PUBLISHED
12:32 15 February 2012
By @CardiffCityFC
Cardiff City Football Club Customer Service Charter for the 2012/13 season.
CARDIFF CITY FOOTBALL CLUBplay in the Football League Championship and compete in 46 league games per season, plus additional entry into the F.A. Cup and League Cup.
Football League Contact Details:
Football Legaue Operations Centre
Edward VII Quay
Navigation Way
Preston
PR2 2YF
Tel:0844 463 1888
Fax:0844 826 5188
Email:enquiries@football-league.co.uk
CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTER FOR THE 2012/13 SEASON
For our Supporters, "I'll Be There"
The "I'll Be There" campaign is more than a marketing slogan and will be at the centre of our customer focus. "I'll Be There" can be used across a number of commitments both from supporters and the club itself. This is about everybody working together for the good of the Club and the wider community.
"I'll Be There"will highlight that Cardiff City Football Club has a commitment to its supporters and the wider community. It will use the power of football to deliver key social and educational messages across South Wales.
"I'll Be There"will also be used to communicate and provide excellent levels of customer service and interaction. Cardiff City Football Club is committed to continually improving the service and relationship with its supporters and South Wales as a whole.
"I'll Be There"will underpin all aspects of the business, in particular the relevant customer touch points to ensure that all supporters receive the service levels and attention they deserve.
Need Help? 'I'll Be There'
Our customer service contact is:Julian Jenkins (Director of International Marketing and Special Projects)
Email:julian@cardiffcityfc.co.uk
Cardiff City Football Club
Leckwith Road
Cardiff
CF11 8AZ
Tel:0845 365 1115
Fax:0845 365 1116
Available by prior appointment - Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm.
· The club responds to any contact from a customer with maximum of five working days.
· The club prefers to respond in person or by telephone.
TICKETING
Pricing
· Cardiff City FC will continue to promote greater accessibility of tickets for matches, with a range of prices and facilities that encourage the widest possible support.
· The Club operates a scheme to enable supporters to pay for season tickets by installments on a 5 month interest free option and a 10 month interest bearing option.
· The Club reserves the right to reduce prices for certain games during the season for promotional purposes.
Up to 4 games per season may be designated as local promotions with discount offers applying only to home fans
Allocation
· At least 5% of tickets to each game will be made available to non season ticket holders.
Concessions
· Concessionary prices are available to juniors, senior citizens and disabled supporters. Currently the Club's policy provides concessions to juniors up to 16 years of age and senior citizens at or over the age of 60
. The discount is applied if you are under 16 or over 60 before the 1st of August prior to each season commencing.
We acknowledge that this may mean some people will just miss the cut off dates, but we have to have some form of cut off point.
We do not offer a student discount, but we have implemented a 16-21yrs category to help those supporters who are starting out in college or low paid work.
The club recognises the need to encourage the attendance at matches of families and children to help ensure continuity of support in future years.
Cardiff City has a dedicated family section in the Grange Stand with 7,000 seats available. This area has concessionary pricing for juveniles (described as those under 16 years old) when accompanied by an adult and/or OAP. The majority of this area is sold on a seasonal basis.
We as a Club work hard to provide first class facilities for our disabled supporters and work closely with the Cardiff City disabled supporters association. The contact for the association is Mr Tim Hill (Chairman) who can be contacted on 029 2084 2205.
The Club's Disabled Liaison Officer is Mr Phil Halligey who can be contacted on philhalligey@btinternet.com
The club has an active disabled supporters sssociation. Our aim is to assist all disabled fans who support Cardiff City and those supporters from all our visiting clubs to fully enjoy the match day experience.
We welcome all new members and if you wish to attend any functions you will be made most welcome. To join the Association please contact Tim Hill on 029 2084 2205.
AWAY MATCHES
Cardiff City Football Club operates a strict away travel membership.
To travel to any away fixture you must hold one of the following: Ambassador card, Season Ticket card or an Away Travel Card.
· The Club's supporters are allocated tickets for away matches as follows. The club will give priority to Ambassadors, then season ticket holders and away travel members.
Cup Competitions: Tickets for cup competitions are priced at normal league admission prices unless stated or as mutually agreed with the visiting club. Season ticket holders may purchase their allocated seat during a priority sales period.
Returns / Refunds (Ambassadors or Match Tickets):
· The Club's policy on the return and distribution of unwanted tickets is as follows: Supporters are not entitled to return tickets for a refund. Any unwanted tickets i.e. unclaimed season ticket holders tickets for cup competitions will go on sale to the general public after the priority sales period has ended. For each match all the relevant sales times are advertised.
· If a match is postponed, ticket holders are entitled to use their original ticket to access the re-arranged game. If a match is abandoned prior to half-time spectators will be entitled to half price admission to the re-arranged game via a voucher system.
Away Supporters
· The Club abides by Football League Regulations governing the allocation of tickets to visiting clubs.
