Barmy Army Guidance for Independent Supporters travelling to The Ashes 2010/11
The Barmy Army started in 1994/5 during the Ashes series in Australia and has now evolved into the largest independant supporters organisation supporting the England Cricket team at home and abroad. Over the last few years we have established a travel arm with the aim of providing the cheapest cricket tours on the market for supporters wanting to go on an organised tour alongside those supporters who want to travel independantly. As a supporters organisation we continue to offer independent advice as well as supporters tours and we trust that the following information is helpful to those who are hoping to go to Australia this winter to watch us retain the Ashes! These notes have been put together by Dave Peacock who co - founded the Barmy Army in 1994/5 and who has been in negotatiations with Cricket Australia for the past year with a specific focus on organising the Barmy Army tours and trying to secure match only ticket packages to enable all Barmy Army Supporters to be grouped together.
1. Why can't I just buy match tickets from you. I want to be sat with the Barmy Army but don't want to go on your tours?
The simple answer to this is that ticket only packages have NOT been made available to any English tour or supporters group by Cricket Australia, including Australian supporters groups.. This is no different to their ticketing policy in 2006/7 when Cricket Australia did not offer any ticket only packages to any licensed tour operators or those fans who travelled independently.
The only way that you are to able to guarantee match tickets now is to book a tour through one of the 10 official licensed travel operators. Every tour operator has to purchase accommodation through the Cricket Australia Travel Office and in doing so they receive the appropriate number of match tickets for each venue.
That is one of the major reasons why the tour packages are more expensive than booking it yourself, all of the tour groups have to pay a premium to guarantee their match tickets months in advance of going on general release. Not every Barmy Army style supporter wants to travel independently and in 2005/6 we took over 2000 supporters to Melbourne and Sydney. By putting together official tour packages we have managed to secure a significant allocation of tickets at every ground for the Barmy Army.
The Barmy Army tours that are available are the cheapest on the market and as all the operators have to buy the same accommodation and match tickets packages from Cricket Australia our mark up is by far and away the smallest. If you have bought a package then you are guaranteed to be sat in the Barmy Army allocated stands months in advance of the event for matches that will definitely be sold out and it is significantly cheaper than going through any of the other licensed tour groups.
However, we fully appreciate there are more questions than answers, so hopefully the following points will cover many of them:
2. Why won't Cricket Australia sell us ticket only packages?
We have been working closely with Cricket Australia for the past year over our tours and ticketing arrangements for the Ashes. From the outset we have highlighted that in Australia at least 75% of the Barmy Army style supporters travel to support England independently and not through a Barmy Army tour (we are basing this on the 2300 fans who travelled with us to Melbourne and Sydney in 2006/7 compared to the 8-9000 massed ranks of Barmy Army style supporters at each game).
Cricket Australia have maintained a firm line and regardless of the above statistics they are not willing to reconsider their decision. We will continue our dialogue with Cricket Australia and will continue to press our request on your behalf. We have highlighted the problems in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in 2006/7 and reiterated that whatever the results of tests the vast majority of English supporters want to be grouped together as this is part of our sporting culture and heritage. I have forwarded on numerous e-mails from Barmy Army members to Cricket Australia requesting ticket only packages and whilst these have been acknowledged at the highest level their position has not changed.
3. How will you keep us updated on ticket only packages?
We will provide an update on the website and on the forum if and when we have more news on ticket only packages.
4 . Will we be able to get into games if we travel without tickets?
Don't panic, you should still be able to get into the matches. You don't need to worry now as you have got months to sort it out in advance or even on the day of the game. Please remember that tickets are not even going on general sale in Australia until 14th July so unless you buy a tour package it is impossible to purchase tickets in any other way before this date..
5 . [b]How will we be able to get in then? [/b]
If you do not have any friends and family in Australia who may be able to get tickets through the ACF then your options include some of the the following
1.On previous Ashes tours there have often been a certain number of tickets which have been made available to supporters on the day as the grounds will get some returns. During the last tour it was easiest to get tickets for Brisbane and Perth but we have no idea at which grounds on what days and how many tickets will be made available this time around. It may mean queuing up at some silly hour to be first in the queue.
2. The Barmy Army Forum is a great place to exchange, or buy tickets at face value only, especially after the ACF tickets have been allocated. We will not and have never allowed touting of tickets on our site.
3 Try the Barmy Army HQ pubs the night before the game and look to pick up spare tickets at face value. We have now firmed up arrangements with the same pubs that we used in 2006/7 which are The Pig N Whistle In Brisbane, the Lucky Shag Bar in Perth, PJ O'Brien's in Adelaide and PJ O'Brians and The Turf Bar in Melbourne. We will advise about Sydney in due course.
4 Turn up early on the day and hope to pick up tickets from genuine fans at face value.
5.Many supporters managed to register with our equivalent supporters group in Australia, the Fanatics and were able to get tickets in their allocated area long after the ACF allocations had been taken up. If Aussie Ausie Aussie OI Oi Oi is your cup of tea, it may be worth keeping up with their web site too http://www.thefanatics.com Please note that at the moment The Fanatics have not been allocated tickets but nearer the time they may well be.
6. If we got tickets independently, could we get together with the Barmy Army in the grounds?
Please note that all test venues with the exception of Adelaide will be reserved seating so moving to sit with the Barmy Army is not an option. In Adelaide the Barmy Army will be located on the Hill and as such this is the only ground where we will be able to freely congregate.
7 . Which stands will the Barmy Army be sitting in this time around?
With the exception of Adelaide where we know we will be on the Hill, we do not yet know which stand and area has been allocated for the Barmy Army. As soon as we are informed by Cricket Australia we will post a message on the forum , we expect this to be in late May
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"Enter message...anymore news on where the BA sections will be at the grounds yet?"
Posted by Claire Hallam
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