Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust
  • About us
  • THST News
  • Membership
  • Campaigns
  • Contact
  • AGM
  • Cycle On You Spurs
  • Forum

THST: STUBHUB – Q&A WITH EVERTON'S THE BLUE UNION

26/4/2013

 
Picture
The end of the 2012/2013 season also sees the end of the original Spurs Ticket Exchange. This has been replaced by a partnership with StubHub, an ebay company, which states that fans can “resell seats for home matches they can’t  attend, set their own price and change it whenever they like”.

 While the system will only be activated once a home game has sold out, the move to StubHub has caused many ripples among the Spurs fanbase, and rightly so. Secondary ticketing  markets can be little more than legalised touting.
THST has called a meeting with THFC to discuss the partnership and how the StubHub exchange will work for Spurs fans. This will take place ahead of the Southampton home game on Saturday, 4th May. Rather than mulling over the theory, THST contacted Everton’s The Blue Union for some practical experience of StubHub. Both Everton and Sunderland have been using StubHub’s system this
season.
Here, Simon Magner of The Blue Union, responds to questions posed by Spurs fans via @THSTOfficial’s Twitter account on 20th April. While Simon’s answers are, obviously, Everton specific, they provide plenty of food for thought for Spurs fans.

 1. Prior to moving over to StubHub this season, what system was in place for Everton fans to sell on unwanted match tickets?
Before this season’s deal with StubHub, there was nothing in place to sell on match tickets. Most fans tended to (and probably still do) pass on their tickets to friends/family.

 2. Was the introduction of StubHub greeted with much resistance or scepticism from Everton supporters?
There was a mixed reaction from Evertonians. Many saw this as a good business deal for the club, bringing in much needed extra revenue (although I’m not sure what the exact figures are), some Evertonians were slightly more sceptical and realised that this kind of scheme has very little policing, opening the door for legalised ticket touting.

3. With no upper limit on ticket pricing, have Everton fans managed to keep resale prices at a sensible level?
For the majority of the season, I would say the average Evertonian has benefitted from this deal. The club has struggled to sell out Goodison Park this season, and tickets for several games could be found on StubHub, priced between £15-20. Everton also ran a scheme which gave season ticket holders two vouchers for discounted match tickets (£15) to pass onto friends and family.

4. Is the Everton StubHub model open to members of EFC only?
No, any supporter can take advantage of the StubHub selling mechanism, which opens a number of safety concerns regarding away fans sitting in home ends. 

5. If not, how have EFC ensured tickets are bought by home supporters? Have there been any instances of away fans buying tickets in the home end?
I am unsure if there have been any direct instances of away fans purchasing tickets in the home end via StubHub and I am unaware of any problems this may have caused. As far as I know, Everton do very little to help police this.

6. How much were tickets selling for, on average, for the bigger games i.e. Merseyside derby etc.? Was this more than face value?
Tickets were spotted on StubHub for the Merseyside derby at £200. The face value for these kind of matches is usually around £40.

7. Presumably, StubHub charges a commission on each transaction. What percentage is this of the sale value?
On a typical order (not necessarily EFC tickets), StubHub would take a 20-25%  of the purchase price. Buyers tend to pay 10% more than the listed price and sellers receive 10-15% less. Obviously, this has not been the case with most tickets for Everton but would change depending on ticket demand.

8. Does the Everton StubHub model offer an option to sell away tickets also?
No. StubHub does not sell away tickets on behalf of the club. Everton usually have a healthy away support, and the club sometimes decides to take a lower allocation since this reduces the up front cost the club is expected to pay.

 9. After a season of using StubHub, what’s the reality of Everton fans’ experience of the system as opposed to the preconception?
In the main, the system appears to be beneficial, for the time being, while demand is low. As I have said previously, we have had very few sell outs this season and there have usually been plenty of tickets available for supporters at the ground. I think most Evertonians (non-ST holders) who require match tickets would still use the official ticket office at Goodison Park before purchasing
tickets from StubHub –possibly because many are unsure how the system works and may not even be aware of it. There is obviously still the worry that as demand increases, so too will ticket prices – especially for premium games. I believe this should be a cause for concern for clubs such as Spurs whose match tickets appear to be in high demand and are fairly expensive in comparison. This could
potentially see ticket prices soar.


 


Comments are closed.

    Categories

    All
    Against Franchise Football
    Atmosphere
    Away Fans
    Board
    Community
    Competitions
    Controlled Parking Zone
    Events
    Financial Results
    Football Without Fans Is Nothing
    Fundraising
    Legal
    Pricing
    Safe Standing
    Safety & Policing
    Season At Wembley
    Stadium
    Stop Stubhub
    Surveys
    THST Updates
    Ticket Exchange
    Ticketing
    Twenty's Plenty
    White Hart Lane

    THST News

    Keep up to date with the latest News from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust

    JOIN    THST

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust

About Us
Membership

FAQs
Acknowledgements
Contact
Policies
Picture
As a voluntary, independent, not-for-profit organisation, THST relies solely on membership fees and donations to cover our running costs. All donations help us to deliver more for our members. 
Affiliate members of:
Picture
 © 2014 THST - All rights reserved