Reading vs Tottenham Hospitality tickets

[under the tin]

I fell out of love with football about two seasons ago, largely because of what Jobi is on about in the article mentioned on the team page.
I stopped attending, breaking a 40- odd year habit.

Sunday was my 53rd birthday, and as a present, my son in law got hold of a couple of hospitality tickets.
Arriving at the stadium, I did wonder if the experience would re-ignite my enthusiasm for a matchday football fix.
Going through main reception was like arriving at an airport, lots of suited and booted people with toothpaste smiles checking our tickets.
The only bit of familiarity I found was when walking past the photos on the walls. I pointed at a black and white one with a muddied Martin Hicks, Chalky White et al, and said "I think that's Port Vale; I was there".
The toothpaste smiles beamed their indifference. Ah Well.
We cilmbed the stairs to "The Windsor Lounge" for a pre match beer. Seeing as the tickets were advertised at £80 a pop on the OS, I was hoping for a free bar.
I hasten to add that the s-i-l didnt pay for our tickets, they were comps, given to his employer.
Instead of arriving at a bar, we somehow got to an airport departure lounge.
They did serve Heineken, the downside is that they wanted £4 a pint for it.
Perched on an over high stool, and balancing my beer on a wobbly oversized ashtray, I took in the vista surrounding me, and concluded that my initial description of it was incorrect.
Only Hospitals can be this sterile.
Being from a younger generation, the s-i-l was quick to point out the faces in there with us.
Howard Webb was sat over there, Les Ferdinand was smiling graciously, whilst sycophants sidled up with their
Galaxy S 3's, "can I have picture".....Oh look. it's Stuart Pearce.
Kick off loomed, and we all shuffled in silence to our seats in the North West corner.
For £80, I was expecting a complimentary programme to be placed on my OOh WoW padded seat. No such luck.
The sterility of the bar was transposed to the North West corner. Sit in virtual silence, and applaud politely here and there.
I looked up at where my seat used to be in the North stand with a degree of envy. They are at a football match.
I don't feel like I am.
The sterility migrated onto the pitch. Reading gave the impression that they had collectively sh*t themselves at the thought that they were playing against "the mighty" Spurs.
Half time came, back to the Hospital, £80 a pop, half time buffet? No.
We purchased more beer, and decided that the bar was no less atmospheric than our seats in the bowl.
We watched the second half in the Hospital.

I needn't have concerned myself with the thought that my passion for the game could be re-ignited.
It's 22 millionaires chasing a ball around whilst tens of thousands are being mugged off for the priviledge of seeing it. No thanks. I'm staying armchair now.
" won't be missed" "don't need your kind of support"
I know. I know.

[SWLR]

Or you can not lot let any of that bother you, and just go and enjoy the game for what it is - a Football match.

You note reads as: I went along to have all my prejudices confirmed and they were.

Medicine - get a cheap tckt for QPR away in the League Cup, and go watch a footi match. Have a moan, have a cheer and go home.

[cmonurz]

I fell out of love with football about two seasons ago, largely because of what Jobi is on about in the article mentioned on the team page.
I stopped attending, breaking a 40- odd year habit.

Sunday was my 53rd birthday, and as a present, my son in law got hold of a couple of hospitality tickets.
Arriving at the stadium, I did wonder if the experience would re-ignite my enthusiasm for a matchday football fix.
Going through main reception was like arriving at an airport, lots of suited and booted people with toothpaste smiles checking our tickets.
The only bit of familiarity I found was when walking past the photos on the walls. I pointed at a black and white one with a muddied Martin Hicks, Chalky White et al, and said "I think that's Port Vale; I was there".
The toothpaste smiles beamed their indifference. Ah Well.
We cilmbed the stairs to "The Windsor Lounge" for a pre match beer. Seeing as the tickets were advertised at £80 a pop on the OS, I was hoping for a free bar.
I hasten to add that the s-i-l didnt pay for our tickets, they were comps, given to his employer.
Instead of arriving at a bar, we somehow got to an airport departure lounge.
They did serve Heineken, the downside is that they wanted £4 a pint for it.
Perched on an over high stool, and balancing my beer on a wobbly oversized ashtray, I took in the vista surrounding me, and concluded that my initial description of it was incorrect.
Only Hospitals can be this sterile.
Being from a younger generation, the s-i-l was quick to point out the faces in there with us.
Howard Webb was sat over there, Les Ferdinand was smiling graciously, whilst sycophants sidled up with their
Galaxy S 3's, "can I have picture".....Oh look. it's Stuart Pearce.
Kick off loomed, and we all shuffled in silence to our seats in the North West corner.
For £80, I was expecting a complimentary programme to be placed on my OOh WoW padded seat. No such luck.
The sterility of the bar was transposed to the North West corner. Sit in virtual silence, and applaud politely here and there.
I looked up at where my seat used to be in the North stand with a degree of envy. They are at a football match.
I don't feel like I am.
The sterility migrated onto the pitch. Reading gave the impression that they had collectively sh*t themselves at the thought that they were playing against "the mighty" Spurs.
Half time came, back to the Hospital, £80 a pop, half time buffet? No.
We purchased more beer, and decided that the bar was no less atmospheric than our seats in the bowl.
We watched the second half in the Hospital.

