Town say the move of any fans from the East of England Co-op Stand would be “carried out as fairly as possible” with season ticket holders in a section of the stand having recently received letters regarding the club’s long-term plans for that part of the ground.

That area of the stand was designated a ‘family area’ last year with the club staging pre-match events on the FieldTurf behind it. However, space for new families is now increasingly limited, although the club is not yet turning away new sales.

While many season ticket holders in the section concerned are families, some have sat - and in some cases in pre-all-seater stadium days stood - in that area for many years prior to the section having been used for families.

With the long-term availability of seating for families in mind, the club recently wrote to fans with season tickets in that section about what they describe as “a situation that may affect [them] in the coming months or seasons”, leading to complaints on the TWTD Forum, on social media and letters to the club from fans potentially affected by the issue, while some fans have started a petition.

The club's letter reads: “We believe there to be a number of adults without accompanying children in our family areas and this could be due purely to the fact that the seat was sold prior to it becoming a family area or that family members have grown up and naturally either drifted away from the club or decided to sit elsewhere.

“It does however leave us with this difficult situation to deal with in terms of moving adults attending without children to alternative areas, which will be inevitable if we were to be promoted to the Premier League.

“We will also need to investigate reducing the ‘orphaned’ single seats within these areas by offering seat moves, ensuring these seats can be utilised for additional seasonal/match ticket sales.

“If you currently come as a family group consisting of juniors then please just use this letter for information purposes only, although please note that we are going to be looking at data that will tell us if junior season tickets have been purchased but are not being used.

“If you are an adult season ticket holder that does not sit with junior family members and you wish to consider moving to a non-family area prior to us getting to the stage when we have no option but to move you, it may be worth contacting the Ticket Office to seek advice on the best seats available sooner in order to select from the most suitable seats.”

A club spokesman clarified their plans: “The letter was sent out to reiterate the club’s intention to accommodate families with children in the family enclosure.

“We do have limited space available now in the family stand, for a number of reasons and that is a situation that may have to be addressed at some stage.

“If changes have to be made, they will be carried out as fairly as possible with each individual case judged on its merits.”

Photo: Action Images

BigHibbs added 21:53 - Jan 21 Go and sit somewhere else ! It's supposed to be a family area . The seats are cheaper for that exact reason. Get with the real world and pay up your 600 quid like everyone else
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NorthantsTractorBoy added 22:03 - Jan 21 We have 10k spare seats every week including many in the Co-Op stand, so why not make the whole Co-Op stand a family stand??? I simply can't understand why the club is choosing to alienate loyal fans by forcing them to move when they are happy where they are, where they have formed close friendships with those around them and are paying c£500/seat every year? For the record I've sat in this section for 24 years - I sit in this section with 2 of my children and both of my parents now, but like many others there have been spells during this time where none of us have been under 18. While we will not be forced to move I don't think it's fair that others have to move, and our matchday experience would be less enjoyable if our friends had to move, (I appreciate we could move too, but the Cobbold stand is hardly appealing is it?) I'm proud of the way the club stood by Luke Varney through his recent injury, could the club not stand by our loyal fans in the same way?

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Scuzzer added 23:19 - Jan 21 Oh dear Phil....I think you completely missed the point @ 16:48. I think the chances of us being "free to move to anywhere in the ground" are very small. If I was given that option then naturally I would move to the next section along in the middle tier, which is not designated as a family area, as it would provide a similar match experience to that which I have had for the last twenty odd years. However, I struggle to see where they would put all these extra people in that section which is already is very popular. Their recommendation in the letter was to move to the lower Cobbold....yeah right. I cant see my 90 year old father, who has been a loyally attending fan since he was demobbed in 1947, sitting in an uncovered area which is little more elevated than pitch level and with the problem of the game disappearing when the sun shines directly into your eyes. This is the reality of the situation for a large proportion of those in F section. The tone of the letter is implying that we are only there as it is 'cheaper' because why else would they give that particular 'example' on cost grounds. We are not, we are there by history and we are there because of the comradery that has built us as a 'family'. However which way I read the letter I still come to the conclusion that the club is yet again scoring own goals in aiming to squeeze every last penny out of its loyal customers. Sad isn't it.

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Warkys_Tash added 23:23 - Jan 21 @Phil, exactly! Not sure what all the fuss is? @ Blueblood66: With all due respect you appear to have been a very loyal fan, 24years spending money as a season ticket holder is a big commitment & should be commended - especially with the last 10years of that mainly being served up dross. However, you have had a good run in the 'family enclosure', don't you and all the others who's children have now grown up think it's fair to find another part in the ground & give someone else a chance to take their children? There are plenty of decent seats available, it's hardly a sell-out & I agree the Cobbold is the best - by why limited your choice to there? I started off as a child watching Dozzell's debut, Steve McCall, Terry Butcher etc from there, with my Dad & then progressed to other areas of the stadium. In a few years, I will want to bring my son - where in the ground will I be able to take him to his first match? The family enclosure is the obvious choice.. Let's not be selfish, please people!

