Away fans from all Premier League clubs will see their tickets capped to £20 for the first time, in a pioneering move by Virgin Media and the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF).
Saints fans are already receiving a discount off the £30 capped ticket at Chelsea later this month, however Virgin Media and the Football Supporters Federation are making sure that all away fans in April receive this discount for a game as the campaign for Twenty's Plenty steps up.
As part of the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign, Virgin Media through its partnership with the FSF, is reimbursing the costs of supporters’ tickets above £20 for a single away fixture at all top-tier clubs — with the majority of matches held between 15th and 23rd April.
The ground-breaking initiative recognises the loyalty and commitment away fans show their club throughout the season. It follows the FSF’s call to the Premier League and clubs to make ticket prices more affordable for visiting fans.
Virgin Media, the official shirt sponsor of Southampton FC, already subsidises every visiting supporters’ ticket to St Mary’s stadium to £20 as part of it's partnership with the Football Supporters Federation rather than Saints themselves.
The company is fighting for fans to enjoy all the football by making games cheaper for away fans, and by being the UK’s only pay TV provider to offer all the football on Sky Sports and BT sports in one package.
On the side of fans
As away Premier League tickets are capped at £30, fans will receive up to a £10 reimbursement from Virgin Media following their team’s match.
Fans can claim their subsidy after their team’s match by visiting
www.virginmedia.com/twentysplenty, downloading a form, and posting it along with their ticket. A cheque will be sent to them in the following weeks.
Brigitte Trafford of Virgin Media said: "We want to be part of a positive change for Premier League football fans across the country and are stepping up by subsidising away tickets to £20.
"Away fans are at the heart of the game and their tickets need to be affordable. Without them, the atmosphere in grounds is reduced and their teams don’t feel supported.”
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the FSF, said:
"The Football Supporters’ Federation has a long-standing rally cry — Twenty’s Plenty for Away Tickets. We’re delighted that Virgin Media has helped make that a reality at many upcoming top-flight games.
"Thanks to this Twenty’s Plenty deal, tens of thousands of top-flight fans could potentially save hundreds of thousands of pounds in the coming weeks. It’s a great idea.”
Additional detail:
Virgin Media and the FSF will subsidise fans’ tickets for one away fixture per Premier League club for the majority of matches played between 15th and 23rd April. Virgin Media will also reimburse the cost of a 2nd Class stamp, to account for the postage of the ticket and form.
Virgin Media will also honour the terms of the initiative to fans whose teams’ matches are postponed during this period due to FA Cup semi-final matches. Fans of these clubs (West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, and Sunderland, but not Saints as they have already received the discount directly), can apply for a reimbursement following these rescheduled matches.
Manchester City fans visiting Southampton on 15th April will not need to claim their subsidy as their ticket will already be reduced to £20 as part of Virgin Media’s existing Twenty’s Plenty arrangement with Southampton. This also applies to Southampton fans who travel to Chelsea on 23rd April.
Further information and terms and conditions: www.virginmedia.com/twentysplenty
- See more at: http://www.fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/twentys-plenty-virgin-media-and-fsf-reimb