Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Condemns Ticket Pricing and Communication Failures for Champions League Fixtures

The Chelsea Supporters’ Belief (CST) is deeply involved with the membership’s dealing with of ticket gross sales for upcoming UEFA Champions League fixtures. Latest choices have been marked by poor communication, unjustifiable worth will increase, and a disregard for supporters.

The message is evident – cease exploiting our loyalty.

Poor Communication

The announcement of particular person ticket gross sales and pricing for the Benfica match got here lower than 24 hours earlier than gross sales started. This brief discover as soon as once more highlights the membership’s failure to respect the realities of life for atypical supporters, lots of whom make vital private and monetary sacrifices to attend matches.

Unjustified Worth Will increase

By putting the Benfica match within the AA pricing class, tickets will see a 77.5% enhance for a league stage match in comparison with many tickets for final season’s Convention League semi-final. Whereas the Champions League is undoubtedly a extra prestigious competitors than the Convention League, these sharp will increase are neither justified nor sustainable.

Consequently, we will moderately assume that the membership will place all knockout matches in the identical AA class, no matter opposition. This strategy undermines the credibility of the class pricing system.

Elimination of Concession Pricing

The AA class designation for the Champions League additionally removes concessions for seniors, under-20s, and under-23s in lots of elements of the bottom – one thing that was by no means extensively communicated earlier than pricing for this match was launched. This contradicts the membership’s beforehand said dedication to making sure accessibility for supporters, and particularly to encouraging the following era of followers attending matches.

Wider Issues

The dearth of transparency round pricing, the rushed gross sales course of, and the disregard for concessions paint a troubling image of the membership’s priorities. Whereas the CST recognises that matchday income is reinvested into the membership, we reject the concept that the income is coming from the proper locations and that it’s being spent properly – particularly when it’s on the expense of supporters attending matches. Wanting on the newest monetary information launched by Chelsea from 2023/24, matchday income accounted for 17% of all income. These will increase have an outsized impression on supporters and matchday environment, and a minimal impression on the membership, particularly when making an allowance for that business income has not been maximised.

Choices like these danger additional alienating loyal supporters and threaten the matchday environment that makes Stamford Bridge distinctive.

Our Name to Motion

The Chelsea Supporters Belief calls on Chelsea FC to:

Instantly evaluate its Champions League ticket pricing technique.
Reinstate concession pricing throughout the bottom for all Champions League fixtures bought on a match by match foundation.
Talk ticket gross sales timelines and constructions with ample discover and transparency.

With out pressing change, the membership dangers additional undermining its relationship with the very supporters who’re the lifeblood of Chelsea Soccer Membership.