The new league season starts two weeks today and Town fans have until next Friday to renew their season tickets. There’s still some uncertainty over exactly when and how fans will return to the John Smith’s Stadium but it’s expected a limited number will return from the start of October.
While I can understand why some fans will be reluctant to renew with so much uncertainty I feel like the club are still offering a good deal based on the circumstances we find ourselves in. Here are the reasons I renewed my season card last night.
Getting back into the stadium
Like most Town fans, I’ve hugely missed going to the stadium to watch Town play. I don’t understand those football fans that literally never watch their team inside a stadium. Watching football on TV is good but nothing compares to being in the stadium and seeing the full game unfold.
Obviously things will be very different to begin with but at least it will be as close to the usual experience as we can get for now. Being spread out, discouraged from shouting and arriving early are going to be odd but it will be good to sit in the stands and see some live football regardless.
Being socially distanced may have some advantages too. Nearly every person I’ve ever spoken to who has a season ticket at Town gets annoyed by someone that sits near them (if you don’t then it’s probably you that they’re complaining about). Being spread out will reduce these annoyances. Not to mention being further away from those with poor personal hygiene will be a welcome relief.
Nobody, including decision makers at the club, knows exactly how tickets will be distributed when the stadium reopens to limited numbers but I’m optimistic most fans will get into most games they want to go to if we avoid the dreaded second wave of coronavirus.
I believe Town had around 15,000 season ticket holders last season. Even without the pandemic I think a few thousand would drop off because Town were so crap last season. Then another few thousand may be put off by the uncertainty at the moment or prefer to shield themselves from public gatherings. Add to that those that have lost their jobs due to coronavirus and can’t afford a season ticket and it could be fewer than 10,000 that actually renew.
Sticking with my back of a fag packet maths, if, as expected, around 7,000 fans are allowed inside then there would be about a 70% chance of getting a ticket in a ballot if everything is done fairly. The chances go up if fans can remove themselves from the ballot for games they can’t make it to (e.g. a lot of people struggle to get to midweek games).
Watching streams isn’t as good but it’s better than nothing
I’m very pleased that the league managed to strike a deal with Sky to allow fans to watch streams of the home games they can’t get to because of the new restrictions. I know I said above how watching on TV isn’t the same but it’s significantly better than listening on the radio (sorry Oggy!) or watching a dodgy illegal stream.
The added bonus of midweek away games is a good sweetener but could have been even better if it included all away matches. If I understood the club’s announcement, Saturday away games will still be available but will cost fans £10 a game. Looking at it from another perspective, the inclusion of seven midweek away games is a £70 freebie.
The price freeze is a good deal
I’ve felt that Huddersfield Town’s season ticket prices have been artificially low for a number of years now. The offer to freeze prices for renewing fans for a further three years means football will remain relatively cheap for a good while if you choose to renew.
If you look around at other clubs season ticket prices then you can see that our prices are pretty low. I think this is the reason that there hasn’t been any reduction in price despite fans not being able to attend the stadium for as many games. They’re already about as cheap as they can be.
This is going to be a very interesting year to follow Town
It felt like an easy decision to renew because this is unquestionably going to be an eventful season at Town. Carlos Corberán has arrived with much fanfare from Hodgkinson, Bromby and Devlin. If he’s as good as they think he is then we can expect a very good season. If it doesn’t go to plan then at least there will be plenty of drama and speculation.
It’s not going to be boring regardless of how well we do but I’m cautiously optimistic about our chances. Which is to say I think there’s a good chance we won’t go down and if things go well we might even manage midtable mediocrity and swerve the relegation scrap. I really don’t think it would be wise to expect much more given last season, the current squad and the changes that have been made.
The club need the money and the support
The final reason I have for renewing my season ticket is that I want to give the club my support during this time of massive uncertainty in football.
I’ve outlined above why I think a season ticket is good value but there’s a possibility that it won’t be. If things don’t go to plan and fans are excluded from the stadium all season I’ll feel a bit gutted but at least I’ll know I’ve supported the club financially in my own small way.
