[Albion] What will you do with your season ticket refund?

[LamieRobertson]

We (well, Tony) still lost £30m though didn't we, even with full ticket and TV revenue ?

Wouldn’t bother explaining ....so many judgmental posts...what people want to do with their money is up to them ..posters..players etc....its only good that 300k has been raised ...I’m sure people on here give (time as well as money) to all sorts of things ..and i imagine that goes for players too..they dont always sing about it from the rooftops

 

[blue-shifted]

I pay £160 per month for season tickets for all my family. I have not taken the Holiday option as I have been fortunate enough to keep working so a full wage is coming in.
As this equates to around £100 per game for me to take my family, I am not in a position to forget it and donate. If this was 20 odd years ago during the darker days (before kids = More spare money) I would have given it to the club to help out keeping it afloat.

I do however feel there should be more options for current ST holders from the 2019 / 20 season (Full refund, Credit note for the store with a little additional incentive for example)

The revenue from season tickets doesn't impact the club as much these days with all the TV revenue that pours in.

5 games X 25,000 tickets X £40 = £5m (Rough estimates)

We spent £5m on Matt Clarke last year only to put him straight out on loan so that kind of money must be there.

Agree with your comments about the dark days. When we throwing money in buckets and doing season ticket for life ballots for the club's survival, I felt differently. But now, how can an ordinary person be expected to in any meaningful way contribute to the club's finances? When income and expenditure is measured in £100s of millions.

The link between fan and clubs doesn't exist in the same way as before. Having said that there's something deep within that says, "you don't take money from your football club" .... which I know isn't rational.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

We (well, Tony) still lost £30m though didn't we, even with full ticket and TV revenue ?

In large part because of continual pay rises to playing and managerial staff. That was the choice of the club in pursuit of a PL place at all costs. That does not (and never did) match the approach I would have wished for which would have been living within our means and budgeting (in player contracts) for relegation.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I've never been happy with Tony losing money on an annual basis so, if I can, I'll tell the club to forget the refund.

 

[blue-shifted]

I also agree with those making points along the lines of our average player wage is (from memory) £48k per week.

That's the AVERAGE weekly player wage.

I'm on about half that per year.

I love TB and everything he's done for us, and I don't want to be ungrateful, but it can't be reasonable that losses are borne by the fans. Which is why I should probably take the refund.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Credit note for the store with a little additional incentive for example)
.

This would have been a good idea.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

I'm sure 7 pages in I'm not contributing anything new to the debate, but my wife and I are running a family on a yearly salary of less than what some of our players are paid in a week.

I hadn't budgeted for this money, and I am lucky enough that in the short-term my earnings have not changed (although I suspect in the long-term I could be a victim of a huge public-sector purge), but I don't see why the Albion have any claim on it.

Personally I am more than a little annoyed with the tone from Barber which implies that those wanting the money back might be the exception, not the norm: "We fully appreciate not all fans will be in a position to make a donation or some may not wish to do that".

 

[dazzer6666]

I'm sure 7 pages in I'm not contributing anything new to the debate, but my wife and I are running a family on a yearly salary of less than what some of our players are paid in a week.

I hadn't budgeted for this money, and I am lucky enough that in the short-term my earnings have not changed (although I suspect in the long-term I could be a victim of a huge public-sector purge), but I don't see why the Albion have any claim on it.

Personally I am more than a little annoyed with the tone from Barber which implies that those wanting the money back might be the exception, not the norm: "We fully appreciate not all fans will be in a position to make a donation or some may not wish to do that".

You must get annoyed quite easily if the tone of (for me) a sensibly worded, non- expectant or judgmental email gets you 'more than a little annoyed'...................what was he supposed to write to avoid mortally offending people exactly ?? The club have acted as well as pretty much any organisation I've seen throughout all this (despite what will lead to yet more very significant financial losses), yet people still find the tiniest things to whinge about.

 

[Frankie]

I'm going to donate mine to the Giant Flag fund , it must be absolutely gigantic by now , hopefully i'll get to see it before i leave this mortal coil .

 

[amexer]

No sympathy for club losing £25m last season. Footballs gone mad if a club cant break even on an income of £140m

 

[Your Mum]

Your mum

must be absolutely gigantic by now.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I will ask for a refund. The Premier League is drowning in ever increasing amounts of money and if clubs choose to spend this on ever increasing transfer fees, salaries and agents and not put any away for a rainy day that’s their choice. And they do have a choice. I’m not necessarily complaining but, I won’t be contributing any more of my money.

