Cheltenham Town FC would like to clarify the situation regarding administration fees associated with 2018/19 Season Tickets.
The club has always tried to offer affordable pricing to supporters and this has been demonstrated in a price freeze for the past six seasons. At a board meeting earlier this year and following discussions from all board members, it was agreed that the commitment from the board again would be to freeze prices for the coming season.
Clearly running costs of the business have risen over the past six years but the club board have tried to look at additional ways to increase revenue rather than increase ticket prices as we appreciate the cost that our supporters are faced with in supporting Cheltenham Town FC up and down the country.
Shortly before the launch of this year's Season Ticket sales period the club became aware of changes to the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations. All business are charged for processing debit and credit cards, while those who trade online also face additional costs for processing card payments. In the past Cheltenham Town FC has added a surcharge to card payments only in order to cover these costs. Under the new regulations this is no longer possible as surcharges have to be applied to all forms of payment. This not only affects Season Ticket purchases but all sales to Cheltenham Town FC.
Analysis was completed and the additional cost incurred by Cheltenham Town FC due to this legislation change was estimated at £10,000 per year. It was therefore agreed and communicated to all CTFC board members that an administration fee would be added to all Season Tickets to cover some, but not all of this additional cost being incurred by Cheltenham Town FC.
The Board of Directors appreciate that this additional £5 cost has been added at a late stage in the Season Ticket planning process but unfortunately this matter is largely beyond their control.
The club is determined to ensure that Season Tickets remain the easiest and cheapest way to watch every league fixture at the LCI Rail Stadium, featuring other benefits such as cup ticket priority, and we hope existing Season Ticket holders will continue to support Cheltenham Town FC as we strive to make the 2018/19 season a successful one.