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Warkys_Tash added 23:27 - Jan 21 I should add, the above is to all of you who have complained about moving (& now have grown up children), not just blueblood66
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MyBlueHeaven added 00:32 - Jan 22 The club should be bending over backwards to help as many supporters* as possible. At best Portman Road is two-thirds full these days and - I'm not sure the board have considered this - West Ham will be pretty much giving away Premier League tickets next season at the Olympic Stadium, which is very easily reachable from the ITFC's supporter* catchment area. £15 to watch Premier League or £25 - £30 to watch Mick's hoofball? (* sorry, I mean customers.)

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multiplescoregasms added 00:44 - Jan 22 I feel this is just another case of the club not really giving much thought to the fans and what their feelings are about this. I can totally understand that there are fans in those seats who have made a 'football family' of fans around them over the years, so why would they want to move? I haven't seen the letter that was sent out, but have the club offered better seats for the same price, as a goodwill gesture? When the Churchmans Stand became all seater, 7 of us, who all stood together in the same spot every week, applied for Season Ticket Seats as one transaction. When we got our Season tickets, everyone was together, apart from me, who they have put 3 rows back and about 5 seats along from them. When I went to query it with the Ticket Office, I was basically told it was tough luck and they couldn't do anything to help. Absolutely waste of time to even try and talk to them. Sadly, this is all another example of the fans not being that important.

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Bert added 04:51 - Jan 22 I sit in the family area and I too had the letter. Most people around me do not accompany children. Despite what some say, the club is trying to grow its young and family fan base so yes at some point they do have to consider how to accommodate families with young children. The letter is not insensitive in my opinion. I am proud of a club that is family orientated rather than one like so many in the Premier League who really are faceless and just a corporate business. It strikes me that Evans and his crew are getting the balance right between running a club that has its roots in the community and the neccesity to be business like. B

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Cheshire_Blue added 09:40 - Jan 22 Perhaps this should also work the other way with supporters under the age of -say12-being banned from non family areas. After all. most of that age show little or no interest in the match anyway.
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blueblood66 added 10:23 - Jan 22 My season ticket is the same price as any in the lower areas of the stadium, but where do you suggest I sit if the better seats are already taken by other season ticket holders? If the club are willing to upgrade our seats to the next tier at the same price then I might consider moving. I sit with my son, and by definition he is family. His seat will go to full price next season as he is 20, so no one is getting a cheap seat

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blueblood66 added 10:26 - Jan 22 @multiplescoregasms no the club has not offered an upgrade or ANY incentive for us to move, and there lies a lot of the animosity the letter has caused. It states that the next best seat for us is Lower Cobbold as its in the same price bracket and has a 'similar' view.
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blueblood66 added 10:33 - Jan 22 @Warkys_Tash I am not sure how long you have an ST but put yourself in our shoes, how would you like to be moved? I sit with 7 friends and therefore the club need to find 7 seats for us in the same stand at the same price, which is not possible, therefore we have to move up to the next level and pay more per season which I cannot afford.
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southnorfolkblue added 12:36 - Jan 22 This is a difficult one, because this clearly affects very loyal fans. There is however a bigger picture to my mind, which is bringing through the next generation of town fans. I think that the Family Enclosure is an important way to encourage young fans to support us rather than the Chelsea's etc and there is a sound reason for putting it where it is. There are plenty of people who sit there without kids and I'm afraid that if the demand for family memberships is increasing, those people should move to another part of the ground. The disappointing thing is that it would appear that the attitude of the Ticket Office leaves a lot to be desired. If there is a group of 20 people who want to sit together that must be possible given the number of empty seats in the ground?

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Warkys_Tash added 20:06 - Jan 22 @Blue blood66, if you read my post you should know how long. Probably a season before Dozzell made his debut. ('83 did he not?) As I said, I commend you & your friends for your loyal support. However, there are lots of empty seats in the ground. Question to you, where do Dads who want to take their 7 year olds go to sit in a decent part of the ground, without foul language, if there are no seats available because Adults with grown up children don't want to give them up? Maybe the Cobbold isn't the best down at the front, however the Sir Alf is a super stand.

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sixtyblue added 20:27 - Jan 22 Early stash. Putting children in the said family stand is right next to the stand where all the foul language originates from.
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