
Yvonne Mulder and Roger Hailey's view of the game last weekend
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Shots criticised for 'ripping off' fans
By Melanie Roberts23/10/2008
Aldershot Town FC have agreed to consider introducing restricted view tickets to warn fans of seats that only offer a partial view.
The promise comes after the club came under fire from away fans who claim they were “ripped off” at last Saturday’s game at The EBB Stadium.
Yvonne Mulder and her husband Roger Hailey told get.hampshire.co.uk they were appalled to discover their view of the game between Aldershot Town and Brentford was almost halved by a hospitality box built in the centre of Row K in the away section of the South Stand.
The 50-year-old said: “We were absolutely appalled to find about 40 per cent of our view of the pitch was blocked by the hospitality box.
“We could see all of one half of the ground but very little of the other half – and certainly had no sight of the other goal at all.
“The box may have windows on both sides but the people inside blocked the view.
“This is an absolute disgrace.
“I can understand missing a corner of the pitch but the tickets didn’t even say there was a restricted view.”
The couple- who paid £12 each for their tickets and travelled two hours from North Southgate in London to make the fixture- complained to a steward who told them they could not move to another seat because the away side had sold out.
They were told it was against the club’s policy for away fans to sit on the home side and were eventually forced to watch the action from the standing area.
Ms Mulder has written to the club to ask for a refund.
She said: “My husband and I were fine to watch the game from the standing area but there were other people there who were either older or less capable of standing so they could not move and had to stay where they were.
“Apparently the away seats don’t normally sell out so it’s not usually a problem because people can move to another seat but that is no excuse.
“It is unacceptable to sell these seats.
“I understand not mixing the Aldershot fans with the away fans but I am totally frustrated that people think they can get away with that sort of thing.
“We want to get through that it is simply unacceptable.
“I appreciate Aldershot is a fairly small club but even they need money that does not excuse ripping off away fans by selling seats where you cannot see the game.”
Ms Mulder vowed never to return to the ground and said she and her husband were “disappointed” with their experience there.
She said: “My husband has been a Brentford fan all his life.
“We’ve go to quite a lot of away games, certainly if they are in a new ground we have never been to before.
“I don’t think we would ever go there again.”
Aldershot’s corporate sales manager Nicky Banger said fans’ experience of the ground should be positive from start to finish and agreed to take Ms Mulder and Mr Hailey’s complaint to the club’s chief executive Doug Wilson who would look into printing restricted view on tickets where relevant.
He said: “This is the first time we have heard any complaints but I think they are absolutely right to ask for a refund.
“I think now that we have gone up a level everything has to go up a level.
“People that come to the football club- whether they are an away fan or an Aldershot fan- should have a positive experience and we will do everything we can to improve that.
“We are certainly not the finished article and appreciate any feedback like this.”

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