· The Club does not charge admission prices or pre-booking fees to supporters of a visiting club, which are higher than those, charged to our own supporters for comparable facilities. In particular pre-booking concessionary rates offered to junior, senior citizen and the disabled supporters apply to supporters of a visiting club. We operate a designated family section in the away section and visiting supporters should contact their club for further details.
MERCHANDISE
· The Club endeavors to ensure that all replica strip designs shall have a minimum lifespan of one season.
· The Club will provide supporters with information on replica strip launch dates.
· The Club carries out its obligations under Football League Regulations to prevent price fixing in relation to the sale of replica strips.
· The Club offers refunds on merchandise sales in accordance with its obligations under the sale of goods act.
IN THE COMMUNITY 'I'LL BE THERE'
CARDIFF CITY FOOTBALL FOUNDATION
Cardiff City Football Club's Community Foundation Manager is Scott Young, who can be contacted on 0845 365 1115.
The Community Foundation - A Brief Overview
The Cardiff City Football Foundation takes Football as a tool and involves it in the Community based activities. Examples of the activities undertaken include the following:
Core Activities
· Soccer schools during term breaks
· Residential soccer courses
· School in-term coaching courses
· Youth and schools tournaments
· Football fun days
· Teacher training courses
· Coach education
Special Courses
· Coaching courses for people with special needs
· Working with special schools and young people with disabilities
Learning through football
· Maths and reading projects
· Club projects in conjunction with schools
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Cardiff City Football Club is committed to confront and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion, disability, sex or sexual orientation.
Cardiff City Football Club does not condone any sexual or racially based harassment or other discriminatory behaviour, whether physical or verbal. The Club works with others to ensure such behaviour is met with the appropriate action in whatever context it appears.
Cardiff City Football Club supports the Football Association and the other football bodies in their commitment to develop ongoing training and awareness-raising activities in order to promote the eradication of discrimination. The Club is an active participant of the 'Enjoy The Match' campaign.
Cardiff City Football Club does not condone the use of racist language or behaviour inside or outside the Cardiff City Stadium. Whether home or visiting supporters are responsible, the Club seeks to eliminate unacceptable and anti-social behaviour. Any person found using such language or behaviour may be banned by the club and the person concerned may be liable for arrest and subsequent prosecution. This in turn may lead to a banning order being served by the club. If you have any information then please email racism@cardiffcityfc.co.uk or call 0845 365 1115.
Tackling Racism in Professional Football
The Club recognises that professional football has made significant attempts to tackle the issues of racism in recent years. The governing bodies have committed themselves to the campaign and have been keen to spread the message through their members. The 'Let's Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign was launched in 1993 with a ten-point action plan. Cardiff City Football Club has accepted all of the points made and were founder members of the 'Let's Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign in Wales.
Ten Point Plan and Ongoing Campaign
1) The Club has issued a statement stating it will not tolerate racism, spelling out the action it will take against those engaged in racist chanting. These objectives have been printed in the matchday programme and displayed prominently around the ground, from time to time, as part of an ongoing campaign.
2) The Club uses its public address announcements to condemn racist chanting as part of the campaign.
3) The Club strives to ensure that season ticket holders do not take part in racist abuse.
4) The Club takes action to prevent the sale of racist literature both inside and around the ground.
5) The Club takes disciplinary action against players who engage in racial abuse.
6) The Club contacts other clubs as required and when asked to do so to ensure that they understand the our policy on racism.
7) The Club encourages a common strategy between all staff, stewards and police for dealing with racial abuse.
8) The Club removes racist graffiti from the ground as a matter of course.
9) The Club adopts an equal opportunities policy in relation to employment and service provision.
10) The Club works with other groups and agencies such as the Professional Footballers Association, supporters, schools, voluntary organisations, youth clubs, sponsors, local authorities, local businesses and police, to develop an active programme and raise awareness to eliminate racial abuse and discrimination.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY
Cardiff City Football Club is an equal opportunities employer. The Club is committed to equality of opportunity within its organisation and encourages a similar commitment from organisations with which we have contact, either through our business or socially.
Equality of opportunity at Cardiff City Football Club means that we will not discriminate against or in any way treat less favourably, any person on grounds of race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion, disability, sex or sexual orientation in any of our activities.
These activities include
· The advertisement of jobs
· The selection of candidates for employment or promotion
· Job location or working environment
· Pay and employment terms and conditions
· Internal and external training activities and awards
CARDIFF CITY FOOTBALL CLUB TICKETING TERMS & CONDITIONS
1/ Validity of Season Tickets
Season Tickets (Seasoncards) will be valid for the following matches, in each case played at the Stadium but only under the auspices of the Club:
1.The Football League and any other first team match which the Club may from time to time determine.
2.Any Cardiff City Reserve fixture played at Cardiff City Stadium during the season.
3.This Season Ticket is issued subject to the holder or nominee complying with the conditions of issue and ground regulations (see section 9).
