All the information you need and all your questions answered for the FA Cup third round clash with Everton.
Cheltenham Town will take on Everton in the FA Cup 3rd round here at the Abbey Business Stadium on Monday 7 January (7.45pm) and details of ticket prices and sales times for the FA Cup third round match against Everton are now on sale.Priority Tier One has now gone on sale until Wednesday with the ground open for sales from 9am until 8pm in the evening. Fans wanting to buy their tickets must come to reception beforehand to pick up a voucher and be told where they need to go depending on where in the ground they want to be for the game. The bar will be utilised for sales as we did for last season's Tottenham game and there will be cash and card sales.
Tier two will go on sale Wednesday and Thursday. Friday will be the day for tier 3 and General Sale will be available from Saturday 22 December although numbers may well be limited.
The ground capacity for this game (subject to final confirmation and due to the demands of the broadcasters) will be in the region of 6,900.
Everton will be allocated the Hazlewoods Stand (just over 15% of ground capacity under FA Cup rules). The remaining capacity including the whole of the In2Print Stand will be available to Cheltenham Town supporters. Tickets for the Everton end of the ground will only be available from Everton FC.
Ticket prices will be the same as those charged for the visit of Newcastle United in 2006:
Terraces - Adults £20, Concessions £12, Under-16s £10
Seats - Adults £25, Concessions £15, Under-16s £12
There will be no telephone or internet sales for this match. Those season ticket holders who live at least 20 miles away from Cheltenham are requested to send an email to tickets@ctfc.com. Please put the words 'EXILE FAN' in the subject line.
The following priority scheme will apply to the match ticket allocation:
Priority Tier One:
Season ticket holders; Ruby Club members; Platinum Club members; shareholders; Travel Club members; Junior Robins. ONE TICKET per person (Junior Robins only will be entitled to purchase one adult and one child ticket). Those supporters who qualify under more than one category will only be eligible for one ticket as all lists will be cross-checked.
Season tickets will remain on sale from the ticket office until 4pm on Friday 14 December. Travel Club, Fan Membership and Junior Robins memberships have been temporarily suspended until after the sales period.
Tickets will go on sale at Priority Tier One on Monday 17 December and Tuesday 18 December from 9am to 8pm. Season ticket holders will also have their tickets held for them until 8pm on Wednesday 19 December.
Season ticket holders - please do not all come to the ground at 9am on Monday! Your ticket will be guaranteed for three days. To speed up the sales process, please have your season ticket book open at the name page. Voucher A will be required. If you a group of season ticket holders wish to nominate one person to purchase tickets then that person must bring all the relevant books and vouchers with them.
Corporate sponsors (not including kit sponsors) will be contacted separately by the commercial department. Travel Club members and Junior Robins should bring their membership card or ID (if claiming priority as a shareholder) when buying tickets.
Priority Tier Two:
Fan members (who have renewed for the current season); Robins Trust members; 500 Club members; holders of tickets from the Barnet AND Hereford United HOME matches. ONE TICKET per person.
Membership applications for the Robins Trust and 500 Club have now been suspended until after sales for the Everton match have been concluded (this is because membership lists have to be cross-checked prior to the sales process). Those supporters who qualify under more than one category will only be eligible for one ticket as all lists will be cross-checked.
Tickets will go on sale at Priority Tier Two on Wednesday 19 December and Thursday 20 December from 9am to 8pm. Supporters must bring their membership card as proof of ID. Those supporters with tickets from the Barnet and Hereford games must hand over BOTH MATCH TICKETS (not just, for example, one torn off part) and tickets must be purchased on a LIKE FOR LIKE basis (i.e. it will not be possible to present child ticket stubs and purchase an adult one). Unfortunately we are unable to accept only one of those match tickets (if, for example, one has been lost). BOTH must be handed over together.
Please note, the attendance for the Barnet game was 2,591 including season ticket holders, Barnet supporters etc. so we expect there to be plenty of tickets available to satisfy demand at Priority Tier Two.
Priority Tier Three
Holders of a match ticket from the home match against Port Vale on Saturday 15 December (home areas ONLY). ONE TICKET per person and tickets must be purchased on a LIKE FOR LIKE basis (i.e. it will not be possible to present a child ticket and purchase an adult one).
Tickets at Priority Tier Three will go on sale on Friday 21 December between 9am and 8pm. Supporters must hand over their match ticket from the Port Vale game.
Please note that the current weather forecast suggests there will be no problem with the Port Vale game going ahead. In the unlikely event of a postponement more information will be made available as soon as possible.
