FC Edinburgh has reduced ticket prices from now until the end of the season at Meadowbank Stadium.
The League One club made the decision in the face of cost of living concerns and a spectator experience which majority shareholder and director Tom Tracy said “has not been ideal.”
From the next home game on November 5, standard ticket prices will be reduced from £18 to £12, and Young Scot Cardholders and all students with ID will now pay £5 (reduced from £12).
Tom explained: “We are acutely aware that a lot of our fans (and the wider Edinburgh community in general) are feeling the effects of the ‘cost of living crisis’, as inflation and increased energy bills bite. To address this, we have decided from the next home game until the end of the season, to reduce our ticket prices.”
“We hope that this will enable fans to get along to the games and support the team on a regular basis. We will also be contacting Season Ticket holders to offer them a hospitality package in acknowledgement of their commitment to the club from the start of the season.”
The lengthy club update also acknowledged the challenges and criticisms surrounding the Meadowbank Stadium match day experience - including distance from and view of on-field action.
In early 2019, the Meadowbank Stadium was torn down to make way for a new £47million sports centre development. Although the Meadowbank Sports Centre was opened in July, the FC Club said it has been a challenge to break ground on the new stadium.
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“Moving ground has not been without its challenges. We acknowledge that the spectator experience (in particular the distance from the pitch of the standing area behind the goals and the way in which the barrier impedes the view from the stand) has not been ideal,” Tom said.
The club is working with Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Leisure, and other stakeholders to address the issues, and Tom hopes to have a solution in place by the end of the year.
“We expect to be able to make the area behind the goals within the D area accessible to fans, which should make for a great standing experience closer to the action. We are also in talks with Edinburgh Council to lower the barrier in front of the main stand and hope to have this actioned imminently,” he said.
“We have secured planning permission to build a stand on the Marionville Rd side of the stadium. Factors beyond our control have however prevented us from progressing with construction. We will provide an update on this initiative as soon as we are able.”
The club also announced that it should be referred to simply as ‘Edinburgh’ moving forward rather than using its former Edinburgh City title or FC Edinburgh.
“We have recently been in dialogue with a section of our fans about the name change from Edinburgh City to FC Edinburgh. We apologised to the fans and acknowledged that we could have managed this process better. We will strive to do better in the future,” Tom said.
“Reflecting our discussions, we are happy that the club should be referred to simply as ‘Edinburgh’ rather than using the full ‘FC Edinburgh’ name, and we have indicated this preference to the SPFL.”
FC Edinburgh said its project is to build a not-for-profit, inclusive and winning football club for the entire community.
“Going forward, we now move forward as one. Please get behind Alan and his players as we embark on what is turning into a very interesting season,” Tom concluded.
“We look forward to welcoming you to Meadowbank on November 5th for our fixture against Queen of the South.”
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