‘A significant step forward’ - City chief worked closely with fans to revamp ticket membership scheme

Norwich City’s commercial chief Ben Kensell hopes to have taken a “significant step forward” with the changes introduced to the club’s ticket membership scheme, after working closely with supporters in response to criticism of the initial system.

Having previously apologised for the lack of consultation about the current scheme, a two-hour meeting was held at Carrow Road with representatives of supporter groups and five subsequent meetings were held, including one in London and one ahead of the match at Burnley in September.

That has resulted in a revamped system being released, featuring reduced prices, a tiered loyalty system and a new 'Match Pick' option which guarantees every member a ticket to at least one game and improves chances of that being one of the most sought after matches.

City's chief operating officer Kensell said: "This is a membership scheme built by the fans, for the fans. Our consultation process has been thorough and extensive, and we've canvassed opinion and taken on board feedback from supporters both locally and further afield.

"The consultation process demonstrated that there certainly is not a scheme that will work for every supporter, but we are confident that the solution agreed with supporters is a significant step forward.

"We've made the decision to return to a tiered loyalty system, based on game attended during our 2018-19 promotion winning season and have also introduced a Match Pick, which will allow supporters better opportunity to purchase tickets to their desired game."

As part of the consultation work surveys were carried out, with 'no reward for loyalty' being the biggest gripe, alongside pricing. The positive aspects included the revenue generated for the club and the £30 cap on ticket prices in the Premier League, as well as a more equal opportunity to purchase tickets.

The main suggestions for the revamped system saw 40pc of fans wanting to return to a loyalty points system, with loyalty points not being taken from the 2019-20 season also suggested.

- For full details of the new scheme, go to pinkun.com or canaries.co.uk