Sports
Premier League: Newcastle Cancels 103 Season Tickets
Newcastle United has cancelled more than 100 season tickets and issued an apology to supporters after uncovering a long-standing oversight involving the unauthorised resale of tickets.
According to a report by BBC Sports on Tuesday, the issue came to light during an internal investigation when it was discovered that a school nearly 200 miles away had obtained tickets for Thursday’s high-demand Champions League clash against Barcelona, a fixture that saw more than 110,000 fans join an online queue for limited seats.
The club explained that when the new owners took over four years ago, they ended all agreements with third parties that allowed ticket sales. However, a deal struck a decade ago with a group of tour organisers “for the benefit of school groups” had not been formally documented, meaning resales continued unnoticed.
“At a time when we are doing our utmost to protect legitimate access for Newcastle United fans, we want to be fully transparent and apologise for this oversight,” the club said in a statement.
The High School of Dundee confirmed they had purchased 45 tickets for the Barcelona match in good faith after being “approached” by a provider. Those tickets were later cancelled by the club.
In response, Newcastle United has terminated 103 season tickets in recent days for breaching terms and conditions. The club stressed the situation does not involve individual fans re-selling their tickets for St James’ Park “in this instance.”
The tour organisers had originally purchased the season tickets in the 2015-16 campaign. Newcastle clarified that the resales at a “higher package price” were not detected because no formal contract existed with the organisers.
“Upon being made aware of this issue, the club took immediate action,” the statement added.
“The club have not received any funds above the face value price of these season tickets and have immediately returned the seats for sale to supporters who have entered the official ballot for upcoming fixtures.”
The Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust welcomed the action, noting:
“Along with the rise in ticket prices, according to our annual survey, one of the biggest concerns for Newcastle fans is reduced ticket availability due, not only to high demand, but the selling of tickets through third-party sites or other unauthorised means.”
By cancelling the tickets, the club hopes to restore fairness in access for genuine supporters while tightening controls on third-party resales.
