x

O'Neill on Season Tickets, Kits and Contracts - Ipswich Town News

Announcements on next year’s season ticket prices and new kits are usually made at this time of the season but are currently on hold with 2019/20 suspended, while player contract discussions are continuing.

In addition to next year’s season tickets, Town fans still have five games left on this year’s ticket having previously lost another match due to Bury’s expulsion.

It’s possible that those five matches might not be played but general manager of football operations Lee O'Neill says he’s not going to prejudge a situation which at the present time is unclear.

"At this moment in time, we’re trying not to speculate on the outcome of this season because we simply don’t know,” he told TWTD.

"We are carrying on and planning as if we have those remaining games to still play and obviously that’s what they signed up for and they’ve agreed to as part of their season tickets.

"That’s the only information that I can give. I hope that we can play those games as quickly as possible when it is safe to do so. When I have a little bit more information about when we can resume the games programme we can communicate a little bit more with the season ticket holders.

"It’s very frustrating I guess, because they want to come and watch football at the weekend and it’s a large part of people’s lives.

"But sometimes there are greater priorities and football is a little bit less important than life. For most people it’s about making sure they can take the necessary precautions to stop the virus from spreading.”

Regarding next year’s season ticket plans, he added: "We’ve had conversations going on over the last few weeks about what we’re trying to do for next year.

"Obviously at the moment they’re just discussions going on internally because we don’t really know, we’ve got no indication when next year will start, when it’ll finish or what it’ll even look like, so that will affect the whole season ticket campaign and how important that will be for the club.

"And not just our club, but for every club to survive because it’s an important part of the revenue stream for most clubs to operate with.”

The new kits are also usually revealed at this point in a campaign: "Commercially, again everything is on hold and we’re just having discussions. The timing is obviously the important part at the moment and making sure we have the relevant information so we can communicate that with the stakeholders and the season ticket holders.

"At the moment we don’t and we don’t want to speculate and we’re just trying to carry on as normal as best we possibly can until we hear anything different.”

O’Neill says talks with players are a continual thing rather than something which is just addressed towards the end of a season. Cole Skuse, Andre Dozzell, Gwion Edwards, Will Keane, Danny Rowe and Armando Dobra are among those whose current terms are up this summer but with the club having an option to keep them for an additional year.

"All of those situations with players’ contracts, they don’t just happen at the end of the season, they’ve been ongoing conversations and they will be ongoing conversations up until the end of the season,” he said.

"I think it is quite difficult at the moment to know what that’s going to look like but we’re definitely having conversations with players.

"There are players at the football club that we’d like to have here a bit longer but we need to find out what the end of this season’s going to look like for the shaping of the squad depending on what league we’re in and obviously what next season will look like.”

What to read next:

Morsy Targeting Final Day Win For Incredible Fans
Town captain Sam Morsy says the Blues are determined to get one final Premier League victory in front of their home supporters ahead of West Ham United’s visit to Portman Road on Sunday.
Moyes: We're Among Clubs to Have Spoken to Delap
Everton boss David Moyes has revealed that the Toffees are among the clubs to have spoken to Blues striker Liam Delap regarding a potential summer move.
Tuchel: Delap on Radar But Will Need to Compete in the Premier League
England manager Thomas Tuchel says Blues striker Liam Delap is on his radar but feels the 22-year-old needs to find a new club this summer before being considered for selection for the senior squad.
Morsy: My Favourite Midfielder I've Played With
Town captain Sam Morsy has hailed Massimo Luongo as his favourite midfielder he has played with ahead of Luongo’s final game for the club this weekend.
Delap and Hutchinson in England U21s Squad For Training Camp
Blues duo Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson have been named in an England U21s training squad ahead of the European U21 Championship in Slovakia in June.
McKenna: Important to End the Season on a High
Town boss Kieran McKenna says it’s really important for the Blues to finish their season well when they host West Ham United at Portman Road on Sunday afternoon, believing there’s lots to play for in the game.
McKenna: O'Shea's Been Excellent, Ogbene a Big Miss
Town boss Kieran McKenna says Irish international pair Dara O’Shea and Chieo Ogbene thoroughly deserved the awards they received at Monday night’s End-of-Season Dinner.
McKenna: I'm Confident We Can Challenge Next Season
Manager Kieran McKenna is confident Town will challenge for promotion back to the Premier League next season with the Blues stronger for their year in the top flight and with talks with other clubs regarding potential targets having already taken place.
McKenna: Tottenham and Chelsea Wins Standout Moments
Town manager Kieran McKenna says the victories over Tottenham and Chelsea are his standout moments from his side’s season in the Premier League.
McKenna: FFP Limits Promoted Clubs' Ambition
Blues boss Kieran McKenna believes owners being able to put greater equity into clubs without falling foul of Financial Fair Play rules would be a step towards bridging the increasing gap between the Championship and Premier League.