Town season ticket prices have been frozen for 2021/22 but with current U19 and U12 season ticket holders given their tickets for free as part of the Blues’ compensation for the current Covid-19-impacted campaign. The club have released details of both their plans for season tickets and 2020/21 refunds this afternoon.
Season ticket revenue is very important for the club for the campaign ahead with League One's Financial Fair Play rules, the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SMCP), limiting clubs' wage bills to 60 per cent of their turnover, down from 75 per cent from the Blues' first season in the division with the now scrapped salary cap having taken its place last season.
The Blues had a little under 9,000 season ticket holders for 2020/21 and will be hoping that new manager Paul Cook and the recent takeover will lead to an increase in sales ahead of the new campaign.
All U12 and U19 season ticket holders will receive a free season ticket for next year. The move is part of the compensation on offer to season ticket holders for the Covid-19 affected 2020/21 campaign.
The club will be contacting all current season ticket holders to make them aware of the refund options available, with all but two games played behind closed doors at Portman Road because of the pandemic.
Only the matches against Portsmouth and Burton in December have seen supporters at the stadium this term and both games were reduced to maximum 2,000 attendance to adhere to Government guidelines.
All season ticket holders have been given access to the club’s iFollow service to watch live streaming of all home league matches and that stays in place until the completion of Town’s home League One fixtures.
All refund options are listed below, with details on how to claim your compensation. Supporters will also have the opportunity to use their refund against the cost of a season ticket for next year.
Season ticket prices for 2021/22 have been frozen across all categories so adult supporters can watch 23 League games next term from an average of £14.08 per game.
"I can remember going back to my own youth and knowing then what fantastic support Ipswich Town enjoys,” says chairman Mike O’Leary, who is part of Gamechanger 20 Ltd, who have recently taken over the club.
"That has been reiterated to me and our American backers with the tremendous welcome we have all received since coming into the club and on behalf of all of us, I want to say a big thank you for that.
"With the pandemic, it has been a challenging year for everyone and football has not been the same without the supporters. It’s fans that make football what it is and hopefully we will return to full stadiums again in August.
"Our new CEO, Mark Ashton, will be in place from June 1st and it promises to be a busy summer.
"There is a lot of hard work to be done. We want to make sure the matchday experience is one the supporters will enjoy; we need to make sure our academy is working at its maximum; we need to look at where we can improve facilities at the stadium but our immediate focus will be on the pitch and supporting the manager in putting together a team that can take this club forward.
"Our aim is for Ipswich Town to be back where it belongs and that’s the Premier League. It’s a big challenge and it will be a team effort if we are to get there - but that’s where we want to go.”
Season Ticket Refunds for 2020/21
All figures have been calculated on the basis that a price of an iFollow match pass is £10 and there are 23 home league games.
All supporters who paid above £230 for their 2020/21 season ticket will be refunded the difference between that figure and the value of their season ticket. So if you paid £333 for your season ticket, you will be reimbursed £103.
Refund Options
a) Use the refund against the costs of a new season ticket
b) Receive your refund back in total on 1st June 2021.
c) Leave the refund in the club as a donation to the Community Trust/academy.
Under-19s
All U19 season ticket holders from 2020/21 will automatically be given a new season ticket free of charge for 2021/22. This applies regardless of age now.
Under-12s
All U12 season ticket holders from 2020/21 will automatically be given a new season ticket free of charge for 2021/22. Please note U12s must be accompanied by an adult.
How to Select Your Refund Option
Visit https://tickets.itfc.co.uk, sign in and then click on the banner on the home page which will take you through to the Compensation page.
Options/Info will be listed. Select Buy and then click on the option you wish and then Select on the left-hand side. Change the quantity to 1 and then Add to Basket. Double check your selection and Proceed to Checkout.
Please note if you choose Refund Amount — you will be asked to provide your current bank account details — fill these boxes in and press ok to continue. Tick to agree to the T&Cs and Submit.
Please note that this needs to be completed for each individual season ticket holder separately (apart from U19 and U12s). The deadline for selecting your refund option is 5pm on Friday 14th May.
Refund Questions and Answers
How many season ticket holders pay over £230 for a season ticket and will qualify for a refund?
Around 80 per cent of season ticket holders will get a refund which will cost the club around £900,000. That figure goes above £1 million with the U12 and U19s getting their season ticket rolled over.
