I'll put 4000 on the gate

HEARTS fans will be able to watch SPL football at Tynecastle from as little as £10 a game next season as part of Phil Anderton’s revolutionary plans to drive the club’s average crowd beyond 16,000.

The chief executive has conducted a complete revamp of Hearts’ ticket pricing structure and a range of new initiatives were launched today by Tynecastle legend Gary Mackay.

For season 2005/06, entry to Hearts’ category B games, which are all the home fixtures outwith Rangers, Celtic and Hibs, will cost from £10 upwards for adults and just £5 upwards for all concessions, compared to standard prices of £18 and £10 respectively last season.

Category A game prices have also been slashed from £24 last term to a starting price of £20 for adults and those who buy an ‘A’ game ticket will be invited to purchase a brief for a ‘B’ fixture of their choice at half price.

To balance that, a rise in season ticket prices has been sanctioned, particularly in premium seating areas like the upper level of the Wheatfield Stand, with the average hike around £30-£40 a year.

Supporters are being enticed to buy a season ticket with schemes like a personalised seat and the chance to bring a friend along to sit beside them at a one-off match.

The ideas are the latest brainwaves of marketing man Anderton, nicknamed Firework Phil from his days at the Scottish Rugby Union, and he believes it is essential to improve upon Hearts’ average gate from last season of 12,220.

"Our average crowd, for a club like Heart of Midlothian, is just not good enough," said Anderton. "So throughout May we conducted research with our fans through supporter groups, we spoke to current season ticket holders and people who had been so in the past.

"Also questioned were those who are Hearts fans but don’t come to the games, and what we found was that there was a perception of poor value for those coming to Tynecastle. Especially amongst those season ticket holders who miss a few games throughout a season through work or games being rescheduled for television.

"Families also felt they weren’t getting value because of the cost for two adults and two kids to get into the ground. And for the lesser games the fans thought they were paying too much because seeing Celtic play is not the same as seeing Motherwell or Dunfermline.

"So we have decided to change the pricing structure and I believe we can make a big difference to the crowds we are getting. Our target is to get the average gate up to around 16,000."

Also targeted in Anderton’s supporter recruitment drive are families, with the cheapest cost of a family ticket for two adults and two teenagers down from £56 to just £30.

Season tickets will be going up in price but will be costed depending on where you sit in the stadium. There will also be one-off promotions throughout the campaign.

Taken from the Scotsman