Liverpool made a major ticketing change at Anfield almost two years ago which remains in place for fans
Almost two years have passed since Liverpool’s decision to ditch paper tickets in favour of a modern approach being followed by many clubs.
NFC (Near-field Communication) passes were trialled by the Reds ahead of pre-season friendlies with Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna in August 2021, initially resulting in many fans missing match action after issues with the technology were experienced.
Similar problems were encountered prior to Premier League fixtures versus Burnley and Chelsea later that month with teething trouble over scanning phones to gain access through the turnstiles, as opposed to the traditional method of scanning paper tickets or membership and season ticket cards.
Fast forward to the present day and the operation has become far smoother after a period of transition, with a number of others clubs also following suit. A change made in light of the pandemic, NFC appears here to stay. But is that for better or worse in the overall supporter experience?
Tom Cavilla: NFC passes are simply one of the many Covid-related changes that have, unfortunately, remained after the worst of the pandemic.
Making giant strides in the digital era, plenty of organisations were forced to change their way of thinking after Covid to be more mobile-focused. This began with scanning a QR code to check into a venue, followed by adopting a similar approach to order food at your table.
While such activities are no longer required up and down the country after thankfully being ditched, football clubs decided using your mobile phone for access would remain a requirement. In doing so, paper tickets were declared redundant and are now almost impossible to obtain unless you go further down the divisions, where NFC passes are now also slowly being rolled out. It’s not only football clubs that have implemented such methods either, for it is now commonplace to attend concerts or board flights and trains in the same way.
I have always enjoyed collecting tickets of all kinds as souvenirs to look back on and was reminded of why after a trip to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool for their Art of the Terraces exhibition earlier this year. On show were Transalpino tickets, used by Reds fans to travel to European matches during the 1980s, as well as match tickets dating back to a similar era.
Digital match programmes are another a new trend at some clubs, who may perhaps soon suggest supporters needn’t enter the ground but rather watch the game from their handheld device outside.
As the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
‘Embrace the change as this technology is the future’
Joe Rimmer: Change is inevitable, so you’re best just embracing it.
And while I understand that the NFC system isn’t perfect for everyone, it’s the way Liverpool simply have to move to in the future.
And it’s not just the club, either. I’ve been to gigs and the cinema recently, all with tickets in my Apple Wallet to get access to the venue.
For some older fans this might be difficult – and Liverpool should continue to provide genuine alternatives and help to those who aren’t as able to embrace the new technology, but for most of us, we use our smartphones for everything, so why not this?
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