Town have extended the deadline for existing season ticket holders who pay for their seats via direct debit to opt out of becoming Academy Friends.

Fans who pay for the season tickets via direct debit had the £120 cost of joining the Academy Friends scheme automatically added to their payment schedule unless they opted out before a deadline of today, despite their season ticket application forms erroneously having stated that they were required to opt in.

However, the club has now written to those supporters yet to opt out informing that the deadline has been extended until May 1st.

Via the new Academy Pledge, season ticket holders signing up to become Academy Friends would be entitled to a free season ticket for 2015/16 if the Blues are promoted to the Premier League next season.

Town joint-managing director Ian Milne told the official site: “The Club is placing a huge emphasis on the development of players through the Academy, which we believe is vitally important if we are to compete with clubs both with and without Premier League parachute payments.

“We have a long tradition of developing home grown players and the club wants this to continue.

“To assist the club in its push for category one Academy status we have launched various fund-raising initiatives, the key one being the opportunity for season ticket holders to obtain a free Premier League season ticket if we are promoted next year for those pledging £10 per month to the Academy for season 2014/15.

“We have had great take up for the Pledge but we are, however, conscious that fans were not aware from our season ticket literature that the Academy pledge was an opt-out scheme until payment schedules were sent out. This was a mistake by the Club at the publishing stage and we apologise for that.

“While wanting to encourage support for the Academy, we also want to ensure that only those that want to contribute do so. We are therefore extending the opt-out period from the original date of April 17th to May 1st.”

Season ticket holders on the direct debit scheme can opt out by sending an email to seasonticketchange@itfc.co.uk or by phone on 0844 8011555 before the new May 1st deadline. Town will then send out a new payment schedule confirming the change.

Photo: Action Images

blues1 added 00:28 - Apr 18 Amurtiger. Thanks for resorting to personal insults juat because my view is different from urs. A bit unnecessary but nothing unusual for many who post on here do. I clearly am not defending the club for the unprofessional and shoddy way they sent the forms out with the incorrect information. Should not have happened. The fact is, that had people known from the start that it was opt out there would have been no fuss. I guess also the reason it has been done as opt out is because most things are nowadays. Work pensions are opt out, not opt in. Even organ donation is now opt out. Whether it should have been done as opt in or opt out is open to opinion. To me, I dont see what the difference is. Either way, its your choice.

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amurtiger added 08:49 - Apr 18 Blues1 was you the muppet I had the row with lol. Premier league, pigs might fly. It is their loss, my cash with be safely in my pocket pri@k. Since Evans took over, this club has lost its spark, its a chore going to footy now, boring with the hope of a goal hopefully in the last few minutes. The club is underhanded, I will not be cheated.
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amurtiger added 08:59 - Apr 18 It will be my decision if I ever come back to Portman rd, its the principle that they think season ticket holders can be taken for granted. Blues1 I think you find season ticket holder money will be missed and sure the 20 or so season ticket holders I know that have cancelled equals a bit of cash lost. I will not be held to ransom to support town, the academy is not down to us fans, Evans should of thought of it before given Keane & jewel money to burn.

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Seasider added 11:37 - Apr 18 I was already paying to the Blues Foundation,but have now cancelled.Their loss not mine.
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amurtiger added 13:44 - Apr 18 Seasider, the club just takes advantage of season ticket holders, they always want more from you, blues foundation,the support we make is never enough, then they do offers for non season ticket holders that just devalues. As a season ticket holder they have your cash then stick two fingers up at you.
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