Scottish Premiership: Season ticket sales up at majority of clubs

[ian1964 10,417]

More than half of the clubs in the new Scottish Premiership have experienced a rise in season ticket sales.

 

And only two of the 12 clubs have reported a drop in numbers compared to the same period last year.

 

Seven top-flight outfits say figures have improved, with three clubs telling BBC Scotland their business is on a par with last summer.

 

The new season kicks off on Friday evening, with the league still searching for a major sponsor.

 

The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League have merged to form a single governing body for all 42 senior clubs; the Scottish Professional Football League.

 

This followed a turbulent period for the game in Scotland, with high-profile squabbles over the restructuring process.

Continue reading the main story

 

â??There have been some difficult times but I think at times we do beat up on ourselves a bit too muchâ?

 

Neil Doncaster SPFL chief executive

 

Hearts will begin the new top-flight campaign with a deduction of 15 points after entering administration in June, while Dunfermline, who will play in the third tier, are emerging from the same insolvency event, having called in the administrators in March.

 

One top-flight chairman told BBC Scotland: "I think the stats reflect the fact that clubs are now having to reach out to fans and work for their support like never before.

 

"Recent years have been a wake up call for us all. We have to listen to what the fans want and be seen to be listening to their needs."

 

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster points to Scotland enjoying the highest crowds per capita in Europe and is confident the league changes will provide a boost for domestic football.

 

"There have been some difficult times but I think at times we do beat up on ourselves a bit too much," he told BBC Scotland.

 

"I think there are real reasons for optimism. Clubs want to be part of positive change going forward.

 

"They have put aside vested self-interest in the short-term and created something that I believe will benefit the game.

 

"It's hard to argue with play-offs, it's hard to argue with enhanced financial distribution towards the Championship so, for many reasons, I think we will see a better product on the pitch.

 

"But over the longer term it's got to be about developing more and better Scottish players."

 

On the search for a sponsor, Doncaster added: "The organisation has only existed for three weeks.

 

"Clarity and certainty are what sponsors need above all, so we've now created that certainty and we are in dialogue with a number of people.

 

"I'm certainly confident, given the profile the Scottish game has and the positivity around, we will be attractive to a number of potential sponsors and other partners."

Scottish Premiership members took part on the understanding that information would not be club specific.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23512481

[Darthter 542]

From the Record:

 

Scotland's top-flight football clubs given cash boost as season ticket sales rise

 

28 Jul 2013 00:01

WITH a week to go before the SPL kicks off, Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs and Partick Thistle have all recorded increases on last year.

 

SCOTLAND'S top-flight football clubs have been given a cash boost by an increase in season ticket sales.

 

Figures were also up last season â?? as fans rallied to offset gate revenue lost by Rangersâ?? demotion to Division Three.

 

With a week to go before the SPL kicks off, Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs and Partick Thistle all report increases on last year.

 

Inverness CT, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren said levels were much the same as last season.

 

But the Paisley side expect to surge past last yearâ??s figure as they will wait almost three weeks until their first home league game.

 

Only Dundee United reported a decrease â?? although sales were at a record level last season with Dundee derbies played in the SPL for the first time in seven years.

 

Neil Patey, from accountants Ernst and Young, said the bounce could be due to league restructuring â?? or a feelgood factor returning to the economy.

 

He said: â??Any increases are a positive message for Scottish football.

 

â??For Hearts, there has been an appeal to fans to buy season tickets and Partick got a boost from promotion. But for all the other clubs, the football situation is pretty much the same as the season before.

 

â??Given all that has gone on in Scottish football, there could have been a concern that season ticket sales could have fallen.

 

â??That doesnâ??t appear to be the case â?? despite negative predictions when Rangers went down to the Third Division.

 

â??Maybe itâ??s a sign league reconstruction is being viewed positively and the economy generally is better now.â?

 

Champions Celtic said sales were up on last seasonâ??s campaign.

 

They sold more than 42,500 standard season tickets for 2011/12, according to their annual report. These are the most recent figures available for the club.

 

Sales at Hearts were up by more than 1000 on the same time last year.

 

Approximate figures for other SPL clubs were: Hibs 8000, Partick Thistle 1500, Aberdeen 7000, St Mirren 2600,

Ross County 2000, St Johnstone 1550 and Dundee United 4200.

 

Inverness CT said sales were around the same as last year but did not give an exact figure and Kilmarnock and Motherwell had not responded by the time we went to press.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scotlands-top-flight-football-clubs-given-2097478

Edited July 31, 2013 by Darthter

[foggy dewhurst 0]

propaganda

[RANGERRAB 3,260]

load of nonsense.

 

They should ask clubs how many free season tickets they've given out.

I know of two clubs, St midden & Motherwell, where an adult buying a season ticket has got 3 (yes THREE) free child tickets.

And talking of St Midden, whenever you see a home game on TV in their South Stand(on RHS on TV) virtually no one pays into that stand.

 

This season will be all about falsifying attendance figures for the SPFL premiership( or whatever name they've called it)