English Premier League football club Everton is not ready to dispense with established ticketing methods despite the broader shift towards mobile access across the industry.
Georgia Bekyra, Everton’s senior manager of ticketing, told TheTicketingBusiness.com that the club had not seen persuasive evidence that fans are ready for physical cards to be scrapped, even though the adoption of mobile ticketing has accelerated in the sporting world during the pandemic.
“Mobile ticketing is an option we offer, but we haven’t seen great conversion,” Bekyra said.
“There is still the option of a physical card, as it looks like people feel more comfortable and confident having one in hand.
“I think we’re heading towards a paperless solution, albeit there will always be a need for some thermal tickets, even if it’s for resolution or collections etc.”
Everton’s ticketing is underpinned by a “robust” SecuTix system which, according to Bekyra, is “easy to use with a lot of flexibility and open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)”.
Flexibility is important to Everton and, with that in mind, dynamic pricing is an area that Bekyra expects will grow significantly, with prices fluctuating to maximise attendance.
Bekyra said: “Dynamic pricing is something that will develop more and more, as it provides more room for increased income based on demand.”
Everton is exploring a number of ticketing options as it presses ahead with its planned move to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Everton’s chief executive, Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale, recently told fans to expect a price increase for tickets to current home ground Goodison Park in order to help fund the new development.
Barrett-Baxendale said: “The stark financial pressures created by the COVID pandemic, balanced alongside the significant costs of a stadium build and our own footballing ambitions, now means our approach to match day, season ticket and lounge membership pricing for our remaining years at the Grand Old Lady has to reflect the reality we are faced with.”
Everton’s season ticket prices for the 2022-2023 campaign will be confirmed shortly, with supporters expected to be contacted in December.
Prices for the current season range from £95 for under-11s to £149 for 11 to 17-year-olds, £299 for 18 to 21-year-olds, and £380 for 22 to 24-year-olds. Adult season tickets for fans aged between 25 and 64 years old range from £420 to £565, while seniors aged 65 and over have a flat fee of £299 in all areas of the stadium.
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