I totally agree with you, it's been used at stadiums up and down the country for a few years now so I don't see why it won't work at the Stobart. It may just be Saints being cautious. I'm not sure on the Stobart Stadiums highest attendance but maybe they're worried that the probable sell out for the Wire game will be too much for the system to handle. Do we know if it's newly installed there? Or have they had it for a while now?

In which case we don't need the books so why issue them?

But if they think the swipe cards won't work (which they must do or we wouldn't have the books) they'll have to man them anyway unless they can magic up a full crew of turnstile attendants at 2 minutes notice on a Friday night when it turns out that they don't work.

Intertesting point, if I have a card and a book can I get 2 people in? If not then that means you'll have to show both and if you forget one or the other you won't get in. Otherwise I can give my swipe card to someone else and then go up and say I've forgotten my card but here's my book. Then the 2nd person swipes in.

Presumably because there would not then be any evidence that you had attended.

But why does that matter? They'll count my season ticket as a sale anyway.

But if you enter the ground without leaving a trail of some kind, how do they know how many people have entered the ground?

never seen those little hand counters bouncers use?

Nope. Do Saints use them too?

By law, all Stadia now have to have some sort of turnstile monitor counting how many times they admit someone (probably brought in after the Taylor report).

Where I work, the electronic counter is displayed in the Boardroom so the directors can keep an eye on the attendance.

I've no idea, I presume there is some other way, possibly a mechanism within the turnstile. Other sports grounds have these kind of entry systems without the need for a ticket book at every match.

If it is due to possible failure they won't have turnstile operatives on every turnstile, so as Saint Simon says, a steward with a counter (which cost about a fiver) being shown your card is just as easy, if not easier.