Five key issues highlighted in thorough Newcastle United Supporters Trust Home Ticketing Survey

Only 21.5% of Newcastle United supporters are satisfied with the new ballot system imposed at the club as a detailed Home Ticketing Survey is published by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST).

The NUST launched the survey to members and non-members after noting 'curiosity, discussion and some frustration' from Magpies fans towards new ticket processes introduced by the club.

A resurgent Newcastle United with financial backing has seen demand for tickets at St James' Park surge since the takeover in 2021 with tens of thousands of fans joining online queues for a limited number of tickets at points last season.

As a result, sweeping changes were brought in for the 2023/24 season but the NUST survey shows the fan base is split on the efficiency of measures.

Over 5,000 people filled in the questionnaire between August 27 and September 24, 59% of whom were Season Ticket holders and 48% of those remaining were Members.

Newcastle United supporters miss kick-off amid digital ticketing confusion

Over 2,000 Newcastle United fans reported having no issues with the digital ticketing system in place at St James' Park this season.

More than 1,000 matchgoers reported experiencing long queues before the match but were in their seats by the time the match kicked off.

583 respondents, around 10% of those asked, said that the long queues at gates had resulted in them missing the start of the match at St James' Park.

Fans on hold to ticket office for over two hours

The NUST survey highlighted issues that fans are having when contacting the club with queries over ticketing.

Only 31.6% of respondents felt a ticketing issue was resolved after contacting the club the first time with 41.6% of people claiming issues were never resolved.

Over 70% of people who emailed queries to the club reported never receiving a response while 300 of the 5,394 respondents claimed to have waited over two hours on hold to have a phone call answered.

Greater efficiency for in-person queries at St James' Park

There was great efficiency in solving ticketing issues for Newcastle United fans who went to St James' Park to speak to staff in person.

The majority of supporters waited under an hour to speak to a club representative at the stadium with 125 respondents being seen in under 15 minutes.

Almost half of respondents dissatisfied with ballot system

The use of the ballot system for members to buy tickets continues to cause controversy. Only 21.5% of supporters said they were 'satisfied' with the membership ballot process with 48.6% of respondents 'very dissatisfied/dissatisfied' and the remaining 29.9% feeling neutral towards the process.

Some supporters praised the ballot system for giving 'everyone a fair crack at a ticket' as opposed to the online queue melee seen at times last season.

International members and fans from further afield in the UK highlighted problems in the timing of the ballot resulting in increased travel and accommodation to visit St James' Park.

Memberships proving less value for money

There were also questions raised as to the value of membership at Newcastle United with 57.8% of respondents claiming the deal was worse value for money than last term. Only 4.7% of supporters believed the membership package to have improved for the 2023/24 season.

The NUST shared that responses had centred on an uncapped number of memberships being sold and a lack of merchandise included in the membership package.

What has the Newcastle United Supporters Trust said about results?

Regarding digital ticketing, NUST summarised: "Many supporters are using the digital system without problems and finding it a convenient way to purchase and use tickets. However, there appear to be areas of the stadium (namely Strawberry Corner and parts of the Gallowgate and East Stand) with significant access issues.

"Some supporters are also more negatively affected than others by the roll out. This is exacerbated by one of the major issues the survey highlights: the club does not appear to have sufficient resources and systems to support those encountering issues at peak times, either on matchday or between games.

"We urge the club to assess the resourcing, systems and processes at the Box Office, as well as the turnstile allocation on tickets and the queueing arrangements in the areas of the stadium highlighted above."

NUST also highlighted seven key sticking points regarding the ballot system. These were; timeframes; uncapped number; transparency; rewarding loyalty; unable to select seating area; one price category; no merchandise.