Sunderland AFC announce plans for digital season tickets
The club announced the decision to go completely digital ahead of the 23/24 season earlier this month.
The change comes at a time where many regular day to day activities have become reliant on technology such as mobile phones and Sunderland are set to follow a number of football clubs to implement digital season tickets.
Reaction to the decision amongst the fanbase has certainly been split with many of the younger generation open to the change, however older supporters have expressed their discontent with the technological approach with many left feeling as if they are being disconnected from their club.
Digital season tickets have been implemented in grounds around England with Blackpool, West Ham and Everton being just a few English clubs that have made the transition whilst other sporting venues have also adopted the approach with supporters praising the switch.
Michael Bowers, a season ticket holder at Sunderland said: “A lot of life in general is moving towards technology so it’s somewhat second nature for me.
“However if your phone dies or isn’t working for one reason or another, then you’re stuck really. This is where you could argue another solution would be for fans to simply re-use their current season cards for next season & beyond.”
The club has had teething issues with turnstile accessibility and general ticketing over the past few years with supporters who have had match tickets on their phone, often unable to access the stadium.
A statement released on the clubs official website states: “Once familiarised, the move to digital season tickets will also ensure a faster entry to the Stadium of Light for all supporters and the transition also forms part of the Club’s long-term sustainability goals to reduce paper and plastic use.”
Sunderland have offered to put drop in sessions on for any supporters who may find difficulty with the change with venues and dates to be confirmed by the club in due course.
