Bristol Rovers CEO Tom Gorringe insists the club “share the frustrations” of supporters over the ticketing issues that had marred the opening eight league and cup games at the Mem.
Fans have been furious over a number of issues, starting with the replacement of physical season tickets for e-tickets, announced in July, which the club then reneged on a week before the campaign kicked off, offering the option to reload season cards from 2021/22 and then, over time, distribute new ones.
That was then followed with some cards or e-tickets not working at the automatic turnstiles, delaying access, leaving stewards over-worked in trying to assist and increased logjams on matchdays, particularly in the gates gaining access to the Thatchers Terrace.
Some supporters are also still to receive their new season cards (and complimentary club scarf), more than two months into the season, but are still able to gain access with their cards from last term.
In his column in the matchday programme for the League One game against Cambridge United on Saturday, Gorringe went into a degree of detail around the parties involved and is confident the majority of the problems are behind them.
Meetings have been held with the three partners involved - Ticketmaster, Fortress and Fourth Wall - further testing has been conducted at the ground and representatives from two of the companies will be at home games to assist with any further issues.
Gorringe wrote his piece prior to the 2-1 win over Cambridge in which, in speaking to fans present at the Mem and the overall visible lack of complaints on social media, it appears complications in terms of getting through the turnstiles were significantly reduced from previous matches.
“Firstly, we share your frustrations. It is not acceptable that we are at this stage of the season and still experiencing issues,” Gorringe wrote. “As a club we have invested in this infrastructure to improve the experience and processes of managing access control and the issues faced lead to a lack of trust, both internally and externally, on the systems and processes. This cannot happen.
“In terms of the background, we have three partners in these areas that all work together on these issues.
“We have Ticketmaster, who provide our ticketing platform and the means to purchase tickets with us. We then have Fortress, who provide the access control system and the cards that allow access into the stadium. Finally, we work with a company called Fourth Wall, who are responsible for the season ticket packs, as well as the processing and mailing of the cards that you receive.
“Ticketmaster are the central hub in terms for everyone permitted to access the stadium; they provide that data to both Fourth Wall and Fortress, who activate the cards and update our access control logs respectively.
“At the previous game, despite reassurances, some cards weren’t activated as they should have been. Despite attempts to remedy this on the day by our partners, there was still issues for some supporters when attempting to access the stadium.
“We know this is incredibly frustrating for everyone affected.
“In addition to the attempts to resolve on the day, we logged our frustration with all suppliers on the evening of the game. The following week I met with all partners individually, face to face, which was followed by a meeting of everyone involved.
“There were a number of technical issues in the background that led to this point, however, collectively we have worked through these and we have been given assurances that the same issues will not occur at today’s game (vs Cambridge). Furthermore, both Ticketmaster and Fortress have committed to having a member of staff on-site to to deal with any issues first hand.
“A rigorous re-testing programme has taken place this week and no stone will be left unturned in attempting to ensure that these issues are put behind us. We would like to thank all supporters for their continued patience.”
Gorringe has also revealed that there is no appetite currently within the EFL for bringing forward kick-off times to help clubs deal with the energy crisis and the spiralling costs of using floodlights.
With daylight savings just over two weeks away on October 30, floodlights will have to be used across all 3pm matches for at least the next five months which, coupled with the rising cost of electricity, is going to leave clubs facing, on estimate, high six-figure bills.
Last month, Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry claimed that some clubs were open to the idea of games kicking off at 1pm, to ensure Saturday matches could be played without the need for extra light and therefore clubs will save money.
However, the balance of weighing that saving up against travel issues for fans, meaning reduced attendances, and the likelihood that less would be spent on food and beverages, has in a general league-wide sense put the idea to one side for now.
“There has been much discussion publicly and suggestions from our supporters about ways in which we, as a club, can mitigate the energy crisis that we are all facing,” Gorringe added. “This was discussed at the (EFL) meeting with a particular focus on earlier kick-off times.
“The general consensus was that the saving made through this change would not have a fundamental impact on our costs but would affect the experience for supporters and the amount of time you spend with us. However, all clubs retain the right to change kick-off times on a game-by-game basis, if both sides agree.”
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