A closed shop like the away ticket set up.I don’t think it’s necessarily a cynical thing about attracting high-spending day trippers. That might be true of Man Utd, Liverpool and the big London clubs, but keeping a decent allocation available for general sale is the only way to get new, younger fans involved. Otherwise it becomes a fans closed shop with no opportunity to get new fans on board.
It’s about getting the balance right between rewarding loyalty, and not being too exclusive.