4.If, in the Club's opinion, a Seasoncard is lost, stolen or damaged a replacement Seasoncard will be issued, subject to £10 replacement fee per card. In the case of stolen cards the supporter should immediately report to the police and obtain a crime reference number. They should then notify Cardiff City Stadium Ticket Office immediately and the Club will issue a new Seasoncard. The old Seasoncard will therefore be automatically cancelled and will not permit access to the stadium. Only one duplicate Seasoncard will be issued to you per season and you will be required to sign a document confirming that the original Seasoncard is damaged, lost, stolen or destroyed and indemnifying the Club against any direct or indirect consequences of such matter having been falsely represented or stated to the Club.
5.Ticket reprints as a result of forgotten Seasoncards will incur a £5 administration fee per card.
6.In respect of home matches, a number of games may be required to be rescheduled to accommodate live television broadcasts or due to Police insistence. No guarantees can be given by the Club that a match will take place at a particular time or a particular date. Your Season Ticket will enable you to attend the re-arranged match. The Club will have no further liability whatsoever, including (but not limited to) any indirect or consequential loss or damage, loss of enjoyment or travel costs.
7.On matchdays, supporters are requested to be within the Stadium no later than 30 minutes prior to kick-off. This ensures that in the unlikely event of any problems, they will be dealt with before the game commences.
8.Cardiff City reserves the right to refuse entry to the Stadium where the Season Ticket holder has an outstanding debt to the Club.
9.Cardiff City reserves the right to relocate the holder or nominee/Season Ticket to any other seat in the stadium at any time.
10.For certain non Football League home games, in order to comply with competition regulations and in accordance with the provision of our existing safety certificate it may not be possible for the Club to offer all Season Ticket holders the opportunity of purchasing their seat. In this event, the Club will endeavor to offer those Season Ticket holders the nearest available seat (subject to availability).
11.The Club may, at its own discretion, for any non Football League home game make all or any seating area inside the stadium unreserved and may offer tickets for sale on that basis. In this event it will not be possible for Season Ticket holders to purchase their own seat. The Club reserves the right for certain fixtures to open only selected areas of the stadium and to make these areas unreserved.
12.Any supporter entering the ground on an ineligible concessionary Seasoncard will have the Seasoncard withdrawn and no refund will be given on games remaining. The Club reserve the right in such cases to pursue a criminal prosecution.
13.Season Tickets are issued for your sole use and you shall not resell, assign or (save as set out in clause p. below) transfer or lend the Season Ticket or the benefit of it to any other person without the prior written consent to the Club. The reference to reselling the Season Ticket includes reference to offering to sell a Season Ticket, exposing a Season Ticket for sale, making a Season Ticket available for sale by another and advertising that a Season Ticket is available for purchase. For the avoidance of doubt (and by way of example only) this Season Ticket may not be offered as a prize in any promotion or competition nor transferred, lent or sold to any third party as part of a hospitality or travel package, given to a third party who agrees to buy another good or service, or used for any other commercial purpose, save as expressly authorised by the Football League or the Club.
14.You may only resell or transfer the Season Ticket to a Guest with the express written consent of the Club given at the Club's absolute discretion. No such resale or transfer will be permitted except where the same takes place in respect of an individual match and in consideration of no payment or benefit in excess of the face value of a ticket to that Match and such transfer does not take place during the course of any business or for the purpose of facilitating any third party's business. Such resale or transfer to any Guest is hereby provided subject to the Terms and Conditions of Entry which will (save for any rights to transfer under this clause) apply to that Guest as if he/she was the original purchaser of the Season Ticket (and you must inform the Guest of this).
Family enclosure Season Tickets
Additional Terms and Conditions
Cardiff City Football Club strives to be the best in class when it comes to brining families to football. This has been recognised with the Football Leagues Family Club Of The Year. We are always looking to breed the next fan of the future and as such we need to implement policies and procedures that will keep the successful conveyor belt running. On this basis we have to make sure that the stand has the right mix of adults, concessions and children.
a.There must be at least one juvenile and one adult per group and a maximum of two adults to one juvenile in their group.
b.We implement a strict policy in this area to keep the integrity of the stand. There are no children without adults and no adults without children.
Juvenile/Concession/16-21yrs
Juvenile, concession and 16-21 yrs applications must be accompanied by a photocopy of passport or birth certificate. A juvenile is defined as a person under 16 years of age as at 1 August of that season.
2/ Football League Away Games
a.No guarantee of allocation can be given in respect of matches played between other clubs.
b.If a match is rescheduled, refunds can only be processed if written notice of the cancellation is received within 5 days of the rescheduled fixture date being published. In the event that tickets have already been issued, they must also be returned within 5 days of the rescheduled date being published. Details of rescheduled matches will be published on the Cardiff City website at www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk and on the matchday broadcasts. You can also receive details by email by contacting the Cardiff City Ticket office on 0845 345 1400 with your email address, or you can email the details to customer.tickets@cardiffcityfc.co.uk
c.Please note that Cardiff City will not be responsible for tickets lost in the post and under no circumstances will replacement tickets be issued. You can elect to have your away tickets for these matches delivered by registered post for £5 per match. Requests should be made at the time of application.
d.Fixture dates are subject to change. Cardiff City will accept no responsibility for additional charges incurred, e.g. travel costs.
e.In order for supporters to receive credit for attending away games, the customer number of each attending supporter must be given at the point of sale. Credit for attending away games will not be applied retrospectively under any circumstances.