I needn't have concerned myself with the thought that my passion for the game could be re-ignited.
It's 22 millionaires chasing a ball around whilst tens of thousands are being mugged off for the priviledge of seeing it. No thanks. I'm staying armchair now.
" won't be missed" "don't need your kind of support"
I know. I know.

Nice little write up and a fair perspective – god knows what sort of tickets your s-i-l’s employers have got though. Recently did hospitality with Genting Casino and got free food and drink for the duration, free programme, Ladbrokes came round to our box etc.

[Wimb]

Agreed with SWLR ^^^

And much like cmonurz experience, yours sounds a much different hospitality to the one I paid for a few months ago against Leeds, were you in the Bar 1871 bit?

I treated the old man to an afternoon in the 'Premier suite" for about the same price for the Leeds game and got a programme, padded seat, pre-match & post match food as well as free soft drinks, all for about £60 a head so at least in the Championship Reading were doing a pretty good job.

Again don't know what type of hospitality ticket you have but as a paying customer I was more than happy last year with what I got. I don't think you can really expect a free alcoholic bar, especially for tickets given away and especially when it's football fans who would take great pleasure in taking advantage of an all you can drink environment.

Also as a fan of 40 years you surely would have known that you were sitting in one of the quietest areas of the ground? There's always been areas of grounds that are more reserved, nothing against you especially but it's a little condescending sometimes when older fans constantly moan about how quiet grounds are when I've been to Elm Park on plenty of occasions where you didn't know anyone was in the Norfolk Road Stand or even the Tilehurst End. As much as some of us like a bit of needle and atmosphere, there are some fans that actually enjoy being able to sit there and watch the game, have a chat and relax rather than getting overly worked up. I'm not one of those people myself but that's exactly why I choose to sit in Y25.

Also a general to moaning about something you got for free.

[cmonurz]

I got free beer too, fwiw.

[Wimb]

I got free beer too, fwiw.

You jammy such and such still stand by the above point though, I generally wouldn't expect free booze unless I was paying top top money, or else they'd have a ton of tanked up fans about.

[under the tin]

When the s-i-l told me we had got hospitality tickets, I was not prejudiced, I was quite excited.
The last time I had experienced football hospitality was in an "executive box" (a wooden shed witha perspex window at the back of the Norfolk Road stand.)
(s-i-l works in the media)
He informed me that we were going to be in the Windsor lounge pre match.
I'd already guessed that we would probably be in one of the corners.
I had no idea where this "Windsor lounge" was, so I looked on the OS, and the club were advertising tickets for this package, priced at £80.

I didn't make any of my previous post up. That is what I experienced.
If some of you wish to dismiss me as a moaning minnie, that's fine.
The only reason I bothered posting about my experience was because there was already a thread on this particular subject, and other, earlier contributors had expressed doubts as to the value of it.
So I got it for free. Whooppee do.
That still does not alter my view that there were others who will have paid £80. What is the justification for the higher cost? A padded seat?

[cmonurz]

My response wasn't getting at you, fwiw. I was genuinely interested what 'lesser' packages were available - surprised that any company, such as your s-i-l's, would pay for 'hospitality' that really isn't anything of the sort.

[semtex1871]

I might be wrong, but I think the Windsor Lounge is the upstairs bar in the hotel. It is now cordoned off on match days and is used for hospitality........