Off Topic Ticket transparency

A copy of the letter from the Supporters Trust to the Club.

I’m lucky and have a season ticket but whilst guessing I know I would be interested in non ticket holders views. How many would like to get a season ticket themselves where only they could use it and how many are happy if they could just get a ticket on an as and when they want basis?


Ticketing Transparency - An Open Letter to NUFC
Open Request for Ticketing Transparency

In light of ongoing ticketing issues, NUST now feels the need to publicly ask NUFC for full ticketing data transparency in our open letter to the club that you can read below:

Urgent Call for Transparency on Ticketing – A Request on Behalf of Supporters

Dear Newcastle United,

We are once again calling on the club to provide full and unambiguous transparency around ticketing.

This issue has been raised by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) on multiple occasions, and the failure to provide clarity is contributing to growing frustration, mistrust, and division within the fanbase.

The information we are requesting is straightforward, reasonable, and in the public interest. There is no credible reason why it cannot be shared. In fact, doing so would demonstrate the club’s respect for its supporters and commitment to fair process.

In his introductory remarks, new CEO David Hopkinson stated:
“The fans are the lifeblood, the body of this club and what it means. They’re the magic, and we need to understand what they want, and change in a way that’s consistent with delivering on their ambitions.”

If fans are truly the lifeblood of the club, then transparency must follow. That includes openness about how tickets are allocated, who receives them, and how many people are competing for them. Anything less undermines trust.

We therefore request the following information:

1. Season Ticket Holders/Members
Total number of season ticket holders (current season)
Total number of Mags members (current season)

2. Ticket Allocations (Home & Away)
Tickets available to members via ballot or public sale (excluding corporate allocations)
Total away ticket allocation and the proportion reserved for season ticket holders
Number of tickets allocated via the away ballot
Number of away tickets ‘ring-fenced’ (e.g. withheld for internal or undisclosed reasons)

3. Ballot Outcomes (Last Season)
Average ballot success rate per home match
Average chance of ballot success for an individual Mags member

For over two years, the club has maintained that this information is ‘commercially sensitive’. We strongly challenge that position. Numerous other Premier League clubs - including Liverpool FC - already publish this type of information openly, without compromising any commercial interests.

Indeed, Liverpool have set a clear benchmark by publishing their detailed Matchday Ticketing Data for the 2024/25 season. You can read that information here.

It is vital that supporters - particularly paying members - understand how tickets are allocated, so they can assess whether the process is fair and transparent. Without this information, members cannot reasonably judge the value of their membership, nor can they make informed decisions about renewing membership, entering ballots or setting aside time for Mags member sales.

We fully acknowledge that no system will satisfy every supporter, especially given the limited number of tickets available relative to demand. But without transparency, no system can be trusted to be fair.

We call on Newcastle United to publish this data immediately and commit to an open approach going forward. The club’s failure to do so only widens the divide between decision-makers and the loyal fans who follow Newcastle home and away.

Transparency builds trust. The time for clarity is now.

Yours faithfully,
Newcastle United Supporters Trust

 

As an 'as and when' supporter (mainly due to the distance I live from Newcastle), I'd like to see some transparency here. In 3 years I've only been successful in 1 ballot out of about 15-20 attempts.

The other times I've been to SJP, it's been entirely through the ability to 'buy' (transfer) someone's season ticket for the day, via the links of very nice folk on this forum.

So the ability to transfer season tickets for a limited number of games per year is very helpful to occasional attendees like myself. But I do get it can be difficult for the club to police that.

Clearly something isn't right and some folk are taking advantage. But there needs to be a way for people to have a fair chance at attending matches on an occasional basis.

 

On Wednesday last against Bradford
there was a guy sitting in front of me who was a Bradford fan
there were another 2 sitting closer to the pitch Just left to Magdad

I want to know how these fans got tickets over Newcastle fans???

Did they buy into the Members scheme and enter the ballot ??, I presume not
the guy in front of me kept quiet all game and said nowt (respect)
the two down the front started to wave a Bradford flag (no respect)
and were politely told to stop, by a Newcastle fan

 

#StoptheBallots

 

I quickly read that as Stop the Bollocks

 

So did I.

 

Isn't that because you need a block of 4 tickets to accomodate you though?

 

I don't like the idea of transparent tickets. People will see right through them.

 

please log in to view this image

 

That's not the point!!


But... yes.

 

It cries out for a bigger stadium.

Problem is that I expect the ‘new’ seats will go to corporate or tourists on ‘special’ packages and be more expensive again meaning the normal fan gets priced out.

Any tickets on ticket re-sale sites should automatically be canceled. Providers to those sites should also have their season tickets automatically cancelled. Not sure how the Club achieve that TBF.

 

FFS, is it national Pick On Obi Wan Day or something?

 

Yes.