AFCB half season ticket sell out is no surprise

The pick up in half season ticket holders this year has been great to see. To think that I wondered how well the half season tickets would do when AFCB were finding it difficult to get a run going before the Capital One match against Cardiff. But things change quickly and the good run has seen all the half season season tickets quickly snapped up, even though they don't include a ticket for the fifth round of the Capital One Cup against Liverpool.

The need for a seat for the second half of the season 
has proved too tempting for many fans who usually by on the day.

At first I was surprised at the amount of interest in the half season tickets and then Michael Dunne of the All Departments' podcast pointed out to me that it would guarantee those supporters the chance of being offered a season ticket for next season, if they wanted to retain their seat. Of course that just might mean Premier League football - I know we might be getting ahead of ourselves here. Still that thought will have boosted ticket sales for the second half of this season and with a full house most weeks that should give a little more impetuous to the players to do even better if that is possible.

Thoughts about what the club is going to do over the summer regarding the stadium and crowd numbers is going to become a hot topic in the coming months, because another good cup run in the FA Cup holds the likelihood of another big tie at some point and very few seats to accommodate everyone. Whether the club can attract more home fans just with staying in the Championship is what may be giving the management a headache at the moment, as there is no knowing what clubs will go up yet. 

I think the South stand has been a tremendous success and has made the ground really special for us supporters who have endured the three stand ground for so many years. Building a permanent stand there though as a copy of the North stand is a likely outcome if it is decided that more seats are needed, but depending on where the club is next season they need several scenarios ready to go. Listen to the current All Departments' podcast to hear what some of those solutions could be.

The Financial Fair Play rules for the Championship 2015-16 season allow for £2m losses if the owner invests up to £13m. I believe infrastructure spending is exempt from FFP, but the club will still have to find the funds from somewhere to pay for ground developments. If the club stays in the Championship some funds are likely to still go into ground development, but what that means in terms of numbers of seats or preparing for safe standing is very much up for discussion still. AFCB also need to raise other revenue streams though, especially if they are staying put in the Championship. Extra ticket sales are a help but the team will also need funding if it is to keep improving.

Good luck to Baily Cargill today, who is all set to hopefully make his England U20 debut at Dean Court against Canada in a friendly.