Virgin Media Subsidise Ticket Prices For Trip To Chelsea

Saints shirt sponsors Virgin Media have again dug into their pockets to subsidise tickets for Saints fans.

It cannot be denied that Virgin Media have been good sponsors for Saints so far in terms of what they have done for Saints fans, in these days of high ticket prices they have helped supporters where it matters in the pocket by paying £10 per head to reduce the cost of buying a ticket for Saints supporters.

They did this in the opening away fixture of the season when they not only subsidised the tickets for the trip to Manchester United, but also laid on free coaches.

This followed Virgin subsidising prices for the pre season friendlies amongst other initiatives including Europa League games.

Now Saints fans going to Chelsea will pay only £20 with Virgin paying the extra £10, contrast this with last season's trip to Stamford Bridge when it was £50 a ticket for the travelling Saints fans.

Virgin also subsidise the ticket price for all away fans visiting St Mary's by £10, this has come in for criticism from some Saints fans who are unaware that this is not an initiative as part of Virgin's sponsorship of Saints, but a totally seperate deal as part of their sponsorship of the Football Supporters Federation.

They could have done this at any club in the Premier League, but instead chose to do it at Saints which in turn gives us as a club more positive publicity and many away fans like some of our own supporters wrongly believe it is part of the deal between Saints and Virgin.

But the truth of the matter is that other clubs only get subsidised once a season and Saints fans have got far more than that.

Virgin and the Football Supporters Federation continue to work together in the "Twenty's Plenty" campaign aimed at capping tickets for away fans at £20 in every division.

The labours of that bore fruit this season when Premier League clubs agreed a limit of £30 a head for travelling fans in the Premier, ironically making it cheaper in most cases for the travelling Premier League fan over his counterpart in the Championship.

But that is not enough and Virgin contniue to work with the FSF to try and encourage clubs to agreea £20 cap on away tickets for the supporter who spend most on their club, the travelling fan.

Find out more about the FSF and Twenty's Plenty using the link below.

http://www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/twentys-plenty/

What to read next:

Southampton Should Not Fear Anyone In The Play Offs.
The hope of getting back into the Premier League automatically has long gone, but the season is not yet over and we now have a good chance of getting to Wembley and going up through the play offs, here we look at who we could meet.

Southampton V Stoke City The Verdict
This should have been a celebratory day for Saints fans, there should have been a feeling of positivity, but the truth is that the fight has been knocked out of the supporter base and we go into the play offs with confidence both on and off the pitch at a low ebb.

Southampton 0 - 1 Stoke City - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.

Saints V Stoke City A Look Back In Pictures 2
In the second part of our pictorial look back at some of our games against Stoke City from the past, here we look back at more recent games, so most of you would have been at them.

Saints V Stoke City A Look Back In Pictures
We have looked through our photo archives for a look back as some games against Stoke City over the years, what are your memories of these games ?

Southampton V Stoke City The Preview
Saints go into the last two games of the season with their hopes of automatic promotion ended, even the hope of finishing 3rd is only a point away from being ended, but they do have something to play for and that is getting back the togetherness, character & fight Russell Martin has recently be moaned.

No Togetherness No Character No Fight
Not my words, but those of Southampton manager Russell Martin, who should ask himself the question why two months ago we had all those attributes and now we don't !

Southampton At Leicester The Debacle
The big question is how can a side that was so tight at the back, so clinical up front and who could pass the ball around almost with their eyes closed, become the disorganised rabble that they were at the Leicester City this evening.

Southampton Side Announced For Leicester Game
Russell Martin has revealed his side for the game against Leicester City, find out what surprises he has for Saints supporters this time out.

Southampton At Leicester City The Preview
Saints travel up to Leicester knowing that it is almost certain that they will just be in the play offs come the end of the season, however there is still the feint hope of 3rd place to play for, however the Foxes are playing for a bigger prize.