3/ Refunds
Match Tickets for Cardiff City Stadium
a.No guarantees can be given by the Club that the match will take place at a particular time or on a particular date. The Club reserves the right to reschedule any match without notice and without any liability whatsoever, other than that detailed below.
b.If a match is postponed or abandoned for any reason before half time the tickets will be valid for the rearranged date.
c.If you do not wish to attend the rearranged match, you shall be entitled to a refund.
d.A refund will only be paid if the Club receives a refund application within 48 hours of the announcement of the rearranged match.
e.Refunds are subject to a £2 cancellation fee per ticket.
f.Booking fees charged at the time of purchase will NOT be refunded.
g.All applications for and correspondence in relation to refunds must be addressed to Cardiff City Football Club, Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Road, CF11 8SZ, and must be accompanied by the relevant unused ticket.
h.Under NO circumstances will refunds be given after the said game.
i.No refunds will be given in respect of games switched to accommodate live television coverage.
j.Fixture dates are subject to change. Cardiff City will accept no responsibility for additional charges incurred, e.g. travel costs.
Season Tickets
a.Refunds will only be granted in extenuating circumstances, to be decided by the Club.
b.Requests for refunds of Season Tickets must be done so in writing to the Club.
c.Refunds will be calculated on a pro rata basis and will incur a £20 cancellation fee.
d.Bookings fees charged at the time of purchase will NOT be refunded.
e.No refund can be made in respect of matches not attended.
f.No refunds will be given in respect of games switched to accommodate live television coverage.
g.Season Ticket holders who have elected to purchase their Season Ticket through Zebra finance scheme should note that failure to complete all payments will result in cancellation of the Season Ticket. In such cases, any payments received will be refunded, less a £20 cancellation fee.
h.Where a match is postponed before kick-off, a person unable to attend the rearranged playing of the match shall be entitled to a refund of the proportion of the Season Ticket fee and booking fee (if any) that corresponds to that match.
i.Where a match is postponed after kick-off, a person unable to attend the rearranged playing of the match shall be entitled to a refund of (a) 60% of the proportion of the Season Ticket fee and booking fee (if any) that corresponds to that match if the match is postponed before the commencement of the second half; or (b) 40% of the of the proportion of the Season Ticket fee and booking fee (if any) that corresponds to that match if the match is postponed between the commencement of the second half and the completion of the match.
j.In order to obtain a refund, a written request should be submitted to Cardiff City Football Club, Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ, and should include your customer number, name and full address details. All refund requests must be received within 28 days of the day of the announcement.
k.The Club will have no further liability whatsoever, including (but not limited to) any indirect or consequential loss or damage, loss of enjoyment or travel costs.
Tickets purchased online (web)
a.If a match is postponed or abandoned for any reason before half time the tickets will be valid for the rearranged date.
b.If you do not wish to attend the rearranged match, you shall be entitled to a refund.
c.A refund will only be paid if the Club receives a refund application within 48 hours of the announcement of the rearranged match.
d.Refunds are subject to a £2 cancellation fee, per ticket.
e.Booking fees charged at the time of purchase will NOT be refunded.
f.All applications for and correspondence in relation to refunds must be addressed to Cardiff City Football Club, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ, and must be accompanied by the relevant unused ticket.
g.Under NO circumstances will refunds be given after the said game.
h.No refunds will be given in respect of games switched to accommodate live television coverage.
4/ Season Cards
a.Seasoncard holders who purchase their own seat for non Season Ticket home games will have their Seasoncard activated, permitting access to the game unless otherwise notified by the Club.
b.In the unlikely event that your Seasoncard develops a fault, report the fault to the Cardiff City Stadium ticket office and you will be issued a match ticket for that fixture if necessary. The problem will be investigated and resolved for the next home match where possible.
c.Lost, stolen or damaged Seasoncards will incur a £10 replacement fee per card. In the case of stolen cards the supporter should immediately report to the police and gain a crime reference number. They should then notify the Cardiff City Stadium ticket office immediately and the Club will issue a new Seasoncard. The old Seasoncard will therefore be automatically cancelled and will not permit access to the stadium.
d.If you forget your Seasoncard you will be issued with a match ticket for that fixture subject to a non-refundable administration fee of £5.
e.Please remember to have proof of identification (driving license or credit card) where cards have been lost, stolen or forgotten. If you do not have means of identification you will not gain access to the game.
f.On matchdays, supporters are requested to be within the stadium no later than 30 minutes prior to kick-off. This ensures that in the unlikely event of any problems, they will be dealt with before the game commences.
