Turnstiles

[Shakespeare]

It's the home supporters entrance on the stand side that I'm talking about.

[glasgow_blue]

There at pop side at 2.45, no queue. Surprised they took ticket 13 though, thought it would be 15 and use 13 and 14 for the rearranged games. Was told to use the spares at the back for them. Make more sense to use the right ticket for the right match

[spirit of 1990]

Nightmares usually last longer than six minutes but not today but there is another issue.

Two turnstiles for away supporters and only one for home supporters. After being in the queue at 2.40 I managed to get in seconds before kick off but there must still have been about 100 home fans behind me waiting to get in. Gaining entry was at a snails pace as usual but you can't blame the guy on the entrance.

What is needed is another turnstile at the home supporters end. It's not the first time that home supporters have been unable to get in before kick off so please could something be done about it?

Also thank you to Ian Rainford for taking the trouble to locate a programme (they had all been sold out by the time I got in) for my friend who has been a fan for over 60 years but who has been in hospital and was too sick to attend but was listening on the radio.

I will be asking Paul & Austin later today if there is anything more that can be done to man the turnstiles, it's been a problem on and off for a lot longer than just yesterday. I'm not really sure why the club fall short on the number of turnstiles open and shorthanded with operators but I will definitely ask.
I was in the Trust shop at 2:55pm when Rich & Frazer pointed out of the window at the queue going down past the main stand which must've had 100 people in it.

There seems to be a culture that the board are 'too important' to help out in these situations - its short sighted snobbery. On a matchday, 20 min before KO, maximising the attendence should be a priorety because if it gets to kick off, many people with leave the queue and some wont come back.

I totally agree with the last part of your post and something needs to be done, but saying the board are too important to help out just isn't correct. The directors in the Cross Bar and reception were all running around doing other duties especially organising the corporate room visitors (which were very full) If they were taken away from them duties who would organise that side of things? The problem has to be sorted before it gets to the stage of "who can we throw into the turnstiles" As things stand, a lot of directors don't get to see much of the match as it is. At the last home game I was asked to help behind he counter downstairs in the main building from 2:15 so that does happen and I'm sure other directors have also done the same (I actually missed Cookies goal in that game because he decided to score it within five minutes of KO!!)

As I say, it must be very frustrating for people who arrive at any time and struggle to get in, never mind arriving 25 minutes before KO.
As soon as I have an answer I'll post it on here.

[Jonty]

This is an ongoing (years) problem, and contributory to it is handling cash at the turnstiles and currently 95% of fans are cash on the day at the turnstile- this has got to change if we are going to be able to handle larger crowds quickly. The current process of hand over money, tick tally sheet, get change, rip off little ticket, hand back little ticket, it's a total faff and painfully slow. There is a solution to this- Make it easier and encourage fans to buy advance tickets and introduce ticket only turnstiles on all sides of the ground so everything is speeded up. hand in your ticket / season ticket, you're in. 5 to three.
Purchasing advance tickets should be incentivised and paying at the turnstile should be the least popular option for the club and for fans

[Wintergreen]

Perhaps PC has realised that employing old mates who are retired and don’t live in the area to run the club wasn’t a great move. Maybe a better way for the future would be to ask Ian Rainford to put a team of Barrow-based trusted volunteers together to run the club’s affairs for him. PC is a decent bloke and we are grateful for his support but he has to get this off-field stuff right - sooner rather than later.

So Ians mates instead of PCs?

No, the volunteer maintenance group people. We all got to know each other a bit over time but out of about a dozen regulars I think only Ian and Mr Senario knew each other previously.

[boyliegladbach]

Could stewards not do a turnstile,?

[Shakespeare]

Actually that's not a bad idea because really the stewards are only needed, if ever, during a match. Although if someone is prepared to volunteer to do a turnstile then you wouldn't, of course, take a steward away from their normal duties.

[Lancaster Branch]

Would it be feasible to have tickets for the next game on sale in the Trust shop and after the game at the main desk?

[boyliegladbach]

Would it be feasible to have tickets for the next game on sale in the Trust shop and after the game at the main desk?

And in the hospice shop in town.
Let them have 50p per ticket sold also gets people into their shop.

[Jonty]

^^ Maybe not the Trust office, but certainly should be an option to buy advance tickets at the club shop, or even a ticket point in the Crossbar or ideally a ticket outlet in town (as B'gladbach says- St Mary's hospice shop in town perhaps?). To make any any advance ticket scheme work, the club needs to allocate a number of turnstiles for advance tickets /season tickets only, otherwise it defeats the object and you're just in the queue with everyone else. Then it's a change of mindset as to how you get tickets for matchday.

[saltcellar]

I walked past the queue for the seats and straight into the ground via the entrance by the crossbar, no hassle

I also went in via the ticket office.
How many supporters know it is there though.
It was the first time I have ever seen it.
I went there to exchange vouchers from the Evening Mail offer.

[Steelworks End]

Would it be feasible to have tickets for the next game on sale in the Trust shop and after the game at the main desk?

And in the hospice shop in town.
Let them have 50p per ticket sold also gets people into their shop.

That's not a bad idea, Al. Worth the club thinking about it, as both they and the hospice would benefit.

Perhaps they could sell club merchandise as well (if we had much to sell!)

[Richard Ingham]

How can you volunteer to operate a turnstile that isn't there Elaine?

There are two turnstiles under the Trust Shop that (very) occasionally get opened up.

What the club need though (as has always been the case) are more volunteers/paid staff to actually be able to open them.

Another recruitment drive sounds like it is in order.

The stewards aren't allowed to handle cash apparently hence why they couldn't even take money for the stand transfers when that was trialled/implemented.

[The Real Slim Azza]

Mad that you can buy discount tickets on the evening mail offer site , print them off and get into the ground.

[Bingo]

I've been suggesting for years that we sell advanced tickets in outlets in the town

I think handing a ticket in is much quicker than paying cash / getting change etc