At our game against Newport County on Saturday, we experienced some severe internet and network issues, starting around 12.30pm.
We had invested in some major upgrades to our systems over the summer into this season, to pre-empt and allow us to better cope with the increased demands on our stadium network. A fault occurred around this time, which led to a whole stadium outage, impacting and effectively stopping us using all of our computers, card machines and the ticket office.
This fault meant that we had no ability to sell tickets through the usual channels, or take card/contactless payments in the bars and concourses. At this point we implemented our contingency plans, including manual turnsitle operation and count, to ensure everyone got in the ground ahead of kick-off (and get out of that belting rain).
As soon as we became aware the issue was major and would take a little time to solve, we updated supporters on social media to advise that cash payments would be necessary across the stadium.
We worked as quickly as possible to get an engineer on site and troubleshoot the issues, and the problem was identified and rectified by 3.00pm. After this time, we were back up and running as normal and able to service supporters during the first half, at half-time and post-match – it was great to see JB’s bar still busy and buzzing at 6.00pm.
We expect this issue to be isolated and a one-off, but we will spend time next week working with our service providers to see if we can put any additional infrastructure in place to protect against any future unforeseen issues, along with reviewing our contingency processes should critical system issues in any department on matchday occur again.
It has been brought to our attention that during the time we were experiencing issues, some supporters may have had difficulty purchasing a ticket through our website. If you believe you have been charged multiple times for a ticket, please email us by clicking on this link, or by visiting the Club Shop from Monday onwards.
We would like to sincerely thank our supporters for their understanding, patience and good will shown to staff across the stadium, who worked tirelessly to continue service as best as possible.
This allowed us to crack on with finding solutions to the issues faced, particularly with regards to ticketing, ultimately to ensure everyone was in the stadium by kick-off, which I am pleased to say was the case. I would like to extend this ‘thank you’ to all our staff across the stadium who worked as best as they possibly could given the circumstances.
I am delighted that we managed to win the game, supporters could go home smiling, and the best thing for us all is that we are in the Second Round of the FA Cup!
Thank you once again for your support, which got us over the line.
UTS
Ben