- Originally published in last Thursday’s issue of the Woking News & Mail -
Woking supporters and opposition fans now have the choice to purchase match day tickets electronically as well as at the turnstile, writes Andy Fitzsimons.
The Cards have signed a new deal with innovative Norwegian event organisers TicketCo, which enables the Vanarama National League club to sell tickets both online and offline.
And while many Premier League and English Football League clubs have invested heavily in the digital infrastructure to sell tickets online, non-league Woking have landed themselves an unprecedented free transfer.
Jess Holmes, commercial manager at Woking Football Club, who was the brainchild behind the move to go digital, said: “Woking has a diverse fanbase, so it’s about being able to offer people greater choice in the buying process.
NEW DEAL - Jess Holmes, commercial manager Woking FC,
and Ben Sprank, business development agent UK, TicketCo.
It’s now common for consumers to pay for everyday items using their mobile phone or table devices, so it makes sense to widen the net for forthcoming football and social events.
Many people now prefer to pre-pay for their tickets online, so giving fans that option means that we are able to put our customers at the heart of everything we do.
Fans will still be able to purchase tickets using cash at the turnstile, buying online just removes the cash element of it and provides that all-important peace of mind.
TicketCo have a lot of experience in online ticketing for a range of sporting and non-sporting events; we were impress by the solution they presented to us and that there were no set-up costs.�
Until now, the National League club, along with many of their rivals, have been cash only, which not only presents a security risk around cash transactions, but is more labour intensive at both the point of sale and the accounting process.
Cards’ supporters and rival fans are now able to purchase tickets for the next two home games at The Laithwaite Community Stadium, against FC Halifax Town (10 March) and Wrexham (17 March), through the club’s official website.
When booking online, buyers have the option of printing their ticket or presenting their Quick Response (QR) code from their mobile device at one of the scanners situated at or next to the turnstiles.
The new TicketCo portal can be fully customised to enable Woking to offer special advanced booking incentives and corporate packages, which will be rolled out as part of a phased approach.
It also has the capability to assign seat numbers, segregate home and away fans, and re-validate tickets for postponed matches until the rescheduled fixture date.
Carl-Erik Moberg, chief executive of TicketCo, said: “We are delighted to partner with Woking Football Club and we’re confident that the club and its great fanbase will be pleased with the e-ticket solution.
We signed our first top-flight Norwegian league club two years ago and now we are the major supplier for the Eliteserien (professional league), so it’s good to have a foothold in the UK football marketplace.
Woking are a very forward-thinking club. They know what they want and we are pleased to be able to provide a tailored solution that meets their requirements, both now and in the future.
Their staff members and volunteers will receive the relevant onsite training and support from TicketCo to deal with any customer enquires too, to help expedite the booking process.�
Click here to purchase tickets for the Cards next two home matches.
