Family value just the ticket

HEARTS are to launch a bid to encourage more families to go to Tynecastle, chief executive Phil Anderton revealed today.

The aim will be one of the club's main focuses of its season ticket packages, which will be announced on Monday, June 27.

Anderton wants to see more parents and their children attend matches next season and has promised a "competitive" pricing structure which he hopes fans will respond to in numbers.

The club is to make the Gorgie Stand a dedicated family section, with the current seating for corporate guests relocated elsewhere - the corporate facilities will remain in the Gorgie Suite.

A system which allows supporters access to on-line buying whereby they can select the seat of their choice in the stadium is also to be introduced for the first time. Anderton is currently finalising the various deals, which he believes will offer excellent value.

Anderton is aware supporters have become restless at how long the club is taking to announce its season ticket plans for the forthcoming campaign.

However, he stressed it was important to ensure things are right and prices and various incentive-driven packages will be based on the feedback from thousands of supporters canvassed in recent weeks .

"We felt it was important to speak to as many fans as possible," he said. "We sought the opinions of current as well as lapsed season ticket holders as well as those people who attend a lot of matches but not every single one.

"We also met with the four main supporters' groups and the feedback we received was that many supporters fell they have been receiving poor value for money."

Fans were upset at the lack of discounts available in previous years as well as the pricing differential between different seats in the ground.

Anderton added: "The feedback was that it was too expensive for families and youngsters especially, while there was the problem of supporters being unable to attend all the games because of fixture changes due to the demands of television.

"That is something which we will be seeking to address."

Anderton wants to see the number of season tickets at Tynecastle rise to 10,000 from last season's 7500, with the ultimate goal being 12,000. He has also targeted an average home gate of 16,250 for next season, compared to the current figure of just over 12,220 - an ambitious hike of 33 per cent.

Taken from the Scotsman