What if I cancelled my season ticket during the year by stopping my Direct Debit payment?
You are still entitled to a refund and you will need to use the options stated above but your refund will be calculated on a pro-rata basis and be dependent on how many home league games were played up until the point you cancelled.
We have four season ticket holders in our household and only used one iFollow code. Does that affect our refund figure for the three codes that were not used?
The majority of season ticket holders are one per household but obviously there will be families of season ticket holders and we have covered as many of those as possible by offering a free season ticket for 2021/22 to all U19 and U12 season ticket holders.
What if I attended one of the Portsmouth or Burton games?
There will be no charge for attending those games.
What happens if I miss the deadline for telling you what refund option I want?
We will apply option C.
I still have cash vouchers left over as compensation for missing five games at the end of 2019/20 season. Are they still valid?
Yes. The expiry date has been put back from 30th May to 30th September 2021. They can be used in person at Planet Blue, in the matchday ticket office or in the FanZone.
You can also use them via the Planet Blue mail order system. Click here for full details.
I took the online credit option for the value of the six games at the end of the 2019/20 season. What is happening with this?
The expiration date for the online credit is being extended until the 31st December 2021. The credit can be used for purchasing any ticketing product available here or via the Ticket Office including home match tickets, memberships, events or towards the cost of a 2021/22 season ticket.
If a problem, who can I contact?
You can email the Ticket Office at mainticketoffice@itfc.co.uk or phone 03330 050503 and our Ticket Office staff will help you.
Please note the club’s sales department will contact directly all those who had a seasonal hospitality package.
Season Tickets 2021/22
Prices are frozen across all areas for those that purchased for 2020/21. U12 and U19 season ticket holders will automatically receive a free season ticket for 2021/22.
The club are also offering the basement renewal price to any season ticket holder from 2019/20 who DID NOT renew for 2020/21. This offer has been made because of the extenuating circumstances faced by all over the last year.
Season tickets will go on sale from 10am Monday 17th May until 5pm Friday 28th May at the renewal price.
Early Bird prices will then apply from 10am Monday 7th June until 5pm Friday 6th August with Early Bird purchases able to use the club’s interest free Direct Debit scheme.
Season Ticket Questions and Answers
So if I’m a current season ticket holder and want to renew, how do I go about it?
If you pay via the club’s interest free Direct Debit scheme then your season ticket will automatically be renewed for 2021/22. You don’t have to do anything. Your first instalment will be taken on June 7ht and be spread over 11 months.
If you are a season ticket holder but not on the Direct Debit scheme you can renew online here from 10am Monday 17th May until 5pm Friday 28th May.
If I’m a first time or lapsed season ticket holder, can I buy now?
If you were a season ticket holder for 2019/20 then yes, you can buy at the renewal price online here from 10am Monday 17th May until 5pm Friday 28th May. If you are a lapsed season ticket holder from before 2019 or are buying for the first time, you can purchase at the Early Bird rate from 10am Monday 7th June until 5pm Friday 6th August.
What happens if there are restricted attendances next season because of Covid-19 protocols? Do I get a refund?
A ballot system will be used, as it was for the Burton and Portsmouth games this season. Season ticket holders will be refunded for any matches missed on a pro-rata basis.
If I don’t want to renew my season ticket for 2021/22, how do I go about cancelling my Direct Debit then?
You can call the club’s ticket enquiries line on 03330 050503 from 10am on Monday, 17th May or preferably you can email the ticket office via mainticketoffice@itfc.co.uk. You must use either method by 5pm on Friday 28th May. Please have your customer number to hand if contacting by telephone. If emailing, please include your customer number in your email.
What about matchday ticket prices?
They have yet to be finalised.
Key dates in summary
14th May
*Deadline for selecting your refund option
17th May
*Season tickets on sale to those who want to renew but are not on the Club’s DD scheme
*Season tickets on sale to all 2019/20 season ticket holders who DID NOT purchase a season ticket for 2020/21
28th May
* Deadline for renewing for those not on DD scheme or 2019/20 season ticket holders who did not renew for 2020/21
* Deadline for those on DD scheme to cancel season ticket for 2021/22
7th June
* Season tickets go on sale at Early Bird prices
6th August
*Deadline for Early Bird prices