5/ Conditions of Issue and Ground Regulations
a.Any ticket and/or Seasoncard (hereafter collectively referred as "this card") is and remains the property of Cardiff City ("the Club") and must be produced on demand by the ticket/Seasoncard holder named herein ("the holder") or any person authorised by the holder to use this ticket/card at a particular match ("the nominee") to an official of the Club in stewarding or associated duties at the Cardiff City Stadium ("the stadium.").
b.The Club reserves the right to withdraw and cancel the Seasoncard in the event of the holder being formally cautioned and/or found guilty of any football related offence or breach of the Ground Regulations. A refund in respect of remaining games may be given, less an administration charge.
c.The holder shall be responsible for compliance and observance by the holder and by the nominee with these Conditions of Issue ("these Conditions") and any ground regulations governing persons entering, present at or leaving the stadium as such regulations may be specified by the Club from time to time ("the Ground Regulations") and any act of omission by the nominee shall be deemed to be the act or omission of the holder. Misconduct by the holder or the nominee and/or failure to adhere to these Conditions or the Ground Regulations or the holder or the nominee acting in a manner which the Club considers is detrimental to its interests or is likely in the reasonable opinion of the Club, to bring football or the Club into disrepute shall permit the Club to confiscate or forfeit (in each case without compensation) this Card and/or ban the holder and/or the nominee from attending future matches or other events at the stadium for such period of time as the Club deems appropriate.
d.The sale of this Card is strictly prohibited.
e.The holder or the nominee must occupy the seat allocated to him/her by this Card. However, the Club reserves the right to relocate the holder or the nominee to any other seat in the stadium at any time.
f.This card admits the holder or the nominee to such areas within the stadium and at such times as the Club may from time to time determine but subject to these Conditions and the Ground Regulations.
g.This card does not grant the holder or the nominee priority in respect of tickets for matches or any other events at the stadium or any other stadium not covered by these Conditions.
h.This card does not confer to the holder and/or the nominee title to the seat specified herein or any other seat in the stadium and, unless agreed in writing by the Club, the holder and/or nominee are not granted an automatic right to reserve any such seat for any subsequent season.
i.This card guarantees the holder or the nominee admission to all matches in Section 1 for the football season specified herein subject to the Conditions and the Ground Regulations.
j.In the event of this Card being lost or misplaced, the Club shall be under no obligation to provide a duplicate. If however a duplicate is issued a fee of £10 will be payable by the holder.
k.Home match tickets and Season tickets are for the use of supporters of the Club only. By applying for the home match ticket or Season Ticket, and/or using the same you hereby warrant and represent that you are a supporter of the Club.
l.Nothing in these Conditions of Issue shall constitute or imply any entitlement to occupy the seat indicated on the home match ticket in any subsequent match or season.
m.Save as set out in clause n. below, you shall not bring into (or use within) the Ground any equipment which is capable of recording or transmitting (by digital or other means) any audio, visual or audio-visual material or any information or data in relation to a match or any aspect of it. Any person acting in breach of this provision will be required to deliver up any tapes, films, disks or other recordings or data to the Football League and/or the Club and the copyright in any such recording or transmission is herby assigned (by way of present assignment of future copyright pursuant to section 91 of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988) to the Football League
n.Mobile telephones are permitted within the ground, provided that they are used for personal and private use only.
o.The Club in conjunction with the relevant Football Authority reserves the right to alter the published date and/or kick-off time of any fixture.
p.Under no circumstances, will any holder or nominee be granted admission to the stadium without presentation of this Card.
q.In order to gain admission to the ground the home match ticket must be presented in its entirety at the match.
r.The Club shall not be obliged to issue any replacement for a lost, stolen or destroyed match ticket.
s.Smoking is not permitted in any part of Cardiff City Stadium. Those who do not comply with the smoking policy will be subject to the Club's normal disciplinary procedures, and also place themselves liable to a fixed penalty fine and/or criminal prosecution.
t.If these conditions are not accepted, this card should be returned to the Club immediately. The use of this card will be deemed to constitute acceptance by the holder and any nominee of these conditions in full.
u.This card is issued subject to such additional rules, regulations and conditions as the Club may from time to time specify.
v.Cardiff City Football Club will not tolerate any form of chanting of anything of an indecent, racist, foul, abusive or threatening behaviour arising from all forms of prejudice. Supporters are requested to report persons using racist language to their nearest steward or directly to the Club.
w.The home match ticket is issued for your sole use and you shall not resell, assign or (save as set out in clause y. below) transfer the home match ticket or the benefit of it to any other person without the prior written consent of the Club. The reference to reselling the home match ticket includes reference to offering to sell a home match ticket, exposing a home match ticket for sale, making a home match ticket available for sale by another and advertising that a home match ticket is available for purchase. For the avoidance of doubt (and by way of example only) this home match ticket may not be offered as a prize in any promotion or competition or transferred, lent or sold to any third party as part of a hospitality or travel package, given to a third party who agrees to buy another good or service or used for any other commercial purpose save as expressly authorised by the Football League or the Club.
