Last week some of our members raised questions about P1 Travel in relation to ticket availability for West Ham fans and the potential for away fans to buy tickets in home sections of the ground.
We contacted the club requesting an urgent Structured Dialogue meeting to specifically discuss P1 Travel as we intended to release to our members, on Wednesday 8th September, questions we have previously asked the club and the answers we were given along with the findings from our interactions with P1 Travel.
As of now no such meeting has been arranged.
Back in June the club announced that P1 Travel had become the exclusive official international ticket and hospitality reseller.
Hammers United did some cursory research into how P1 Travel sells tickets. We chose the home fixture against Arsenal and using made up names and addresses, we were able to select 2 tickets in an area of the stadium not designated for away fans. We went right through the ordering process until we reached the checkout stage at which point we abandoned the purchase. In our opinion there was nothing to stop anyone, least of all Arsenal supporters, from buying these tickets.
Then we had 2 exchanges with P1 Travel’s online CS chat service.
In the first instance we asked if we had to be a West Ham fan in order to buy a ticket for the Arsenal match. We were told that “all tickets are in the HOME SECTION and away supporters are NOT ALLOWED.”
We then asked if it was okay to buy tickets if we were neutral supporters. We were told, “that’s okay.”
Then we asked if we would have to prove we were neutral supporters. The answer was, “no.”
A few days later we used the online CS service again. This time we asked if we could buy 10 tickets for the Arsenal game. We were told that, “for more than 8 tickets we would have to email a specific request.”
Then we said that we wouldn’t at the moment be able to supply the names and addresses of the people we wanted to buy the tickets for. We were told, “that could be done later.”
We then asked if the attendees would have to prove they are not away fans. We were told, “There is no need to prove you are not away fans but you must not wear the away team’s colours or clothing”.
We were concerned that away fans would be able to buy tickets from P1 Travel and sit among West Ham supporters. Away fans in home sections is something which has happened with alarming regularity since our move to the London Stadium.
We were also concerned that if tickets were to be ring fenced for P1 Travel customers this would restrict the availability of tickets for genuine West Ham supporters, in particular those who have paid for a membership which gives them the opportunity to buy tickets on a game by game basis ahead of others that have not paid for a membership.
Hammers United met with the club as part of the ISC’s Ticketing Subcommittee and tried to get some answers to these, and many other unrelated questions, but in our opinion the club’s representatives were reluctant to engage in a proper discussion whereby questions could be asked and answers could be scrutinised and clarified.
So we wrote to the club via our FSA representative, asking 3 specific questions. The questions we asked and the answers we were given are as follows:
Q: How many Tickets does P1 Travel have for each game?
A: The club considers this to be commercially sensitive information.
Q: Why is the club selling tickets that Claret Members or those on the ST waiting list could buy?
A: The arrangement is a typical commercial partnership which all Premier League clubs have in place. It will not have any impact on Claret members ability to purchase tickets.
Q: What measures are in place to ensure Away Fans don’t buy tickets? (you might want to put the kettle on before reading the answer)
A: Tickets are for home supporters only and advertised as such on P1’s website prior to purchase. P1 are fully aware of the Club’s Ticketing Terms and Conditions and Ground Regulations that apply to all ticket purchases. Any away supporters found to be in home sections will face ejection from the stadium without refund.
All ticket purchases are subject to the Terms and Conditions of Ticketing, which stipulate that all tickets are for West Ham United supporters only - ‘1.2. Season Tickets are for the use of supporters of the Club only. By applying for a Season Ticket and/or using the same you hereby warrant and represent that you are a supporter of the Club’.
By purchasing a ticket and entering London Stadium, supporters of the home and visiting clubs are also committing to adhere to all of the points set out in the London Stadium Ground Regulations. Any visiting supporters found to be in the home sections of the Stadium will be relocated to the visitors’ section, wherever possible, or ejected from the stadium for their own safety. This eventuality is covered in Point 18 of the Ground Regulations as - 18 Any individual who has entered any part of London Stadium designated for the use of any group of supporters to which he does not belong may be ejected from the Ground either for the purposes of his own safety or for any other reason.
