As you’d expect, NRP is feeling a little bit world weary from all his exertions at the end of last week, but we like to share the weight here at TNS and no more than when we’ve got a new voice to bring you. Here, Mudhutter, friend of the site and regular competition winner Chris “that Chris Marsh of Twitter” Marsh turns his thoughts to what happens after the Leeds game…
“Where do go from here?
The words are coming out all weird
Where are you now?
When I need you?”The Bends – Radiohead
Where do we go from here? How do we keep the noise and debate we’ve created going? It might start with a boycott at Leeds but if we want to achieve cheaper away tickets for Latics fans, on a par with those that all other clubs enjoy when they come to the DW what do we need to do?
1) Boycott.
I think we need to continue to boycott, any future fixture that we deem to be above an acceptable ticket cost. The noise might have been created about Boxing Day but you and I both know that there will be a few more games between now and the end of the season with ridiculous ticket prices; Norwich, Ipswich, Forest for example, I imagine will all charge £30+.
Make sure that we keep making that noise, the clubs involved (possible including our own) will hope we go away. Don’t give them what they want. Vote with your feet (and wallet) but don’t do it in silence. Tell people why you’re not going, whether that is via social media or by e-mailing Latics or whichever club it is you’re boycotting. If we suddenly land a couple of thousand e-mails in someone’s inbox they might start to pay attention.
2) Sign the FSF Twenty’s Plenty petition.
At the time of writing, just over 12,000 people had signed the Football Supporter’s Federation Twenty’s Plenty campaign petition. Have you? How many of those are Wigan Athletic supporters?
People often say ‘signing a petition won’t achieve anything’ and maybe it won’t but how can it be that when the combined attendances at grounds up and down the country week in week out total 350,000+ how can it be that only 12,000 of them think ticket prices are too high? The only way we (collectively as a group of football supporters) will achieve what we want is by coming together, and the FSF is the vehicle to do that.
The petition can be found here: http://www.fsf.org.uk/petitions/20plenty/
Once you sign, it will send an email to Latics telling them that you support the campaign. Don’t let that be the end of it…
3) Complain.
We hear things like “Football is like no other business” and this stems from perceived ‘customer’ (read: supporter) loyalty. Well if they want to treat us like customers, we should damn well behave like them. If you buy summat in a shop and it doesn’t work, you take it back and complain.
We need to complain more to OUR club. It might well be other clubs that are charging us ridiculous prices for away tickets but what does OUR club do for US. Do they fight our corner? Have they done anything to try and reach an agreement with other clubs to try and get them to charge us less? Well why not e-mail and ask them?
Newcastle United have done it, so why can’t Wigan Athletic? http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20140910/united-agree-further-reciprocal-deals_2281670_4133528 (No, you’re right, there is absolutely no reason why not…)
The e-mail address to use here: j.jackson@wiganathletic.com
Let’s make them sit up and listen. If enough of us continue to make a noise, they will have to eventually, because it is in their interests to do so.
@MarshCP
We pride ourselves on our open door policy at TNS so if you’ve got anything to say on this or anything Latics related then give us a shout at admin@thisnorthernsoul.co.uk and we’ll sort you out.
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