It’s up to individual fans to decide whether they think it’s worth it or not. For some the practicalities just won’t add up, either due to health, logistical or financial reasons. I don’t think anyone can be blamed for skipping this season, particularly when seats will still be reserved for the following season. But I’m glad to have a ticket, excited to get back into the stadium and actually feeling quite optimistic that the club will deliver the exciting brand of football they’ve promised.
Whilst I agree on most of your points I do not agree on the money aspect. Over the past three years, millions of pounds have been squandered on players who do not fit the bill or fill the boots of past players. The main reasons for the loss of such finance and demanding repayments is still there and possibly pulling key strings. The club does have finance but deems to spend it in other personal directions. My money will not this year be frittered away by the club and this season will be a make or break episode for town and club management including directors.
I see your point that the club has poorly managed the Premier League windfall with poor transfer business and the paying for then paying off of managers. I’m not sure there’s anything sinister about the financial side of the club (but I’m far from an expert).
I’d hope the parachute money will cushion Town a bit from the impact of the pandemic but it’s bound to have an effect on the club’s finances.
Renewed our season tickets in March early birds who knew all this was gong to happen then
I renewed back in March and if we don’t get back in to the stadium I’ve opted to have my account credited for the season after but I absolutely refuse the “request a refund” option, 39 years of following town I’ve seen far worse than the situation we are presently in for sure, I think some ov the newer and younger supporters have been spoilt in recent years barring our Premier relegation year (which was dire to say the least) but its about the day out with friends before, during and after the match and the away days, evening matches (which I personally like) the cup runs (or the early exits lol) and the whole match day experience, I’ll be there good or bad, ups and downs because that’s football and we are huddersfield town UTT TTID
Great comment Dean. Let’s hope it’s not long before we’re all back in the stadium.
It bothers me that I agree with your views on most things you write about Town as I form my own opinions rather than nod my head in agreement to others views but I too have renewed today and for the very reasons you outline above although I don’t really have neighbours who I can’t tolerate around me!
CLASS article, my only comment is I hope Ifollow is improved. My reception was awfull.
This lot of past failures will be relegated this coming season and yet another manager will fail and be sacked.
The new season ticket is a bargain I renewed mine in April and hopefully I will continue for the next three years
Towns fans seem to vary in their opinion on the value of season ticket but I agree with you. We’ve been spoilt by cheap tickets for so long that it is seen as the norm.
Your comments all beg the same question. Why didn’t you renew in April last year?
That’s a fair point. In April I wasn’t sure if this coming season would even happen, it seemed sensible to wait and see how everything panned out. I’ve got a lot of admiration for the fans they bought their ticket then even though they didn’t know if they would see any football (live or on a stream).
Your blog in July 2019…..
July 12, 2019
Huddersfield Town will return to the Championship in a few weeks time, following their relegation from the Premier League. The 2018/19 season was a dismal one for Town fans, with just three victories to celebrate all season and some embarrassing low points along the way.
While some fans may see relegation to the Championship as a terrible thing, I’m feeling positive about the forthcoming campaign. Here’s a list of reasons why I think we’re going to have a good season……..Wrong!!
And here we go again. In other words nobody has any idea!
Wow, I couldn’t have been much more wrong about last season. It was an improvement on 18/19 but not by much.
This season feels like another one that could go either way. I like the ambition of what Carlos Corberán wants to do but I’m very concerned he won’t get the backing for the kind of transformation he’s trying to make.
Talk of ‘showing patience’ is all fine and Dandy. Siewert deserved that as much as Corberan does. But it does seem they’ve both been given an impossible task with inadequate resources. As of course were the Cowley’s who performed A small miracle by turning our season round and keeping us up. If patience does eventually run out this year, fans desire for change needs to be directed at the right person. And that should not be Corberán.
I agree about hue size of the task facing Corberán. Bromby, Devlin and Hodgkinson have all pinned their reputations on him being able to deliver their “vision”. If it fails then I’d be looking at the boardroom for someone to blame rather than the coach.