Owner explains ticket improvements
Norman Smurthwaite says that changes to the ticketing system at Vale Park shows that the club are “listening” to fans and will save the club tens of thousands of pounds.
Smurthwaite says that the previous deal under Ticketmaster was costing £5,000 per month and the new system is considerably cheaper. He told the Sentinel: “The Ticketmaster system was costing us £5,000 a month so we are making a big saving.”
One of the biggest mistakes I made last season was not listening to what the fans really wanted. I hope we are showing we are now…
The club will operate a combination of turnstiles next season – some with barcode readers and some without. The club was initially going to provide paper season tickets but Smurthwaite said the partially automated system will benefit the club.
He commented: “I did say a few months ago that I wasn’t going to do this but I have since been able to organise the project at a significantly reduced rate. It won’t make too much difference for games with our current average gate, but when we get bigger crowds it will be much smoother.”
The Vale owner also believes that the innovative ten ticket deal shows that the club can react to demand from supporters. Smurthwaite added: “It is an initiative I hope will suit fans who have busy lives, but still want to come to as many Port Vale matches as they can during the campaign.
“We have a five-month flexible payment plan for season tickets too, which should help spread the cost of coming to the football. One of the biggest mistakes I made last season was not listening to what the fans really wanted. I hope we are showing we are now.”