https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/update-on-season-tickets/

Talking to somebody who turns sixty on August 9th and a loyal season ticket holder for years, the comment I received on the price hike and the fact that a further wait of five years to be given concession status ( eagerly anticipated this year), added to the fact that the club has made no reference to the fact that all of us have "gifted" the club the remaining value of our existing season ticket value for matches missed at the shutdown of the 2019/20, then the club can bollox.
Last season a 62 year old paid £150 early bird price and next season will have to pay £325. More than double !!!!!!
Good luck with that Mr Singh.

Less than £15 a game at full season ticket price. There is always someone ready to whinge. Still I am sure there will be more than 1,000 fans willing to buy one.

A full season ticket price has gone up by 30% and a concession by 50%. Hartlepool is not a rich town and quite a lot of people will be out of work in the not too distant future. I paid £650 last year for two adults and one adult concession. Next season I am expected to pay £875, which is an increase of £225 or just under 35%. How is that justifiable???? If we had been promoted I would expect an increase but not by over a third, surely.
If questioning such price hikes is whingeing then I'm happy to be called a whinger.
The simple fact is that we three aren't paying it, end of.

It's tough on fans aged between 60 and 64, especially if they are not working.

Can see where the club is coming from though - at the minute there is zero chance of getting 3,000 + season ticket holders and they have to jack up the prices to get anything like a reasonable amount of money in for the start of the season. It's a gamble for them and for the fans. Come October there'll be a week by week risk that the government announces another lockdown and everything goes back to square one.

I noticed that there's nothing about admission to the standing areas of the ground and that the new season tickets can't be booked online - haven't used a cheque book for a couple of years and not sure if I can find it!

Oh and is the reason that they are only issuing 1000 initial tickets is to make people panic into buying without reference to the massive hike? Once the 1000 go then, lo and behold, will another batch will be put up?
People will make their choice and if they flock to buy then fair enough, that is their choice but not for me.

I am aware that real hard decisions have to be made but aren't most businesses losing funds through this current situation?
What if all businesses responded in a likewise manner?
It wouldn't be called whingeing then.
If we were asked to pay 30% hikes for rent, food, mortgages etc people wouldn't be whingeing, they would be rioting.
I really daren't contemplate this scenario but what if the price of a pre match pint went up by 30% ???? AAAAARRRGGGHHH !!!

I agree derwent i will not pay more than double i payed last year.

Quite right and very understandable, Mr Poolie. Once a bloke reaches concession status it shouldn't suddenly be withdrawn. You were given concession status and the club should honour their decision to give you that status.
I don't know you but I know people in your situation who have been supporting Pools since they were knee high to a grasshopper and have been rewarded for their loyalty by the award of concession status. To now remove the concession is disgraceful and I hope the club realise this and reconsider their decision. They should concede that it is a mistake and put it right.

The problem Mr Singh had is the bargain price Season Tickets since the days of IOR introducing the super deal. For the club to regain it's League status a large increase was always needed or substantial personal investment. The large losses and income drop caused by the virus have brought it along in one go.

Clearly a lot of people will not get tickets in response, especially those hit by the Concession change. But the Government did raise the Pension age many years ago and although unwelcome I suppose this was likely to happen as well.

Worrying times though as no certainty when the season will start and how many will be allowed in. Perhaps the loss of crowd size at bigger clubs might help swell our own crowds.

Be interesting to see how quickly they are snapped up.

No one is forcing anyone to buy a ticket. If you don't like the prices, don't buy one.

I think this is a long overdue initiative from the club, although hopefully they can give the scheme a quick tweak and offer a transition period for one season for the 60-64 year olds, purely down to the lack of notice. However I must say that a 61 year old doesn't need/deserve a cheap ticket, no matter how long they have been supporting pools, given they are still 6 years off retirement!

Like many on here, I love Pools. I have been going to watch games since 1975......today I am one disappointed supporter.

I have just turned 60, my husband is 64 - we were looking forward to £300 (ish ) for our 2 season tickets. So not only do we both fall foul of the change in concession age, we have the increased price of season tickets to consider. So next season will be £650 not £300.
I am not naive, I expected an increase ( hairdressers, sandwich shops, etc have all had to increase prices) but come on - where is the loyalty to us die hard fans that have supported this club through many recent hard times.
Please, for once Pools think about your fans, if we are to pay these prices think about the whole day experience, maybe even make it possible to buy a hot drink at half time.