If we were at Withdean I’d think differently. If the players had taken a pay cut/deferral I’d also probably think different.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

You must get annoyed quite easily if the tone of (for me) a sensibly worded, non- expectant or judgmental email gets you 'more than a little annoyed'...................what was he supposed to write to avoid mortally offending people exactly ?? The club have acted as well as pretty much any organisation I've seen throughout all this (despite what will lead to yet more very significant financial losses), yet people still find the tiniest things to whinge about.

Something like "it's your money so we presume you want it back - however let us know if you want us to keep it".

Don't worry I won't be losing sleep over it but I don't like being made to feel a little like I should be gifting the club £140 given the circumstances the Albion are now in. And believe me (like many on here) I've given the club an eye-watering amount of money over the last 25 years or so.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Something like "it's your money so we presume you want it back - however let us know if you want us to keep it".

Don't worry I won't be losing sleep over it but I don't like being made to feel a little like I should be gifting the club £140 given the circumstances the Albion are now in. And believe me (like many on here) I've given the club an eye-watering amount of money over the last 25 years or so.

Can’t see any problem with that wording at all...he’s responding to contact from fans...

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Can’t see any problem with that wording at all...he’s responding to contact from fans...

Fair enough. I read it as trying to make out that a very significant number of people want to do this, and you should only not if you can't, or if you "don't want to" (you selfish *******).

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Refund back to me. Really can't get on board with just 'giving' the club the money.

This. Just giving the money to 'the club' doesn't feel right at all, unlike giving to the Albion As One charity, or taking the refund and redistributing accordingly. Just dropping the refund back into a club that is sloshing about (or should be) in a bottomless pool of PL riches just feels wrong. With respect, that's not the best use of ANYONE's refund money. Agreed - obviously - that TB is a fan and a good guy, and it's right to praise him as we should. But if it wasn't for the long hard thankless years of hard graft by DK, MP and the Albion fanbase and wider community, TB would not have had that commercially no-brainer opportunity handed it to him on a plate. He's a good guy for sure, but he's above all a shrewd guy

 

[S.T.U cgull]

I am in the fortunate enough position to not really need the money back from the club, so had at first thought to waive the refund and keep it "in club". However, reading this thread on further thoughts, I shall ask for a refund.

If the club though could have outlined their plans for any waived refunds, ie to "ring-fence" these refunds to contribute solely towards the wages of the non-playing staff, then I would have gone for this option straight away. The idea that the refunds shall go back into the club without clarity on usage is my blocker..

Re the Albion as One fund, I am in the privileged position via my profession to know roughly what the average PL footballer earns post-tax and then also their typical expenditure profile...the notion that the contribution from the squad is that impressive is a little overdone - I note the majority of press commentary refers to a significant six-figure donation, suggesting somewhere north of c£700k, as opposed to the actual contribution of c£260k - roughly just over £10k per player. Significant? Yes of course to many of us posting on here, but not in the paradigm of a premier league footballers wealth!

In any case, now that the refund will probably flow back to me via reduced direct debits, I will donate to another charity TBD that will not receive the aid of the Albion as one fund..

 

[Nitram]

I will ask for a refund. The Premier League is drowning in ever increasing amounts of money and if clubs choose to spend this on ever increasing transfer fees, salaries and agents and not put any away for a rainy day that’s their choice. And they do have a choice. I’m not necessarily complaining but, I won’t be contributing any more of my money.

If we were at Withdean I’d think differently. If the players had taken a pay cut/deferral I’d also probably think different.

This. A slick PR stunt deflecting away from club and players taking on their share of responsibility (a six figure sum is not a staggering response as the club paints it but 5 players weekly wage) and treating punters as mugs.
Worse people paying by DD don’t get a direct refund.

 

[Beach Hut]

This. A slick PR stunt deflecting away from club and players taking on their share of responsibility (a six figure sum is not a staggering response as the club paints it but 5 players weekly wage) and treating punters as mugs.
Worse people paying by DD don’t get a direct refund.

Might be me but has anything been advised from the club about refunding Norwich away tickets ?

 

[Is it PotG?]

Might be me but has anything been advised from the club about refunding Norwich away tickets ?

Someone quoted the club's response a day or so back.

Something on the lines of 'wait and see when the game is officially binned'.

Or the cheque is in the post........