As we digest the detail of THFC’s pricing structure for the new stadium, more and more is becoming clear. We’ve put together this factual explanation of some of the points supporters need to be aware of.
• Season tickets start from £795. However, there are fewer than 1,200 tickets available at this price, and you must be connected to another applicant eligible for the family area to get one.
• Season tickets at the next highest price, £875, are available only in the highest sections of the North and South stands. For many pensioners and others with difficulties climbing stairs, these tickets will be inaccessible.
• The next highest price point is £895. Only two small blocks of tickets are available at this price, with one being a designated family area that needs an eligible applicant to apply successfully.
• The £950 price point is the next highest, and there are nine blocks of tickets available at this price. All but one are in the top of the North and South Stands.
• The £975 price point is where a larger numbers of tickets begin to become available.
• The vast majority of tickets are priced between £975 and £1,995. Then there are the c1,000 so-called “1882” premium-lite tickets at £2,200 in the centre of the South Stand.
• The Club has extended concessionary pricing to all stands. But not all areas of all stands. It has reduced the over-65 and under-18 concessions by 10% from 60% to 50%. And concessionary pricing is only available for seats priced at or under £1,125.
• This means that there is an extremely strong possibility that no concessionary pricing will be available in the later phase application windows.
• That possibility means the entire phasing policy has to be seen in a new light. With sufficient choice across lower price points, and availability of concessions across all price points, there would be less concern among supporters about having to wait for later application phases in order to be with friends or family members. Now, waiting to sit with others in a group carries the very real possibility of significantly increasing costs.
• Many supporters who bought Season Tickets for the first time last year did so on the basis that the Club told them they would be “guaranteed” a Season Ticket at the new stadium. Wembley Season Tickets were available in the top tiers for £695 and we know many fans bought there on the basis of the Club “guarantee”. Those fans who bought Season Tickets for the first time last year will not be able to apply until at least phase 5 – after 20,000 other people have had the chance to buy. It is unlikely there will be a large number of tickets below £1,125 left at that stage. Which means a new Season Ticket holder who bought a £695 Season Ticket this season would need to find £430 more to purchase an available ticket. That is a 61% increase. And remember, there are no concessions above £1125.
• THFC had to make a number of tickets available to residents of Haringey and Enfield under the s106 planning agreement. Those tickets will not be available until after phase 8 has concluded. It is extremely unlikely that any tickets at the lower price points will be available then.
• We have asked the Club to supply a full list of how many seats are available at each price point on three separate occasions. They have not responded.
• Some supporters have expressed the opinion that if we want to pay top wages for players, we need to accept these price rises. The Club has not given any indication that increased ticket income will fund player wages. It has said gate income is needed to service the debt taken on to build the stadium. But it has given no commitment that prices could go down when that debt is paid off.
• The Club has told supporters that, once purchased, the seat position is fixed permanently. You will not be allowed to change your location in later phase windows or in future seasons.
• The Club is telling supporters it has implemented a stretch pricing policy without any evidence of how this has been applied. Offering under 2% of tickets at the lowest price and introducing 15 different price points up to £2,200, all of which are higher than equivalent locations at White Hart Lane, is not stretch pricing.
• All these Season Ticket prices include just 19 Premier League games. Matchday pricing is yet to be announced. But matchday pricing will need to bear some relation to ST pricing, and supporters need to factor this in when deciding on a seat. A £995 ST in the section earmarked for safe standing averages out at just over £52 per game. Under the match categorisation system used at Spurs, that suggests a spread of between £40 for Category C games and £70 for Category A. Remember, this is still at the lower end of the price scale.
The facts above expose just some of the deep flaws in the structure the Club has announced. And supporter anger is building as the implications of that structure become clearer. We call on THFC to review its decisions in the light of feedback received so far, and to commit to talking to the Trust constructively in order to find solutions.
THST Board
18 March 2018
• Season tickets at the next highest price, £875, are available only in the highest sections of the North and South stands. For many pensioners and others with difficulties climbing stairs, these tickets will be inaccessible.
• The next highest price point is £895. Only two small blocks of tickets are available at this price, with one being a designated family area that needs an eligible applicant to apply successfully.
• The £950 price point is the next highest, and there are nine blocks of tickets available at this price. All but one are in the top of the North and South Stands.
• The £975 price point is where a larger numbers of tickets begin to become available.
• The vast majority of tickets are priced between £975 and £1,995. Then there are the c1,000 so-called “1882” premium-lite tickets at £2,200 in the centre of the South Stand.
• The Club has extended concessionary pricing to all stands. But not all areas of all stands. It has reduced the over-65 and under-18 concessions by 10% from 60% to 50%. And concessionary pricing is only available for seats priced at or under £1,125.
• This means that there is an extremely strong possibility that no concessionary pricing will be available in the later phase application windows.
• That possibility means the entire phasing policy has to be seen in a new light. With sufficient choice across lower price points, and availability of concessions across all price points, there would be less concern among supporters about having to wait for later application phases in order to be with friends or family members. Now, waiting to sit with others in a group carries the very real possibility of significantly increasing costs.
• Many supporters who bought Season Tickets for the first time last year did so on the basis that the Club told them they would be “guaranteed” a Season Ticket at the new stadium. Wembley Season Tickets were available in the top tiers for £695 and we know many fans bought there on the basis of the Club “guarantee”. Those fans who bought Season Tickets for the first time last year will not be able to apply until at least phase 5 – after 20,000 other people have had the chance to buy. It is unlikely there will be a large number of tickets below £1,125 left at that stage. Which means a new Season Ticket holder who bought a £695 Season Ticket this season would need to find £430 more to purchase an available ticket. That is a 61% increase. And remember, there are no concessions above £1125.
• THFC had to make a number of tickets available to residents of Haringey and Enfield under the s106 planning agreement. Those tickets will not be available until after phase 8 has concluded. It is extremely unlikely that any tickets at the lower price points will be available then.
• We have asked the Club to supply a full list of how many seats are available at each price point on three separate occasions. They have not responded.
• Some supporters have expressed the opinion that if we want to pay top wages for players, we need to accept these price rises. The Club has not given any indication that increased ticket income will fund player wages. It has said gate income is needed to service the debt taken on to build the stadium. But it has given no commitment that prices could go down when that debt is paid off.
• The Club has told supporters that, once purchased, the seat position is fixed permanently. You will not be allowed to change your location in later phase windows or in future seasons.
• The Club is telling supporters it has implemented a stretch pricing policy without any evidence of how this has been applied. Offering under 2% of tickets at the lowest price and introducing 15 different price points up to £2,200, all of which are higher than equivalent locations at White Hart Lane, is not stretch pricing.
• All these Season Ticket prices include just 19 Premier League games. Matchday pricing is yet to be announced. But matchday pricing will need to bear some relation to ST pricing, and supporters need to factor this in when deciding on a seat. A £995 ST in the section earmarked for safe standing averages out at just over £52 per game. Under the match categorisation system used at Spurs, that suggests a spread of between £40 for Category C games and £70 for Category A. Remember, this is still at the lower end of the price scale.
The facts above expose just some of the deep flaws in the structure the Club has announced. And supporter anger is building as the implications of that structure become clearer. We call on THFC to review its decisions in the light of feedback received so far, and to commit to talking to the Trust constructively in order to find solutions.
THST Board
18 March 2018