Sky Blues Slip Up Again On Season Tickets

In the wake of the feel good factor unleashed by the victory at Wembley, Coventry City made a couple of small but positive steps.

Cutting ticket prices for the Legends Day fixture (and Football League Trophy parade) against Peterborough resulted in a bigger than usual attendance last weekend while the appointment of Tommy Widdrington to the backroom staff with a specific brief to focus on player recruitment goes some way to addressing a measure that has badly let the Sky Blues down over the past year or so.

However, with League Two football still on the cards for next season, despite the improvements brought about by Robins in his short time in charge, the club could also have been expected to make some kind of downward move on season ticket prices for 2017/18.

With prices remaining the same, however, at £299 for a Standard Zone brief and £345 in the ‘Premium Zone’ (which also incorporates this season’s Standard Plus Zone and is therefore an increase for supporters in that area who want to stay in the same seat), chairman Tim Fisher has attempted to defend the fact that there is no reduction in place to watch football at a lower level.

A statement on the official CCFC website quotes Mr Fisher as saying that: ‘We are unlike most other football clubs, in that we do not benefit from non-ticketing revenue’ as a reason for pinning prices at this season’s levels.

With many supporters pointing out that the likes of Bradford City have been selling season tickets as low as £149, Mr Fisher adds: ‘We are fully aware that other League One clubs have ongoing ticket promotions and offers. Unfortunately, Coventry City FC are not in a position to replicate these, despite wanting to reward our loyal supporters.’

And yet the Sky Blues were in a similar position when they offered a flat rate price of £249 for the 2015/16 season and capped matchday prices at £20.

Two years further on there is a backdrop of increased anger and apathy towards the club, a dismal league campaign and a push from local clubs for stayaway fans.