Blackburn Rovers Supporters' Trust, We Are The Rovers, have criticised the club's approach to season tickets and sent proposals for the 2025/26 campaign.
Attendances at Ewood Park have dwindled for a long time after a decade outside of the Premier League. Fans have vented their frustration at a perceived lack of creativity in the marketing of season tickets to try and boost figures inside the ground.
Rovers released early bird tickets for 2024/25 starting from £349, with a £30 discount to mark the 30-year anniversary of their Premier League title win in 1995.
However, they sold 9,141, which was 10% less than they had budgeted for. In addition, only 4,104 of those were adult tickets. Chief Operating Officer, Suhail Pasha, admitted that was frustrating after the offer, which was likely to cost the club £310K.
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17-game packages and half-season tickets have since been released and criticised for their cost by supporters. The 17-game package was the same £349 first offered in the summer, whilst the latter is on sale starting at £249 for adults.
Considering the population and affluence of the Blackburn area, many feel that not enough is being done to combat the attendance inside Ewood Park.
We Are The Rovers share this view and have outlined a detailed proposal, seen by The Lancashire Telegraph, which has been sent to the club.
Amongst the list of suggestions are reduced season tickets for those who live 25 miles or further from Ewood Park. With the new Sky Sports TV deal, those with a longer commute have been put off by the ever-changing kick-off times. Rovers will have had four Saturday, 3pm kick-offs at home by the time 2025 arrives.
The Supporters' Trust have long campaigned for a reduced, introductory offer on the Riverside Stand, which is often the most sparse. Unsurprisingly, that has again been reiterated in the proposal.
Rovers did offer 300 tickets at £300 for new and existing season ticket holders on the Riverside in the summer. Names were balloted and then the difference was refunded for those selected.
The conclusion of the proposal states: "WATR are very clear that unless our club come up with a different approach to ST pricing, marketing and sales we will be left with even fewer ST sales for 2025/26.
"Rovers need to engage more with the supporters rather than talk about it and believe they know best. We need a new approach with new options; the world has changed a lot in the last 40-plus years but sadly, our club’s approach to STs has not.
"We have not suggested what the new pricing structure should be apart from the following points that add up to a holistic approach to ST and match day sales.
"Earlier sales targeted for the final home game of the season.
"Free school tickets for the final home game of the season to coincide with the ST launch.
"An early bird offer.
"A reduced game ST for those living over 25 miles from Ewood.
"The Riverside prices should be reduced and ‘entry-level’ STs offered in the uncovered seats.
"A meaningful attempt to target areas outside of Blackburn and Darwen.
"Sales leaflets should be produced and delivered to new housing estates in the locality of Ewood Park.
"The match day atmosphere should be addressed.
"Safe standing should be funded and introduced as soon as possible."
Mike Graham, chair of WATR, told The Lancashire Telegraph: "Club engagement on ST pricing is one-way. It is all about the income rather than building support.
"The half-season ticket offer is disappointing. If they asked for advice the answer would have been to structure the offer to be attractive and enticing.
"The football world has changed massively; unfortunately, our ST offer is still structured the same way as it was 40+ years ago.”
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