*"The club want the option of setting out how tickets are distributed, rather than letting a third party do it."*
I'm a member of LUSC London. I have no experience of other supporters club or how they're run but we have no say on how tickets are distributed. The secretary might apply for tickets on behalf of individual members of the supporters club but that is it - we certainly don't automatically recieve clumps of tickets to distribute as the club sees fit. Most of the regulars are season ticket holders anyway so are members by default, but as anyone who has applied for Sheffield United tickets knows that doesn't guarantee you tickets for away matches. The club exists to provide cheap travel to matches. For home games group travel to leeds from London costs £38.50. A ticket bought on the day or a couple of days before costs over £100. The supporters club allows people to travel to matches who otherwise couldn't afford it. No one can argue that isn't a good thing. My annual supporters club fee was £10. So why didn't we become a members club? I can't speak for other members of the club but when I voted at the AGM when this was raised I did so because the members club rules said that all money left in the club coffers at the end of the year went to Leeds United Football. Now, as I've already mentioned, the SC has no say in distributing tickets. The secretary may apply for tickets to individuals but they are all posted out to the individuals concerned and the SC has no say in who gets what. We only exist for cheap travel. If I organise a mini bus to travel to glastonbury festival for me and some of my friends - we all chip in £50 say, and once we've paid for petrol etc there's money left over, I wouldn't expect to be told by Michael Eavis that I'm not welcome at Glastonbury unless I send him a cheque for the left over amount would I? And I certainly wouldn't give him the cash. I've only recently joined the SC and I am aware that the ticket benefits that they recieved under previous regimes was unfair. But now thats gone and quite right too. My SC exists to enable people to travel to watch Leeds, and make it easier on the pocket. Why should Ken give us grief for that? Because he makes more money out of members clubs. Charging ridiculous amounts for a membership card when you're not guaranteed a ticket puts off a lot of people going to watch Leeds. When I first started going to watch Leeds (late 80s/early 90s) at least 20 or so lads that I knew from Rothwell used to go regularly. Now they hardly go at all - because membership is priced too highly. Denigrating the SC is down to money. In the past Ken has claimed we’re not transparent. Our accounts are discussed openly at our AGM every year. How transparent is the football club? How much money did we make from the Man U/Liverpool/Tottenham/Arsenal cup games? How much money did we get for Delph? How much money is spent on players? Are we really making a profit? How much does it cost to keep Thorpe Arch? Why do ticket prices go up every year? One last question – I know who ‘owns’ my supporters club. Everyone who is a member. Who owns Leeds United Football Club? _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER
