West Ham have revealed details of their 2020/21 season ticket renewal scheme - and it hasn't exactly gone down a storm with supporters.
As revealed on the KUMB Forum earlier in the day, West Ham have unveiled their plans for the forthcoming campaign's renewal scheme.Yet the new that fans will be expected to pay for their tickets up front - despite not being guaranteed a single match day ticket as a result of enforced, reduced capacity - has led to much criticism from the fan base.
It is thought that the club will have to reduce capacity by a minimum of 60 per cent, meaning that attendance figures are unlikely to exceed 25,000 per match.
And to determine who will be allocated a seat, a ballot system will be employed for each and every home fixture. "At this moment, we anticipate there may be a gradual or staggered approach enforced when allowing supporters to attend home matches at London Stadium," read a club statement.
"In the event of matches with social distancing in place and a restricted number of supporters present, we will adopt an automatic ballot system.
"An automatic ballot system will ensure season ticket holders can attend an equal number of matches. And if you are not selected in the ballot, you will be automatically refunded. If you missed out in the previous ballot, you will be prioritised for an upcoming match.
"For every match we are unable to welcome you to London Stadium in the 2020/21 season, due to Covid-19 social distancing measures, we will automatically refund the pro-rata value of the match to the pay holder’s card or account within 30 days of the fixture taking place."
Yet it this policy - and the inability to put season tickets on hold for the season - which has resulted in a largely negative reaction by supporters posting on the KUMB Forum and elsewhere on social media this evening.
"I can't help but feel the club are taking advantage of fans and cashing in on their fear of losing their seat," said KUMB member sutts07.
"There is no way they should be 'forcing' people to pay out huge sums with the way the world is right now. They can't guarantee when you will be allowed back in to watch games either. This is just not right."
And fellow member Ruislip Hammer added: "At a time when any number of supporters are worried about their future it seems the club are basically asking for an interest free loan which will give you entrance into a ballot for games that may or may not take place with some sort of crowd.
"And with the underlying threat that you will lose your seat if you don’t pay up. Classy as always."
Additionally, Band 5 season ticket holders have been asked to fork out for the next TWO seasons, with no option to take their season tickets for the 2020/21 season only.
"We fully understand that some supporters may be hesitant about returning to matches due to Covid-19 and we want to support you during this uncertain time," continued the club's statement.
"Your safety and well-being is our first priority when attending matches at the London Olympic Stadium and we can assure you that we are already working with our stadium partners on plans for when supporters can return to matches."
The deadline for renewals is Friday, 28 August. The new season is set to commence on 12 September. You may read the club's full statement regarding season ticket renewals here.
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