Sorry folks - rant over ......

Personally I understand the reasons for the rise in price. Couple of issues though, it does seem unfair to put the price up for concessions, however in past regimes running the club who decided 60 was the pensioners concession price? At most clubs it’s 65, fairest thing would be to say those between 60 & 65 can still have it, no new applications for 60 year olds, they’d have to wait until 65 rather than take something they’ve already had. A Price increase has been coming for years , since 2008 the cheap tickets are like a millstone round the clubs necks. Trouble is a lot of people are on furlough, many likely to be losing their job & a huge black could economically hangs over us all. .Even selling 1,000 tickets might be a tall order given the economic climate plus if there’s a second spike of the corona virus the rug could be pulled on the season at any time & games stopped again tying up people’s money? Still the clubs not asked for people to say if they want a refund on this years tickets for the games that were cancelled, I don’t begrudge it but it would be nice to be asked.
Down the road Spennymoor Town have asked their ticket holders if they wanted a refund a few weeks ago & have now processed those that did, not sure how many, few I’d think. My issue is I’m medically retired, have an income a lot lower than if I was working yet have to find the full money for a ticket, I also think there should be a concession for those on jobseekers or associated benefits. Going to matches is good for my health, it gives me something to look forward to. Plus for me there’s an extra cost of the fuel to get to Hartlepool each game from Durham. This season depending on price I might do the reverse to what I’ve done for the last few years, get a season ticket for Spennymoor Town if they are significantly cheaper & pay on the gate for Pools games as & when I come.

Yes son. And when you get old do not expect any form of loyalty or recognition for years of support. I can afford my four tickets - and sod your views on retirement ages - but I may well not bother. I don't want to listen to NW Corner b*ll^cks and endure crap on the pitch anymore.

It's almost as if the club could do with someone who understands the fans and has a natural talent for public relations to remind Poolies why forking out a big chunk of change to watch the team still makes some sort of sense.

Then again, a Club Statement every couple of weeks is loads cheaper. What could possibly go wrong with that?

Eight players, no kit, premium prices, no start date.

Wish I was a Darloid.

I think that, after 45 years of loyalty, I've now had enough of having the piss taken out of my family/ wallet.

Haha brilliant, your bitterness has given me quite the tonic!! 61 year olds don’t need cheap tickets, that really shouldn’t offend you!!!

Child

There’s only one of us throwing our toys out the pram!

[quote="Brian Honour's Left Foot"]Eight players, no kit, premium prices, no start date.

if the club had shown some positive intent in signing top quality NL players like rooney and others with more than a good chance of reaching at least the play offs then i just about think the price rise could have been worth it. the club has done their part and its up to us to do ours. think the majority at the moment think pools are going to have a poor season then whats the reason to buy or renue a ST. since the new year i did not miss many home games as i seriously thought pools were back on the rise. i even contemplated buying a ST for next season. with the departure of players and lack of intent from the club they can count me out.

Although I sympathise with those who may struggle to afford a ticket and 60-65s who were expecting a discounted rate, I dont see the club had much choice.

We were close to extinction in the very recent history and Raj doent really have the money to prop up the club any more. They have been hit by the early end to the season and now may be lucky to be allowed more than 2,000 or so supporters in the ground for the foreseable future.Even with the increase in season ticket prices, if we are restricted to approx 2,000 supporters, revenue will be significantly down.

I dont want to pay £325 for a season ticket but I do want the club to survive and be competitive.

So I will be applying for one of the first 1,000 tickets and expected they will be taken. If a second batch is allowed then I expect at least another 500 would be sold.

Some wont buy, some wont be able to afford it, some may just pay on the gate and choose their games but if you want something to blame then it is this horrendous virus and not HUFC.

There will be a quite a few who will choose to pay game by game subject to crowd limits and the performance of the team. If the team don't start well then gates of 1000 will be the norm even when restrictions are lifted. The 60 to 65 year old males are probably getting a bit of a feeling as to what the WASPI women felt like when the pension age rose form 60 to 66, though over a few years not just one year.

