Newcastle United fans raise seven ‘areas of concern’ regarding club ticketing process

Newcastle have made several changes to the ticketing system this season which has resulted in tickets being ‘all digital’ and regular ballot processes being introduced for members and season ticket holders.

Newcastle United Supporters Trust have published the results of a fan survey which received 5,394 responses between August 27 and September 4. NUST stated it ‘considers this to be a good representative sample of the fan base’ with 59-per-cent of respondents season ticket holders and 48-per-cent of remaining respondents NUFC members.

77-per-cent of respondents claim to have attended a home match this season and experienced the new ticketing process first-hand at St James’ Park.

Upon publishing the results, a NUST statement read: “As a member-led representative organisation, we took a proactive approach on current issues, designing a comprehensive survey covering various topics, including club memberships, the ballot process, digital ticketing, and Box Office experiences.

“Our goal was to gather insights and data from both our valued members and the wider fanbase to put directly to club management and to seek to influence the club to make better decisions on ticketing moving forward.”

The survey raised ‘seven key areas of concern for NUFC members’, which are as follows...

• Timeframes of ballot making it difficult to arrange travel for those outside of the city
• Uncapped number of memberships leading to reduced chance of ballot success and concerns regarding away fans purchasing memberships
• Transparency regarding the amount of tickets available in each area and details of the numbers entering the ballots would be appreciated.
• Rewarding loyalty versus building the fan base; a balance the club will have to get right.
• Unable to select a seating area, which is a problem for those with mobility needs or disabilities who want to sit in a standard seat, as well as those who want to sit near friends and family.
• One price category currently available for selection and some members would like the option to enter multiple categories.
• No merchandise this year, which many members valued, particularly for junior members

A further breakdown of the survey results can be found here: nufctrust.co.uk/files/pdf/home-ticketing-survey-results(1).pdf.