Rise in season ticket sales prove Chesterfield supporters’ loyalty and prove critics wrong, CEO says

Chesterfield CEO Graham Bean says critics of the club’s new season ticket price scheme have been proved wrong by an increase in sales.
Chesterfield v Boreham Wood fans.Chesterfield v Boreham Wood fans.
Chesterfield v Boreham Wood fans.

The Spireites have shifted 2,544 tickets under their early bird offer, an increase of 90 on what Bean says is the important 2018 figure – not the one publicised by previous boss Martin Allen.

Allen told the media last August that Chesterfield had sold 3,000 season tickets.

But Bean says that wasn’t the figure that really counts.

“The 2018 number was 3,028,” he said.

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“That figure included over 80s, carers, sponsorship deals and staff, etcetera.

“But the important figure is the ones that were actually paid for and last season we sold 2,454.

“This season we’ve sold 2,544.

“That number will increase, because on top of that we have to put on sponsorship complimentaries, carers and staff.

“But the important figure is the ones we’ve actually sold and that has increased by 90 tickets.”

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The sales are proof of the loyalty of Town’s fanbase, Bean says.

And he rounded on those who predicted otherwise.

“I know the (2018 and 2019) numbers are very similar, but the reality is that despite putting the price of tickets up and despite the usual suspects on social media saying we wouldn’t sell them, that customers would abandon us, we’ve actually increased our sales,” he said.

“That goes to show, in actual fact, the loyalty of the supporters has been shown yet again.

“The so called financial experts and football experts have been proven wrong, again.

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And he also counts the rise in sales as evidence that the club got their prices right this summer, when season tickets in various parts of the ground became more expensive.

“It says that we got the pricing right, that people understood why we increased prices and not only have they continued to back us, they’ve continued to back us in bigger numbers,” he said.

“It might not be a lot but 90 tickets at an average of £200 a ticket is an extra £18,000.

“We’ve had an uptake in the offer we made for people to secure their season ticket with a £50 deposit and pay the balance by 1st August, which we were told wouldn’t work – it has.

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“For all the predictions by people who claim to be experts on these matters, they were all wrong.”

Chesterfield don’t expect to shift many more season tickets between now and the start of the season.

“The vast majority of people buy within the early bird period,” Bean added.

“We recognise, as was the case last year, that there will be few sold between now and the start of the season.”

Any Spireite who bought before 28th June guaranteed the price of their season ticket for the following season will remain the same.