x.If more than one home match ticket is issued to you one home match ticket must be retained by you for personal use (subject to the provisions below) and the remainder may be transferred to your guest(s) for his/her personal use only provided that such transfer takes place in consideration of no payment or benefit in excess of the face value of the home match ticket, and such transfer does not take place in the course of any business or for the purpose of facilitating any third party's business. Such transfer to any guest will be subject to the Terms & Conditions of Entry which will (save for any rights to transfer under this clause or any rights to a refund under Section 7) apply to the guest as if he were the original purchaser of the home match ticket (and you must inform the guest of this). You will provide the name and address of your guest(s) when asked to do so by any official, steward or employee of the Club or any police officer. In the event that you and/or your guest are unable to use any home match ticket then you may transfer that home match ticket(s) to a natural person who is known to you personally who would be entitled (under the Terms & Conditions of Entry) to purchase such home match ticket and attend such match provided that such transfer takes place in consideration of no payment or benefit in excess of the face value of the home match ticket, and such transfer does not take place in the course of any business or for the purpose of facilitating any third party's business. Such transfer will be subject to the Terms & Conditions of Entry which will (save for any rights to transfer under this clause or any rights to a refund under section 7) apply to the transferee as if he were the original purchaser of the home match ticket (and you must inform the transferee of this). You will provide the name and address of the transferee when asked to do so by any official, steward or employee of the Club or any police officer.
y.The unauthorised sale or disposal of tickets is a criminal offence under section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. The Club will inform the police when it becomes aware that tickets are being sold illegally and will press for charges to be brought against those breaking this law.
z.Away match tickets are for the use of supporters of the visiting club only. By applying for an away match ticket and/or using the same you hereby warrant and represent that you are a supporter of the visiting club.
aa.If you are convicted of a ticketing offence, or we suspect you have committed a ticketing offence, we will notify the Football League who in turn may notify other Football League Clubs and/or the UK Football Policing Unit. The information that we share may include your details, information about the offence and about ticket purchases. We will use this to identify and prevent ticketing offence and disorder at matches. If you have any queries about this, please contact the Cardiff City Stadium ticket office.
bb.Fans who do behave in an inappropriate manner, bringing the Club into disrepute will face limited or lifetime bans, loss of their Seasoncard or arrest by the police.
cc.Any Season Ticket obtained or used in breach of the Terms & Conditions of Entry shall be automatically void and all rights conferred or evidenced by such Season Ticket shall be nullified. Misuse of this Season Ticket may result in the holder being refused entry to, or ejected from, the Ground in respect of a particular match and/or the cancellation and withdrawal of this Season Ticket. In the event of any cancellation and withdrawal in accordance with this clause dd., no refund shall be payable to the holder in respect of any unexpired portion of the Season Ticket. The Club further reserves its right to take any legal action against any person(s) as it sees fit in connection with such matters, including a claim for an account of profits made from an unauthorized use of the Season Ticket.
dd.Without prejudice to any other remedies it may have, the Club shall have the right in the case of any serious or persistent breach of the Terms & Conditions of Entry to cancel and withdraw any Seasoncard or match ticket issued to you. In the event of such cancellation no refund will be paid. Without prejudice to the general nature of the above the following actions shall constitute serious breach of the Terms & Conditions of Entry:
a.smoking in designated non-smoking areas
b.persistent standing in seated areas whilst the match is in progress
c.sale or transfer (save as permitted) of a Seasoncard or match ticket to any person
d.deliberate misuse of the Seasoncard or match ticket
e.any misrepresentation in relation to clause k.
f.persistent swearing during the match
g.the throwing of any object within the ground without lawful authority or excuse
h.the chanting of anything of an indecent or racist nature
i.the supply of any misleading or incorrect information in any application
j.any failure to pay or default of payment in respect of any sums owing to the Club (or any third party) in respect of tickets.
ee.Save for official Club merchandise and/or other football related clothing worn in good faith, you shall not bring into, use or display within the ground any sponsorship, promotional or marketing materials.
ff.You shall not offer or distribute (either free or for sale by any person) within the ground any consumer article or commercial product of any nature. For the avoidance of doubt this clause shall not prevent the lawful distribution of text publications in any format which do not infringe where both the content and the publication are lawful in all respects and do not in the Club's reasonable opinion constitute a threat to public order.
gg.To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Club hereby excludes any liability for loss, injury or damage to persons/property in or around the ground.
hh.Any changes of address should be notified in writing to Cardiff City Football Club, Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ.
ii.These Conditions of Issue shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
Online (web) Tickets
Additional terms and conditions
a.When you submit your order, you are offering to buy tickets at the price stated in accordance with the terms and conditions which, if accepted by us, will result in a binding contract. It is therefore important that you read and accept the terms and conditions before submitting the order.
b.Once you have completed your order, you will be asked to confirm that it is correct. If it is not, you can amend or cancel the order before submitting it. It is your responsibility to ensure it is correct before submission. You should note that payment will be taken when you click the 'confirm' button. This does not indicate our acceptance of your offer, and will be refunded in the unlikely event that we refuse the offer.
c.We will send a confirmation email on receipt of your order. This is not an acceptance of your offer, but an acknowledgement that we have received the order, and that our Ticket Office are processing it. The contract between us will not be formed until we dispatch the tickets to the address as stated in your order.
d.Whilst we try to ensure that pricing and ticketing information on our website are correct at all times, errors may occasionally occur. If we discover an error in the price or nature of the ticket you have ordered, we will inform you as soon as possible, and give you the option of reconfirming your order at the correct price/specification or cancelling it. If we are unable to contact you, we will unfortunately have to treat the order as cancelled. If the order is cancelled, we will of course provide you with a full refund.
