Loyalty points 'controversy'
Loyalty points system. As we know already the new system will award supporters who have been attending games home and away in very recent seasons (only the last four seasons will count for loyalty points starting from the 2012/13 campaign) and will roll on with each passing season so that it's always rewarding fans who are going to games here and now. In other words fans who currently have disposable income to afford to go to games. The issue is that the fans who have been going for say 10, 15, 20 years but recently due to work or family have not been so active will lose the privilege of 'cherry picking' matches to attend. The argument is, consistent loyalty over a decade should continue to be awarded rather than only appeasing the ones with the cash right this second. Although to counter that argument the club would say that it's only fair that if you're loyal and attending games in recent seasons then you should have the same right to get tickets to big games because how could you possibly compete against someone with 1000 points?
In a discussion on Twitter someone cited 'cartel' in reference to supporters that have accumulated a hefty amount of points meaning they will never fail to get a ticket for say Arsenal, Chelsea away or for a game like Stevenage in the Cup. Although some fans might not attend frequently and cherry pick games many that have built up a substantial amount of points over 10 years + still go to games consistently. But then how could the club possibly appease them also? They can't. This system is geared towards the present rather than the past. They will lose a big percentage of their points and find themselves competing with fans who haven't been attending as long as they have.
There's no right or wrong way to support Tottenham in terms of attending games. Some of us can, some of us can't. People who have only recently started to attend home and away games are no lesser supporters than the ones that have been going for ten years. Everyone has to start somewhere. Still, the same should apply for the ones that have spent a life time attending but not very recently who will lose the ability to be awarded because they can't find their way to games as often as they've love to. Equally so the ones that have been attending for an age and continue to do so who will be on a level pegging come 2013 with only the recently active ones. Some of our fans consistently attended matches up and down the country when we were utterly woeful (the 1990s anyone?) so should loyalty still be awarded rather than it being reset? Have they not earned the right to be prioritised?
What are your thoughts on all this? Fair? Not fair? Is the club looking after its legacy supporters or just the ones who have cash in their wallets?
