The new ticketing system has now progressed to the point where the loyalty points system can be brought live. Over time this system will become the standard mechanism for prioritising ticket availability for high profile matches.

Letters will be going out shortly to all those registered on the new ticketing system and these will explain both the loyalty points system and the option of on-line ticket purchasing. In the meantime, here's a brief guide to how the loyalty points system will work.

How will points allocation work?

Each game has a points allocation (see points allocation for league fixtures). These can be tailored by game so that, for instance, those who turn out on a cold Tuesday night against relatively unglamorous opposition get more points than those coming to see us play a high profile local derby.

For now, you'll see that the Club has adopted a relatively simple points allocation. This can be enhanced for future seasons and this will be considered in consultation with fan groups.

Season ticket holders will automatically receive a points credit for all games (from Accrington Stanley onwards) covered by their season ticket, plus a 25 point credit for supporting the club through season ticket purchase. This equates to a total credit of 70 points.

In recognition of the traditional prioritisation offered as a benefit of Super Blues membership, those who have joined Super Blues for the 2007/08 season will also receive a standalone credit of 25 points when details of their membership are confirmed to the Club by the Super Blues Committee. This is a separate credit to the points that can be 'earned' from each match attendance. In effect, this means that a Super Blues member who attends all home league matches will accrue the same points as a season ticket holder.

Which matches qualify?

All first team home fixtures will qualify starting with Accrington Stanley on 15th September. The points allocation for cup and trophy games will be announced when other ticketing details are published for those matches.

In addition, away matches will qualify in those cases where the host club provides STFC with tickets to sell in advance and our supporters buy these from the STFC ticket office. They will not qualify where tickets are bought from the host Club. The points available will be confirmed each time away ticketing arrangements are announced.

Currently reserve and youth games will not qualify. This will be reviewed with fan groups prior to the 2008/09 season.

How do I claim my points?

You will need to be registered on STFC's ticketing system and therefore have a unique supporter number (a 12 digit number - of which the first 8 digits are usually O, while the last 4 digits are the part you'll need to quote). This number and your name should appear on the tickets you purchase. If it does not, your purchase may not have been registered to you and you should query this.

If you are buying on behalf of others and want them each to receive the relevant points, then you need to provide their supporter numbers at the time of purchase and make clear which ticket is for which person. Alternatively, if you buy multiple tickets and only give your own supporter number, you will receive the points credit for each of the tickets (up to a maximum of the points due for six tickets). Because, for very high profile matches, priority ticket allocation may be restricted to one ticket per customer, it is important that those regularly buying tickets for their family or friends make sure that points are allocated correctly to each person they buy for, so that each builds up their own points total and is therefore able to obtain a ticket for prioritised matches.

Points will be automatically allocated if you buy on-line. When you buy over the phone or at the ticket office, the member of staff should confirm that they are recording the purchase against your supporter number so that you receive the points. If you are in doubt, please ask them to confirm this.

As has been highlighted before, points allocation is not possible for 'generic' ticket sales where the identity of the buyer is not recorded. This method of selling is faster and is adopted if queues form prior to matches. As such, those keen to collect points are advised not to leave ticket purchase to the period immediately prior to games.

How do I check my points total

Those with Internet access can check this on-line. Those buying by phone or at the ticket window can ask the member of staff. As ticket office operations settle down, it will also be possible for the club to email registered users according to their points total - for example, confirming when they will be eligible to buy tickets for a given match.

How will prioritisation work?

In the event of a high profile game where demand is expected to exceed ticket availability, those with the highest point total will get first priority. Sales will then progress in a number of stages based on point bands. Lowest priority will go to those not registered for the scheme.

Sales periods and points bands will be such that there is a specific period of time during which a season ticket holder's seat will be held. After this point, if the holder has not purchased their ticket, the seat will be released for sale to others.

The number of tickets any one registered purchaser can buy will be announced for the game in question, but as a minimum, a registered user who reaches the required points threshold for ticket purchase will be able to secure their own ticket. Provided they act in time, season ticket holders will be able to buy a ticket corresponding to their season ticket seat. Other purchasers will be offered a choice based on available seats at the time of purchase. Those with the most points will have the opportunity to buy earlier and hence are likely to have the greatest choice of seat.

The ability to buy additional tickets will depend on an assessment of total ticket availability versus the number of registered users. If additional tickets will be available for purchase, then it is anticipated that this privilege will be offered in line with the overall prioritisation - i.e. to those with higher points tallies - and this will be confirmed at the outset so that those buying more than one ticket can obtain neighbouring seats if they desire.

Will points carry over from one season to the next?

No, this is a season by season scheme. However, a record of total points earned by match attendance may be kept and could possibly form the basis of prioritisation if the Club gets a very attractive early season cup draw before new season points have been accumulated by anyone other than Season ticket holders and Super Blues members.

Do other purchases qualify for points?

The system is able to administer this and some other clubs operate on this basis - including, for example, shop purchases. At present, STFC believes it is best to 'walk before we try to run' and to get the basic system up and running well before discussing potential additions with fan groups.

Why is the system only starting from Accrington?

The Club was not able to formally switch on the system until now and to contact fans to explain how it will work. As such, we believe it is fairest to start from this point. However, data has been kept from the earlier matches and it is technically possible to allocate points retrospectively. The Club is happy to consider feedback on this from fan groups.