For the third season in a row, Bradford City are aiming to offer the most affordable season tickets in the EFL and this time hope to reach the 20,000 mark.
With the club honouring their pledge to keep football accessible to all, this ambitious figure would reinforce the club as one of the best supported in the country with an adult season ticket still only £149.00!
And there is an exciting twist to this year’s campaign for Bantams fans, as the prices will remain the same irrespective of which league the club are playing in next season! The message therefore from the club to its existing fans is to go and recruit new season ticket holders.
On launching the news today (Saturday 25 February 2017), Chief Operating Officer James Mason said: "Freezing the prices is a huge statement to the rest of the football world that the game should be affordable for all.
"Despite the temptation to charge higher prices in higher leagues, we believe in growing our fan base by inspiring families to watch together. I’m proud to be a Bradfordian working for a club that really values its supporters.
"We have so much still to play for this season and the exciting news is that no matter what, supporters will be watching LIVE football at the Northern Commercials Stadium next season whether in League One or the Championship for the same price. For an adult that’s less that £6.50 per game!
"As fans we want to be proud of the club we support. We rightly want the plaudits of having a big home and away following so our message is simple - We’ll keep football affordable if you the fans can help inspire others to come and join us.
"As a club we’re at our best when we come together so please play your part. Tell your neighbours, your friends, your colleagues at work, tell everyone about our fantastic offer and let’s see if we can hit 20,000. That really would be something to be proud of!"
The early bird campaign will run from 1st March until 29th April 2017.
Until then, all current season ticket holders can rest assured their existing seat will remain reserved. After that date, however, the seat will become available for anyone to buy or move to if they’ve already purchased a season ticket and want to swap the seat they were allocated.
As the deadline for the lower prices is before this season ends, joint-owner Edin Rahic is asking fans to back the club’s ideology, "When Stefan and I researched clubs to invest in, Bradford City stood alone as a club that had so much history but importantly potential.
"We observed how the fans reacted to the low season ticket prices and how they followed the club along their two recent cup runs.
"We hope this season we’ve shown supporters how exciting the future will be at the club. We’ve already invested significantly on players for the future.
"We have also honoured our pledge to keep football affordable and whilst we know selling 20,000 is a big number, we want fans to play their part and fill the stadium, creating that amazing atmosphere on match days."
With the club currently in the play-off places in League One, there is still a realistic chance of promotion, and City’s fellow joint-owner Stefan Rupp believes fans who buy early can only win.
He stated: "Who knows how the season will finish? But supporters already know how much it will cost them to watch the team next season.
"This is a really positive position to be in. By buying early it will help us to plan our budgets accordingly and whilst in some ways it’s a gamble, the only winners are the fans and the club.
"We’re very proud to be involved with this great club and we’re all working hard to achieve our short-term, mid-term and long-term goals.
"Whenever we’ve had visitors over from Germany to watch this season, they’ve all been impressed with the connection between the club and its fans.
"Our aim is to continue this and in time bring success on the pitch also."
The revised pricing structure means that unlike in other seasons the prices will start to rise as the season builds to a crescendo, but with five weeks before they do, everyone has the opportunity to budget accordingly.
In addition, the option to pay monthly means fans can spread the payment over the season and still enjoy the benefits of being a full season ticket holder for only £7.12 a game (This is based on interest of £14.90 on a £149 season ticket. Total payable £163.90 over nine months which is still cheaper than the 3rd April price).
A full list of 2017/2018 season tickets can be found below:
Key Points
- Season ticket prizes are frozen from last season from 1st March to 3rd April.
- There is an affordable monthly payment plan for anyone wishing to pay over nine months.
- The popular ‘Flexi ’ option will remain meaning fans can still reserve their seat without buying a full season ticket. HOWEVER, the price will increase from £50.00 to £70.00 to cover additional administrational costs. Fans choosing this option will no longer receive a card but will need to purchase a match ticket prior to games either online or at the ticket office. There will be no cash turnstiles next season for league games.