'I found a huge flaw with Blackburn Rovers' new ticket pricing system'
I've had a season ticket at Rovers for as long as I can remember.
I've sat in the Riverside through good and (the more frequent) bad times. I watched us win the Premier League, I sat on a coach for countless hours to watch us draw 0-0 at Feyenoord and I witnessed us losing our 34-year unbeaten run to rivals Burnley.
I go to football with my dad but, when there's the odd mid-week night match at Ewood Park, my daughter Abigail comes with us which means that I have to buy her a match ticket.
READ MORE: Blackburn flagship housing estate construction to resume after two years
READ MORE: 'With repeated PIP assessments it's like they want disabled people to give up'
We're lucky at Blackburn in that ticket prices are comparatively low, even at the height of our success, and kids' tickets are often priced as low as £1.
For last week's home game against Coventry City I logged on to my account on the ticket sales website and selected an under-12s ticket close to us which was priced at £2. Then I was informed by the website that under-12s tickets can't be purchased on their own (presumably because children aged under 12 can't attend the game without an adult).
I wrote about this issue last year, ahead of the current season, when Rovers announced a new £10 fee for tickets bought over the phone. One fan told me: "One of my school mates has a season ticket but every so often he buys a match ticket for his son who's only eight, and the website doesn't let you buy a child ticket on its own so he has to ring up."
So, I didn't ring the ticket office, and instead went into the club shop to buy a ticket for my daughter. The lad in the shop told me "it's more expensive than online" which immediately made me angry.
I ended up paying £7 for her under-12s ticket which would have cost £2 online. The shop's £7 under-12s ticket was even £3 more expensive than an under-18s online ticket - which I would have been able to buy on its own!
I find it wholly unfair that, as a season ticket holder, the club's online sales system doesn't allow me to buy a single child's ticket and I've pointed this out to Rovers in an email which I sent ahead of the game.
There is a lot that Blackburn do well when it comes to inclusion. The stewards very kindly open the gates at the Riverside at half-term to allow vape users to stand outside the ground to use their e-cigs, the club gives away female sanitary products in the ladies' toilets, and children with autism or similar issues are given a sensory bag containing a fidget spinner and other gadgets to keep them busy.
But it seems that the club is getting some of the basics wrong. They're over-charging season ticket holders when they want to bring a child with them and this surely goes against the belief that any football club should value its most loyal followers.
I suggested they amend their online sales system to allow those logged in as a season ticket holder to purchase any kind of matchday ticket. I only hope they do something about it.
UPDATE: It is now understood the club are in discussions with Ticketmaster to try to rectify the issue. We have asked Rovers for a comment too and we will bring you that when we get it.
