CSG – CSC Joint Statement on Inter ‘Friendly’ Ticket Prices
Once again ticketing issues are at the heart of discussions amongst Chelsea fans, who feel they have not been consulted about decisions which directly affect them, are confusing and will likely leave them out of pocket.
Chelsea Supporters Group and Chelsea Supporters Club can appreciate the need for increased revenues with the position the football club finds itself in, but to set prices for a pre-season friendly that are closer to those of a high-level competitive fixture is simply unreasonable. Other London clubs have set prices that are more appropriate for these warm up matches and their choices, by comparison, are embarrassing for Chelsea.
The inclusion of loyalty points for a friendly is also inconsistent with expected behaviour and has left a feeling of obligation to buy a ticket for a fixture they may not have planned to, or indeed been able to, attend for fear of how this affects their opportunity to be able to attend important matches later in the season.
Once again, this decision was apparently discussed with the Fan Advisory Board, but the collective reaction from ourselves and other supporters’ groups and representatives suggests that the views of the fan base at large were either not represented or not listened to.
Finally, the variety of prices on offer for a fixture type that would ordinarily have been set at a standard cost for any seat in the stadium sets an unhappy precedent for forthcoming cup fixtures that have typically followed the same convention. This is the sort of thing, combined with an increasingly disparate set of costs for Season Ticket Holders compared to Members (a ticket-only membership now costs 60% more than it did four years ago and offers no guarantees of attending a match, for which entry also comes at an increased premium by comparison), leaves many supporters wondering if they should invest their time and effort into an increasingly expensive and frustrating endeavour.
This is all compounded by a noticeable increase in touting and after-market selling outside of the club’s official offerings, after those selling on their tickets have gained the loyalty points for future use.
We call upon all stakeholders to work ever-closer together in search of a more collaborative and accessible ticketing policy.
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