Do Derek Llambias’ Figures Add Up At Newcastle United?

Spotted the following in today’s Sunday Sun;

The club are charging an extra £10 for membership this year, with all of the funds to go towards helping the club beef up their Academy efforts.

The Newcastle MD, Derek Llambias, admitted it was tough to accept.

He added: “Here, father and son – if they are season ticket holders – will pay £400 for the season.

“That is £20. It is not huge. Of course you have your travel and your burger which is maybe another tenner.

“That is a day out and that is what it should be about.

“It is about families – it should not be about posing or whatever.

“We do not want to put prices up. People might say we have put membership up on the season tickets, but that is going straight into the Academy.

“It was discounted for the first year but that is going into the Academy because we need to find the money from somewhere.”

Well Derek Llambias isn’t exactly telling porkies but when he is talking about the cost of following Necwastle United he isn’t exactly giving the full picture.

The prices Llambias quotes only relate to the family enclosure which has a limited number of places and the seats are up in the gods, they don’t relate to the vast majority of season ticket holders.

I sit in the Leazes End and am probably quite typical of a lot of people in that like a lot of people I have sat with friends/family for years and so when my seven year old son was ready for his first season ticket I got it in with us.

I have no problem paying more for my ticket rather than going into the family enclosure, that is even if there were unlimited spaces in it.

I pay over £500 for my season ticket but my son’s is over £250, making it around £800 for the two of us, or in other terms over £40 a match and that is before Dekka’s burger and travel.

Many people are in my position and aren’t going to move away from their mates or family once their son/daughter is gagging to coma and watch the black & whites.

Surely if the club are committed to getting the next generation of fans in, they need to charge the same price for all children so why not make it £100 for a child to sit anywhere but the corporates?