With the release of the 2013-14 ST prices, Sam Rush registered a roundly negative impact upon a substantial section of the core DCFC fanbase.

For those fans affected by large increases - the senior and the disabled - many may feel that Sam’s ‘honeymoon period’ on joining the club is now over.

Both categories of supporters face inflation-busting renewal prices, especially the disabled. Personally, I’ll have to pay £50 more (a 25% increase) to renew - having paid a 10% increase on my ST in 2012. The senior concession has been eroded from a traditional 50% reduction to circa 35%.

Some qualifying seniors suffered a ‘double whammy’ of a price increase and also a seat re-grading uplift on top of that. That works out for some senior supporters in a rise from £200 to £275, which is a 37.5% increase. You could question how is that justified in these difficult economic times?

Re-gradings of some seats ‘in line with West Stand pricing’ does not hold water in terms of comparability of facilities, such as wider seats and other benefits not seen in some other areas of the stadium.

In addition, a section of would-be new senior ‘qualifiers’ (aged 59 years) now have to pay full price for several more years, due to the threshold being lifted to 65 years of age.

As some female fans will qualify for the State pension at age 62 however, will they still be made to pay the full ‘adult’ ST price right up until they reach 65 years of age?

Far worse news came to disabled fans, with an increase from £190 to £390 - well over 100% imposed on some 160-odd wheelchair-bound fans accompanied by carers.

An outcry was followed by a declaration from the Disabled Supporters’ Association that (contrary to Mr Rush’s claims) consultation with them had not taken place.

Bearing in mind that the DSA had recently raised and donated £1,000s to the club to improve disabled access and facilities, the club's new ST tariff was an extremely punitive decision.

DCFC managed a rethink and then ‘declassified’ the NW disabled corner, regrading it to Category D; the ST price was reduced to £300.

This still represents a price increase of 58% and you wonder how the club could contrive such a huge gaffe, promptly reduce the tariff and expect fans to be happy at still paying that scale of price rise!

The most loyal and long-serving fans (seniors) and those making the greatest effort to be at the stadium in person to follow their team (the disabled) have been hit with cynically targeted and punitive ST increases.

Mr Rush said that “fans will not be taken for granted” and that he was “the custodian of the fans’ interests”. In my opinion, it all seems cynically targeted - and I feel like a member of a minority group that my football club has singled out.

Mr Rush said nothing of rises/recategorisations in the January ‘Your 90 minutes’ forum and (for instance) the club had not met the supporters’ trust for over a year. The parties met 2 days before ST packs arrived with fans - but no discussion of ST prices or rises took place.

An avoidance of disclosure in Sam’s interviews on official website ‘Freeviews’ about price-rise figures also damages his claim to be ‘open and transparent.’

Attendant doublespeak was disappointing - statements like: “Some gradings have been re-classified”; “Value opportunities”, “Savings across the board” just glossed over increases of 25% or more for all seniors and the disabled category price-hikes of over 100%.

Mr Rush played down the scale of price increases as being typically “£30 - £35”; he first said that 70% of adult ST prices were unchanged; he later said that this figure was 80%. I would like a declaration of actual figures; I simply do not believe that it is actually the case that the disabled and fans aged 59 to 99 (or beyond!) make up just 20% of Derby County’s ST-holding support.

On the other hand, a new Category E has been created at a bargain price point of £230, a policy seemingly resulting from the enthusiastic lobbying of the ‘barmy army’ activists who wanted the club to reclaim the goal end from away fans.

That might swell the young adult contingent and improve the stadium atmosphere, with Cat E being aimed at the younger adult element and ‘vocal’ contingent. It may tempt some ‘returnees back, those whom have drifted from stadium attendance due to Derby’s perpetual ‘tread water’ Championship existence.

Good as that is, perhaps when the lobbyists bent the ear of Mr Rush, they unwittingly did so at the expense of the senior and disabled core of the Pride Park faithful. Adult newcomers (or transferees) will thus pay less than dyed-in-the-wool seniors with decades of loyalty to the club.

