have these guys who take up their tickets when big games roll around, they may not have very much interest in football or be passionate about the game but they would like to be able to tell everyone in the office "i was at the game last night, you know ireland ya, damo duff is great ya, and what about that other fella, the goalie ya, he's good too". when you look at friendlies like norway and canada getting a ticket wasn't a task. so neither the people who usually get there tickets from block booking or anyone else was rushing out for tickets. but i can gaurantee when a big game comes around like the up coming qualifiers the fai will have no problem filling that stadium twice over and maybe if the tickets werent already sold to block bookers there would be less of these semi interested fans there to be seen and more of an atmosphere and due support for our team.

Since block booking is effectivly a season ticket I don't see the problem. Most countries/clubs have this system.

I do agree with friendlies however. I loyalty system should be introduced. Attendance was very low for Canada game. Did anyone else stand on the terraces for US game in April 02 when it p*ssing down?

A point that hasn't been raised is the date of sales.

Brazil game went on sale on week day (9am). Do the FAI assume all supporters work irregular hours?

Same with left over tickets for competitive games. In the past supporters have had to queue at Merrion Square early in the morning on a week day. What about us 9 to 5ers! :mad:

Saturday sales please!!!

greg o brien, you epitomise whats wrong with soccer in Ireland.
a soccer fan you say, yet you have no time for our own teams.
its very unfortunate that you behave in such a manor.
go on, go to an eircom league match, give it a go, you know the shock of it, you might in fact enjoy it.
please, at least give youre own league a shot before trying to get ireland tickets.
you seem to be from the sky sports generation, break free, man think outside the box and for youreself.

mousey, maybe you should actually read this complete thread before you attcak me, we addressed this already. i don't mind if you attack me but at least do me a favour and read the threads because theres no point in me going over old ground because someone didn't bother to actually read it properly. so first don't accuse me when you havent read the thread and second don't accuse me when you know absolutely nothing about me (the sky sport generation, what are you talking about?).

P.S. you epitomise everything that is wrong with idiots who post replys to threads, you don't bloody read the threads before you attack people. :mad:

How many tickets go on general sale for an average competitive game? How many tickets could be sold on general release for games like the Faeroes/Cyprus/Andorra, etc? Would it not make sense for the FAI to put this number of tickets on general release for every game, as they're guaranteed the sales and it would improve atmosphere (general release tickets generally go to people who make atmosphere - look at the 2001 Wimbledon final!).

This would take time to initiate because some of the block bookers would have to be taken off the list, but surely it would be worth the FAI looking at this? Problem not solved by a long way, but it would go some way to helping and sharing tickets around the whole country rather than the same few who are lucky enugh to be on the block-book system.

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Originally posted by pineapple stu
How many tickets go on general sale for an average competitive game?
Would it not make sense for the FAI to put this number of tickets on general release

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The major problem I have with this is that it's likely Ticketmaster would be handling the ticket sales.
They're not to be trusted in my mind.
Ever try connecting to their website or getting through on the phone to them when there's a big event on? Then they tell you that 50,000 tickets sold out in 15 minutes?
That's physically impossible as far as I'm concerned.
They're a rip-off and this forum would soon be full of new complaints about failure to secure a ticket.

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Originally posted by pineapple stu
Would it not make sense for the FAI to put this number of tickets on general release for every game,

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Just means more tickets seem to fall into the hands of those who want to sell them on for a profit.Just look at Buy and Sell and eBay at the moment and you'll see loads of people looking for E150 a ticket,bought I'm sure only for the purpose of making a tidy sum.No doubt the touts will have a healthy supply of rip off tickets also.

Way to depress me, lads!:( :(

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Originally posted by greg o brien
surely there is a better way of distributing tickets rather than the block booking system. even if they released 10,000 to the general public (5000 to ticket master and 5000 on the day at the stadium to cut down touting).

first come first served everyone has a chance. but the way international football is dealt with the general public is never afforded any real oppurtunity.

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You obviously haven't a clue. Do really think UEFA would allow the FAI to sell 5000 tickets at the stadium on the day? There would be riots!

Also the current system ensures that the true supporters are assured their tickets rather than a lottery system where thousands would join the pot for the big games.

Block bookers must take up their allocation for competitive games otherwise they are removed. I think it should be extended to friendly matches as well.

It was first come first served to become a block booker. And the FAI still allocates the tickets first come first served based on the time you return your application form.

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Originally posted by Footie_Fan
You obviously haven't a clue. ......
It was first come first served to become a block booker.

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I get the impression that Greg is a young guy, we all know it was first come first served to become a block booker, but what use is that to someone who was eight or nine when the scheme was introduced.

As it is now, there's nine hundred on the waiting list. Just because these people weren't in on the ground floor doesn't mean they were fair weather fans or anything like it, probabl;y just people who were kids back in the day who now have the funds to eventually join the scheme.

It's no crime to be too young to remember Eoin Hand and the dark old days, it'd do well for the more fortunate among us to remember this now and again.

just suppose that a block booker didnt take up tickets for the 3 friendles.... will this effect their block booker status?