Today’s announcement of ticket prices has been met with a joyous response on the twittersphere and elsewhere, with Leeds fans used to a constant increase in price to watch ever worsening football treating it as a nice surprise. There’s a feeling that this will go a long way to tempt fans to commit to an investment in Leeds, guaranteeing their attendance at 23 fixtures next year.
Prices obviously differ across the ground, but the price of £487 for a new applicant in the Kop symbolises the changes, with around £520 charges for even renewals last season. Personally I will be able to take up the offer to young adults, and it is this sort of price bracketing that is imperative, as it allows a reasonable increase in ticket prices as people get older. It was madness that there was no help offered to those starting to make their way in the world to continue supporting their football team.
This is all especially of note given the constraints at Leeds United: the mortgaging of season tickets to pay off Ken Bates’s East Stand development has left the club on its knees to an extent. The follies of the previous regime mean that it is not an ideal time to take these sort of risks, what with £3.3m owed to ticketus from this year’s crop of tickets. Bates’s East Stand also brings no money into the club, what with the deal done with Compass during the summer, who take all of the catering in exchange for a lump sum provided to Señor Bates in an attempt to keep his clutches on the club (take a look, it’s in the books).
All in all, a great step from GFH, one that inspires hope.
Follow Amitai Winehouse on Twitter (@awinehouse1)
Bates also borrowed money against future corporate ticket sales. GFHC has been left with very little.
Season tickets sales were only used as COLLATERAL for the East Stand Redevelopment loan! The club still gets the season ticket revenue minus the loan repayment!….. please get your facts right
Did I not say that? The club owes £3.3m of the season ticket money to Ticketus. How is that any different?
No, you made it out to sound like £3.3M is owed and has to be paid from this years season ticket pot. If that’ is the case then you’re right. However I think what Jack is saying is that it’s repayable over several years like a mortgage (possibly £1.1M per year for three years or something similar)
Was repayable over this season and next. We owe them 5 in total I believe. So yeah, we have to pay them 3.3m from this years season ticket money.
Give it a REST Hammersfan. We know your a closet Leeds fan. You just pretend to support Wet Spam don’t you. MOT On an On.
Phil B (From Ponti)
Don’t hate, participate
whilst you’re right that the catering in the east stand was contracted out to compass, I doubt whether it was paid up front in one lump sum to ken, surely it will be staged payments year by year based on return? otherwise the caterers would have paid X amount based on last years turnover and then potentially take a massive hit for the next four years if the uptake on corporate goes through the roof?
also the comment above about the corporate sales being mortgaged, where does that come from? of all the gossip, whispers, rumours and out and out brutal accusations that have been levelled at ken over the years that’s the first time I’ve heard that one.
at face value the GFH stance on tickets is a breath of fresh air so why can’t it simply be judged on its own merits instead of attaching a caveat intent on raking up all the crap of the past?
time to move on people…
Because I write about Leeds and I hear things. Aside from that, it’s in the books.
And yes, ken did take a lump sum up front.
Patel tweeted today that the first £3.3m has to go to ticketus.
Salem Patel tweeted today that the first £3.3m goes to ticketus:
Thanks.