- Sep 12, 2005
- 24,604
- 21,898
The suggestion that we have 48,000 people waiting on a list ready and willing to immediately commit to a season ticket at the first possible opportunity is absolute cobblers and a PR line spun by the club. We have 48,000 people who've paid the extra fiver a year or whatever it is to have a bronze membership, rather than a lilywhite one. Among the extra benefits of a bronze membership, are a free annual handbook, and the entitlement to a place on the season ticket waiting list. A significant number of those will have no interest in buying a season ticket, won't have the money, or in many cases won't even live in this country. It's a huge stretch of the truth to suggest we have 48,000 people waiting to buy a season ticket.
Just as well we're not building an 84k stadium then, isn't it.
Like you say, other than a place on the season ticket waiting list the benefits of bronze membership are a season review book, plus being able to buy a very limited number of tickets one day earlier (which, as a bronze member, I never bother with as it's even more infuriating than trying to get tickets on a Tuesday). Certainly not worth an extra £15 a year, so why else would anyone become a bronze member if they have absolutely no intention of buying a season ticket? Unless they're all stupid?
Sure, not everyone on that list will be able to buy a season ticket as and when they are offered one, for various reasons. But with the exception of maybe the first 1,000 on that list who might be able to get one in the next couple of years due to existing holders not renewing, everyone will know that they won't get a season ticket until we get a new stadium which won't be for at least three years, which is ample time to start saving up for one.
Even then, probably only the next 15-17,000 or so will end up being offered a season ticket.