The Club also takes a number of proactive steps to mitigate the risk of visiting supporters gaining access to tickets in the home section. This includes monitoring ticket sales patterns for any suspected visiting or non-West Ham United supporters, liaising with the visiting club directly, cancelling ticket purchases, and blocking the accounts to prevent future bookings. We also monitor illegal ticketing agency websites and work with our counterparts at other clubs and the Premier League to report any incidents of misuse to the authorities.
All supporters are encouraged to use our dedicated SMS reporting service on matchday to report any incidents discreetly and in confidence on 07860 404 069. This message is displayed around the ground, including in all gangways, on the concourse, inside toilets, and at Supporter Information Points, with specific reference to away fans in home areas. All text messages are received directly to the Control Room in order for our staff to monitor the situation and act accordingly at the time of it occurring.
A bespoke safety strategy is created in advance of every home match and visiting supporters in home sections is one of those elements that we consider when making preparations for the game. This also includes a pre-match meeting of all stadium partners and stakeholders, including members of the Safety Advisory Group (SAG). Members of the SAG are present on matchday and are fully aware of our processes in handling such situations. All incidents are monitored and handled in a carefully considered and proportionate manner and in accordance with Ground Regulations. Our policy is clear, that any visiting supporters found to be present in home sections will be ejected from the stadium.
Stewards are briefed to remain vigilant at all times and to prevent entry to any supporters who clearly display visiting supporters colours, however, there are occasions were supporters do not display visiting team colours prior to entry. In any case, the safety and security will take appropriate action in dealing the situation as soon as it is made known to them, either by a steward or through a supporter using the many reporting mechanisms we put in place on matchday to assist in resolving such issues.
Should any supporter witness a visiting supporter in the home section we would strongly advise that they report this immediately in any of the following ways:
- Speaking to the nearest steward or steward supervisor
- Speaking to the nearest Supporter Liaison Officer
- Sending a text message to the dedicated SMS Reporting Service on 07860 404 069
The club says they feel our questions have been discussed and answered but we do not. We do not believe a proper discussion was ever held with the club and despite repeated attempts to get a meeting to discuss these issues (and a host of other equally important and as yet unanswered questions) we have been unable to do so.
Hammers United can only go by the answers the club have provided above and we are not satisfied that the club’s arrangement with P1 Travel “will not have any impact on Claret members ability to purchase tickets.” and we remain to be convinced.
Furthermore, we are horrified that the club’s measures to ensure that away fans do not buy tickets from P1 travel seem to us to amount to little more than a policy of honesty on the part of the purchaser underpinned by the Ts & Cs.
Most other measures appear to be “after the fact” in that they only seem to apply when away fans are actually in the ground. These include a reliance on West Ham fans to take it upon themselves to report the presence of away fans in home sections of the stadium.
We also note, with raised eyebrows, that one of the “proactive steps” taken by the club “to mitigate the risk of visiting supporters gaining access to tickets in the home section” makes reference to “monitoring ticket sales patterns for any suspected visiting or non-West Ham United supporters.”
When it comes to selling tickets, “non-West Ham United supporters” would appear to be the very people P1 Travel has in mind, employing on its website phrases such as “feel the typical Hammers atmosphere and watch the match in between the real West Ham United fans.”
Perhaps the whole issue of away supporters in home sections of the stadium could be further “mitigated” if tickets were prioritised for “real West Ham United fans”.
Would it be unreasonable to think that the number of tickets available on a game by game basis (after Season Ticket holders, genuine away fans, corporates et al are taken into account) would quickly sell out among the thousands upon thousands of “real West Ham United fans” who have paid to become Claret Members or paid to join the Season Ticket waiting list?
We don’t think so.
Hammers United will continue to do what we can to represent our members and while we have found staff at the club to be well intentioned, it is our interpretation that there is sometimes little they can do to genuinely bring about the changes required to improve the match day experience for West Ham fans.
Ultimately, that responsibility lies with David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady. Thus far we have seen nothing to suggest that the disdain with which GSB treat West Ham fans has changed.
Hammers United will be protesting against our owners on Saturday 3rd October at 12pm. We will be lining the route between Pudding Mill Lane and the directors’ entrance and all West Ham United fans are welcome to join us.
Support the team, not the regime.
Hammers United
