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Everton are the latest to embarrass Mike Ashley

4 years ago
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Everton are the latest club to step up and do the right thing in terms of looking after their fans in a fit and proper way.

The blue scousers the latest in a very long line to embarrass Mike Ashley, although somebody as shameless as him, it is surely only a minute remote chance that he will feel any embarrassment whatsoever during this virus crisis.

On Friday (15 May), Mike Ashley insisted on direct debits still being taken from thousands of Newcastle fans in advance payment towards 2020/21 season tickets. A season that nobody has a clue when it will start, then even less clue as to at what point, if any, in that season, fans will actually be allowed into matches. That is of course on top of taking via direct debit FULL advance payment in late March 2020 for 2020/21 season tickets from many fans.

The Premier League was of course scheduled to finish yesterday, Newcastle hosting Liverpool.

However, there is of course less than zero chance of Newcastle fans being allowed into any of these outstanding 2019/20 matches, if the season is allowed to restart.

Yet Mike Ashley has also refused to allow refunds to be made to any fans for match tickets, the five remaining matches of 2019/20 season tickets and any other packages for the remaining 2019/20 games, as well as for stadium tours that the club have cancelled.

Now it is the turn of Everton to show up Mike Ashley, they have released an official statement (see below), saying all fans will be entitled to refunds for single match tickets that have been bought, whilst season ticket holders are in line for pro rata refunds on the PL games that they won’t be able to watch.

The blue scousers have though offered Everton fans the option of allowing some or all of their due refund to go to charity instead, following requests from supporters to offer this.

Imagine that, a club doing the right thing and communicating with the fans and listening to them.

Quite incredible and shameful that Mike Ashley still insists on ordering club staff to tell Newcastle fans that they can’t have refunds because still a chance the tickets might be able to be used. Whether it is 2019/20 season tickets, the Man City FA Cup game, or PL home and away match single tickets.

When the likes of Manchester City, Everton, Brighton, Norwich and pretty much every other Premier League club is doing the right thing, why aren’t the media, politicians and pundits calling out Mike Ashley for refusing to refund money to Newcastle fans for tickets that they will never be able to use?

Everton official statement:

‘Everton has confirmed all fans with tickets for the Club’s remaining five home Premier League fixtures of the 2019/20 season will be able to claim a refund due to the increasing expectation that – should the remaining games be played – they will take place behind closed doors.

Season Ticket Members will be entitled to a credit or refund on a pro-rata basis for the five games and will also be given the option to forgo part or all of their balance in order for the Club to donate that amount in full over to Everton in the Community.

The option for a portion – or all – of the available refund to be made available to Everton in the Community was introduced as a result of requests from fan groups and individual supporters who have been keen to show their appreciation for the Club’s charity.

The charity’s work has come into increased focus during the coronavirus pandemic as a result of the Blue Family coordinated outreach campaign.

The Blue Family initiative has benefited thousands of vulnerable and isolated people and is continuing to provide key assistance and support to those in our community in greatest need.

Beyond Blue Family – and as a pre-eminent charity in the world of football – the scale and impact of Everton in the Community’s works is significant.

Every £1 donated to the charity is proven to be worth almost 15 times that amount as a result of the positive impact the charity’s programmes and initiatives have on communities in Liverpool and beyond.’

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