'Directly impacts bums on seats' - Brighton fans have their say on Paul Barber's response to season ticket policy and no-show farce

This piece from our weekly columnist wearebrighton.com​criticising the season ticket scheme prompted a lengthy response from Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber which was also published in full.A new policy brought in at the start of the campaign has seen a change to how season ticket holders can transfer their ticket. It has sparked much debate and was also raised earlier this season at the club's fans' forum.

A number of fans however feel the season-ticket sharing policy has had a huge impact on no-shows and has led to reduced matchday attendances and subdued atmospheres at the Amex Stadium this season.

The only way a season ticket holder can now transfer their ticket is by upgrading their own account at a cost of £20.. And the recipient of the ticket must be a MyAlbion+ member, costing them £25.

Here's reaction, both for and against, from Albion fans on the original column from wearebrighton and the response from Barber:

Mike White

I don’t know why the club don’t let STHs give the ticket to an identified person with a fan number. That fulfills all league and legal requirements. The club have a right to make money from ticket prices (while balancing sales and attendance), but this is not the way to do it in the interests of the most loyal fans and ground atmosphere.

John Dunkling

Is there some way of starting a proper petition so he knows just how many fans are against this scheme? It is killing the stadium atmosphere. I was able to share someone's ST for free 8 years ago and it resulted in me becoming a ST holder myself for 8 years, and I've bought a few beers and pies in that time too.

Andy Maclay

“Most” appreciate what the club have given us as fans and that it doesn’t come for free. The sense of “entitlement” by some fans is quite incredible … mostly demonstrated by those who still complain about kick-offs being changed for tv, and those who are complaining that we’re not in the top 6

Darren Chilcott

Very poor response [from Paul Barber]. If (and I don’t believe the numbers) our no-shows are only slightly above the ‘championship winning season’ it’s because that season we had a ton of evening games on school nights. The ST sharing scheme is good for those that genuinely share tickets but hopeless for those that go to most games and only have 1/2 a season where they would have passed it on. Plenty of PL clubs allow free transfers of season tickets. Given the current situation with no waiting list, mediocre entertainment and Covid, would have thought having a pop at fans is the last thing a CEO should be doing. I can only assume he didn’t go to Villa Park - the atmosphere was awful until they scored.

Glen McCready

I must be missing something here. I find the ticket exchange system really easy to operate. I had covid for the Wolves game and sent my ticket to a friend in less than 5 minutes. I’ve never tried selling a ticket though. Mind, it was the first home game I’d missed since Brighton 3 Charlton 2 in 2015.

Kevin Sherwood

He deflects as usual. The City home game and Villa away are hardly relevant to the ST share charge debate. Nor is the season tkt exchange relevant (originally only turned on for sell outs). Especially with 10K of pre-paid seats empty as it is. The monetising of season tkt sharing was an unnecessary revenue bump on his part, and has backfired. The deluge of emails to the pre season fan forum intimated early doors how unpopular it was. Or was that clickbait feedback too? Still, as a result of many of those spare friends and family STs lapsing, he has cleared the ST waiting list with sales to new fans who don't turn up for anyone outside the top 6. Any business that ignores 'customer' feedback does so at it's peril. Empty seats do not spend on the day, and Covid restrictions aside (which clearly has a big effect) the new sharing charge has not helped matters at all.

Royce Doyle

Barber makes some genuine points, and I think they are all valid. They have to work within the parameters of the law and the league, so their hands are tied.

Justin Blundell

This will 100% reflect in season ticket renewals come April - people more than ever this season need to be able easily share their season ticket with friends or family, this has happened for years and for PB to be suggesting the reason we can’t share is because they are heavily discounted etc is a joke as it’s always been like that too. The club are upsetting their most loyal fans I’ve had friends that have been unable to attend due to illness & therefore their kids couldn’t attend as they could afford to enrol their partner into the membership scheme and then another £20 into the ticket transfer scheme. Football is the only event that they are telling us we have to provide details of everyone who attends ?!?!? This can’t be right be it if is the case there has to be ways around this a Simple app that you can transfer your ticket to a registered friend or family member.

Marc Gravett

He's wrong, plain and simple. I've tried selling my match tickets (for various reasons) recently and none of them have sold. No friends/family want to fork out extra money just for the privileged which is exactly what he's blindsided too, but he's got my ST money so he obviously doesn't care.

I'm also 99.9% sure I'll be cancelling my ST when the time comes later this season, for what it's worth I'll be writing him a letter detailing the exact reasons why and this is one of those very reasons.

Well done WAB, you've yet again got it spot on, Barber has got it wrong and to call it clickbait is laughable, he needs to wake up to reality.

Kevin Baker

I’m a season ticket holder. I haven’t been able to attend games this season. I’d rather give my seat, for free, to a family member or friend than see it remain empty. That’s no longer possible. The same applies to thousands of other ST holders. This has a direct impact on the number of bums on seats. And, obviously, the atmosphere in the stadium. It’s undeniable. Regardless of executive speak

Bex Lauren

The ticket sharing system is crap, who wants to pay twice to give a ticket away! I didn't go to wolves on Wednesday, I've been to every away game all season but have missed about 3/4 home games. Normally when I'm away I give my ticket away to a friend, who maybe doesn't have the money to attend.

I also give it to people to get the interested in football as I know how good it has been for me, this isn't possible now.. for sure we can see why young people are not as interested in football anymore.

Adam Slaney

Get over it…creating a problem that isn’t even there. Moan moan moan!!! Always get a minority who are never happy!

Joe Jackson

I don’t think it’s an outrageous sum of money for the club to ask, how much was the petrol to get to Gillingham and back? Or for a suitable set of waterproofs for the rain to bounce off your lap at the Withdean? A lot more than the cost of being a member to receive a FREE ticket to Premier League football off your mate who can’t make the game, or for paying the add on to be able to transfer your ticket?!

Considering Mr Bloom has pumped hundreds of millions into the club for us to enjoy the best standard of football I’ve ever seen, in the comfort of a state of the art stadium, I don’t understand the uproar over this.

I do see why it can be a pain in the arse though, but let’s see the bigger picture.

Up The Albion.

Kevin Sherwood

The ST sharing concept was raised as an issue by fans at the pre season fans forum, and glibly dismissed. It has been raised again mid season as a duff idea in practice, and aggressively dismissed. WAB associating these board comms with the bad old days is dramatic, but those of us that remember Bellotti programme notes can spot the odd synergy with Barber. They have got this bang wrong, and going into damage limitation overdrive won't help.

George Wells

He didn’t dismiss at all , he just told you how it is . Stop crying

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