A couple of people are going overboard and forgetting that Pools still have the nucleus of a very competitive National League squad and the best manager by a distance that we've had since falling to this level.

When the new season tickets do go on sale it will coincide with new players being signed at the beginning of August - Liddle, Odusina, Shelton and several more, all being well. If that happens, and there's no reason to think it won't, then yes, I'll be looking to renew my season ticket.

As I've said before, Singh and Jesper need to recognise that regardless of the current financial position somebody needs to be banging the drum about what Pools are capable of doing on the pitch next season. It can't all be left to Dave Challinor, he's the fecking manager not a PR man.

think all clubs who actually made concessions available to fans once reaching 60 shot themselves in the foot somewhat. for 5 years i was in limbo at away games. some where 60 and others 65. it was about 50/50. over the years quite a number raised it to 65 where it should have been from day 1. pools fans in that age group have been luckier than a lot in the past.

"Football without the fans is nothing" Jock Stein.
Think the atmosphere will be awful and to be honest we go because others I know go and it's a social event.
Pools are going to upset many fans whatever they do. It's an impossible situation.
I wont be applying.

if pools were not a football club who would pay for something they are not sure of getting. apart from the cost it goes down to the fact of how positive or negative you feel about next season. if i lived 5 minutes from the vic i might risk it but not with a 170 mile round trip to be dicked by kings lynn or wealdstone.

Fact is you have had cheaper tickets than the majority for a while now whilst other clubs that didnt have owners like IOR had to charge more realistic prices.
However this is what you have to look forward to if you ever become a fans owned club. I pay more than the cost of your season ticket in donations to the budget every year as well as having a season ticket. Yes the donations are an option but if you want the club to do well the money has to come from somewhere.

I'd reserve judgement on that till we know what the capacity is really going to be. If it's a third of normal as seems to be the idea at the minute, 2,500-2,600 is not that far away from what Pools have been averaging over the past few seasons. The team playing well and winning is what generates atmosphere, as well as the number of fans in the ground.

What some people fail to realise is that we are in the midst of a pandemic and the club has had next to no income for the past four months. So much so that they have had to furlough some workers and make some loyal staff redundant. The season tickets have been too cheap for years and they have now been brought up to a realistic level to help the club progress. Of course we now have some old fogies complaining the prices aren’t cheap enough and they are not getting concessions. Most of those complaining can well afford the prices and if they dont like it then dont buy one. Let them go to the Bowks Club instead and talk of the good old days while boring the knickers off the barmaids.

"Old fogies"?
Doesn't the Bunker have a 28 page Policy document on "ageism"

Surely the only way forward is to go part time and regionalise. Rebuild the wooden Clarence Road stand and the "opentop" bogs behind the Millhouse terrace and play 2,3,5 with speedy wingers.
At least the catering was better then.

[quote="Docherty"]What some people fail to realise is that we are in the midst of a pandemic and the club has had next to no income for the past four months. So much so that they have had to furlough some workers
you mean like every other club in the country has. a few months ago there was all this talk about X number of clubs not surviving whilst others will be forced into going part time. funny how all that stuff has gone really quiet now there is a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.

First of all you can make your point without referring to other people, who might have a different point, as old fogies.
No one is complaining that the prices aren't cheap enough but question the increase, which they are perfectly entitled to do, so you could also try to be more accurate.
I attended my first game in 1952, which is a long time ago, and am still a season ticket holder. I also have a 200 mile round trip to attend home matches, which is 4600 miles each season plus the away matches I attend. I can handle the increase but I know quite a few people in the 60-64 bracket who will struggle with coping with an over 100% hike in price for anything they currently buy. These people have supported the club for over fifty years and now are faced with a decision as to whether they can still afford to. That is a serious situation to be faced with. I think you should cut them some slack.

