29 May 1999: Celtic fans show their support during the Scottish FA Cup final match against arch-rivals Glasgow Rangers played at the new Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The match finished in a 0-1 win for Rangers and they achieved the " Domestic treble". Mandatory Credit: Gary M Prior/Allsport
So, the information on how people will apply for Scottish Cup semi-final tickets was put out today, and I have to say, it is one of the most scandalous developments I’ve seen in relation to match tickets in a long time.
I’m just not prepared to sugarcoat how bad this is.
All the tickets for the game—every single one—will be in digital format. So, if you’re someone who can’t afford a smartphone? Too bad, you won’t be at the game. If you don’t own a smartphone for whatever reason—whether you just don’t go with technology or anything else—too bad, you won’t be at the game.
As if that isn’t sinister enough—and to me, it is pretty sinister—there’s the added element that in order to attend the match, you have to download some stupid Hampden app from the SFA. Your personal data and information will then be shared with the governing body, and that’s a condition of purchase.
That’s a disgrace. Who came up with this?
Who thinks this is a good idea? What happens if you have no wish to share your personal data with another organisation? What happens if you don’t want to have to carry your phone with you to the game in order to access the ground? Let me say this again: all match tickets are in digital format. They are non-transferable. You cannot get a paper version of them.
There is no world in which that is an acceptable state of affairs. There’s no scenario in which this is anything other than shocking.
It has made the match experience needlessly complicated and difficult, and as far as I can see, there is no valid reason behind it. It’s one of those decisions so bad that it deserves to see empty seats in every corner of the ground. If this wasn’t a treble-chasing campaign, I think this match would be boycotted by a lot of people who would otherwise be there.
What in God’s name are we doing agreeing to this? If this is a precursor to digital season tickets along the same lines, then the people at our club have taken leave of their senses. This is not something most fans would want. This is not something the bulk of our support will endorse in any way, shape, or form. If they believe otherwise, then I’m afraid they’ve been grossly misinformed.
Nobody wants their season ticket rigorously tied to their smartphone. Nobody wants a situation where tickets can’t be shared. If you can’t make it to a game, you give it to your mate, your brother, your cousin—whoever. Nobody wants a scenario where that is impossible. The club hasn’t even had the good sense to introduce a ticket exchange scheme. Even the Ibrox club has one of those.
All this will do is make it harder for people to attend matches. All this will do is needlessly complicate a very simple situation.
There are sections of our support who would never wish to have a digital season ticket and do not want digital match tickets of any description.
The decision is a joke. It is Big Brother nonsense because that’s the only reason I can think of why they would want to do this.
And I’m not sure what impact they think it’s going to have, except that it will anger a lot of people and disenfranchise a whole segment of our support who have been loyal and dedicated to the club for decades.
If you’re a fan in your 60s who has attended every game at Celtic Park for the last 20 years or longer and expects to be able to go to the cup semi-final as normal, and you’re being told that you need to have a smartphone, a digital ticket, and some app downloaded from Hampden you’d be fully entitled to wonder what all that loyalty has been for. This is thoroughly shameful stuff, bottom of the barrel garbage.
Honestly, this is what happens when decisions are made without consulting supporters at all, by people who just don’t care what fans want and imposing their ivory tower wisdom on the rest of us.
It’s ridiculous. It’s nonsensical. And for our club to be engaging in this, to actually have the brass neck to say that in order to attend our game you need to download this thing from the SFA, I’m sorry, that’s unacceptable. If ever an idea deserved to fail, it’s this one.
What in God’s name are the people at Celtic thinking in agreeing to this absolutely dreadful idea? If you want a clear-cut example of how far removed these people are from the ordinary fan experience, you couldn’t possibly hope for a better one than this.
I hope the volume of anger on this is turned up to 20. I hope everyone lets the club know how they feel about it. I’m talking about supporters’ buses, individual fans, the association, the affiliation, and every other group that is supposed to speak up for its members.
If this is the future, then you can keep it.
The latest Trinity Tims podcast is out now.
Since the demise of Rangers in 2012, the SFA has been running down Scottish football.
I think the bretheren actually believe that there is no point in anything anymore since their beloved club died and therefore let it all go to shit, particularly if it brings down Celtic.
The Celtic board is complicit in all this, and I wouldn’t give those cunts a drip off the end of my nose.
James, I think you are fighting the wrong battle here. Clubs have been talking about this for ages. Lots of clubs in England successfully use digital cards. I went to Ajax last year, downloaded their app. Ticket there on the match day. Spurs last year the same. Go to concerts or ice hockeys games, all using it.
Clubs will know the percentage of people who do not use digital technology and it will be less than 1%.
My local team introduced it last season. It was either/or. This season it’s digital, you can still use a card but you have to pay an extra £15.
This is to stop people passing on to their mates as you would need to give someone your phone.
WRT the older generation like my dad he could have his ticket on my phone. It is easily got around.
The scary part is, Leeds have introduced a minimum attendance figure. If you do not reach you could lose your seat, but they have a buy back scheme.
It’s not all doom and gloom James. There are ways around it.
