We hope this message finds you all safe and well.
We would like to say a massive thank you to those who have renewed season tickets despite all the current uncertainty regarding when and if the current season will end, still less when the next season will start and whether we will be playing behind closed doors when it does. To sell more than 1,000 season tickets against that backdrop is phenomenal and it has been very touching to see so many supporters want to help the Club at a very difficult time.
We do want to reassure supporters that in renewing early, we are committed to ensuring that no one loses out financially if the new season starts behind closed doors. So, if, for example, we cannot allow paying crowds in for the next six months of next season, then we would offer season ticket holders a free half season ticket for the following season, to compensate for the missed matches. Equally, if anyone has renewed a season ticket but subsequently find that they need the cash, we will look to refund those who request it.
Volunteers from the Tranmere Trust are currently calling season ticket holders who have not renewed their season tickets. We wanted to explain what the purpose of those calls is and, most importantly, to make it very clear that, whilst we are hugely grateful to those who can afford to renew, we absolutely do not want anyone to feel under pressure to buy a season ticket at this very difficult time.
For the new season we have moved onto a new ticketing platform, which means that people who would ordinarily see their season tickets auto-renewed will need to take action to renew for this season. Whilst we have put out lots of messages on social media about this, a lot of our fans are not users of social media and would in normal times come into the shop to renew. Many of those may not have seen the messages about TR codes, or the fact that renewals won’t be automatic this season, or simply will not have the facility to renew online. By calling them, we can understand if they are having any technical issues and renew for them over the phone if that is what they want to do.
Equally, we are trying to plan through an extremely difficult period for the Club and so it is important for us to be able to get as much visibility as we can on likely cash flows for the next 12 months. So, if the reality is that season ticket holders are not going to buy a ST for the next season, then that is still useful information to enable us to factor into the cash flow model. So, the calls are not necessarily about securing sales, but they are about helping people who may be having technical issues, and getting a picture of where we can expect to be regarding season ticket income in the short to medium term.
Finally, the calls also give us the ability to speak to individuals in the SWA and to check that they are OK, signpost them to help if needed and generally have a chat about all things Tranmere. It is clear, based on feedback from those making the calls, that many of you – especially those who do not have access to social media - have been missing the opportunity to talk to fellow members of the SWA!
Mark and Nicola