As many of you know, we have available a bunch of tickets for almost every game at the Emirates and sometimes even some away matches. This comes from a collection of season tickets and occasional spares that are thrown our way by other supporters clubs or arranged by Arsenal for visiting Americans. However, the management of this system is incredibly labor intensive. Our ticket masters in London do an absolutely tremendous amount of work just to get tickets for those Americans who are coming over. It requires a lot of time, and more important, a large pool of cash so we can buy tickets in bulk (sometimes we buy as many as two dozen for a match). Our attempts to build a system that is far more automated and streamlined have failed due to a lack of time and computer skills (and trust us, we’ve tried, nearly every year we try). For those that do not know, Red Ticket members with the Arsenal are eligible to buy tickets through the ‘ticket exchange’ system run by Arsenal. Season ticket holders who are away, sick, or just can’t make a game will ‘exchange’ their tickets through the club’s automatic system, enabling the occasional Red Member to see a game. In fact, Red Members have been able to buy tickets to EVERY game this year (yes, including the ‘big ones’). Red Membership is £30. It’s a bit more than we charge for our membership scheme that enables you to have access to our tickets, but it also gives you a slew of Arsenal stuff in the mail every now and then and access to some features on the Arsenal site that you might not get to as a casual visitor. It also gets you on Arsenal’s ticket exchange system, which is a pretty easy and reliable way to get tickets too. As you budget your finances for the Spring, and think about attending a match next year in London, please seriously consider a Red Membership as an additional way to secure match tickets. We’re not trying to drive you away–far from it. We’ll still be here next year, at some level or another, but you have to understand our ticketing ability is entirely the result of volunteers who have many other demands on their time (and money). We just want to help you get in to see a game without having to deal with the touts, and any way you can secure tickets without going to them is a plus in our book.
I have been in the UK for two years and used AA in 07/08 and Red Level in 08/09. Using AA was great as I did not know my way around my first season. I was able to get tickets to almost any match I requested. I did voluntarily give up some tickets for games when more AA members had flown over for games than we had tickets available. A great experience, but, I did have to arrive very early for matches to meet up for tickets. Always a fun time with beers in the pub before the match. This season I have used Red Membership. I have gotten tickets to every game (home) that I have tried for. I do have to be online at key times for key games (like tonight’s match against Roma). It has been much easier for me using Red, but it has been somewhat dull going to games by myself and not linking up at the pub prior to the matches. Now I find myself at work/home much later until I head for the train station to get to the game. If you are in the UK for longer than 6 months (student exchange, teacher exchange, military exchange, USAF assignment) I would recommend using Red level membership.
Have you considered going to the Rocket where the RedAction folks meet? I was there after a match last season and the atmosphere was brilliant. As I understand it, they're open prior to every weekend match and after a few pints, everyone heads over to the stadium en masse, singing all the way. Then they regroup back at the Rocket after the match.
I'm attempting to get tickets to the Stoke match on May 24th and have been looking at the Red Membership for this one match so that I increase my chances of getting a ticket. However, im a little confused on the membership "card" thing. From what I understand I pay the fee, wait for the card in the mail, and THEN order tickets. Is this how it works? Also, how long does it take to recieve the card here in the states? Thanks for any help you all can give me.
Just to continue bumping this thread.....I would like to add my thanks to all of the Arsenal America staff. I travelled over last September for the Hull City game (ugh), but aside from the result it was a great experience. Meredith was so helpful and it was nice to meet the other Yanks in attendance. We who have used this service know how much time you all invest, and we appreciate it.
I'll be in London all next school year, so I decided to buy a red membership. I'll definitely be using my red membership for the bulk of my arsenal ticketing, but i'll inevitably be using my AA status to get a few games here and there. So that being said, you're doing us Americans a HUGE favor. Anyways, I want to catch a few away games next season, and I know AA doesn't do away ticketing anymore. Reading through the red membership details, i'm still a little confused on how away ticketing works. Do you need to sign up for the away scheme, and if so, how does that work? Do away tickets ever become available to red members?
You don't have to be on the away scheme to buy away tickets, where you're committing to buy a ticket for every PL away match and any FA Cup away matches through the quarterfinals. The PL away matches that have gone to Red this season are Bolton, Blackburn, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa (Boxing Day), Everton (midweek), West Brom (midweek), Newcastle, and Wigan. For the matches that sell out before Reds I use AWIMB. I have gotten a ticket to every away match that I've wanted to go to this season through there, although getting Chelski and Sp*rs tickets were pure luck. I'd recommend going to as many away matches as you can manage; I'm addicted to them now because of the great atmosphere (haven't missed an away match in all competitions since Boro in December).
I signed up for Red membership 08-10 on March 13, got my card a week after so it was pretty fast. You should sign up now cuz I think you still have enough time for it. IIRC, once you get the card, you can buy ticket for red-members on Arsenal.com, the card then will be activated for that game. Stoke game tickets will be available on 4/27. I'm waiting to get a tkt for that game as well. And if we can make it to the final of CL and FA cup, it would be great cuz CL final is on 5/27 and FA final 5/30. Go for it!
Thanks bro, got my card in the mail today....about what time on the 27th do the tickets go on sale for red members?
I'm looking to go to a match in August while I'm in London. I don't necessarily want to sign up for a red membership. I'm looking to sit fairly close to the pitch. Are ticket brokers a safe option or should I wait for tickets to be available for non-member general sale? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ticket brokers are expensive and illegal, expect to pay at least double the face value. Getting a membership is the smarter and cheaper option. Tickets almost never go on general sale to nonmembers.
Like slap on the wrist illegal or night in jail illegal? I thought I remember seeing a broker with quite a large stand in Picadilly Circus when I was in London in 2007. Maybe I'll go get myself a membership. I am signed up, I just haven't purchased a membership. Thanks for the info.
I'm not sure what the penalties are, but i wouldn't trust any paper tickets i bought on the street, it could well be a fake. Arsenal's membership card ticketing and RFID season tickets make paper tickets a rare commodity and one that could be counterfeited. If you don't mind being overcharged for tickets, then another option is getting a hospitality package directly from the club. They're expensive, but at least you know they're real tickets and the money goes to the club and not a tout. And you don't have to be a member to buy them. http://www.arsenal.com/tickets/matchday-hospitality
I'd rather be on the safe side and at least know what I'm getting is official so I'll probably go with the hospitality package or just get a membership. Thanks again! Edit: Decided to spring for the red membership.
Just keep on top of it and try to find out exactly when tickets go on sale to red members. It might be in the middle of the night. Good luck.
I feel like an idiot, but I somewhow overlooked this important point: So I'm planning on going to a match with my girlfriend, does she need a card as well? If so, when we buy tickets how do we get them side by side? I've never been to a match in the UK, so this entire system is very foreign to me. Buying hockey tickets here in Canada is bloody expensive, but it's not nearly this confusing.