Fact is football is now a business, and not just a working mans pastime on a Saturday afternoon. I can see where some are coming from and say what about loyalty from the club, But if you've been going to the same hairdresser/butcher/ garden centre etc for 40 odd years do you ask for it/ expect it, Bet nobody does. Having said that the age rise from 60 too 65 for an OAP concessions is a kick in the bo**cks, That increase could and should have been handled far better. As some have said on here and other forums if you had one last season then a % increase, If getting one for first time then sorry its full price after 3-4 seasons those 61-64 will be the "new" OAP concession age. Yes those reaching 60 will feel hard done by but as they say you cant please everyone all the time

Fact is football is now a business, and not just a working mans pastime on a Saturday afternoon. I can see where some are coming from and say what about loyalty from the club, But if you've been going to the same hairdresser/butcher/ garden centre etc for 40 odd years do you ask for it/ expect it, Bet nobody does. Having said that the age rise from 60 too 65 for an OAP concessions is a kick in the bo**cks, That increase could and should have been handled far better. As some have said on here and other forums if you had one last season then a % increase, If getting one for first time then sorry its full price after 3-4 seasons those 61-64 will be the "new" OAP concession age. Yes those reaching 60 will feel hard done by but as they say you cant please everyone all the time

thing is 65 + is now the retirement age and its never been 60 for men. from 60 to 65 it can be regarded as working age for the vast majority. some maybe on benefits in that age group but so can younger fans with a family. always found the biggest price hike for me was always when i moved from the kids to adult catogary whilst still at school. luckily my parents gave me the money to come to games but its a different world nowadays with less dosh around. no, being a big lad i could not nip through the kids gate as i could not get away with half fare on the buses either but thats another story.

This may not be representative but the vast majority of people i know are not going to bother initially citing all the issues raised above.
I will review in the new year and if all tickets are sold so be it and i will just have to take it on the chin.

Can't see it being 2500 new capacity season ticket sell out by new year and that's including Xmas half season tickets even if we in a play off spot.
To many negatives at the moment imo.
No optional refunds on last 4 games of last season.

Older fans still wary about catching covid.

Huge price increases with no early bird and first 2/3 games played behind closed doors.

Only 8 players.

Could be anutha national lockdown if second wave kicks in.

Positives.
Living in hope for better days as u do being a poolie.UTP.

Perhaps the increase to 65 from 60 was a public health initiative to help to incentivise old farts to not attend to protect them from Covid19?

And the 65 plus increase in price.

Bit skeptical about the "first come first served" line as well - if were going to be restricted on numbers you don't want to be selling concessions - im guessing the full price tickets will be prioritised - no checks simples!

they might as well just round up all us old gits, put us in cattle wagons without food or water and transfer us to concentration camps or milton keynes. many of us over 60,s are the ones least worried on contracting the virus anyway as we know there are no heart attacks or cancer anymore. my lad can in time tell his grandchildren about his father being a covid warrior who risked life and limb to see pools play wealdstone.

Are we seriously being asked for a 50% increase on our season ticket price, against the background of uncertainty as to how many matches we'll actually be allowed to watch???????

Is this proposal of pools the same/similar as other clubs or just something they have dreamt up?

Perhaps at the first home game all us coffin dodgers should gather outside the ground to protest. Socially distancing of course before we continue getting lashed after an early morning start at the King John's Tavern.

f--k the social distancing. arm in arm in complete solidarity against the masses.

somehow missed your post. thats why at the end of the day fan owned clubs without any backer will never work. you,ll have a two tier fanbase with the haves and havenots with the same love for the club. you,ll in the end start finger pointing at those who do not take up the donation option when its thought of em being capable of doing so. it will be fan versus fan when you should be all together.

Well thats not how its worked so far for us. People donate what they can, whether thats a kids pocket money for a week or something far more substantial every week or month.
Nobody so far has come forward and said "I donated £X000 this season so I want more of a say in what happens".
We are all in it together and nobody thinks badly of someone if they can't or don't want to donate.

Cant wait for the pre season 5 a side friendlies.

a couple of reasons why you might be lucky at darlo. so much shit happened to you since leaving a decent feethams. many will just be glad just to have their club back again and being one of the bigger clubs in your league. however i hate to say that i cannot see em pushing on to the next level in the present fan ownership model. hope i,m wrong but apart from 2 games a season i have no hate for darlo and would love the day where they finished runners up to pools at the top of EFL div.2.