28 Jul 2008Season ticket sales strong despite credit crunch

Football Clubs News | Football Finance News | Football Supporters News

Football fans are refusing to sacrifice their season tickets in the face of the credit crunch.

Football research from Channel 4 News found that over half the clubs in the top two divisions of English football are enjoying good sales.

Figures showed that 19 of the 36 clubs taking part showed year-on-year increases in the number of season tickets sold while nine showed little change despite worries over rising prices and low attendances.

Eight showed decreases in sales including Derby, Birmingham City and Reading who were relegated to the Championship.

Dan Jones, a partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte & Touche, told Channel 4 News that football was a "special" expense and fans were reluctant to "let go of their season tickets".

The study highlighted Norwich City - which has 20,000 season ticket holders - as a good example.

Andrew Cullen, the club's director of sales and marketing, said Norwich introduced a family philosophy and consulted fans during the 1990s leading to 10,000 fans buying season tickets.

Appearances in the playoff final and promotion attracted 20,000 season ticket holders.

"I think that is a trick that many football clubs miss, that they should market to families and groups rather than just individuals," he explained.

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