Season Tickets 2025/26 Proposals
We Are The Rovers, the Blackburn Rovers Supporters Trust, have agreed this as our input into discussions about season ticketing for the next season 2025/26.
November 27, 2024
We Are The Rovers, the Blackburn Rovers Supporters Trust, have agreed this as our input into discussions about season ticketing for the next season 2025/26.
The coming season is important for several reasons. 2025 is the 150th Anniversary of the foundation of our Club, this is a momentous occasion and could be recognised in the marketing strategy for ST sales. The ST sales strategy must also recognise the reasons behind the disappointing ST sales for 2024/25.
WATR (We Are The Rovers) are critical of our Club’s approach to ST sales. ST go on sale far too late; the marketing is poor and limited with its geographical reach. Our Club has basically had the same old offering of full and ½ ST’s plus the occasional bundle for the last 40+ years.
Our Club need to recognise its failure to increase our fan base, it needs to be innovative and try different approaches. Pricing and marketing need to be joined up, and there is an urgent need to listen and act upon supporter engagement.
These proposals promote the WATR view. These proposals have been discussed by our WATR Board. We also agreed to express our concern on future ST sales. 2024/25 ST sales were poor and, we believe, only achieved the level they did due to the £30 ‘early bird’ offer alongside the Riverside offer albeit this fell short of our own WATR proposals for 2024/25.
Next season brings even bigger challenges. We now have fewer Saturday 3pm kick off times than ever before; we are aware that non-Saturday 3pm games have on average 25% of ST holders not attending; this is a warning flag of even worse sales to come. In addition, the increase of illegal streaming will result in more and more who will stay away. The other challenge that needs addressing is the lack of atmosphere at Ewood prior to and during games; this can only be addressed as part of a holistic plan towards pricing, marketing and fan engagement. Sadly, our Club are lacking when it comes to addressing these challenges.
Making comparisons to other clubs is counterproductive. Rovers are a unique proposition and face an issue where we have more seats unoccupied than full in many games. This alone suggests that the ticket offering is incorrect and needs dramatic change. Currently the perception of many is that a season ticket does not represent good value for money. This must be addressed through a combination of appropriate pricing and increasing the perceived value of the product.
There is a lack of togetherness between the club and its supporters which is manifesting itself in fans staying away. Fans feel continually let down and taken for granted, and a perceived lack of reinvestment of transfer fees received is a major source of concern. The only way this issue can be addressed is through a real club commitment to ongoing fan engagement.
While early bird offers may be the norm across football, they do not work at Rovers. The lack of goodwill between fans and club means that rather than early bird offers being seen as a reward for loyalty, the price increases are seen as a punishment for those unable to commit immediately. If two people are forced to pay vastly differing prices for the same product, very few will pay the higher amount. The window for the early bird price was far too narrow this summer, and we believe they should have been released earlier and for a longer period covering at least two pay days
There needs to be incentive beyond watching the game for supporters to spend their money going to Ewood. Addressing the lack of atmosphere must be a priority. This is central to any ST and match day sales strategy. The Fanzone needs to be open earlier, offering wider variety targeting the demographic inclusive of younger people; it also requires fair pricing limits on food and drink. There needs to be investment by the Club by paying for decent local live bands in the Fanzone; many local bands have a good ‘following’ thus potentially attracting new fans to Ewood.
Our Club seriously need to address the atmosphere in the ground, this could be assisted by the Owners investing in safe standing, the cost of which now being more competitive due to less onerous safety regulations allowing the retrofitting of crush bars rather than the whole seat being replaced. In brief Ewood needs investment to make it an attractive and exciting place for younger fans to attend and return.
This has been an ongoing concern for WATR. ST’s must be on sale in time for the last home game of the current season. Other clubs in the North West offer a free ticket for school students for the final game if they attend with adults; we are aware of the success of this in attracting younger fans who have pressured their parents into subsequently buying ST’s and match day tickets. Earlier ST’s also gives supporters more to budget by having more pay days; it should also give a steady cashflow to our Club during the close season.
It is vital the club consider the economic situation for many families in the local area who make up the potential match going support. Fans need to be able to budget appropriately to purchase season tickets and should be given as many paydays as possible to do this without the threat of price hikes at arbitrary deadlines.
This proposal will go against the grain as our Club does not like to produce printed materials anymore. However, there are several new housing estates with 2 miles of Ewood. At the top of Gib Lane, off Livesey Branch Road, many 100’s of new quality houses has recently been constructed. 100’s more are to follow off Brokenstone Road and Tockholes. Surely the Club can afford approximately £200 or so to produce a ST sales leaflet for every property and ask supporters to help with delivery? These are simple and cost-effective targets.
The Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority is a good size local authority unit to work with that allows access to local schools and community centres. However, supporters, and potential supporters do not neatly fit into the BwD local authority area. Substantial numbers of existing ST holders (we believe almost 50%) live outside of BwD.
The immediate areas of Hyndburn, Rossendale, Chorley, the Ribble Valley, and South Ribble have historically been strong Rovers supporting areas. Competitor clubs now actively target these areas while Rovers are absent. For example, previously ‘solid’ Rovers supporting areas of Samlesbury, Rishton, Great Harwood, Clitheroe and Chorley villages such as Hoghton, Brinscall, Withnell, Brindle and Wheelton all have children who gravitate towards LCC schools rather than BwD; they attend schools in, for example Chorley, Leyland, Walton-le-Dale and Penwortham where there in no Rovers input whatsoever. Our Club need to have a strategy towards LCC and outlying areas.
We mentioned earlier our concerns about the usage of Firesticks and the lack of attendance by existing ST holders to non-Saturday 3pm games. The problem is far more than illegal streaming, it is also one of attitude and feeling used. The view WATR hear time and time again is that our Club are always ‘milking’ the same group of supporters; loyalty can only be tested so much. Given the present paucity in home attendances there is little motivation and benefit in buying a ST apart from loyalty. Retention of Season Ticket holders is key, as people who pick and choose games inevitably attend less. An effective loyalty reward system and an opportunity for those fans who are committed season ticket holders to increase their spend should be a priority.
WATR have consistently petitioned for entry level pricing. By structuring pricing in the Riverside, the same as the other stands, Rovers fans are bound to higher prices that match away ticket prices for high category games. A reduction across the Riverside, and drastic reductions on the uncovered seats in the front rows would allow for the club to prevent home fans being priced out and provide a fairer structure.
We know of keen Rovers supporters in towns like Southport, Morecambe and St Annes who cannot attend early kick off nor evening games due to a lack of public transport to get them to an early kick off or home from an evening game. A limited game ST (perhaps 10 or 12 home games should be considered for supporters who travel say more than 25 miles. Additionally, proactively engaging with and mobilising supporter groups in outlying geographical areas could see groups hiring coaches, carpooling etc.
Our Club should also consider ticket bundling where, for example, and extra £25 can be added to the ST price and this would include a Women’s Team ST.
For the more affluent supporter what about add on opportunities? For example, for an additional £25 the ST supporter would be able to pick up a signed football from the club shop or for £50 the ST holder would be invited to view a training session at Brockhall. We are sure if some meaningful supporter engagement took place many sensible cost effective and income generating ideas could be considered and implemented.
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+ years, sadly our Club’s approach to ST 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:
