We are delighted that THFC has decided not to renew its partnership with StubHub. THST has opposed the deal for four seasons and, with your support, had some success in restricting the original model’s ability to drive up prices. From next season, the ticket exchange will be taken back in house and operated by the Club, with technical support from Ticketmaster.
This represents a very welcome move away from the incentivised touting we’ve seen on StubHub over the past four seasons and gives the Club much more flexibility over the running of the platform, something that will benefit fans.
As always with THFC, the devil is in the detail, and we continue to talk to the Club about the mechanics of the new exchange and how this will work for fans. As this is the Club’s decision, it will release full details in due course. But there are some parts we do know at this stage.
We have always argued for a ticket exchange system to be run as a service to fans, not an additional revenue generator, and we are pleased that the Club has taken this on board. There will be no fees for the seller, which is very welcome. Buyers will pay face value plus a flat rate £7.50 transaction fee on the platform. We have pushed the transaction fee down from the initial figure suggested and would like the Club and Ticketmaster to have gone further, but this is a vast improvement on the fees charged by StubHub over the past few seasons.
We also think the seller should receive the face value of the ticket they are selling. Face value is the price the Club charges for entry to the match concerned. The Club’s position is that the seller will receive 1/19th of the value of their Season Ticket for each ticket they successfully sell via the ticket exchange.
This means that sellers would effectively receive over face value for Cat C matches and under face value for Cat A matches, essentially incentivising resale for the less attractive matches where attendance should be incentivised. Although, without confirmation of match day pricing, this is an informed assumption.
THE FUTURE
The long campaign we fought over StubHub has, thanks to the support of members and national supporter organisations, been successful and shows fans can make our voices heard. The end result has been to secure a system that offers fans the opportunity to exchange tickets they cannot use without driving prices up, and that offers the Club flexibility.
We will continue to put the fan perspective to the Club. To do this effectively, we rely on your support. The more members we represent, the stronger our voice is. Sometimes it takes longer than we would like to achieve what we want. And the Club’s tendency to change its position at the last minute is not helpful. But we still firmly believe we achieve more by speaking up than by simply paying up.
We will continue to speak up and work for positive outcomes. The success of the campaign against StubHub should encourage us all.
Any fans wishing to join THST, please click here.
THST Board
19 June 2017
As always with THFC, the devil is in the detail, and we continue to talk to the Club about the mechanics of the new exchange and how this will work for fans. As this is the Club’s decision, it will release full details in due course. But there are some parts we do know at this stage.
We have always argued for a ticket exchange system to be run as a service to fans, not an additional revenue generator, and we are pleased that the Club has taken this on board. There will be no fees for the seller, which is very welcome. Buyers will pay face value plus a flat rate £7.50 transaction fee on the platform. We have pushed the transaction fee down from the initial figure suggested and would like the Club and Ticketmaster to have gone further, but this is a vast improvement on the fees charged by StubHub over the past few seasons.
We also think the seller should receive the face value of the ticket they are selling. Face value is the price the Club charges for entry to the match concerned. The Club’s position is that the seller will receive 1/19th of the value of their Season Ticket for each ticket they successfully sell via the ticket exchange.
This means that sellers would effectively receive over face value for Cat C matches and under face value for Cat A matches, essentially incentivising resale for the less attractive matches where attendance should be incentivised. Although, without confirmation of match day pricing, this is an informed assumption.
THE FUTURE
The long campaign we fought over StubHub has, thanks to the support of members and national supporter organisations, been successful and shows fans can make our voices heard. The end result has been to secure a system that offers fans the opportunity to exchange tickets they cannot use without driving prices up, and that offers the Club flexibility.
We will continue to put the fan perspective to the Club. To do this effectively, we rely on your support. The more members we represent, the stronger our voice is. Sometimes it takes longer than we would like to achieve what we want. And the Club’s tendency to change its position at the last minute is not helpful. But we still firmly believe we achieve more by speaking up than by simply paying up.
We will continue to speak up and work for positive outcomes. The success of the campaign against StubHub should encourage us all.
Any fans wishing to join THST, please click here.
THST Board
19 June 2017
RSS Feed
