Post by corky on Dec 10, 2015 17:10:37 GMT
Myself and Colin Lewis( Swansea City fan) met with Ian Davis and Lucy Mason Today and put some questions to them...here are the answers. There will be stuff on the FAW website and on the UEFA website with Q and A sections and an option to contact them if a question you need answering is not within that section.
Memberships are now suspended but can you tell us the total number of members we have for this campaign?
We have just over 14,000 Gold and Junior members.
2. On the website it states that the ticket portal for 1876 Wales supporters club Euro 2106 Gold/ junior members will open on December 14th, does that mean that only those fans can have access to tickets, where does that leave lapsed members, tournament ticket holders and fans wishing to become members in order to get France tickets?
Lapsed members and anyone else who didn’t sign up to membership for this campaign will not be eligible to apply for our members’ tickets. They will have to apply through general public sale.
3. The loyalty scheme has been in place for a number of years now and Jonathon Ford said it would be used in relation to who is eligible for tickets in the Welsh sections of the stadiums, can you explain how that would be incorporated into the “unique number” (or access code from FAW) being sent out to members in order for them to get tickets?
In our opinion this unique number must take into account the loyalty points of each individual member, including games attended home and especially away, plus membership, tournament ticket purchases and individual match sales.
Whatever system is finally agreed on can you make sure it is fair and transparent for all to see on the FAW website
All members are eligible to apply during the application window of 14 Dec to 18 Jan. Once the window has closed, UEFA will send us the data of all applications and FAW will sort them into priority order using the loyalty system. We will take into account the last two memberships as well as the current one, home and away matches, tournament tickets. the exact criteria are to be considered and will depend on the number of applications made and number of tickets available.
4. The 16% of tickets that Wales fans will be allocated at each stadium dependent on size, segregation etc., can you confirm the following about other sorts of tickets available to Welsh fans?
Single match tickets and follow-your-team tickets will be available to our members. The number of tickets available depends on the stadium we play in.Once Wales are eliminated the follow the team ticket becomes void and you get refunded the money, it cannot be used to follow another team who has progressed.
• 42% of tickets for Wales matches were put on general sale to over 11 million fans throughout Europe and the world who purchased them without knowing the teams or venues, will any of those tickets become available to Welsh fans from returns made by people no longer wanting them, if so how would we get access to those returns?
In March and April, the ticket resale portal will open, where fans can exchange tickets for games they no longer wish to attend or buy tickets for other matches if they have missed out in the second round of ticket sales
• If you buy a follow your team ticket will it come out of the 16% Welsh allocation or out of the 42% public sale tickets? What is the process of that follow your team ticket, do you pay all the way to the final and get refunded if we get knocked out? Or are we not going to offer these like some countries have decided to do?
You pay the full amount and then receive a refund should Wales not make it through to the final. We are offering the follow the team tickets out of our 16% allocation
• If we get out of the group what plans are in place to sell tickets to Welsh fans for the next round or can you apply for and buy tickets for each potential round of the tournament during this application period or are they only available for the three group matches?
Our members will have the opportunity to apply for single match tickets during the knockout stages, through UEFA’s website.Many who have the follow your team ticket will already be covered.
• If you are a group and all have codes in the same criteria will it be possible to buy tickets to sit together?
The access code is purely to be able to enter the application process on the website, everyone will receive an individual code.
There is a second code called GROUP ID. This should be entered during the application process if you want to be allocated seats near to friends. If there are a group of you, the first person to make an application can give their group ID to the others. It’s generated at the end of the application process.
• What if you apply for a certain priced ticket and that is oversubscribed will they offer an alternative in a different price category or could you miss out?
There is a tick box where you can agree to be allocated the next price category should your first choice no longer be available. UEFA will only move up one price category, for example from cat 4 to cat 3, and wouldn’t move you from cat 4 to cat 1.
If the box is not ticked during the application process and your price category is no longer available/oversubscribed, you will not be allocated the next price category.