Priority Tier Four
General sale. If any tickets remain they will go on general sale on Saturday 22 December between 9am and 1pm.
The Board and staff of Cheltenham Town Football Club have considered the situation very carefully and believe the above priority scheme to be the fairest way of rewarding our loyal fans by giving them first access to tickets, while also making tickets available to newer supporters who wish to follow the team. Once again, this priority scheme follows the principle of 'active loyalty' (please see question 10 below) so that those supporters who have made the biggest commitment to supporting the club in the current season will receive the highest level of priority.
Questions answered
Why has priority been given to holders of Port Vale stubs?
This gives supporters who have previously followed the club but do not qualify at Priority Tiers One and Two the chance to attend. Supporters who are keen enough to make the effort to support us against Port Vale should also receive some priority. The club will also receive 100% of the uplift in attendance for this match. Previous FA Cup or league matches have not been included in priority because, from past experience, it is easy for supporters to pass on or sell ticket stubs to people who would not qualify for ticket priority. We also have to be fair to people because no formal announcement of a priority scheme was made in advance (apart from stating that holders of Barnet AND Hereford stubs would be considered).
Why is it only one ticket per person for season ticket holders, Trust Members etc?
The reason is because the match is likely to sell out and ticket availability will be limited. There is no point in having a priority scheme if people who don't qualify for priority can get hold of a ticket simply because they know someone who does.
Can I order tickets for the Everton game over the telephone?
Unfortunately no, the ground will be set up to process purchases from personal callers only. We will be putting systems in place to process sales as quickly as possible. If supporters can pay using cash rather than credit cards it will speed up the process. We suggest that supporters who cannot get to the ground ask a friend or relative to purchase the tickets for them using the required season ticket book or ticket stub.
Do all season ticket holders/stub holders need to arrive in person?
No, one person can purchase tickets for a number of season ticket holders provided that ALL SEASON TICKET BOOKS or stubs are presented. It will be strictly one ticket per season ticket book or ticket stub.
I am a season ticket holder and I want to sit next to my friend, who is a Robins Trust member. When can I get tickets for both of us together?
These tickets would have to be purchased at the Priority Tier Two sales period because the Robins Trust member does not qualify for Priority Tier One.
How many tickets will be left for general sale?
At this stage we expect very small numbers, if any, to be left. We will provide further updates during the sales period.
If I buy a season ticket now will I qualify for Priority Tier One?
Yes, season tickets are on sale until Friday 14 December at 4pm. Prices on application from the ticket office.
Why has only one match been selected to qualify supporters for Priority Tier Three?
There are various reasons for this: the need to start selling tickets quickly, the need to keep the process simple, the need to sell as many tickets as possible, the need to be fair to supporters during a difficult time for the economy and an expensive time of yearÂ
Why has the club not forced non-regular fans to buy three or four other match tickets before getting an Everton one?
The Everton game is a great opportunity to attract new fans as well as look after existing ones. We want people to come to the game, enjoy the experience and come back on a regular basis. We are therefore staying true to our brand values of being an inclusive, family club that is central to the local community by trying to make this game affordable and accessible to as many people as possible. This, we believe, will serve us better in the long run than the extra bits of revenue that could be squeezed out of a single game.Â
I live a long way from Cheltenham but I've been to a few games this season. However, I can't get to the Port Vale game. What are my options?
This is a difficult one but the best advice for somebody really keen to attend the Everton game would be to buy a Port Vale ticket in advance and use the stub to gain Priority Tier Three.
I've been a supporter for years but I haven't to a game for a while, I don't have a season ticket and I'm not a fan member or Trust member. Why am I not being catered for?
First of all, we hope to cater for everyone with this ticketing policy so nobody who really wants a ticket should miss out. Secondly, the established principle within football and certainly one that is adopted by the FA for England games and by the big clubs for their matches, is to reward 'active loyalty'. This means that priority is given to people who can prove their support for the team throughout the season and there are various ways to do this, some of them not very expensive (e.g. fan membership, travel club etc). Every year people inform us that "I'm not buying a season ticket next year, I'm going to pick and choose games" or "I don't see the point of being a fan member." An FA Cup draw like this one shows the importance of being able to prove 'active loyalty' in order to guarantee a big game ticket. However, with over 5,500 tickets available and an average home crowd of around 3,000 we should be able to satisfy just about everyone who really wants a ticket. Ultimately, however, there is no getting away from the fact that we have a small ground.