Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales feels there can be a price for every pocket as the Magpies look to soar to the highest level in football.
Ambition is a key word at St James' Park these days and while the club insist it is a "long-term" project overall, even the usually cautious Eddie Howe has told players the must adhere to getting into one of the European competitions sooner or later. With success though comes demand and prices of some season tickets and some match day sales will increase as the club push up the Premier League.
Eales says that fans won't be priced out of the game, and indicated: "That’s absolutely fundamental. Everything we do has to be through the lens of the supporters.
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"What does that mean? Well, a huge part of what makes Newcastle United the club that it is, is the passion of the supporters and the atmosphere that’s generated here inside St James’ Park.
"It was funny watching the Arsenal game at the end of last season in the United States, knowing I was going to be coming here. You could see Arsenal visibly wilt that day because of the energy and passion inside the stadium.
"Talking to Eddie and the players, they feel it too and feel it’s absolutely fundamental to what the club is. They love it and want that interaction between them and the supporters.
"I think that is clearly a huge part of Newcastle United’s identity, and it’s something we have to be mindful of when we’re making decisions.
"Now, we also have to get to a level where we want to be able to grow and support the team on the pitch as much as we possibly can, so we have to be smart in how we’re bringing in commercial revenues.
"But the reality is, that doesn’t just mean we ratchet up the prices right around the ground to price people out because that would be crazy.
"We have to be thinking about what we can do, and where are there abilities for us to create an experience that people maybe are prepared to pay a higher price for because it’s delivering value? If people want to pay that, we want them to be able to have that ability. But we also don’t want to be pricing out huge swathes of our fanbase."
In the 1990s that was certainly the case as a generation of fan disappeared when the ground became all season ticket in 1993 and match day sales were rare. Supporters in the Milburn Stand also lost their seats as the club used the stand as a premium area.
Stadium naming rights and potential sponsors of Saudi Arabia companies are likely to come into play in the months and years ahead. But all decisions will be made with the consultation of the fanbase.
Eales said: "There has to be a trade-off. If we want to be creating that atmosphere, there may be some opportunities where we talk to the supporters and say, ‘Look, we want to do this – are you guys okay with it because it’s going to help us bring in extra revenue?’
"We need to compete, but that doesn’t mean we have to double the season-ticket prices or price people out of the ground.
"We need dialogue and collaboration, but I hope the supporters know there is a genuine understanding throughout the ownership group of what makes Newcastle special, and that’s the supporters, the atmosphere and that engagement with the club.
"Everything has to be decided through that lens. It doesn’t mean everyone’s going to agree with everything, because there’s always going to be different factors at play. But it’s always going to be a fundamental part of the equation."
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