It’s worth mentioning if the credit card payment is declined there is no second chance or opportunity to change the card details, the order becomes void. ALL CREDIT CARDS MUST BE VALID UNTIL AT LEAST AUGUST31st 2016, to allow for refunds of follow-your-team tickets. or will not be accepted (Fans may have to apply to their banks to get an updated credit card.
Regarding the cost of the follow-your-team ticket, the price is fixed. However, If Wales are in the opening match then the ticket price will go up.
Will players, FAW staff or FAW council members have access to tickets out of our 16% allocation?
100 % NO, these tickets will come out of a different allocation and fans will have the full amount of tickets.
Why is it two ticket per member?
This is mainly down to UEFA and the fact that if it was one per member it would exclude under 18’s from buying any. It does mean that members can decide who they get a ticket for without restrictions but the FAW fully believe that this system will not impact on members’ chances of getting tickets, Lucy and Ian and the ticket staff will vigorously go through all the applications when they get them back from UEFA and then check through all the members to ensure that a fair distribution system is in place.
Fans who miss out will have another opportunity to buy tickets for Wales games during March and April where fans who bought tickets during the general sale period last summer have a chance to swap or sell them back to UEFA. These tickets were originally sold when no venues, or fixtures were known so many just bought them and most will be returns.
Merchandise
• There are no women’s kits available and a general difficulty in fans obtaining the kits, is it possible that Adidas can put them on sale at the Cardiff and Swansea stadiums, which are both Adidas outlets?
Sales are excellent and JD Sports have exclusivity regards kit sales. Women’s kits are not available unless they are ordered in large numbers and that is not feasible, the only country that commands that selling power is Germany who do sell women’s kits. Our female teams play in men’s kits usually small sizes
• Could general Welsh merchandise (e.g. hats, scarfs, training gear, leisure wear) be more readily available to supporters?
Yes, this is something that is being looked at and currently there is a Christmas calendar available and also plans for a DVD of the tournament, there is probably going to be a song produced by the Welsh team for the tournament but this is only in the pipeline at the moment, very early days.
• JD Sports do they offer discount to members and can this be done on the website as well as the shops?
There is 15% available on Kits only, but on the regular fan mails that members receive we will ask JD Sports to add some bargains with in that.
Memberships are now suspended but can you tell us the total number of members we have for this campaign?
We have just over 14,000 Gold and Junior members.
2. On the website it states that the ticket portal for 1876 Wales supporters club Euro 2106 Gold/ junior members will open on December 14th, does that mean that only those fans can have access to tickets, where does that leave lapsed members, tournament ticket holders and fans wishing to become members in order to get France tickets?
Lapsed members and anyone else who didn’t sign up to membership for this campaign will not be eligible to apply for our members’ tickets. They will have to apply through general public sale.
3. The loyalty scheme has been in place for a number of years now and Jonathon Ford said it would be used in relation to who is eligible for tickets in the Welsh sections of the stadiums, can you explain how that would be incorporated into the “unique number” (or access code from FAW) being sent out to members in order for them to get tickets?
In our opinion this unique number must take into account the loyalty points of each individual member, including games attended home and especially away, plus membership, tournament ticket purchases and individual match sales.
Whatever system is finally agreed on can you make sure it is fair and transparent for all to see on the FAW website
All members are eligible to apply during the application window of 14 Dec to 18 Jan. Once the window has closed, UEFA will send us the data of all applications and FAW will sort them into priority order using the loyalty system. We will take into account the last two memberships as well as the current one, home and away matches, tournament tickets. the exact criteria are to be considered and will depend on the number of applications made and number of tickets available.
4. The 16% of tickets that Wales fans will be allocated at each stadium dependent on size, segregation etc., can you confirm the following about other sorts of tickets available to Welsh fans?
Single match tickets and follow-your-team tickets will be available to our members. The number of tickets available depends on the stadium we play in.Once Wales are eliminated the follow the team ticket becomes void and you get refunded the money, it cannot be used to follow another team who has progressed.
