Saints have announced that some season ticket holders will see a reduction in their ticket for next season, although the bulk will see no change.
Saints have made reductions in season ticket prices next season, although the big surprise is that in many areas season ticket prices remain the same as last season, which to be frank are far too high.
It is good to see that Saints have slashed season ticket prices for those supporters behind the goals or in the wings, although they have not reduced the prices for the centre of the Itchen and Kingsland stands, nor the family section, meaning that the bulk of season ticket holders are going to have to pay exactly the same prices as last season if they are going to renew.
The club have proudly announced that 7,000 season ticket holders will see a reduction in prices, although that sounds a lot that is less than a third of this seasons total.
Although some reduction is better than none it is still falling far short of what other Premier League clubs have announced so far and it is also unfair on a large section of the clubs support who are being offered nothing whilst others something.
In short this year those who sit behind the goal paid £628 to renew their season tickets, next season they will pay £570, a reduction of £3.05 per game in the wings of the Itchen & Kingsland this year was £599 and next season will cost £570, barely a drop of £1.52 a game.
The club has said it is dropping these prices so those in the goals will not pay more than the £30 cap on visiting supporters tickets next season, this is absolute nonsense, it is not needed in regulatory terms.
This means that in the Itchen and Kingsland stands next season there will be supporters who sit just an aisle across each other, yet on one side of that aisle fans will pay £5,90 extra per game or in other terms £112 per season for an identical view.
I make no excuses I think football s overpriced these days, I applaud the club for making cheaper tickets available in some areas, but on the other hands what about the majority, this announcement gives them nothing.
This is very shortsighted of the club, they see the same statistics I do about attendances this season, they must see that St Mary's although still healthily full for most games has not sold out for all but a hnadful and even those have struggled.
If St Mary's is not packed out given the seasons we have had both this and last year then something has to give, next season we have to either challenge for the Champions league genuinely or there will be a drop in attendances as there were for the Watford home game when there were over 4,000 empty seats and barely 3,000 people who purchased single tickets for that game.
Short sighted ness from the club, if as they say this sees 7,000 supporters getting a cheaper tickets and the top saving has been £58 per person with the lower rate £29 at an average of £45 x7k this has cost the club £315 k, a drop in the ocean considering the increased amount of money in the Premier League next season.
The club should of and could have gone a lot further in its season ticket reductions this season and is worrying in that it shows a distinct lack of awareness within the club of its supporters and indeed the groundswell of opinion around the country.
Liverpool famously protested against proposed ticket increases next season, over 10,000 showed their disapproval and made the Liverpool board back track, I fear that will not happen here although it would have 15 years ago.
Here we will sit back and take it without a whimper, although I fear that many will vote with their feet and barring a late surge that takes us into the Champions league, there could be a significant drop in season ticket numbers next season and by virtue of that a drop in average attendances.