Policy on Banning those causing disorder, acting anti-socially or bringing the club into disrepute (and appeals procedure)
Section A
Banning orders
Any Cardiff City fan arrested and subject to a banning order by the courts will also be subject to a further ban by CCFC. The length of the bans will be as follows.
• A, court issue a ban of 3 years - CCFC additional 2 years - Total ban 5 years
• B, court issue a ban of 5 years - CCFC additional 5 years - Total ban 10 years
• C, court issue a ban of 10 years - CCFC Life ban - Total ban for Life
Cardiff City will not support any appeal against a court banning order but will accept its outcome and possible reduction subject to our own terms and conditions.
Appeal procedure
The right of appeal against a club ban is open to all fans when their original banning order has been served.
Fans who appeal against any additional club ban will then have to.
• Pass a Police assessment.
• Pass a Club interview.
• Become Season Ticket Holders or Member.
If unsuccessful in their appeal fans will have to wait a further 12 months before any new application to have any club ban lifted is made.
Any persons not complying with this club ban i.e. gaining or attempting to gain entry to any ground where Cardiff City are playing will have a further 12 month club ban imposed on them at the discretion of the safety management team.
Section B
Ground regulations / Misconduct - Bringing the club into disrepute
Any Cardiff City fan who breaches the ground regulations shall be warned and or banned depending on the nature of the offence, the length of ban shall be determined by Cardiff City F.C. using the tables below for guidance.
Club bans extend to all home games and prevents those banned from purchasing any tickets to away games through the club ticket office.
Therefore any Cardiff city fan that by his conduct breaches ground regulations or brings the club into disrepute or disrupts the club from its normal procedures, will depending on the nature of his/her conduct be banned for a period of time as determined by Cardiff City Football Club.
The length of bans will normally be :
• A: Following warnings for minor offences, breaches of ground regulations - 5 Games
• B: Following significant offences or further disruption of club procedures - 10 Games
• C: Following continued disruption of club procedures - 18 Months Club Ban
• Supporters threatening or intimidating Club Staff can expect to receive an immediate club ban of at least 18 months.
The appeals procedure for the above will be as follows.
• A: Less than 5 games - No appeal
• B: More than 5 but less than 10 games - Appeal after 7 games
• C: More than 10 games - appeal after 10 matches or 75% of ban is completed as decided upon by safety management team.
In line with the principles established by the Steering Group against Hooliganism and our Cooperation Agreement with South Wales Police all parties including the Football licensing Authority, the Football League and the Safety Advisory Group Police and Football authorities will be informed on each and every occasion a club ban is served.
Any person issued with a club ban will not be eligible for any refunds or discounts in relation to individual or season ticket or membership purchases.
Club bans of more than one year will also result in cancellation of tickets, membership and the club discounts involved.
Club bans will extend into stadium operated or managed by the club and may be published within Club or other media publications.
For and on behalf of Cardiff City FC
Information concerning the Independent Football Ombudsman.
1. Preamble
The Independent Football Ombudsman (the IFO) is appointed by the Football Association, the Football League and the Premier League (hereafter, the football authorities), in consultation with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The IFO provides independent external scrutiny of complaints within a transparent, accountable and effective system of self-regulation by the football authorities. This includes commitment to the Customer Charter process, and recourse to PL, FL and FA Rules where necessary.
The football authorities are committed to providing robust and open complaints procedures, widely publicised, taken seriously by the Clubs, reinforced by the PL, FL and the FA and subject to external appeal. The IFO will also provide an external and independent voice in discussions within football on issues which affect the public.
2. The Independent Football Ombudsman's Terms of Reference
(i) The IFO acts as the final appeal stage within football's complaints procedures and its adjudications will be published. The football authorities agree that these adjudications should be final. If, in exceptional cases, there is a failure to agree the football authorities will publish their reasons and their proposed alternative resolution of the issue.
(ii) The IFO will have regard to best practice in commercial matters within professional football, particularly with regard to customer service. The IFO will be consulted and will advise on:-
• Codes of Best Practice relating to supporters and customers in general, and customer charters issued by each of the football authorities, and by individual clubs;
• the football authorities' operation of the complaints resolution hierarchy based on the Codes of Best Practice, with the Independent Football Ombudsman as the final step in that hierarchy; and
• the football authorities' procedures for review and monitoring of commercial and customer matters
In this, the IFO is to have particular regard to:-
• Ticket prices
• Accessibility of matches
• Merchandise; and
• Supporter and other stakeholder involvement.
