Electronic Turnstiles Update

The club experienced some issues with our electronic turnstile systems at our recent match with Dundee which resulted in a number of season ticket holders being denied access and requiring steward assistance to get in. I would like to apologise to those concerned on behalf of the club and at the same time explain what has happened and what is being done about it.

In terms of both season tickets and fan cards, each card has an encrypted serial number which is connected on our systems to the holder’s personal details – name, address, etc. An individual can only hold one card and so if a new ticket is obtained e.g. by a fan card holder converting to a full season ticket, only the latest card is valid and any earlier card is cancelled. It is an essential part of the system that cards are fully registered on the system as belonging to an individual.

When the system was newly installed in 2017, unfortunately a number of cards were issued by the then club secretary without having being properly registered on the system and, whilst the vast majority of these have been corrected, there remains a number in circulation. Because we had this problem, the system had a workaround installed to allow such cards access anyway but following evidence of abuse, this has now been removed and we are back to having the full security checks built into the system. This means that any such cards remaining will now be refused entry and will require to be replaced.

The club has run checks to identify as far as possible, any legitimate season ticket holders or online purchasers who were refused entry on Saturday and is issuing new season tickets/fan cards to them with a request that their existing card(s) be securely destroyed as they will no longer operate. We would ask though that anyone who was initially refused entry and does not hear from us in the next few days, to contact the office with a view to receiving a replacement card.

In terms of gaining admission, can I remind supporters that the turnstiles might not open in the following circumstances:
• Terracing tickets will not work in the stand turnstiles and vice versa. If you wish to permanently change your preferred location, contact the office who will assist
• If you hold more than one ticket, only the last acquired one will work. In reality, nobody needs more than one card as a fan card can be converted to a season ticket or an expired season ticket used as a fan card.

Finally, I would like to advise that the club will be running trials over the next couple of home matches with a view to online purchasers being able to download a QR code (and proof of purchase) to mobile phones which can be used to gain entry. This will initially be available to home fans but we hope to extend it to away fans entering via the Wee Dublin End in due course.

I apologise once again to anyone who has experienced problems but please be advised that we are on the case.

Nick Robinson CA
Finance Director