Trust Welcomes Cut-Price STs in the East End
Supporters Trust Statement on Season Ticket Prices 2008/09
Bristol City Supporters Trust welcomes the announcement today of season ticket arrangements for the 2008/09 season and applauds the Club in particular for making significant price reductions in the East End.
As a reminder of the club's announcement, the key points are:
- Price freeze for existing season ticket renewals until 11 April
- East End price reduction to £250 adults, £100 under 16 if with an adult, £185 student
- Swipe card system to be introduced
- Existing season ticket holders can buy a ticket for family members
- 1,000 East End season tickets
- Pay on the day prices not being announced yet
- Season ticket price increase on 12 April
We were very pleased to be consulted by the Club ahead of their decision on season ticket prices for next year. We list below the key suggestions made by the Trust;
- Introduce a 5% discount for season ticket holders renewing early through an early bird initiative if in the Championship next season
- Introduce a 20% cash-back (a per-match price freeze) for season ticket holders renewing early through an early bird initiative if in the Premier League next season to incentivise people to renew before next season’s fate is known and to reward those loyal season ticket holders by taking advantage of the massive revenue increase from TV rights if the Premier League is reached.
- Introduce the option for season tickets at early-bird renewal prices for loyal supporters who can demonstrate attendance at a set number of 2007/8 games to reward loyal fans and to encourage sell-out crowds for the remainder of this season.
- Drop credit and debit card charges
- Reward existing season ticket holders by allowing them to purchase additional season tickets for family members at renewal prices
- We also encouraged the Club to adopt their plans to introduce a smart card loyalty scheme so that the Club is better able to reward loyal supporters in the future.
- Incentivise and maximise use of the East End
- Supplement the East End “bring a friend” scheme through the introduction of a Supporters Trust administered photo ID card scheme for the East End to make pay on the day there possible.
The Trust also sounded a cautionary note about affordability based on responses to Club and Trust surveys and the level of attendances this season. The Barclaycard 0% interest initiative is a welcome one from the perspective of affordability for careful supporters. We are cautious, however, not to assume that this alone makes ticket prices affordable and, therefore, justifiable.
The price cuts for one part of the crowd, the East End, together with the introduction of a student and an accompanied under-16 season ticket are excellent initiatives. We believe that this will make watching football more affordable for many.
We believe there remain other issues to be addressed for fans attending the East End, including searches by stewards and the ability of other season ticket holders to move to the East End for some games, and we also believe that some consultation still needs to be carried out on how season ticket holders and “bring a friend” supporters will be stewarded within each block of the East End.
In terms of matters requiring further consideration, we would urge the Club to ensure that, should City be promoted, loyal supporters, who for various reasons are not season ticket holders, are given priority access to tickets next season ahead of people starting to follow the club for the first time due to its elevated status. This is particularly relevant for fans who live away from Bristol and struggle to justify the price of a season ticket and those who simply couldn’t afford to attend every game this season, but have nevertheless supported the club habitually for many years.
We would also encourage the Club to release details of pay on the day prices and post cut-off season ticket prices as soon as possible - and, in any case, by not later than April 11th - so that supporters can make an informed decision on, what is to many fans, one of the biggest financial commitments of the year.
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