• 42% of tickets for Wales matches were put on general sale to over 11 million fans throughout Europe and the world who purchased them without knowing the teams or venues, will any of those tickets become available to Welsh fans from returns made by people no longer wanting them, if so how would we get access to those returns?
In March and April, the ticket resale portal will open, where fans can exchange tickets for games they no longer wish to attend or buy tickets for other matches if they have missed out in the second round of ticket sales
• If you buy a follow your team ticket will it come out of the 16% Welsh allocation or out of the 42% public sale tickets? What is the process of that follow your team ticket, do you pay all the way to the final and get refunded if we get knocked out? Or are we not going to offer these like some countries have decided to do?
You pay the full amount and then receive a refund should Wales not make it through to the final. We are offering the follow the team tickets out of our 16% allocation
• If we get out of the group what plans are in place to sell tickets to Welsh fans for the next round or can you apply for and buy tickets for each potential round of the tournament during this application period or are they only available for the three group matches?
Our members will have the opportunity to apply for single match tickets during the knockout stages, through UEFA’s website.Many who have the follow your team ticket will already be covered.
• If you are a group and all have codes in the same criteria will it be possible to buy tickets to sit together?
The access code is purely to be able to enter the application process on the website, everyone will receive an individual code.
There is a second code called GROUP ID. This should be entered during the application process if you want to be allocated seats near to friends. If there are a group of you, the first person to make an application can give their group ID to the others. It’s generated at the end of the application process.
• What if you apply for a certain priced ticket and that is oversubscribed will they offer an alternative in a different price category or could you miss out?
There is a tick box where you can agree to be allocated the next price category should your first choice no longer be available. UEFA will only move up one price category, for example from cat 4 to cat 3, and wouldn’t move you from cat 4 to cat 1.
If the box is not ticked during the application process and your price category is no longer available/oversubscribed, you will not be allocated the next price category.
It’s worth mentioning if the credit card payment is declined there is no second chance or opportunity to change the card details, the order becomes void. ALL CREDIT CARDS MUST BE VALID UNTIL AT LEAST AUGUST31st 2016, to allow for refunds of follow-your-team tickets. or will not be accepted (Fans may have to apply to their banks to get an updated credit card.
Regarding the cost of the follow-your-team ticket, the price is fixed. However, If Wales are in the opening match then the ticket price will go up.
Will players, FAW staff or FAW council members have access to tickets out of our 16% allocation?
100 % NO, these tickets will come out of a different allocation and fans will have the full amount of tickets.
Why is it two ticket per member?
This is mainly down to UEFA and the fact that if it was one per member it would exclude under 18’s from buying any. It does mean that members can decide who they get a ticket for without restrictions but the FAW fully believe that this system will not impact on members’ chances of getting tickets, Lucy and Ian and the ticket staff will vigorously go through all the applications when they get them back from UEFA and then check through all the members to ensure that a fair distribution system is in place.
Fans who miss out will have another opportunity to buy tickets for Wales games during March and April where fans who bought tickets during the general sale period last summer have a chance to swap or sell them back to UEFA. These tickets were originally sold when no venues, or fixtures were known so many just bought them and most will be returns.
Merchandise
• There are no women’s kits available and a general difficulty in fans obtaining the kits, is it possible that Adidas can put them on sale at the Cardiff and Swansea stadiums, which are both Adidas outlets?
Sales are excellent and JD Sports have exclusivity regards kit sales. Women’s kits are not available unless they are ordered in large numbers and that is not feasible, the only country that commands that selling power is Germany who do sell women’s kits. Our female teams play in men’s kits usually small sizes
• Could general Welsh merchandise (e.g. hats, scarfs, training gear, leisure wear) be more readily available to supporters?
Yes, this is something that is being looked at and currently there is a Christmas calendar available and also plans for a DVD of the tournament, there is probably going to be a song produced by the Welsh team for the tournament but this is only in the pipeline at the moment, very early days.
• JD Sports do they offer discount to members and can this be done on the website as well as the shops?
There is 15% available on Kits only, but on the regular fan mails that members receive we will ask JD Sports to add some bargains with in that.
