Newcastle United have now changed their ticket sale plans following a huge backlash from supporters ahead of the first home game of the season.
Tickets have been a huge talking point for Newcastle fans this summer, especially with the club going digital.
There had been limited information about memberships and tickets for specific games, but all became much clearer on Tuesday – but not for the better.
It was announced that fans with a membership could enter the ballot for the Aston Villa game on Wednesday morning, with ticket prices ranging from £44 to £74. However, there would be no option to choose your price bracket, nor would fans have the ability to pick their own seat.
This caused huge uproar throughout the fanbase, and rightly so. While the new owners have got a lot of things right, this ticketing decision was a major own goal.
However, the club have now responded to the criticism and acted accordingly.
Newcastle announce change following ticket price controversy
It has now been announced that members will now be able to choose the specific price category that they want to apply for. However, they will not be apply to choose multiple price categories at this moment in time.
If fans are successful in the ballot, they will then be charged for the ticket, or tickets if they applied as part of a group.
As part of the announcement, the club have also released a statement from chief executive Darren Eales.
“We are committed to ensuring match tickets are made available fairly so that fans can continue to support the team so magnificently home and away,” he said.
“While we have made positive changes in that regard following ticketing workshops with fans, we also appreciated the feedback we specifically received in response to our proposed home ticket ballot process for members.
“After reviewing that feedback, we have made an adjustment and members will be able to select the specific price point that best suits them when entering the ballot.
“Supporter engagement is hugely important to us and we will continue to seek fans’ views as we build towards sustainable success together.”
It is excellent to see that the club have responded quickly to the controversy and have acted accordingly. In the past, these concerns would have merely been ignored.
But this was a really poor decision by the club, who have drawn a lot of criticism for the way that ticketing is being approached.
The increase in prices was inevitable, but it was completely unfair to possibly tie fans into a £74 ticket that they might not be able to afford. The option of choosing your price bracket is a much more satisfying outcome.
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