Kelly Derham on the end of unreserved seating
Some season-ticket holders have been in touch since the announcement of prices for next season to query why there is no longer an unreserved section in the People’s Pension East Stand.
Operations Director Kelly Derham said: “I accept some people who used to have a ticket for the unreserved section of the East Stand will be disappointed, as there is a modest rise in what they will be paying next season, but this decision was only taken after a great deal of thought by the club.
“Most importantly, having an unreserved section loses the club money because we are obliged to offer the lowest possible ticket to away supporters if they are in the same part of the stadium. For big games when there is a large away contingent that can mean thousands of pounds in lost revenue.
“Also, having an unreserved section presents unnecessary work for our back-office staff. As supporters will know, we have a small behind-the-scenes team and everyone is doing lots of different jobs on a daily basis. By making the East Stand open so fans can buy a ticket or season ticket, depending on availability, anywhere makes things easier logistically. With spare capacity at most of our home games, having reserved and unreserved sections created unnecessary work.
“I have spoken to supporters who are disappointed about this but I hope everyone will acknowledge that a season ticket represents good value for money for regular fans, especially our prices for younger age groups. And remember the more season tickets we sell the more we can invest in the most important thing of all – the team on the pitch."