(iii) Where complaints resolution indicates wider action is appropriate, to recommend changes to Codes of Best Practice and Customer Charters, to request review of the rules and regulations of the football authorities relating to commercial and customer-related matters and to request research or other investigation into policy relating to those matters.
(iv) The IFO will be consulted by the football authorities on proposed programmes of research into supporter and customer matters.
(v) The IFO will be consulted by the football authorities on significant changes to regulation or practice in the areas of supporter and customer relations.
(vi) The football authorities will publish at least annually their responses to the work of the Ombudsman. The IFO will be consulted on those responses prior to publication. The work of the ombudsman will be reported in Club, League and FA annual reports as applicable and any public policy implications will be reported to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by the football authorities at the existing established and regular meetings between football and the Department.
3. The Constitution of the IFO
The office of the IFO will consist of the Ombudsman and a Deputy. An Advisory Panel will be appointed by the IFO so that, according to the requirement for particular expertise, a Panel member can sit with the IFO and/or Deputy IFO to advise on complaint adjudication or on issues arising from complaint investigations.
4. Appointments
The Ombudsman will be appointed in consultation between the football authorities and with Government. In the first instance Prof Derek Fraser is the appointed Ombudsman, with Alan Watson appointed Deputy.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
The Independent Football Ombudsman (IFO) is the final stage in the complaints process established by the English professional Football Authorities (The Football Association -FA -, The Premier League and The Football League). The IFO comprises an Ombudsman, his Deputy and an Advisory Panel. This section explains the role of the IFO. Further information and guidance are available in a short leaflet which may be requested, using any of the contact addresses given below.
1. Procedures in general
The IFO believes that the following principles should inform complaints procedures in general:
• It should be clear how complainants can register complaints and who will deal with them.
• Complaints should be dealt with quickly and effectively. Where a complaint is upheld an apology should be issued and consideration should be given as to whether any other form of redress is appropriate.
• Those dealing with complaints should be well trained and motivated with a clear understanding that effective complaints resolution improves relationships with customers.
• The system should make clear what options are open to the complainant if he or she remains dissatisfied with the response to their complaint.
2. The IFO within Football's complaints process
The IFO is the final stage on complaints involving customer issues. An individual, a group of individuals or an organisation who feels aggrieved at the service received from a provider should, in the first instance, take that complaint to the provider. That will usually be the football club which provided the service, but it could be one of the Football Authorities if they were responsible for the service (for example, the FA in the case of England matches).
Each club and each Authority has a customer charter which should explain how a complaint can be registered and how it will be dealt with. If the service complained of rests with a club and it fails to satisfy the complainant, then the complainant can revert to the appropriate Football Authority (for example, to the Premier League if a Premier League club is the subject of the complaint). If, thereafter, the complainant remains dissatisfied, he or she can appeal to the IFO. In addition, if the relevant Football Authority has not responded substantively to a complaint within six weeks of receiving it, the Authority will either refer the matter to the IFO for consideration or will explain to the IFO why further time is required to deal with the matter.
Where the IFO receives a complaint prematurely, ie where it has not gone through the earlier stages described above, the IFO will refer such complaints to the relevant body for consideration.
The IFO cannot consider any matter which is the subject of legal or appellate action.
3. How to complain to the IFO
Complaints should be made in writing and submitted by post or by email to the contact addresses stated under 'Contact Us'. They should be supported by any documentary evidence available, including evidence generated from earlier stages of the complaints process. If the IFO decides that the complaint is appropriate for further investigation, the IFO and the Deputy IFO, or one of them in conjunction with a member of the IFO's Advisory Panel, will consider the matter. The IFO will adopt procedures as seem appropriate to the complaint. The IFO will seek information from the football bodies concerned and may ask the complainant for oral evidence where that is deemed appropriate. If that evidence is sought by interview, the complainant may ask a friend or representative to attend. The IFO may visit a club or other service provider to investigate the matter, where this is judged necessary for the IFO to complete the adjudication.
4. The outcome
After considering all the evidence the IFO will issue an adjudication in writing to the complainant and to the appropriate Football Authority. A summary of the adjudication will be placed on this site under 'Adjudications' and on the website of the relevant Authority. If the complaint is upheld, the IFO will make any recommendations deemed appropriate. If the Football Authority considers that it cannot - for whatever reason - implement any recommendation of the IFO, it will publish the reasoning behind such a decision and any proposed alternative resolution to the complaint. The IFO will produce an annual report to the Minister for Sport and the Football Authorities, reviewing all the complaints received, the action taken and any wider issues arising from the work of the IFO. This annual report will be publicly available.
Within football's complaints process there is no right of appeal against an adjudication of
the IFO.
ADDRESS:
The Independent Football Ombudsman
Suite 49
57 Great George Street
Leeds LS1 3AJ
TELEPHONE (Voicemail): 0800 588 4066
EMAIL:Contact@TheIFO.co.uk
TO RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS DOCUMENT IN LARGER PRINT PLEASE CONTACT THE CARDIFF CITY STADIUM TICKET OFFICE ON 0845 345 1400.