Clearing up this confusion between Newcastle United season ticket holders and members | OneFootball

I have read with interest the various comments in recent days from both Newcastle United season ticket holders and Newcastle United members.

This all sparked by somebody writing an article about how difficult it is to get tickets for home matches, if you don’t have a season ticket.

I’m one of those in that position and I won’t bore you with my own tale of how and why I ended up without a season ticket.

However, I can confirm that it is absolutely mental trying to get tickets match by match, or indeed any match!!!

As others have said, to heap more frustration on the frustration of the fruitless search for tickets as Newcastle United members, the club refuse to say how many members there are, how many enter each ballot, how many tickets are available each match for us members to fight over…

The one thing we were told at one point during last season by CEO Darren Eales, was that Newcastle United members were having around about a 35% success rate when entering ballots for Premier League home matches.

Now I can safely say that I knew of not a single member at that point who’d had anything like a one in three or better success rate. Whilst since then, things have got worse if anything as last season went on. Which doesn’t bode well when we dropped from fourth the previous season to seventh. This season feels even worse, I don’t know any Newcastle United member who has got a single ticket in any of the three ballots for home tickets (Southampton, Spurs, Man City) and I know a canny few (NUFC members), the same with the extra queue opportunity that has been reintroduced for some of these match by match tickets this season, tens of thousands of people trying. Which means you have pretty much no chance.

My experience last season was a one in ten success rate getting home match tickets in ballots as a member and this season none in three so far.

Anyway, what I wanted to do with this article (if it sees the light of day on The Mag, it would be my first ever one if it goes up), was clear up this confusion between Newcastle United season ticket holders and members on what actually happened this week, that sparked the article from the NUFC member, that sparked the debate/arguments…

On Monday, the club sent all the Newcastle United members who hadn’t been successful in getting a £50+ ticket for the Manchester City match, the email below.

That email (see below) offering you a ticket for the Manchester City match, if you paid £384!

This deal offered you the ticket and a meal beforehand at one of two restaurants in the city centre, PLUS three drinks, a ‘free’ programme and badge.

I thought this info would be useful to Newcastle United season ticket holders, who hadn’t seen what had first sparked this week’s debates/arguments. I had checked with my mates who are still ST holders and they confirmed they hadn’t been sent these tempting £384 offers. In the email it also offered you the chance to register for future matches to get details/prices when they became unavailable, if you clicked these matches instead of Man City.

As it says in the club email below, these extra corporate tickets where you have to go to a city centre restaurant because they have no more space inside St James’ Park to serve you a meal, due to all the other corporate deals offered, see you get a ticket in the Leazes End.

This is where I think Newcastle United season ticket holders are also missing a key point, these extra corporate deals have seen tickets in the Leazes that used to go into the pot for match by match to be bought by normal fans, now going up for grabs for corporates.

Through one of my mates I got a ticket for the Tottenham match and I was at the end of the East stand where it meets the Leazes and about 25 minutes before kick-off I noticed a massive section in the middle of the Leazes with no fans in it. I never thought to take a photo until 10 or 15 minutes later and by then it had started to fill up, as you can see by my photo (see above). I assume that this pretty massive area, at least a 1,000 seats I reckon, was all for corporates, including those who go to these outside restaurants.

Unless we get that far bigger (80,000+?) new stadium, I reckon more and more tickets for normal fans, will for sure become corporate ones. More and more outside restaurants used by the club to offer loads more extra corporate tickets.

I think for Newcastle United season ticket holders, you will also have to watch in future if we don’t get the much bigger ground. The club will need the extra prime seats from somewhere, so if you are in a great seat now, don’t be surprised if in the future you are instead ‘invited’ to sit in Level 7, to make way for a corporate backside in your seat instead! Sorry, that would be in the padded seat that would replace yours!!

An email sent by the club to Newcastle United members who didn’t get a ticket for the Manchester City match, email received on 9 September 2024:

‘An unforgettable matchday experience.

Experience two exclusive venues and an unforgettable matchday like never before. We’ve expanded our hospitality offerings beyond the stadium, giving you the chance to soak up the pre-match excitement in style at premium city locations, before heading to St. James’ Park for the game.

New for the 2024/25 season, experience matchday hospitality from new heights. Located on the 26th floor of Hadrian’s Tower, this stunning bar and restaurant offers panoramic views of Newcastle’s skyline, including a magpie’s view of our iconic St. James’ Park.

Hospitality opens 3 hours prior to kick off. Welcome drink on arrival, plus two additional drinks and access to a cash bar to purchase additional drinks. Three course meal. Pre-match analysis with sports compere and Newcastle United legend. Matchday programme and badge. Premium matchday ticket with Leazes stand padded seating.

Back by popular demand, Gaucho hospitality has returned for another season. Indulge in an unforgettable Argentinian-themed culinary journey in a sophisticated setting that perfectly blends luxury and excitement, then head up to St. James’ Park to take your seats for the game.