Mr Rush issued an invitation for anyone (including the disabled) to transfer to the new (£230) Category E season ticket area - a reactive policy that could be seen as unsympathetic to disabled needs. Issues arising from this invitation include:

• Many disabled fans physically cannot do this due to specific disabilities.

• People do not want to be forced to move away from friends and family that may have been sitting together for decades both at the BBG and PPS.

• Older fans will not necessarily want to be immersed within the vocal element.

• Relocating fans may not wish to be among a potentially ‘unsafe standing’ contingent (as evident in the current SW Corner). Stewarding problems and stadium licensing issues may emerge.

• Relocating fans do not want to have to move and reside much closer to the away fans.

• The Category E contingent will be relocated in the event of a large travelling support.

Spontaneous meetings have occurred between club and individual fans with their own predicament, such as the infirm, autistic, or wheelchair patrons who cannot easily move location. The club adopted a reactive policy to redress unfair scenarios - to redress the hostile response from those fans affected.

I accept that Cup Vouchers are unsatisfactory from the club’s point of view financially - but after Mr Rush told fans (at the January forum) that ‘we’ll look at that’, he then awarded top-price Premier Area Members ST holders alone a Cup Voucher benefit, saying ‘we try to help people’.

Historical benefits where ST-holders enjoyed a 10% ShopDCFC discount (and similar entitlement through membership of The Rams Club) have already been negated. Any merchandise discount given to fans is now simply negligible.

Car-parking fees have also been rasied in another stealth price increase.

DCFC has taken a gamble that long-serving, habituated senior and disabled fans will grudgingly pay the increase due to their love of their club. Derby County is a major leisure and lifestyle choice that is part of their very identity. Once a Ram, always a Ram.

Likewise, the hardy disabled contingent that in many ways muster the greatest effort to be pitch-side with their team will also strive hard to maintain their support.

Those assumptions may well prove to be correct; fans will not easily give up their loyalties; Derby folk have football in their veins. Most will renew, albeit reluctantly, even if it means more sacrifice for some to continue to enjoy their matchdays.

Our inconsistent, rather threadbare squad can often play attractively but now seems to be settling into the safe mid-table berth that will be trumpeted by the club again as ‘progress,’ when the business end of the season unfolds.

To minimise the impact of rising ST prices and take ‘early-bird’ renewal benefits, fans will have to make up their whether to cough up their hard-earned money before they see the substance of the summer squad strengthening promises.

Much was made of Derby’s ‘bullish’ attitude in fending off January enquiries about their best players.

However, the focus will soon be upon whether such players as Hughes, Brayford, Bryson and Hendrick can be retained or if the manager must undertake another rebuild and hope for an Academy graduate or two to hold down a first-team place.

The club will need to attract better players to strengthen and deepen the squad, whilst Derby's best players will also aspire to play at a higher level or at least in a team challenging at the top of the division. Breath-holding is optional.

Fans will hope that promotion - or seeing the team actually challenging in the top six of the Championship - is just as big a priority for the new CEO as increasing the ‘spend-per-head’ in the stadium.

Ultimately, a successful team and Premier League status is the only guarantor of a full stadium and multiplied revenue levels.

Postscript: I received a text from DCFC on Friday, giving Digonex prices for the Bolton home game next Tuesday: it said:

Adults: £11.00; Juniors: £4.00; Seniors: £7.00

My current (Senior) season ticket works out at £8.70 per game; next season’s per-game cost will be £10.87.

Whilst my ticket can’t be said to be very expensive, it does look like the ‘walk-up’ fans will get the best deals!

Derby Now and Always? It doesn’t look like you should bank on that Mr Rush, from the reactions I’ve observed.

Whether they pay up to renew or not, many supporters Did Not Anticipate such big increases, and Do Not Accept that such large price rises were necessary or fair.

Make Pride Park Stadium a fortress and fill it again, if you can, Derby - but please don’t fleece the core fans in the process.

Photo: Action Images

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