‘That would be crazy’ - Newcastle United CEO’s timely 2022 promise after tumultuous ticketing week for club

It's been a tumultuous week for Newcastle United fans concerning ticketing at St James' Park.

Getting a ticket to watch the Magpies play at St James' Park has become increasingly different for non-season ticket holders as the club enjoys a renaissance under the management of Eddie Howe and with the backing of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.

The demand for tickets has been so oversubscribed it has pushed forward St James' Park expansion talks with Mehrdad Ghodoussi sharing his ambitions to add 13,000 seats to the cathedral on the hill. Owners have also moved forward with plans for a fan zone on the newly bought-back Strawberry Place development.

With so much pressure on ticket sales, Newcastle United worked on a new way to distribute tickets and announced a new membership scheme operating around a ballot.

The news caused initial confusion over renewals and group seating among fans, and that was worsened this week when the club unveiled plans of random ticket allocation which would give fans no say in the price they would pay for a ticket.

Initially, members were asked to enter the ballot committing to pay anything between £44 and £77 for a ticket assigned in a random location. Supporters shared disgust at that decision, branded 'shameful' for its lack of consideration of fans struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

Within 24 hours of unveiling the plan ahead of the ballot opening for the Aston Villa game, Newcastle United backtracked in a U-turn that saw confirmation that fans would be able to select price limits after all.

Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales said: "We are committed to ensuring match tickets are made available fairly so that fans can continue to support the team so magnificently home and away.

"While we have made positive changes in that regard following ticketing workshops with fans, we also appreciated the feedback we specifically received in response to our proposed home ticket ballot process for members.

"After reviewing that feedback, we have made an adjustment and members will be able to select the specific price point that best suits them when entering the ballot.

"Supporter engagement is hugely important to us and we will continue to seek fans' views as we build towards sustainable success together."

It was welcome news for fans, having been assured by Eales that 'pricing out' fans was something the new ownership would strive to avoid last year.

When laying out his plans for Newcastle United ticketing, the CEO admitted that price rises were inevitable, but had spoken about not wanting large portions of fans to feel unable to afford a match ticket.

Last year, Eales said: “That’s absolutely fundamental. Everything we do has to be through the lens of the supporters. What does that mean? Well, a huge part of what makes Newcastle United the club that it is, is the passion of the supporters and the atmosphere that’s generated here inside St James’ Park.

"Talking to Eddie and the players, they feel it too and feel it’s absolutely fundamental to what the club is. They love it and want that interaction between them and the supporters. I think that is clearly a huge part of Newcastle United’s identity, and it’s something we have to be mindful of when we’re making decisions.

"Now, we also have to get to a level where we want to be able to grow and support the team on the pitch as much as we possibly can, so we have to be smart in how we’re bringing in commercial revenues. But the reality is, that doesn’t just mean we ratchet up the prices right around the ground to price people out because that would be crazy.

"We have to be thinking about what we can do, and where are there abilities for us to create an experience that people maybe are prepared to pay a higher price for because it’s delivering value? If people want to pay that, we want them to be able to have that ability. But we also don’t want to be pricing out huge swathes of our fanbase.

"There has to be a trade-off. If we want to be creating that atmosphere, there may be some opportunities where we talk to the supporters and say, ‘Look, we want to do this – are you guys okay with it because it’s going to help us bring in extra revenue?’ We need to compete, but that doesn’t mean we have to double the season ticket prices or price people out of the ground.

"We need a dialogue and collaboration, but I hope the supporters know there is a genuine understanding throughout the ownership group of what makes Newcastle special, and that’s the supporters, the atmosphere and that engagement with the club. Everything has to be decided through that lens. It doesn’t mean everyone’s going to agree with everything, because there’s always going to be different factors at play. But it’s always going to be a fundamental part of the equation.”