My relative who can’t make games atm through Ill health passes his ticket on to my friend,it works well as he gets the money and another Celtic fan gets to attend games if digital tickets are to be the norm then that will become impossible,the ordinary fan gets another kick in the teeth from their own club. scandalous
Stop insulting people in their 60’s! I’m 69 and have designed and developed computer systems for trains, planes and cars since 1978. My partner’s friends are women in their 70’s and even 80’s and all are perfectly happy using smart phones. Having said that, there should be facility for small numbers of fans to use a card or other method.
With you 100% on that one Freddie. I will be 70 this year and still running executive level programmes on digital technology and AI. Not just here but also globally. The paragraph you refer to is crude, insulting, ageist and discriminatory. I think an apology is due. I can only see one Luddite here and it’s not us. Dr Jim Hamill
Well said james. If I was still well enough to go to games I wouldn’t want my imformation passed on to a third party, who could then sell it to someone else. that’s why people keep getting unsolicited emails and or phone calls.
John M. maybe less than 1%, but that is still fans who will miss the game.
Sophie. well said.
I totally agree it’s wrong and fans should have the choice of digital or plain old fashioned ticket. The SFA/Hampden have been using this for a while now and the either/or option was there as a backup and worked well. I have the Hampden Ticket app as a mate gave me a debenture ticket for a cup final and the only way to get it was to download the app. He transferred it to me digitally so you can still transfer tickets. On the marketing side I blocked all notifications so don’t get bothered. I disagree with it as it can and will exclude people from all walks of life particularly when mental illness is so prevalent since the pandemic. Football is nothing without the fans no matter their level of ability to understand and use technology.
Wasn’t that long ago they, the institutions, wanted to completely get rid of cash too. They’re determined to create trails on everything and more worryingly everyone. Apparently to safeguard us all from fraud. Yeh right. This while they were shutting banks and ATMs in rural communities shafting many many people including those with certain disabilities, mental illness, elderly, etc, non computer internet banking users.
Point taken that doesn’t exclude all the elderly for example that can use such devices but smart arse comments don’t suddenly make those non users, users.
A great many community caring companies fought on behalf of those very people and refused to take card payments thus cash only and guess what cash is relevant again.
Where else, apart from decreasingly used stamps, would they put Charlie’s head. Easy now…
Lots of events do it, rugby, golf, concerts etc. The only real reason for it is so they can promote other events, it’s utter bullshit. It definitely alienates some fans.
You do know we have to log in to WordPress to comment on your articles? pot calling the kettle. It’s obviously a part money making scheme and also a way the authorities can share our details with police etc, welcome to Section 60.
Everywhere is going digital nowadays it’s just the way it is. The part I don’t agree with is the not being able to transfer tickets to friends/family. If they bring this in at Celtic park then there’s no way I could be able to take my kid to any games as I get my mate next to me for him if he can’t make it. Which then affects the next generation of Celtic fans going to games
James this is NOT a Celtic issue. Its a Hampden Park/SFA issue. I’m a debenture holder at Hampden (and Scotland Club Member) and our tickets have been issued this way for a couple of years now and it seems that SFA have introduced it for all tickets for matches at Hampden under their auspices. Celtic have had no say in this and St Johnstone fans will also have to do it too. There is a way of transferring them through the App but only to other people with the App albeit I”ve never done it but maybe that’s only for Debenture Tickets.
Finally, someone who sees this situation for what it is. The SFA has been using this technology for a while now and since they, not Celtic, issue Scottish Cup tickets why blame Celtic? This is not aimed at Celtic or their fans as the other 3 teams involved in the semi finals are having to purchase tickets through the Hampden App. too
All I can say reading this article is…
THANK FUCK I NO LONGER GO TO GAMES…
If this is the way things are to be then perhaps ‘Daddy’ Lawwell has done me a pure fab service by not challenging Doncaster and his ‘Rangers’ (his word, not mine) are the same club absolutely pish pot pathological lies…
That was what ended going for me…
As I said an inadvertent favour as I wouldn’t have a fuckin clue what to do with that technology !
I live in Australia. I go to games every now again with my son, we went to Sydney to see celtic when they came here. I’ve not seen a hard copy physical ticket in at least 8 years. They’re all digital. It’s brilliant. You just add them to your digital wallet on your phone and away ye go. It even knows its been used and the digital ticket disappear after use. Same with music concerts etc. I’m in my mid 40s so not young and hip and tech savvy, but it’s really simple and convenient. I get not wanting to give the SFA your details, do you think they will send a sicario to your door?
with the technology they have could they just activate your season card that would be far easier especially if you are unable to attend and give to someone else who might not have that facility on their phone ?.
I have to say in this day in age I hardly think this is a major outrage. There is an element also where you have spoken out against fans not being held accountable for their actions. This will directly improve the ability of the arms of the law to trace individuals who act in a disorderly way within the stadium.
I think in this day & age where everything is a sign up too in order to access the content, this will barely make a wave.
I’m sure people who perhaps aren;t tech savvy would have a friend be able to retain tickets on there phone for both etc.
When I go to a concert with my partner we don’t both have our tickets on each phone she just has them on hers & they scan both & we head on through. No reason the same can’t apply at a football ground.