The Newcastle United Supporters' Trust has published the results from a survey which reveal "many" fans are concerned about the allocation of season tickets.
Newcastle United are a club transformed since being taken over last year, and demand for tickets reflects that. Already it is much more difficult for fans to get tickets for home and away matches, and now attention is focusing on season tickets.
The Supporters’ Trust has submitted its season tickets proposal to the club. The proposal document, made publicly available, suggests splitting any available season tickets into four pots.
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The first pot would be for those who have cancelled season tickets; the second would be for those who have not had a season ticket but have bought other tickets; and the third would be for current season ticket holders. The final pot would go on general sale via a ballot.
An email sent by the Trust to its members today said: “We have been inundated with emails from members and are doing our best to respond to them as quickly as we can, but what is clear is many supporters have genuine concerns not just specifically related to the release of tickets, but many issues that even current season ticket holders are facing.
“As ever, we have reiterated the point to the football club that discussions with supporters need to take place, with a forum for supporters to voice their concerns being an absolute must.”
The email included the results of a survey of 2,023 members, 48.7% of whom were season ticket holders. The survey revealed that 50% believed the trust’s plan was fair, while 11.8% thought it was unfair, and 38.3% did not know.
Asked whether they were concerned about the season ticket process, 47.8% said they were, while 19.5% said they were not. However, the proportion who were concerned was far higher among those who wanted to buy a season ticket.
The email said: “What is clear from the results is that Newcastle United supporters are concerned about the release of season tickets, with over 60% of those seeking a new season ticket concerned about the club's plans for their sale/distribution.”
Fans were also asked how they would like to pay for a season ticket, given the money worries many are currently facing. The survey showed that 47.8% wanted to pay in instalments over 12 months, while only 27.7% wanted a one-off payment.
Asked about the pricing of different seats and stands, and how St James’ Park compared with prices elsewhere in the Premier League, 57% said they thought it was fair. Only 18.5% said it was not fair, while 24.4% did not know.
The final question was about the loyalty point system for away tickets, which is currently a point per ticket and those with the most points getting priority. The survey showed that 57.7% were in favour, 32.4% were not in favour, while 9.8% did not know.
